The government has set a target to procure 521.27 lakh tonnes of rice being cultivated during the ongoing kharif season. It has procured 496 lakh tonnes of rice from last year's kharif crop.

 

Paddy is grown in both the kharif (summer-sown) and rabi (winter-sown) seasons.

 

Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra chaired a meeting of State Food Secretaries and Food Corporation of India (FCI) on August 21 to discuss the procurement arrangements for the Kharif crop in the ensuing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2023-24, which runs from October-September.

 

'A quantity of 521.27 lakh tonnes rice has been estimated for procurement during the forthcoming KMS 2023-24 (Kharif crop) as against the previous year estimates of 518 lakh tonnes wherein 496 lakh tonnes was actually procured during KMS 2022-23 (Kharif crop),' the food ministry said in an official statement.

 

During KMS 2023-24 (Kharif crop), rice procurement in Punjab is estimated at 122 lakh tonnes, Chhattisgarh (61 lakh tonnes), Telangana (50 lakh tonnes), Odisha (44.28 lakh tonnes), Uttar Pradesh (44 lakh tonnes), Haryana (40 lakh tonnes), Madhya Pradesh (34 lakh tonnes), Bihar (30 lakh tonnes), Andhra Pradesh (25 lakh tonnes), West Bengal (24 lakh tonnes) and Tamil Nadu (15 lakh tonnes).

 

A quantity of 33.09 lakh tonnes of coarse grains/millets (Shree Anna) has been estimated for procurement by the states during the KMS 2023-24 as against actual procurement of 7.37 LMT during KMS 2022-23 (Kharif & Rabi).

 

Six minor millets have also been introduced to be purchased by the states at MSP of Ragi starting this KMS 2023-24, up to three years.

The Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution organised a one day national seminar on rice fortification.

 

While addressing the seminar, secretary, DFPD, Sanjeev Chopra said, 'We are on track to achieve the target of 100% distribution of fortified rice across all rice consuming districts in the country.'

 

Government of India is committed to ensure the nutritional security of the country through fortified rice distribution across government food safety net schemes. The seminar served as a dynamic platform for multi stakeholder discussions where besides government stakeholders, technical experts from institutions and academia provided meaningful insights on different aspects of the rice fortification programme such as evidence, safety of consumption, operational challenges and quality assurance and quality control.

 

The prevailing challenges and queries of states were addressed by the group of experts and deliberations were made to derive a roadmap to the programme for the coming year.

 

The seminar was divided into four technical sessions, each deliberating on discussions held in prior working group meetings focussing on key aspects of rice fortification. The first of these sessions emphasised on concerns regarding safety of consumption of fortified rice for the general population as well as individuals with Haemoglobinopathies and SCD.

 

Dr Reena Das, Department of Haematology, PGIMER, Chandigarh recommended on behalf of the panel that fortified rice consumption is safe and addressed the prevailing myth regarding toxicity from its consumption.

 

The second session led by D. Prashant T., associate professor at St. Johns Research Institute, Bengaluru aimed at providing evidence-based insights from National and International experiences on rice fortification. He shared numerous studies which pointed out the effectiveness of iron fortification in the reduction of anaemia.

 

In the third technical session, a group of experts from organisations like FSSAI, FCI, BIS, WFP, Microsave and IIT Kharagpur working at the national level as well as at the field, engaged in a discussion to explore strategies to address on-ground operational challenges to streamline the distribution process.

 

Concluding the day's discussions, the last technical session led by Dr Balasubramaniam, joint director, FSSAI focussed on providing insights into the quality aspects and recommended strategies that may be adopted to improve the quality of fortified rice being distributed.

 

The seminar witnessed the launch of a national IEC campaign developed by the Department for awareness generation at the beneficiary level and release of a guidance handbook on rice fortification which will act as a ready reckoner for all guidelines, notifications and orders related to rice fortification.

 

The event brought together technical experts, leaders from government ministries, research institutes and international organisations fostering an enriching dialogue to build a common understanding and leverage universal supply of fortified rice in food safety net schemes.

