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16 Aug, 2023 News Image

India and Taiwan to boost supply chain partnership in new world trade order.

India can be a trusted supply chain partner of Taiwan, which leads in hi-tech manufacturing in the Asian region, remarked Edison Hsu, Director, Taipei World Trade Center Liaison Office in Mumbai at an interactive meeting organized for an in-bound Taiwan Trade Mission at WTC Mumbai.

Notably, India ranks as Taiwan’s 14th largest export destination and 18th largest source of imports. Bilateral trade between the two countries totaled US$8.45 billion in 2022, representing an increase of 9.8% over the previous year. In 2022, India's exports to Taiwan amounted to US$3.14 billion, consisting of mineral fuels, aluminum, iron, steel, organic chemicals, plastics, and articles thereof, while Taiwan's exports to India amounted to US$5.31 billion, consisting mainly of primarily of plastics, electronic integrated circuits, organic chemicals, electrical machinery, iron, and steel.

,The time has come for India and Taiwan to reimagine their economic relationship. Both the countries can be reliable trade partners at a time when the global supply chain faced a series of shocks right from pandemic to Russia-Ukraine war and the prolonged lockdown in China. I invite Indian companies to participate at the Taiwan Expo, which is scheduled from October 5 to 7, 2023 at Mumbai. More than 50 Taiwanese firms will be actively exploring new supply chain partners from India at the Expo and this opens a promising window to strengthen bilateral commercial relationship,, said Hsu.

The event was also addressed by Christian Li, Senior Specialist, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), Taiwan. The interactive meeting was followed by B2B networking session between the Taiwanese business delegates and their Indian counterparts. The members of the delegation represent strategic sectors such as electronic components, medical devices, electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems, which are the focus sectors of India’s Production Linked Incentives (PLI) schemes.

At a time when India is aspiring to gain foothold in semiconductor manufacturing, Taiwan can be a potential partner for India in this area. The delegation members also represent industrial machineries, CCTV & surveillance, locks, surface treatment technology, smart home devices and other high-tech products.

Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, WTC Mumbai, said in a statement, ,Today, bilateral trade has touched USD 10 billion mark and Taiwan is the 31st largest trade partner of India, with potential to be the 10th largest in the next few years. I am sure this meeting will lead to fruitful outcome in the form of increase in trade, technology exchange, joint-venture and investment between both the sides. Taiwanese firms can consider Maharashtra as the gateway to their entry into the Indian market as it is the most progressive state. Both the countries have huge scope for collaboration in semiconductor, printed circuit boards, white goods, medical devices and so on.,

He suggested Taiwanese companies to consider India and especially Maharashtra as a promising investment destination as it has abundant skilled workers. He pointed out that AIAI has been working closely with TAITRA to promote bilateral trade through exhibitions and trade missions as early as 1987-88 and AIAI was one of the first Indian associations to envision a strong business partnership with Taiwan, when Indian industry was not convinced about the scope for bilateral economic collaboration.

Rupa Naik, Executive Director-WTC Mumbai, said, ,WTC Mumbai is the first WTC in India established in 1970 to fulfil the vision of Bharat Ratna Sir Dr. M Visvesvaraya who dreamt of a world-class trade promotion organisation in the commercial capital of India. Today, the Center offers multi-dimensional trade support services through its world-class trade facilities, trade education programs, research and trade promotion initiatives.,

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

16 Aug, 2023 News Image

Nepal seeks easier market access as it prepares to export tomatoes to India amid price surge.

India's neighbouring country, Nepal, has sought easy access to the market and other necessary facilities while stating that it is ready to export tomatoes to India in bulk on a long-term basis.

The move comes post India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Parliament that India has started importing tomatoes from Nepal due to skyrocketing prices of the red fruit in the country.

For the fist time, India will be importing tomatoes due to high retail prices of around Rs 242 per kg amid supply disruptions caused by heavy rains

Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Shabnam Shivakoti told PTI that Nepal is desirous to export vegetables, such as tomatoes, on a long-term basis to India, but for that India has to provide easy access to its market and other necessary facilities.

Though Nepal has already started exporting tomatoes to India through official channels a week ago, it is not in big quantities, she said. Arrangements are yet to be made for large-scale export of tomatoes, she added.

,If we are provided with easy access to the Indian market, Nepal can export huge quantities of tomatoes to India,, said Binaya Shrestha, Deputy Director at Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board.

,India is a good market for Nepalese tomatoes,, he pointed out.

