The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has assessed the impact for pulses cultivation in different agro-ecologies with respect to soil health, soil microbial biomass, resilience to climate change.

 

Government of India is supplementing the efforts of state governments to encourage diversified production of crops including pulses, coarse cereals, nutri cereals, cotton & oilseeds under National Food Security Mission (NFSM), and horticultural crops under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). The Government of India also provides flexibility to the states for state specific needs/priorities under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

 

Further, to encourage farmers to adopt alternative crops to paddy, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), is implementing the Crop Diversification Programme (CDP), under RKVY in the Original Green Revolution States viz; Haryana, Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh since 2013-14 towards alternative crops like pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals, nutri cereals, cotton.

 

CDP aims at demonstrating alternative crops at farmers' fields. A pilot project for 'Diversification of 4.85 million hectares' in five years (2023-24 to 2027-28) in identified 75 districts of 17 States / Union Territory namely Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal representing 14 Agro Ecological Regions of the country has been approved to ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research (IIFSR), Modipuram.

 

While the production of oilseeds is not sufficient to meet the domestic demand of vegetable oils, however, the increased production of pulses has narrowed down the import of pulses to around 9 per cent of the domestic production. In order to enhance the production of oilseeds and pulses, the Government is implementing the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), in the country.

 

Under NFSM, assistance is given through State Governments to farmers for interventions like cluster demonstrations on improved package of practices, demonstrations on cropping system, seed production and distribution of High Yielding Varieties/Hybrids, improved farm machineries/resource conservation machineries/tools, efficient water application tools, plant protection measures, nutrient management/soil ameliorants, cropping system based trainings to the farmers. The production of pulses has increased from 163.20 lakh tonne in 2015-16 to 275.04 lakh tonne in 2022-23 (as per 3rd Advance Estimates) and oilseeds from 252.50 lakh tonne to 409.97 lakh tonne during the same period. Further, import of pulses has declined from 58 lakh tonne in 2015-16 to 24.96 lakh tonne in 2022-23.

 

In addition, the mission also provides support to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), & State Agricultural Universities (SAUs)/Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), for technology back stopping and transfer of technology to the farmer under supervision of Subject Matter Specialists/Scientists.

 

Government has also launched a separate Mission for Oil Palm namely, National Mission on Edible Oils (Oil Palm), in 2021-22.  Both, NFSM- Oilseeds and NMEO (OP), mission components are being implemented in the country with an objective to augment the availability of vegetable oils by increasing the production and productivity of oilseeds & oil palm. Further, Targeting Rice Fallow Area (TRFA), under NFSM is implemented for cultivation of pulses & oilseeds in rice fallow of 12 states. RKVY also supports pulses and oilseeds production in the states.

 

The prices of pulses and oilseeds being sold to the farmers in various states comprise of incentives provided by Government of India under NFSM programme on certified seed distribution of High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of pulses and oilseeds (except sesame) upto Rs. 5000 per quintal and Rs. 4000 per quintal, respectively and for Hybrids in oilseeds and varieties of sesame upto Rs. 8000 per quintal. Further, the Government is also supplying seed minikits of HYVs of pulses and oilseeds free of cost to the farmers.

India is looking to set up its own international financing messaging system along the lines of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications), the channel used worldwide to transfer funds and securities across borders.

 

The proposal is a part of the government's bigger plan to internationalise the Indian currency, people aware of details told ET. The system will help settle bilateral trade in rupees.

 

An expert committee of bankers is exploring options and is expected to submit findings to the government by August, according to officials aware of the matter. The committee members are drawn from the State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India and Central Bank of India among others.

 

'One of the suggestions was to have an independent financing messaging system that can be used with countries where we have bilateral trade agreements,' said a bank official who did not wish to be identified. 'This committee will now suggest measures on how to make this operational and what are the challenges. Accordingly, the issue will be taken up with other stakeholders, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).'

 

Another official said the committee will look at the RBI's existing platform, the Structured Financial Messaging System, or SFMS.

 

Indian financial network

'We have to explore how we can scale this up,' he said.

 

Built on the lines of SWIFT, the SFMS can be used for secure communications within and between banks. In its 2022 Vision Document, the RBI also made a case for expanding the ambit of the SFMS.

 

'The feasibility of providing membership/technology of Infinet to other jurisdictions shall be explored,' it noted. 'Further, it shall be explored to expand the framework of SFMS to provide a domestic payment system platform to other jurisdictions. This could be expected to provide faster, convenient, and cost-effective direct payment channels with other jurisdictions.'

 

The Indian Financial Network (Infinet) is a membership-only Closed User Group network that comprises the RBI, CPS (Centralised Payment System) member banks and financial institutions. It provides financial messaging services through its member interface application to all RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) participants.