 

Food Secretaries from States/UTs across the country along with technical experts in the domain and development partners working on-ground participated in the Seminar jointly reflecting upon the challenges and opportunities together for achieving the transformation of food and nutrition security ecosystem in the country.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Shri Piyush Goyal said that focus of G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM) will be on easing barriers to international trade and investment; helping boost productivity and output and fostering economic growth and prosperity for all. While addressing the opening session of TIMM in Jaipur, Rajasthan today, the Minister encouraged the Ministers from G20 and other invitee countries to work collectively to achieve concrete, decisive and action-oriented outcomes.

 

Shri Piyush Goyal said that TIMM focusses on formulating shared outcomes on issues related to the multilateral trading system, inclusive trade and ease of trade and business. He said that these issues have been deliberated upon in the four Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) Meetings held under India’s G20 Presidency. The Minister said that the meetings have aimed at formulating fair, inclusive and sustainable trade and trade related investment policies.

 

Shri Goyal mentioned that TIMM will have Sessions on (i) Multilateral Trade for Global Growth & Prosperity; (ii) Inclusive & Resilient Trade and (iii) Leveraging Technology for Paperless Trade. He expressed that these Sessions will result in coming up with significant outcomes keeping in mind the current multinational challenges.

 

The Minister highlighted that the five priority issues namely (i) Trade for Growth & Prosperity, (ii) Resilient Trade and GVCs, (iii) Integrating MSMEs in World Trade, (iv) Logistics for Trade and (v) WTO Reforms have been extensively discussed among the G20 member/invitee countries during the TIWG meetings. He noted that in today's interconnected world, the concept of global value chains has revolutionized the way nations engage in trade and investment. Shri Goyal added that the COVID-19 pandemic and other shocks have disrupted the global value chains and made us realize the importance of promoting inclusive and sustainable global value chains.

 

Shri Goyal said that India under its G20 Presidency has recognized the crucial role played by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the global economy and makes efforts under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to provide them continuous support. He said that MSMEs are the backbone of economies driving innovation, creating jobs and contributing significantly to overall economic growth. The Minister said that equitable access and participation for MSMEs in global trade must be ensured to unlock new avenues for growth. He also cited the example of successful integration of MSMEs in the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and its benefits.

 

The Minister said that the shared commitment to foster inclusive growth extends beyond the boundaries of our traditional systems. While recognizing the importance of smooth logistics for international trade, he said that paperless trading is a critical step towards streamlining cross border transactions, reducing administrative delays and enhancing the pace in trade operations. Shri Goyal cited the example of PM GatiShakti initiative for infrastructure development and logistics efficiency using layers of GIS data to plan and implement projects.

 

He said that it is imperative to have a more dynamic and inclusive trade environment, with reforms in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Shri Goyal said that these reforms must reflect the evolving global economic landscape. He said that India can provide leadership to the Global South in the realm of trade and investment and integrate the world economy making it more inclusive. The Minister said that the spirit of collaboration and mutual understanding defines G20 whose decisions shape the trajectory of economies, livelihoods of people, and the future of the world.

Bilateral trade between India and Kuwait has touched an all time-high of USD 12.5 billion, Indian ambassador to Kuwait Adarsh Swaika said, according to the Arab News Online.

 

Trade between the two countries have has seen a 90 per cent yearly jump and while currently it is skewed towards hydrocarbon exports from Kuwait and exports of mainly food products from India, bilateral trade has the potential for diversification the envoy said.

 

'There are excellent possibilities in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, automobiles and related spares, electronics goods and components, high-efficiency solar PV modules, textiles and apparel, white goods, ceramics, etc. But the main potential area of cooperation is in the field of investments from Kuwait to India because of the attractive political and financial investment climate that the country provides, the Indian ambassador told Arab News online.

 

'But the main potential area of cooperation is in the field of investments from Kuwait to India because of the attractive political and financial investment climate that the country provides. On May 8, we held a high-visibility investment seminar that presented the New India growth story. We saw much interest from our Kuwaiti partners in investing in India. There are some very positive experiences sharing Kuwaiti investments in India,' he added.

 

Swaika also stated that Kuwait Investment Authority's (KIA) investments in India are extraordinarily significant, and expressed hope for further acquisitions.