Tomatoes are grown in abundant quantities in the three districts of Kathmandu Valley -- Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur -- and it is more than sufficient to meet the local demand, he said.

Some of the tomatoes grown in Kathmandu are being exported to the Indian market through unofficial channels, Shrestha admitted.

Some one-and-a-half months ago, farmers threw around 60,000 to 70,000 kg of tomatoes on the roads near Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market in Kathmandu after they failed to get a market for their products. At that time the farmers could not get even Rs 10 per kg of tomato in the wholesale market.

However, one month ago, the market price of tomatoes increased by four times, after traders started exporting tomatoes to India through illegal channels causing shortages in the local market, market analysts said.

The tomato which was sold in the retail market for Rs 40-50 per kg soared to Rs 200 to 250 per kg, as farmers started selling tomatoes to the Indian market through unofficial channels, according to Badri Shrestha, one of the major growers and suppliers of tomatoes in Kathmandu.

,We can fetch up to NRs 150 per kg after our products are exported to India through unofficial channels. Last month, 70,000 kg to 90,000 kg tomatoes were exported to India through unofficial channels on a daily basis,, PTI quoted Badri as saying.He grows 2,000 to 3,000 kg of tomatoes every alternate day from his farm located in Lalitpur district near Kathmandu during the vegetable season.

He claimed to have exported around 40,000 kg of tomatoes grown on his farm over the past one-month period to India through unofficial channels. During his recent visit to India in July, Agriculture Minister Beduram Bhushal held discussions on facilitating Nepalese agricultural products, including tomatoes, to India with his Indian counterpart Narendra Singh Tomar.

Nepal has also asked Indian authorities to arrange quarantine and other facilities to export tomatoes, peas and green peppers, agriculture ministry spokesperson Shivakoti said.

Prior to importing vegetables to India, the Nepal government's Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Control Office (PQPCO) has to issue certificates to the exporters.

Over the past week, Nepal exported tomatoes through its two border checkpoints, including one situated in Birtamode, agriculture ministry deputy spokesperson Tapendra Prasad Bohara said.

The Government of India has already included some vegetable items, including tomato, produced in Nepal in its quarantine list so as to facilitate its export to India, he said.

Meanwhile, about 10 tonnes of tomatoes imported from Nepal are in transit and the commodity will be distributed in Uttar Pradesh during the weekend at a subsidised rate of Rs 70 per kg, National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF) Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra said on Friday.

Since July 11, the NCCF has been selling tomatoes at a discounted rate on behalf of the central government to boost domestic availability and contain prices. So far, NCCF has sold 9,38,862 kg of tomatoes in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

16 Aug, 2023 News Image

Kashmir saffron price over Rs 2 lakh, Kesar farming boost, GI tag & best in world - Explained.

Saffron prices in India have skyrocketed since the kesar from Jammu & Kashmir was given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the government. Saffron is often called the world’s costliest spice by weight with saffron prices touching over Rs 2 lakh to a kg in recent times. Why does Kashmir’s saffron fetch such good prices? What makes the saffron in India unique and of premium quality and what are the government’s plans to step up production and connect saffron farmers to buyers across the world? In this week’s episode of TOI Business Bytes, Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal, Director Agriculture, Kashmir talks about how the cultivation of saffron is difficult and why Kashmir’s saffron fetches higher rates compared to kesar from other countries.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

14 Aug, 2023 News Image

Pineapples from Meghalaya are exported to Abu Dhabi.

Pineapples from Meghalaya are exported to Abu Dhabi. Meghalaya has a diverse range of agro-climatic conditions which results in a variety of agricultural and horticultural products. Being grown by local communities in traditional manner, these crops are mostly naturally organic. These factors attribute towards the produce from the state slowly being recognised for their unique quality and taste. Produce like the Lakadong turmeric, GI-tagged Khasi mandarin, Kew pineapples are gaining more and more popularity.

State government stated over recent times, the pineapples from the state have been gaining more and more popularity. The Meghalayan pineapples have very low pesticide and heavy metal residue compared to pineapples from mainland India. Also, in regard to taste, they are less sour and significantly sweeter. The pineapples have a Brix value of 16-18, which indicates to the sweetness of the fruit. The State of Meghalaya has pineapples as the One District One Product for the districts of Ri Bhoi and East Garo Hills.

The sweetest pineapples from Meghalaya are the centrepiece of the elaborate display celebrating the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, at the Al-Wahda mall at Abu Dhabi. These pineapples are being marketed through the eminent Lulu Group into the prestigious Gulf markets.