 

The government has been pushing banks to conduct outreach programmes with the international trading community to promote trade using special rupee vostro accounts (SRVAs).

 

So far, 20 banks from 22 countries have opened 92 such accounts, including Bangladesh, Germany and Russia.

 

The RBI and the Central Bank of UAE earlier this month signed an agreement that will enable exporters and importers to invoice and pay in their respective domestic currencies, enabling the development of a bilateral foreign exchange market.

In order to ensure overall development of Food Processing Industries including processing of agro- products, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), has been incentivising 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 Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME), scheme across the country including rural areas of Karnataka and thus benefitting and increasing the income of the farmers in the country.

 

Under component schemes of PMKSY, MoFPI provides mostly credit linked financial assistance (capital subsidy) in the form of grants-in-aid to entrepreneurs. PMKSY is not any region or state specific but demand driven and is implemented across the country including the rural areas of Karnataka. 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.

 

Out of this, 2 Mega Food Parks, 17 Cold Chain projects, 4 Agro Processing Clusters, 19 Food Processing Units and 3 Creation of Backward & Forward Linkages Projects are located in Karnataka. The completed projects of PMKSY are estimated to benefit more than 32 lakh farmers across the country and more than 1.8 lakh farmers in Karnataka.       

 

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 38466 micro food processing enterprises have been approved for assistance in the country, out of which 2444 micro food processing units located in Karnataka.

 

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 crore. So far, a total investment of Rs 318.97 crore has been committed in projects located in Karnataka under the scheme.

 

At times, the projects approved under PMKSY face delays in obtaining statutory clearances/ certificates from the State Government regarding Consent to Establish, Consent to Operate, building plan approval, electricity connection etc.  Also, release of matching state funds gets delayed sometimes in centrally sponsored PMFME scheme. Ministry coordinates with stakeholders for removal of these bottlenecks.

During his visit to Rajasthan on July 27, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi disbursed the 14th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme, amounting to over Rs 17,000 crore, benefiting more than 8.5 crore farmers. Each eligible farmer will receive Rs 2,000 as part of this 14th installment.

 

These PMKSKs are designed to be one-stop solutions for farmers' needs, offering vital information on agri-inputs, soil and seed testing facilities, and guidance on various government schemes. The initiative is expected to significantly bolster the agricultural sector and benefit farmers at the grassroots level. Along with this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also laid the foundation stone and dedicated a series of crucial development projects in Sikar, Rajasthan. The projects encompass diverse sectors and are set to positively impact the lives of millions of people across the country.

 

Another significant milestone was the launch of Urea Gold, a revolutionary variety of Urea coated with Sulphur. This innovation addresses sulfur deficiencies in the soil, improving nitrogen use efficiency in plants and ultimately enhancing crop quality. The introduction of Urea Gold promises to be more economical and efficient than traditional neem-coated urea, thus reducing the consumption of fertilizers and benefiting farmers economically.

 

Additionally, the Prime Minister inaugurated five new medical colleges at Chittorgarh, Dholpur, Sirohi, Sikar, and Ganganagar, while also laying the foundation stone for seven more medical colleges at Baran, Bundi, Karauli, Jhunjhunu, Sawai Madhopur, Jaisalmer, and Tonk. These medical colleges are being established under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the "Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals." This substantial expansion of health infrastructure in Rajasthan will bring quality healthcare closer to the people and create more opportunities for medical education.

 

Furthermore, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated six Eklavya Model Residential Schools in Udaipur, Banswara, Partapgarh, and Dungarpur districts, along with Kendriya Vidyalaya Tivri, Jodhpur. These educational institutions are aimed at providing quality education to the tribal population residing in these regions, ensuring that children from backward and tribal societies have access to better opportunities and a brighter future.

 

Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to initiate these crucial development programs from the heroic land of Shekhawati. He emphasized that the government is committed to the welfare of farmers and highlighted various schemes and initiatives that have been undertaken to support them.

 

The Prime Minister praised the efforts of farmers and reiterated that India's development is intrinsically linked to the development of its villages. He emphasized that the government is working tirelessly to ensure that all necessary facilities are available in rural areas, democratizing education and medical opportunities, and reducing the burden of expenses for farmers. He highlighted the direct transfer of funds under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) to over 8.5 crore beneficiaries, making it the largest scheme in the world where funds are directly transferred to the bank accounts of farmers. This has provided significant financial support to farmers across the nation.

 

The Prime Minister's focus on infrastructure development was also evident as he mentioned the inauguration of two hi-tech expressways and investment in tourism facilities. These initiatives are expected to create new opportunities and boost tourism in Rajasthan, further contributing to the state's development.