 

Swaika in the interview to Chaitali B Roy of the Arab News online published on Wednesday said that regarding food security, tourism, and health cooperation, Swaika said that both countries are working to enhance relations on the basis of all three sectors.

 

The Indian envoy noted that medical and health tourism offers tremendous potential for further growth and that India is exploring whether Indian private hospitals can set up their chains in the Kuwait.

 

Recalling the collaboration on the medical front between the two countries during COVID pandemic when India came forward to help Kuwait, Swaika said, 'What we did together to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of assistance and collaboration was genuinely remarkable. This has set the bar of bilateral cooperation very high. This demonstration of shared solidarity has brought us closer.

 

'We had a significant investment seminar recently in which the representative of the Apollo group participated. He told me of the interest on the Kuwaiti side in such collaboration. The second thing is how Indian medicines can be made available in Kuwait much more cost-effectively. Ironically, Indian medication, many of which are US FDA approved, is not available in Kuwait. The Embassy is working on this. The third issue is of immense opportunities available in India for medical and wellness treatment. This would not only be much more cost-effective but of a world-class standard,' he added.

 

Regarding medical cooperation, the ambassador said that medicine is a promising sector with tremendous potential for further growth. He further added that most of the Kuwaitis go to India for medical treatment.

 

'Today, most Kuwaitis who go for medical treatment abroad generally go at Government cost to Western countries predominantly. At the same time, India is one place that attracts people from all over the world, including the Western world and, more importantly, from its neighbourhood and extended neighbourhood, for medical treatment. This is because it provides quality health care at an affordable cost,' he said.

 

'There are chains of private hospitals specialising in different areas, e.g., Apollo, Narayana Hyudalaya, Medanta, Shankar Netralaya, Fortis, etc. Given our solid historical linkages, geographical proximity, cultural affinity, and people-to-people contacts, India should be the preferred destination for medical treatment for Kuwaitis. The Embassy is working on this with both the Kuwaiti side and the Indian hospital chains,' he added.

 

Talking about India's growing economy, Swaika said that the country is one of the few major economies that has grown over 6 per cent consistently in the last few years and is expected to continue doing so, reported Arab News online.

 

India is the fifth largest economy currently, the third most significant in terms of purchasing power parity and is projected to be a USD 5 trillion economy by 2030. It will remain one of the major growth engines of the world, he added.

India's trade deficit is falling at a rapid pace and the exports are expected to see positive growth in the coming months, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He said that countries in the world are facing a slowdown and global trade is relatively weak right now.

 

Given the challenging situation, high interest rates, and cut down in discretionary spending have led to a fall in the exports of readymade apparel and the gem and jewellery sector, the minister said adding lower petroleum prices have resulted in lower export numbers.

 

'All in all, trade continues to be robust, our trade deficit is falling rapidly. And India will continue to benefit significantly from our global outreach,' Goyal told PTI.

 

When asked if he expects the country's merchandise exports to come in positive growth from September, he said, 'I do believe it is possible'.

 

India's exports contracted by 15.88 per cent in July, the sixth straight month of decline, to USD 32.25 billion this year due to a global slowdown and a fall in shipments of key sectors like petroleum, and gems and jewellery.

 

Imports during the month also declined by 17 per cent, the eighth month of fall in a row, to USD 52.92 billion from USD 63.77 billion in July 2022. This led to a narrowing of the trade deficit to USD 20.67 billion against USD 25.43 billion in July 2022.

 

Talking about his bilateral meetings, the minister said that more and more countries are looking at expanding trade and business with India. 'There is a lot of interest to invest in India,' he added.

 

As Chandrayaan-3 successfully soft-landed on the Moon on Wednesday to propel India into an elite group of nations. Goyal said that at least three countries approached him for a partnership with India in the space sector.

 

'So, space is going to become a new frontier in which India will provide a leadership role at affordable competitive prices, modern technology and with full self-reliance, where we have the capabilities of our people to reach the moon and aspire for beyond,' he added.

Traders in Nepal have resumed importing onions from India to meet the soaring domestic demand ahead of a festival season, days after the supply was halted following India's decision to slap a 40 per cent export tax on the vegetable. Last week, India, the world's biggest exporter of onions, imposed a 40 per cent tariff on the export of the vegetable till December 31 to restrict overseas sales.