The journey of these pineapples from the fertile slopes of Garo Hills to the sandy shores of UAE has been a challenging and fruitful one. This remarkable feat of exporting the pineapples has been successfully accomplished by Jamge Integrated Village Cooperative Society (IVCS) from Songsak C&RD Block of East Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, and Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA).

The Jamge IVCS has over 250 farming households from across 4 villages, producing almost 100 tonnes of pineapples throughout the pineapple growing seasons. The IVCS presents an example of how successful collectivisation can result in doubling farmer’s incomes. The farmers were previously receiving only a meagre INR 10 per pineapple irrespective of the weight of the fruit. But, through collectivisation and market linkage with international buyers they received Rs 16 per kg. This is equivalent to receiving Rs 21 per fruit, with the average fruit size exported to LuLu group being 1.3 Kgs. Thus the price realisation for the farmers was more than double, through this intervention.

The government recognizes the role that processing of perishable horticulture produce (like pineapples) can play in enhancing shelf-life and thus reaching wider markets. Efforts are also being directed towards further increasing the processing capacity and infrastructure in the state through the local farmer collectives. An example of this is the successful collaboration between Karnataka based IQF Private Food Limited and Ri Bhoi district based Umdihar IVCS, to set up a mobile processing unit for quick freezing of pineapples. This collaboration was facilitated by the Agriculture and Farmers welfare department of the state. Over the first 3 weeks of its operation, the processing unit have processed over 52 MT of pineapples.

The Department has also facilitated a supply chain arrangement closer home with Reliance recently, whereby pineapples are being regularly supplied to Reliance Retail stores across Assam. This endeavour is being undertaken by Tomonpo Anglong Organic Producer Company Ltd, Umwang Pyllun IVCS Ltd and Jirang Organic Agro Producer Company Ltd. from Ri Bhoi. The farmer collectives are being trained by the department to aggregate, grade, sort and package pineapples for regular shipment. Thus far over 5.2 MT of pineapples from these farmer collectives have been supplied in 3 weeks to Reliance stores across Assam. Similar marketing activity has also been taken up by Ringgi Demdema Organic Farmer Producer Company from West Garo Hills for a shipment of 12 MT to Varanasi though ‘DeHaat Seeds to Market’.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

14 Aug, 2023 News Image

G-20 agriculture ministers meeting

G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting was held in Hyderabad from 15thto 17th June 2023. Aligned with India’s G20 Presidency theme 'One Earth, One Family, One Future', under leadership of India, the following issues were discussed during the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting:-

(i) Food security and nutrition,

(ii) Sustainable agriculture with climate smart approach,

(iii) Inclusive agri-value chains and food systems and

(iv) Digitalization for agricultural transformation

The Chair Summary and Outcome Document of the Ministerial Meeting outlines in detail the consensus that was reached for strengthening cooperation among the G20 nations in the above mentioned areas.

The two key outcomes of the meeting are (i) Deccan High Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition 2023 and (ii) International Millets and Other Ancient Grains Research Initiative (MAHARISHI).On India’s initiative, it was the first time in the history of G20 that the Agriculture Ministers have agreed on champion the High Level Principles on food security and nutrition. The Principles demonstrate the G20’s collective responsibility in reinforcing and complementing efforts across geographies in response to global food security crises by :

facilitating humanitarian assistance to countries and populations in vulnerable situations;

enhancing availability and access to nutritious food and strengthening food safety nets; strengthening policies and collaborative actions for climate resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems;

strengthening resilience and inclusivity in agriculture and food value chains;

promoting the one health approach;

accelerating innovation and the use of digital technology and

scaling up responsible public and private investments in agriculture.

The seven (07) principles of the Deccan High Level Principles 2023, are placed below.

Millets and Other Ancient Grains International ReSearcH Initiative (MAHARISHI) is research collaboration on millets (Shree Anna) and other ancient grains, which are highly nutritious and climate-resilient crops. By building on the momentum of the efforts undertaken during the International Year of Millets 2023 and emphasizing research in areas of production, processing, marketing, and utilization. India envisages to leverage the potential of millets (Shree Anna) for sustainable agriculture, food security, and rural development. The proposed Millets And other Ancient Grains International ReSearcH Initiative, initiated by India, was unanimously approved by the agricultural chief scientists of all G20 countries and invited international organizations in the meeting held in Varanasi and welcomed by the Agriculture Ministers in Hyderabad.