 

The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Governor of Rajasthan Kalraj Mishra, Union Ministers for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Jal Shakti, Health and Family Welfare, Law and Justice, and State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, among others.

Bangladesh’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said that India and Bangladesh relations have reached 'new dimensions' as the two countries have begun trade transactions in 'Rupee and Taka'.

In an exclusive ANI interview, when asked about the current political, economic and cultural ties between the two countries, Mahmud said that in recent months, India-Bangladesh ties have 'got new dimensions because we have started business by exchanging Rupees and Taka. So day by day, our relationship is strengthening under their leadership.'

 

In April, earlier this year, Bangladesh and India agreed to settle a part of the bilateral trade transactions in their own currencies -- Rupee and Taka -- to ease pressure on dollar holdings, Bangladesh-based news website The Business Standard (TBS News) reported.

As per the news report, settling transactions in Taka and Rupee was in discussions for months amid the crisis of the dollar. However, all the bilateral trade between the two nations will not be made in local currencies.

On improving India-Bangladesh border connectivity, Minister Mahmud said that India and Bangladesh share a long border, so issue are likely to crop up, which will be resolved with dialogues.

'Since we have long border, we would have always border issues,' he said.

India and Bangladesh share 4096.7 km. of border, which is the longest land boundary that India shares with any of its neighbours, as per Ministry of External Affairs.

 

'And we have resolved many border issues. So little issues always will arise and we shall resolve it and we are time to time two parties are sitting and we resolve the problems,' he added.

Speaking about the need to keep emphasising on more cultural exchange, Minister Mahmud said that a better cultural relationship that 'will strengthen the ties between the people of Bangladesh and of India.'

'We have a strong relationship and we are working to strengthen the ties between the people. And day by day, that is strengthening,' he added.

Significant boosts in bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh were seen in the recent period. Starting from settling the protracted land boundary dispute in an amicable way in 2015, India and Bangladesh have partnered in numerous developmental projects.

India, for example, is financing several infrastructure and connectivity missions in Bangladesh through its Line of Credit, totalling over eight billion dollars now, at a concessional rate.

 

Connectivity projects such as a multimodal road-rail link between Agartala in India's Tripura to Akhaura in Bangladesh is a prime model. The reopening of an old rail link between Chilahati and Haldibari, apart from regular train services between Kolkata and Dhaka, and bus connectivity from Dhaka to Shillong, Agartala and Kolkata is increasing the physical connectivity between the two countries.

India has also provided a grant for the building of the Padma bridge which will provide crucial rail-road connectivity between India and the north and south regions of Bangladesh. In waterways connectivity as well several new routes have been activated including a new bridge across the Feni river to facilitate the movement of goods and passengers from Tripura to Bangladesh. 

The Union Government has amended the export policy of Non-Basmati White Rice and put it in ‘prohibited’ list fearing a price rise in the festive season (Navratri, Dussehra and Dipawali), which is just few months away.  

The Government is already reeling under the super price rise of tomatoes and the move is to ensure lower price and maintaining availability of rice in the upcoming festival season.  

 

A statement issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, reads, 'In order to ensure adequate availability of Non-Basmati White Rice in the Indian market and to allay the rise in prices in the domestic market, Government of India has amended the Export Policy of above variety from ‘Free with export duty of 20%’ to ‘Prohibited’ with immediate effect.'

 

The domestic prices of rice were on an increasing trend. The retail prices increased by 11.5% over a year and 3% over the past month.

 

According to the data available with the Government, export duty of 20% on non-Basmati White Rice was imposed on Sept 08, 2022, to lower the price as well as ensure availability in the domestic market.  However, the export of this variety increased from 33.66 LMT (Sept-March 2021-22) to 42.12 LMT (Sept-March 2022-23) even after imposition of 20% export duty.  

 

In the current FY 2023-24 (April-June), about 15.54 LMT of this variety of rice was exported against only 11.55 LMT during FY 2022-23 (April-June), i.e. an increase by 35%. This sharp increase in exports can be ascribed to high international prices due to geo-political scenario, El Nino sentiments and extreme climatic conditions in other rice producing countries.

 

The Non-Basmati White Rice constitutes about 25% of total rice exported from the country and Government expects that the prohibition on export of Non-Basmati White Rice will lead to lowering of prices for the consumers in the country.

 

However, there is no change in export policy of Non-Basmati Rice (Par Boiled Rice) and Basmati Rice, which forms the bulk of rice exports.

The average number of TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) handled by rail at Mundra port has crossed 5,300 in July, surpassing the levels of about 4,900 before cyclone Biparjoy hit.

 

The number of double-stack container trains has also increased by 33 per cent post-cyclone, accelerating their clearance from the port.

 

Earlier, the cyclone had disrupted operations and caused an operational downtime for about six days, the company said.