 

The move reportedly came amid an anticipation of a price rise ahead of the festival season when demand for most commodities goes up.

 

The new tariff had severely affected Nepal as several traders in the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market - the Himalayan nation's largest wholesale market for agricultural products - reported a sudden scarcity of onions. Nepal imports 99 per cent of its onion requirements from India.

 

Traders in Nepal imported 265 tonnes of onions from India in the last 48 hours which helped resume smooth supply of the vegetable ahead of the festival season.

 

On Wednesday, 120 tonnes of onions were imported from India, and on Thursday, 145 tonnes came till noon, said Binaya Shrestha, spokesperson at the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board.

 

Wholesale price of onions has been fixed at Rs. 75 per kg after the tax adjustment, he said.

 

The traders had halted the import of onions on Monday and Tuesday after India imposed the export duty on the vegetable.

 

The price of onions which was sold at Rs. 70 per kg in the retail market has now jumped to Rs. 100 after the imposition of export tax.

 

However, the supply has become smooth, there is no shortage of onions in the market even though the traders have started hoarding the vegetable after India announced the tariff.

 

The Customer Protection Division under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has intensified market monitoring activities over the last week following complaints from some consumer groups about shortage and price hikes of onions.

 

In the last four days, market monitoring was conducted at more than 30 places, said Ghanashyam Subedi, director of the division.

 

He said those found to be charging unreasonably higher prices have been fined as per the consumer protection laws.

Looking to emerge as a counterweight to the West, BRICS announced Thursday that 6 countries - Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE - will join on January 1, 2024, the group of nations that together account for 26 percent of global GDP. While many of these countries have close ties with China, which wanted expansion to be accelerated, all of them except Ethiopia are also India’s strategic partners.

 

Welcoming the development, PM Narendra Modi said that the expansion will consolidate the trust that many countries have in a multipolar world order and also send out a message – important in the context of the delayed UNSC reforms - that all international institutions must adapt to the changing times and circumstances. Modi also expressed satisfaction that BRICS had built a consensus on the criteria, standards, procedures and guiding principles for expansion.

 

India had earlier strongly denied it was blocking the proposal to expand membership saying it only wanted the rules finalised first for admitting new members. According to government sources, India had played the lead role in forging a consensus on the issue at the Johannesburg BRICS summit that ended Thursday.

 

In the joint press conference, where the leaders announced the decision after intense negotiations over 2 days, Modi said India had always and unequivocally supported the expansion of BRICS. South Africa was the last country to join what was then known as BRIC in 2010.

 

``We believe BRICS will become stronger with new members joining it and our shared efforts will also get a boost. This is an initiative that can set an example for the reforms of global institutions which were created in the 20th century, said Modi, as he spoke about how India enjoyed deep and historical ties with each of the 6 nations who will join the group. India’s historical links with Iran are well known but it has also worked in the recent past to cultivate ties with both UAE and Saudi Arabia, with which it has had a strategic partnership since 2010. Bilateral ties with UAE were upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2017. India has also had a strategic partnership with Argentina since 2019 and with Egypt since Modi’s visit to Cairo in July.

 

``I’m confident together with these countries we will provide a new momentum and new energy to our cooperation. With support from BRICS, we will also add new dimensions to our bilateral cooperation with these countries,’’ he added.

While the 6 countries whose names were announced will joint as permanent members, more are expected to join later as partner countries. The PM said India will also help build a consensus for allowing membership as a partner country. Twenty-three countries had formally sought membership ahead of the Johannesburg summit.

Wary of China and Russia’s anti-West, particularly anti-US agenda, both India and Brazil didn’t want the expansion process to be rushed through. South Africa, however, announced Wednesday that it finally had a document after the leaders’ negotiations on the criteria and guiding principles for membership. Describing the development as historic, Chinese President Xi Jinping in a swipe at the West said that hegemonism was not in China’s DNA.

The ongoing negotiations between India and the UK on a free trade agreement (FTA) are progressing 'extremely well' and it is expected to conclude at an early date, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He said both sides are confident that they will come out with a 'very' balanced, equitable and fair agreement in the interest of businesses and people of both the countries.