The G20 nations also pledged to alleviate the immediate suffering and build resilience in communities affected by food security crises by providing assistance and support. The G20 countries encouraged responsible investments from all sources in infrastructure, research, and innovations that support sustainable, climate-resilient, and productive agriculture.

Cognizant of the transformative potential of innovation and digital technology, the G20 nations committed to fostering scalable solutions that support the transition towards sustainable food systems. This involves ensuring affordable and inclusive access to digital infrastructure, as well as promoting the development and safe application of digital tools tailored to the specific needs of the small holder farmers.

To promote food security and nutrition programs, the G20 countries and 9 invited guest countries (Spain, Netherlands, Singapore, Vietnam, Oman, Nigeria, UAE, Bangladesh, Mauritius) agreed to share best practices and experiences with each other in the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting.

G20 Deccan High Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition 2023

PRINCIPLE1: Facilitate Humanitarian Assistance to Countries and Populations in Vulnerable Situations

PRINCIPLE2: Enhance Availability and Access to Nutritious Food andStrengthen Food Safety Nets

PRINCIPLE 3: Strengthen Policies and Collaborative Actions for Climate Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

PRINCIPLE 4: Strengthen Resilience and Inclusivity in Agriculture and Food Value Chains

PRINCIPLE 5: Promote the One Health Approach

PRINCIPLE 6: Accelerate Innovation and the Use of Digital Technology

PRINCIPLE 7: Scale-Up Responsible Public and Private Investments in Agriculture

This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare,

Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

Source: pib.gov.in

14 Aug, 2023 News Image

Food Processing Sector as Employment Intensive Industry

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) releases data on various aspect of registered manufacturing sectors, including employment in registered food processing sector through the Annual Survey of Industries(ASI). As per the latest Annual Survey of Industries 2019-20, food processing sector contributed 12.22% of total persons engaged in the registered manufacturing sector. The details of employment in food processing sector for last three years, as per Annual Survey of Industries, are as under:

Year	Employment (In lakh)
2017-18	19.33
2018-19	20.05
2019-20	20.32

Source: Annual Survey of Industries 2017-18,2018-19 & 2019-20

In addition, as per the 73rd round of National Sample Survey (July 2015 to June 2016), 51.11 lakh persons were engaged in unincorporated food processing sector.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) commissioned a study titled "Study to assess Human Resource and Skill Requirements in Indian Food Processing Sector during 2021-2030” through M/s. Feedback Business Consulting Services Private Limited, Bangalore. The study was mandated to cover 11 sub-sectors of the Food Processing Sector as they are considered the major segments in terms of production, huge scope for increasing processing levels, the requirement of the skilled labour force, etc. The 11 sub-sectors are – Bread and Bakery products, Cold Chain (including logistics), Dairy Products, Fish and Seafood processing, Fruits & Vegetables Processing, Meat & Poultry Processing, Milling (Grains & Oilseeds), Beverages (Tea & Coffee), Ready-to-Eat & Ready-to-Cook Products, Soya Processing and Spices. The study has identified that the net expected number of skilled human resource requirement in these 11 sub-sectors of Food Processing during 2021-30 is around 13.4 Lakh.

The programmes for capacity building and skill development for food processing sector are provided through:

National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) – at Kundli and Thanjavur- under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PKSKY) of MoFPI.
Capacity Building component under Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises (PM FME) Scheme of MoFPI.
Food Industry Capacity & Skill Initiative (FICSI)- the concerned Sector Skill Council- under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MoSDE)

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Ministry of Food Processing Industries Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Source: pib.gov.in

14 Aug, 2023 News Image

Government reviewing FTAs with ASEAN, Korea, says MoS Commerce Anupriya Patel.

The government is closely monitoring all the free trade agreements which it has signed and based on stakeholder consultations, existing FTAs with ASEAN and Korea are being reviewed, Parliament was informed on Friday. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said the government is negotiating FTAs with the European Union, the UK, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Canada.

These negotiations or its review are a long-drawn process and the timeline for completion of such negotiations cannot be predicted since the parties to the negotiations are required to agree to the outcome, she said.

'India has signed 13 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and 6 Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with its trading partners...The government is closely monitoring these FTAs and based on stakeholder consultations, the experience and assessments thereof, the government is in the process of reviewing its existing FTAs with ASEAN and Korea,' the minister said.

Replying to another question, she said the number of complaints referred/ received by the GeM (Government e-marketplace) vigilance unit during last year (July 2022 to June 2023) was 54.

