• India’s overall exports (Merchandise and Services combined) in July 2023* is estimated to be USD 59.43 Billion, exhibiting a negative growth of (-) 5.06 per cent over July 2022. Overall imports in July 2023* is estimated to be USD 67.77 Billion, exhibiting a negative growth of (-) 12.92 per cent over July 2022.

Table 1: Trade during July 2023*

* Note: The latest data for services sector released by RBI is for June 2023. The data for July 2023 is an estimation, which will be revised based on RBI’s subsequent release. (ii) Data for April-July 2022 has been revised on pro-rata basis using quarterly balance of payments data.

Fig 1: Overall Trade during July 2023*

• India’s overall exports (Merchandise and Services combined) in April-July 2023 is estimated to exhibit a negative growth of (-) 5.98 per cent over April-July 2022. Overall imports in April-July 2023 is estimated to exhibit a negative growth of (-) 11.09 per cent over April-July 2022.

Table 2: Trade during April-July 2023*

		April-July 2023 (USD Billion)	April-July 2022  (USD Billion)
Merchandise	Exports	136.22	159.32
	Imports	213.20	247.31
pib.gov.in
	16 Aug, 2023 Prime Minister says India s exports rising rapidly, world rating agencies recognizing India s potential. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of 77th Independence day today, said that India’s exports is rising rapidly and the world is saying that India will not stop now. World rating agencies are praising India and in the new world order post-Corona, the ability of Indians is being recognized, he said. At a time when the global supply chains were disrupted, we showed the world that the solutions can be found only by focusing on human needs, he said. Prime Minister said that today India has become the voice of global South and Indian economy is now a part of global supply chain, providing it stability.   Speaking on Startups, Prime Minister said that the youth of India have placed the country in the top three StartUp ecosystems of the world. He added that the youth of the world are amazed at this development, amazed seeing the ability of India’s youth. Today’s world is technology driven and given the talent that India has in technology, we will have an important role to play in the world. Prime Minister also noted that the world leaders of the most developed nations have recognized the success of digital India, and want to know more about these initiatives.    Source:  pib.gov.in
16 Aug, 2023 Fast track action to remove non-tariff barriers key to realise trillion-dollar merchandise export goal: GTRI report. India needs to act in a fast-track manner for removal of non-trade barriers (NTBs), being faced by domestic exporters in different countries like the US, China and Japan, to achieve one trillion dollar outbound shipment target for goods by 2030, a report by think-tank GTRI said on Tuesday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has suggested a two-pronged strategy to mitigate the influence of NTBs on exports.   It asked for upgrading domestic systems, in cases where Indian products are rejected due to quality issues; and retaliating if unreasonable standards or rules continue to obstruct exports from New Delhi.   'Many of India's exports suffer due to time taking prior registration requirements and unreasonable domestic standards/rules in many countries. India must talk to partner countries for reasonable solutions,' GTRI Co-founder Ajay Srivastava said.     He added that many of India's food and agriculture products face problems due to higher pesticide levels, presence of pests and contaminations due to foot and mouth disease.   'India must take each issue and address it in the shortest possible time,' Srivastava said adding 'India's exports are far below potential as they face NTBs in the EU (European Union), USA, China, Japan, Korea and many other countries'.   Key Indian exports that routinely face high barriers include -- Chillies, Tea, Basmati Rice, Milk, Poultry, Bovine Meat, Fish, Chemicals Products to EU; Sesame Seed, Black Tiger Shrimps, Medicines, Apparels to Japan; Food, Meat, Fish, Dairy, Industrial Products to China; Shrimps to the US; and Bovine Meat to South Korea.   According to the report, the other products which face these barriers include Ceramic Tiles in Egypt; Chili in Mexico; Medicines in Argentina; Microbiological Regents in Saudi Arabia; Electrical, Medical Devices, Household Appliances in Brazil; Veterinary Pharmaceuticals, Feed Additives, Machinery in Russia.   Most non-tariff measures (NTMs) are domestic rules created by countries with an aim to protect human, animal or plant health and environment. NTM may be technical measures like regulations, standards, testing, certification, pre-shipment inspection or non-technical measures like quotas, import licensing, subsidies, government procurement restrictions.   When NTMs become arbitrary, beyond scientific justification, they create hurdles for trade and are called NTBs (non-tariff barriers).   'The hindrance posed by NTBs on India's export performance is a critical challenge. A time frame must be decided to resolve important NTBs,' it said.   About these barriers, the report said that there are three sub-categories that are reducing pesticide levels in food products; presence of pests like food and mouth disease; and higher inspection due to suspect product quality.   India's exports of basmati rice, chillies, tea and many other agriculture products face difficulty in foreign markets due to higher use of pesticide and fungicides.   The traces pesticides leave in treated products are called 'residues' and a maximum residue level (MRL) is the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in food or feed.   Citing certain examples, the report said the EU has set MRL for tricyclazole, a fungicide in rice, to 0.01 mg per kg as against the ten times higher limit earlier. Now the EU has proposed to raise the limit to 0.09 as the current level is 'unreasonable and hampers' trade.   Similarly, the EU has set MRL for aflatoxins B1 level in chilies and other spices at 5 to 10 ppb (parts per billion). The US limit is a higher 20 ppb for all spices. The European Union has set the level for Anthraquinone for tea at 0.02 mg/Kg.   No tea grower in India uses anthraquinone as a pesticide. Tea leaves get it from the dust in the atmosphere. Japan stopped importing sesame seeds from India from 1992-93 due to pesticides/DDT traces, it said.   