 

The port authorities had taken precautions to ensure the safety of human life as part of its safety and disaster management.

 

Post-cyclone, the port focused on restoring operations and emerged stronger, it said.

 

Container vessels can now berth upon arrival, reducing congestion and delays. The pendency of containers in the yard has reduced to reasonable levels, with dispatches increasing, especially on the rail side.

 

Post-cyclone, on July 2, the port berthed the longest vessel MV MSC Hamburg, with a carrying capacity of 15,908 TEU.

 

Mundra is the largest container handling port in India, having handled more than 6.6 million TEUs in FY ’23.

 

Its strategic location is enhanced by its connectivity to the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, facilitating efficient movement of goods. Despite the disruption due to the cyclone, the port posted 4.4 per cent growth year-on-year in container handling in Q1 FY24.

 

It also serves as a crucial hub for major container train operators, including Concor, Gateway Distriparks and Hind Terminals.

 

To meet the growing demand, Mundra port is expanding its infrastructure by setting up a new berth, T3, with a capacity of 0.8 million TEUs, and is expected to be commissioned in Q3 of FY23.

 

To augment container rail handling capacity, five new handling lines and two cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes are being introduced.

 

It is also improving in the receipt and dispatch yard, besides extending existing lines to accommodate long-haul containers.

 

A new terminal operating system is being implemented to streamline processes and minimise manual interventions. It is also moving towards automation to reduce the man-machine interface and improve overall safety and efficiency.

 

India’s decision to ban the export of non-basmati white rice has pushed up global prices, prompting multilateral lending agencies, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to call for a reconsideration of the move.

 

Though nothing has been spelled out yet officially, sources said, the government might consider requests for government-to-government sale of non-basmati white rice, especially to West African nations where India is a major supplier.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has notified 137 unique products of 713 districts across 35 States/UTs as One District One Product (ODOP) based on recommendations from the States/ UTs and in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare.

 

15 unique products from all the 24 districts of Jharkhand have been notified by MoFPI as ODOP. These are Peda, Honey, Jaggery, Tomato based products, Chilly based products, Lime based products, Mango based products, Guava based products, Custard Apple based products, Jackfruit based products, Potato based products, Papaya based products, and Minor Forest Produce (Tamarind, Mahua, Chironjee).

 

 

ODOP are selected based on agriculture production, presence of micro-food processing enterprises, SHGs/FPOs/Cooperative/micro-enterprises engaged in processing of ODOP, etc. and accordingly modification to the notified list is done based on recommendation of the respective State/UT government.

 

MoFPI is extending credit linked subsidy to the interested individual/entity for upgradation of existing or setting up of new micro-food processing facility, in accordance with the guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme. Establishment of Common Infrastructure projects by FPOs/SHGs/Cooperative/Govt. Entities; Seed Capital to SHG members; Marketing & Branding projects for ODOP; and Capacity Building through training institutions are also supported as per the PMFME scheme guidelines.

 

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 Lok Sabha.

Riding on the massive demand from global markets, chilli exports from India crossed 10,000-crore mark during 2022-23. With AP being the leading producer, about 50 per cent of the stock was exported from the state. The total exports from India were just around 6,500 crore in 2019-20.

 

The continuous export orders helped farmers make huge returns during the just concluded sale season. The crop in the Indian market usually enters around the middle of December while the markets start flooding with the stocks by middle of January.

The unexpected rains and floods during last November-December damaged chilli crop in many districts of the state. The crop output was reduced by at least 30-40 per cent leaving farmers worried over facing huge losses. Luckily, a booming export market brought cheers to the faces of farmers.

 

The prices in retail market have continuously hovered around 20,000 per quintal, which is an all-time high in recent history. The average price farmers fetched last year was around 10,000-12,000 per quintal. In fact, a price not less than 8,000 per quintal is said to be remunerative to recover the costs.

However, the overall cost went up due to the damage of over 30-40 per cent crop.

Interestingly, prices, which would normally go up after the farmers selling their stocks, remained high right from the beginning of the season and stable throughout till the completion of sales. This helped farmers make a killing during the last season. The sale value jumped by almost 25 per cent despite a dip in the volume of total exports during the 2022-23.

 

High prices in the export market helped the traders as well as the farmers. The total volume of exports witnessed a fall of nearly 40,000 tonnes when compared to last year’s exports. The chilli exports were steadily going up from India due to the demand from European countries, China, Sri Lanka and the USA.

India exported nearly 6.46 lakh tonnes making 9,241 crore during 2020-21 when the entire world was stalled following the outbreak of Covid-19. Trade analysts say that the demand for chilli will continue to go up in the coming season too based on positive inputs from global exporters.