'The majority of complaints, received through post and e-mails, were by sellers against buyers. After examination at GeM end, GeM observations in these cases are being sent to the corresponding Chief Vigilance Officer/ Head of Department of the Buyer Organisation for further examination/ investigation and/ or action(s) as deemed fit at their end,' she said.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

14 Aug, 2023 News Image

11th Agriculture Census

Agriculture Census in India is conductedevery five years. The field work of Agriculture Census is carried out in three phases, each phase of one-year duration.Next Agriculture Census (11th in the series) was postponed by a year due to outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, the Agriculture Census 2021-22 was launched on 28th July, 2022. At present, Phase-I of Agriculture Census 2021-22 is in progress which is targeted to be completed by December, 2023.

For Agriculture Census 2021-22, an amount of Rs. 7685 Lakh has been allocated to States during Financial Year 2023-24. State-wise budget allocation during FY 2023-24 is given below.

State wise budget allocation during FY 2023-24
S. No	States/UTs	Amount (in Lakh)
(1)	(2)	(3)
1	A & N Islands	39
2	Andhra Pradesh	375
3	Arunachal Pradesh	240
4	Assam	35
5	Bihar	755
6	Chandigarh	48
7	Chhattisgarh	401
8	Daman & Diu and D & N Haveli	17
9	Delhi	43
10	Goa	35
11	Gujarat	421
12	Haryana	66
13	Himachal Pradesh	40
pib.gov.in
14 Aug, 2023 Schemes for processing farmers produce in rural areas In order to ensure overall development of Food Processing Industries including processing of agro- products, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has been incentivizing setting up/expansion of related infrastructure through its Central Sector Umbrella Scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and Centrally sponsored PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme across the country including in rural areas and thus increasing the income of the farmers. Under component schemes of PMKSY, MoFPI provides mostly credit linked financial assistance (capital subsidy) in the form of grants-in-aid to entrepreneurs. So far, Ministry has approved 41 Mega food Parks, 382 Cold Chain projects, 72 Agro Processing Clusters, 469 Food Processing Units, 61 Creation of Backward & Forward Linkages Projects & 46 Operation Green projects across the country under corresponding component schemes of PMKSY. The completed projects of PMKSY are estimated to benefit more than 32 lakh farmers across the country. In the evaluation study of Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure Scheme conducted by M/s NABARD Consultancy Limited (NABCONS) in Year 2020, it has been estimated that captive projects under the scheme have resulted in increase in farm-gate prices by 12.38 % and each project is estimated to benefit more than 9500 farmers. Ministry also provides financial, technical and business support for setting up/ upgradation of 2 lakh micro food processing enterprises under PMFME scheme. The scheme is operational for a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 Crore. So far, a total of 43014 micro food processing enterprises have been sanctioned for assistance in the country. PLISFPI is, inter alia, intended to support creation of global food manufacturing champions and support Indian brands of food products in international market. The Scheme is being implemented over a six-year period from 2021-22 to 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs. 10,900 crores. So far, a total investment of Rs 7800.53 Cr has been committed in projects located across the country under the scheme. This information was given by Union Minister of State for Ministry of Food Processing Industries Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. Source: pib.gov.in
14 Aug, 2023 Telangana launches India's first Agricultural Data Exchange platform. Telangana Minister for IT and Industry KT Rama Rao on Friday launched India's first Agricultural Data Exchange (ADeX) and Agriculture Data Management Framework (ADMF). An official release said developed as a digital public infrastructure (DPI) for the agriculture sector, the ADeX is collaboration between Telangana Government, World Economic Forum, and the Indian Institute of Science. 'Both ADeX and ADMF provide the right platform to ensure fair and efficient usage of agricultural data by the industry and startups and provide a big boost to the data economy specifically in the argi sector. These initiatives help Telangana lead the country from the front in using innovation and technology to drive food systems transformation and improve the livelihoods of farmers,' the minister said. In Phase-I of the project, the ADeX Platform is currently deployed in Khammam district and will be expanded to the entire State over a period. The software platform facilitates secure, standards-based exchange of data between agricultural data users such as agri application developers and agricultural data providers (Government Agencies, Private Companies, NGO's, Universities, etc), it said. ADMF has been developed after extensive public and industry consultations on the crucial aspects of data protection, management, and innovation. Informed by domestic laws and regulations and converging global best practices, ADMF is an agile, forward-looking framework, with the objective of facilitating consent-based responsible data sharing, the release said. ADMF is applicable to all government departments dealing with agricultural activities as well as all agriculture information users and providers, it added. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
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