 

When asked about the UK's demand on import duty concessions on auto, whiskey and dairy products, he said India and the UK both are pressing hard for their requests and concerns.

 

'There is hardly an issue on which we are not negotiating and I assure you that it will be a strong and hard outcome that will come out of all these negotiations... I believe we have to talk with sincerity, with speed but ensuring balance... and we are both committed to come up with a win-win solution for both countries. I hope it can happen at an early date,' Goyal told reporters here.

 

The UK team is here for the Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM).

 

The 12th round of talks between India and the UK is in progress here.

 

Out of the total 26 chapters in the proposed FTA, 19 have been closed. Investment is being negotiated as a separate agreement (bilateral investment treaty) between India and the UK.

 

The main issues which could come up for discussion in this round include investment treaty, reduction of duties on auto and whiskey, rules of origin, intellectual property rights and matters pertaining to services.

 

Talking about the proposed trade pact with the European Union, the minister said that the negotiations are on but as the EU block has 27 nations, the negotiations would take a little longer.

 

'It's a conglomeration of 27 countries, so certainly it takes a little longer in terms of building and forging consensus amongst all the nations on their side. Similarly, we have to assess various aspects of the trade agreement with the lens of 27 different countries with whom effectively we are entering into an agreement.

 

'So that will be a little bit longer drawn process, but both the EU and India are committed to this agreement,' Goyal added.

 

The minister will also hold bilateral meetings with his UK and EU counterparts in New Delhi to review the progress of the negotiations.

 

When asked whether the ongoing round of talks between India and the UK officials would be the last one, he said, 'We should allow our officials to negotiate for good outcomes. Good outcomes are not possible with limiting the ability to explore new areas and new avenues.'

 

Discussions are also going on between the countries on the bilateral investment treaty. The bilateral trade between the countries increased to USD 20.36 billion in 2022-23 from USD 17.5 billion in 2021-22.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has expressed the desire to 'quickly' get back on the negotiating table to discuss a potential trade agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. Last year, both the regions agreed to pursue an FTA and resume the negotiations. GCC is a union of six countries in the Gulf region, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. The council is the largest trading bloc of India.

 

'We have large investments coming from GCC countries. We already have a FTA with UAE...The GCC countries led by Saudi Arabia have expressed the desire to quickly get back on the negotiating table to discuss potential agreements with the GCC countries.

 

Many GCC member nations have also approached India individually with the request to enter into a bilateral agreement,' he told reporters here.

 

The minister is here for the G20 trade and investment ministerial meeting.

 

Among the economic regions, GCC is the top source of imports. Imports from GCC countries were USD 133 billion in 2022-23, up 20.3 per cent on year while exports were 16.7 per cent higher at USD 51.3 billion.

 

India's exports to the GCC member countries grew by 58.26 per cent to about USD 44 billion in 2021-22 against USD 27.8 billion in 2020-21.

 

Bilateral trade in goods has increased to USD 154.73 billion in 2021-22 from USD 87.4 billion in 2020-21. Services trade between the two regions was valued at around USD 14 billion in 2021-22, with exports aggregated at USD 5.5 billion and imports at USD 8.3 billion.

 

Both sides held negotiations for the trade pact in 2006 and 2008 but talks stalled thereafter due to unknown reasons.

 

Gulf nations are host to a sizable Indian population. Out of about 32 million non-resident Indians (NRIs), nearly half are estimated to be working in the Gulf countries.

In a major milestone that will boost export trade between the two countries, Kenya has secured market for fresh avocado market in India. This development comes after the Indian government approved the export of the fresh produce beginning this September when the first shipment are expected to commence in a move that farmers welcomed with batted breath.

 

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) Managing Director Theophilus Mutui confirmed that the government of India last week approved Kenya’s request to export avocados: 'The India Government allowed Kenya avocado market access after notifying the world trade organization (WTO) about the same. We are happy as export destinations continue to increase and thus help our farmers to grow more avocados.'

 

Kenya and India have been carrying out negotiation talks for the last five years and this therefore is good news for Kenya, which has already been exporting the fruits to China. In the next two weeks, exports will commence.