Four months after the Geographical Indications Registry notified Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Authoor betel leaves, the registry recently issued the GI certificate to the Thoothukudi district administration. The tag was facilitated by the Tamil Nadu State Agriculture Marketing Board and NABAD Madurai Agribusiness Incubation Forum, and registered in the name of Authoor Vattara Vetrilai Vivasayigal Sangam.

 

The betel leaves, locally known as Vettrilai, are nurtured by Thamirabrani river water. The leaves also find a mention in the 13th-Century book 'The Travels of MARCO POLO (The Venetian)'. Moreover, Several ancient stone inscriptions reveal the archaic richness and significance of the Authoor vettrilai in Tamil culture.

 

Speaking to TNIE, Collector Dr KSenthil Raj said the certificate will be served to the Authoor Vattara Vetrilai Viyabaraigal Sangam. 'This is a matter of pride for Thoothukudi district. The district administration will begin the GI-tag process to tap the marketing potential of Authoor betel leaves across the country and in the international market. We are also awaiting the GI tag recognition for Kayathar lemon, Srivaikuntam banana, and Udangudi Karupatti,' he said.

In an effort to promote and facilitate exports from District Ganderbal, an Export Awareness Workshop cum E-commerce Onboarding event was organised by Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKTPO) under the aegis of Industries & Commerce Department.

The event was organized as per the directions of Vikramjit Singh Commissioner Secretary Industries & Commerce and under the guidance of Khalid Jahangir, Managing Director, JKTPO in collaboration with District Administration Ganderbal.

This event brings together esteemed speakers and industry experts from Government of India and other renowned organizations, such as DGFT, APEDA, MYSTORE, ONDC, Walmart vriddhi, and FIEO.

The workshop aims to provide valuable insights and practical knowledge to local businesses looking to expand their operations in the global market.

The Export Awareness Workshop cum E-commerce Onboarding event serves as a platform for entrepreneurs, exporters, and aspiring businesses to learn about the intricacies of export procedures, e-commerce strategies, and international trade best practices. During this opportunity, participants interacted with experts and gained a comprehensive understanding of the export landscape, along with insights into leveraging e-commerce platforms for enhanced global reach.

The forum was addressed by A.K Bhushan, Dy Director from DGFT who informed participants about Government policies, export regulations, step by step procedure of generating Import/Export code and other available incentives which provided attendees with crucial information to navigate the complex export ecosystem.

Davinder Kumar Tyagi, Asst. Director MSME, J&K conveyed participants about various schemes/incentives/benefits offered by Ministry of MSME, Government of India and special focus was laid on the schemes endorsing exports among MSME sector.

Dr. Kausar Fatima BDM,APEDA discussed the potential of agricultural exports, market trends, and the necessary certifications and standards required for exporting high-quality agricultural products.

Prabakar, Category Lead ONDC, a pioneering initiative in the digital trade ecosystem, showcased the opportunities and advantages offered by their platform, facilitating seamless end-to-end integration for businesses in the ecommerce sector.

Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) - FIEO, a leading trade promotion organization, offered their expertise in market research, export documentation, and building strategic partnerships, empowering participants with comprehensive export knowledge.

The event feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, allowing participants to learn from the experiences of industry leaders and connect with potential collaborators. Additionally, attendees received resource materials, tools, and guidance to kickstart their export journey or enhance their existing export capabilities. The event concluded with on-spot registration for IE code, e-comm onboarding and question & answer session.

The workshop witnessed participation of more than 110 local artisans, weavers, farmers and entrepreneurs. JKTPO shall continue such export awareness workshop and e-comm onboarding drives to provide first-hand knowledge and information about exports ecosystem, and provide access to a vast digital marketplace and enable local entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their products nationwide.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India, in association with Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), organised a one-day National Workshop on Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), here today. In his Presiding address, Secretary, Sh. Manoj Ahuja spoke of the important role played by the leadership and clear vision in establishing and achieving the aspiration of supporting marginal farmers and development of the entire value chain should be the goal of FPO rather than just production.

 

In his address, Sh. Kidwai stressed on the need for monitoring by IAs of CBBOs, sensitisation of government functionaries; facilitation by Govt agencies in getting licensesand bank finance for FPOs.

 

The technical sessions of the workshop were flagged off by AS and MD (SFAC) wherein the status of the scheme and the roadmap for major indicators were shared. The technical sessions were on the following themes:

 

Mrs B Sivarani of Salem Veerapandi Vattara Kalanjiam and Ashish Naphade of Krushi Vikas VaGramin Prashikshan Sanstha shared the experiences of successfully mobilising farmers, which could be replicated by other CBBOs.

To enable market linkages, presentation on ONDC was also made and successful integration of more than 900 FPOs were presented. Signcatch presented the B2B linkages for FPOs which could be replicated by other FPOs. Aland Bhootai Millets Farmers Producer Company, ORMAS and KoriyaAgro Producer Company also described successful market linkages of FPOs

Satmile Satish Club O Pathagar and DVARA E-Registry shared some innovative instances of local value addition by FPOs.

Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED) presented their schemes and experience of promoting tribal FPOs and carrying out market linkage

NABSANRAKSHAN, the subsidiary of NABARD, presented details of credit guarantee scheme and some successful examples of FPOs availing guarantee under the scheme

 

The National Workshop was presided over by Secretary (Agriculture), GoI, Sh. Manoj Ahuja. The Additional Secretary, MoA&FW, Sh. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai and Additional Secretary and Managing Director, SFAC, Dr Maninder Kaur Dwivedi addressed the participants.Over 100 participants, including Secretaries, Commissioners and Directors (Agriculture) from 17 states and UTs; and 15 Project Implementing Agencies (agencies of the Central and State Governments) of the Scheme were present in the workshop.

 

The workshop ended with an open session, where key operational aspects of the scheme were discussed. As a part of the discussion, the participants appreciated the initiative of sharing information and examples to ensure cross learning across all the entities.

 

The National Workshop was organised under the Central Sector Scheme for Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations. This Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs 6,865 crore, was started in 2020 by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to substantially increase farmer incomes.The scheme is designed to primarily benefit the small & marginal farmers who constitute more than 86% of the famer base.The scheme focuses on forming farmer collectives (FPOs) to facilitate economies of scale and scope for the small & marginal farmers across the value chain thereby reducing the cost of production and increasing their revenue. Further, the scheme envisages providing credit guarantee for loans taken by FPOs for various business activities. A total of 6,319 FPOs have already been registered under the scheme till date.

The import of potatoes in India from Bhutan will continue without any import license for another year, Bhutan Live reported citing the notification by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. A similar exemption has also been made for areca nut export.

 

Earlier, the Indian government had given import exemption for potatoes from Bhutan for a year, which ended on June 30.

 

The new import notification on potatoes signed by the Director General of Foreign Trade states, 'Import of potatoes from Bhutan is permitted freely, without any license, up to the 30th of June, 2024.'

 

Potatoes from Bhutan are exported to India via Samtse, Phuentshogling, Gelephu, and Samdrup Jongkhar.

 

'So far, we have exported 183 metric tonnes of potatoes from our Samdrup Jongkhar auction yard which comes to about Nu 4.1 M. Accordingly, from the Phuentshogling auction yard, we have exported 290 metric tonnes which amounts to Nu 5.4 M,' Bhutan Live quoted Dorji Tashi, the CEO of Food Corporation of Bhutan, as saying.

 

In a separate notification by India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Bhutan can also export 17,000 metric tonnes of fresh areca nut to India without meeting the minimum import price.

 

The export of these commodities is facilitated by the Food Corporation of Bhutan and areca nut export is mostly facilitated by private traders.

 

'Areca nut rarely comes to the FCB. Nevertheless, we have managed to export a little over 200 metric tonnes of areca nuts from our auction yard in Samtse,' Dorji Tashi added.

 

Previously, areca nuts were only exported from Phuentshogling.

 

According to the new notification, apart from Phuentshogling, areca nut export will also be allowed through Chamurchi, a neighbouring border town in Samtse, Bhutan Live reported.

The Agriculture Ministry on Wednesday asked banks to promote Rs 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) for creation of necessary infrastructure in the farm sector. The AIF is a financing facility launched on July 8, 2020 for creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farm assets. Under this scheme, Rs 1 lakh crore is to be disbursed by financial year 2025-26 and the interest subvention and credit guarantee assistance will be given till the year 2032-33.

 

According to an official statement, Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja on Wednesday launched a new campaign for banks under Agri Infra Fund titled BHARAT (Banks Heralding Accelerated Rural & Agriculture Transformation).

 

'This one month-long campaign (from July 15 to August 15) with a target of Rs 7,200 crore was launched through video conference attended by more than 100 banking executives that included MDs/Chairman, EDs of commercial banks in public and private sector, Regional Rural Banks, Small Finance Banks, NBFCs and select cooperative banks,' the statement said.

 

The secretary asked all the banks to achieve targets considering the vast potential for agri infra projects in our country.

 

The banks were also advised to carry out an assessment of impact of the projects created under the scheme at the ground level.

 

Samuel Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary (AIF), highlighted the progress made since the inception of this ambitious flagship scheme.

 

In his welcome address, he complimented the banks for their active involvement and support to promote this scheme which has resulted in creation of more than 31, 850 agri infra projects in the country with Rs 24,750 crore as loan amount under AIF with an outlay of Rs 42,000 crore.

 

The Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (Codissia) will organise here Agri Intex, an agricultural fair, from July 14 to 17.

 

K. Dhinesh Kumar, chairman of the event, told presspersons on Tuesday that the event at Codissia Trade Fair Complex will have 485 participants occupying nearly 3.5 lakh sq.ft of exhibition area, including outdoor space. There will be model farms, demonstration of machinery, a pavilion (AnimaEx) to display native Indian cow breeds, and live demonstration of automation and drones in agriculture.