Export of milk and poultry, bovine meat products to the EU and bovine meat to China and South Korea is difficult due to the prevalence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in India.   'India needs to invest in creating FMD free zones to export freely,' it suggested.   It added that each consignment of Black Tiger Shrimp and Vannamei exported from India to Japan undergoes 100 per cent inspection by Japanese Authorities. This is done to rule out the presence of an antibiotic residue called Nitrofuran metabiolite AOZ.   There has been no detection of AOZ in Black Tiger shrimp for the last three years.   Likewise, the EU has increased the sampling frequency from 10 per cent to 50 per cent on marine products exported from India due to frequent detection of prohibited antibiotics.   Mexico has also suspended import of Indian dry chilies in May, 2017 after live pest (Trogoderma) was detected in two containers.   Further regarding registration systems in different countries, the report said that registration, in most cases, requires physical submission of documents and payment of exorbitant fees.   'Big pharma firms abuse patent laws as they recycle and repurpose old drugs and patent them as new, thereby encouraging ever-greening of patents. Three of every four drugs associated with new patents are not new, but existing drugs. This delays the launch of affordable generic drugs,' it said.  Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
16 Aug, 2023 Myanmar eyes surge in rice exports after India curbs supply. Myanmar expects rice exports to surge in coming months as curbs on Indian sales and a spike in Thai and Vietnamese prices force buyers to hunt for other origins.   The tightening in global supply should help revive the Southeast Asian nation’s rice shipments, which slumped 56% in the first four months of the fiscal year, and bring it closer to its annual goal of earning $1 billion from exports of the grain, Ye Min Aung, president of the Myanmar Rice Federation, said in an interview last week.   Myanmar exported about 320,000 tons from April to July, earning just $138 million, according to data from the federation, after the government decided to prioritise selling higher-grade rice. But prospects improved last month when India, the world’s top exporter, banned a substantial portion of its overseas sales to keep a lid on domestic prices ahead of a general election due early next year. That’s pushed up prices in some of Myanmar’s regional competitors.   ,We hope to take advantage, even though we’ll maintain our focus on exporting only higher-quality varieties,, Ye Min Aung said.  Myanmar is another nation troubled by food insecurity, a situation worsened by political instability since a military coup in 2021, and its export policy is designed to conserve domestic supplies. While sales of better-quality grain can reap as much as $700 a ton compared to $300 or $400 a ton for lower grades, according to Ye Min Aung, it also limits customers to relatively wealthy countries.   Myanmar earned over $800 million from rice sales in each of the two previous fiscal years, according to the federation, and its biggest buyers include China, the Philippines and Belgium. The US Department of Agriculture ranked it as the world’s sixth-biggest exporter last year.  Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
16 Aug, 2023 GI-tagged horticulture crops to get a land boost. While the Horticulture Department will provide subsidies and educate farmers on the cultivation of these crops, under MGNREGA, farmers will be provided with manpower and financial support.   Horticulture crops in the state with Geographical Indication (GI) tags may get a new lease of life as the Horticulture Department and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) have chalked out an action plan to increase the area of cultivation of these crops. In a few districts, officials have already begun work on ground.   While the Horticulture Department will provide subsidies and educate farmers on the cultivation of these crops, under MGNREGA, farmers will be provided with manpower and financial support. According to officials from the department, the area under cultivation of many of these crops has gone so low that it is feared they could go extinct.   The area of cultivation of Mysuru mallige (jasmine) had come down to as low as 0.5 acres. Owing to the department’s efforts, it has gone up to nearly 5 acres. Same is the case with other GI crops such as Nanjangud rasabale (banana), Devanahalli pummelo (pomelo), and Mattu Gulla badane (brinjal) that are grown by less than 50 farmers; the area of cultivation is less than 15 acres. The officials plan to increase the area of cultivation of each crop to at least 25 acres.   ,These crops have a peculiar nature and as the tag says, they can only be grown in specific regions. Over the years, the area under cultivation has come down drastically and there is a need for expansion,, said HM Krishna Murthy, Joint Director (Biotechnology), Horticulture Department.   As part of the plan to expand the area under cultivation, officials in every district are reaching out to farmers and encouraging them to grow these varieties.   ,We will source the seeds from an authentic farmer and grow them in our nurseries. Following this, we will reach out to the farmers and handhold them throughout the cultivation period,, explained a senior official from the Horticulture Department. The department will also supply planting materials to farmers at subsidised prices and guide them in tackling diseases.   ,The Nanjangud rasabale is prone to Panama Wilt disease and there is a need to guide farmers on this. In the case of Mysuru Mallige, it is a labour-intensive crop and hence, support in the form of manpower will help. Such specific interventions for every crop are being planned,, the official added.   The department is also looking at strengthening the growers’ association and forming an association, if they do not exist, to create a community of farmers for every crop. Better branding of products and development of conservatories and museums are also on the plan.    Highlights - Expanding cultivation The area of cultivation of GI crops such as Mysuru Mallige, Nanjangud rasabale (banana), Devanahalli pummelo (pomelo) and Mattu Gulla badane (brinjal) has come down drastically   Under MGNREGA, farmers will be provided with manpower and financial support Officials to handhold farmers throughout cultivation period  Source:  deccanherald.com
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