 

The focus this year is on drones. 'Application of drones has increased in agriculture, such as land survey, picking flowers, spraying fertiliser, etc.,' he said. The displays will be related to precision farming, solar pumping, micro irrigation, farm mechanisation, soilless agriculture, automation, value addition and animal husbandry. Apart from display of agriculture machinery, implements, fertilizers and manure, dairy farming, seeds, landscapes, etc, there will be business networking sessions on July 15 with companies from South Korea, and on July 17 with companies from Israel. As many as nine companies from South Korea will set stalls at the exhibition and there will be a business meet with Indian companies doing similar products. Several Israeli companies have a presence in India and a team will visit the fair to have business meet with companies here in areas such as water technology, he added.

 

Over 1.5 lakh farmers are expected to visit the exhibition, which will be inaugurated by Minister for Agriculture M.R.K. Paneerselvam on July 14, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all the four days. The entry fee is Rs.50 for a general visit and free for a farmer, who has to produce an identity document. It is supported by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Union Ministry of MSMEs, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Tamil Nadu Fisheries University, and All India Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers’ Association.

Bangladesh and India on Tuesday launched a much-anticipated trade transaction in rupees, a move aimed at reducing dependence on the US dollar and strengthening regional currency and trade. This is the first time Bangladesh has done bilateral trade with a foreign country in addition to the US dollar.

 

Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder described the start of trade settlement in rupees as the 'first step in a great journey'.

 

'The trade position between India and Bangladesh has seen remarkable growth, with both countries benefiting from their economic cooperation,' he said at the launching ceremony here, which was also attended by Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma.

 

The central bank governor said the transaction costs during trade with India would reduce with the introduction of the Taka-Rupee dual currency card which was 'almost ready (to be) launched from September'.

 

Bangladesh and India, however, stage frontier trading in certain areas called 'border hut' in a semi-formal manner where both currencies are exchanged on a limited scale.

 

Officials said under the formal arrangement from now on initially, the trade would be transacted in rupee and then gradually in Bangladeshi currency Taka upon the trade gap between the two countries decreasing.

 

Banks in Bangladesh and India have been given permission to open nostro accounts, an account in a bank of another country for the purpose of foreign currency transactions.

 

Officials said the exchange rate will be determined in line with market demand and banks involved in the process.

 

According to the latest official data from Dhaka, exports from Bangladesh to India amount to USD 2 billion, while Bangladesh's imports from India are worth USD 13.69 billion.

 

Several economists, however, said Bangladesh may not be able to reap the benefits of the new system very quickly because of the trade deficit.

 

But Talukder said he was not just looking into this USD 2 billion export as when 'we export and import in Indian rupees, it will have an effect on both countries' exporters and importers'.

 

'We can increase our exports manifold, because customers in India will be buying things in their own currency, considering it as their own products...It will open a new window for us in a bigger way in this (Indian) market because India is a big market,' Talukder said.

 

The Indian envoy said India-Bangladesh relations transformed significantly over the last decade.

 

'One of the most important manifestations of that transformation is our visibly growing economic and commercial ties and connectivity links,' he said, adding Bangladesh is India's biggest trade partner in South Asia, and fifth largest globally.

 

He noted in the last five years, bilateral trade has more than doubled.

 

The country's exports to India have consistently crossed the one billion dollar mark consecutively over the last three years and crossed two billion dollars for the first time during the last fiscal.

 

India, with its diverse market, has emerged as the top export destination for Bangladesh in Asia.

The Commerce and Industry Ministry has favoured tweaks in India's model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) text for some of its trade partners but is firm on its stance on foreign investors not invoking arbitration until they have exhausted all local remedies.

 

As part of its ongoing negotiations with the European Union, India has insisted that the country's judiciary is strong and hence, investors need to exhaust all local remedies before opting for arbitration.

 

'Tweaks can be in the BIT to suit some of our partners as there are provisions available for that,' said an official.

 

'But our position is that we have an independent and strong judiciary and we would want investors to exhaust the local remedies. That is our non-negotiable position,' the official added.

 

The EU's investment model allows foreign investors to pursue a claim directly against a host country in the face of certain adverse actions by the latter.

 

However, under New Delhi's rule of exhaustion of local remedies, a claim must first be submitted before a relevant domestic court or administrative body. This is aimed to prevent arbitrators from having expanded jurisdiction.

 

'Their model is to look for an independent, international court or a panel and both sides pay for the expenses but this does not suit us. Arbitration has several models. So, we need a model that suits both sides,' the official said.

 

India's stance is significant as it has lost disputes to investment treaty award holders like Cairn Energy PLC, Vodafone Group BV and Devas Mauritius Ltd, and now has to balance safeguarding foreign investment with protecting public interest.

In a first, the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) under the aegis of the union health ministry will hold a meeting with the global food regulators including G20 countries on 20-21 July.

 

The plan is to strengthen food safety system and regulatory framework across the global food value chain.

 

According to the India’s apex food regulator, the country’s food safety and regulatory system needs constant evolving to counter the emerging food hazards, pandemic scenarios and implement new technologies.

 

As per WHO, food safety is a major determinant of health. It affects the survival, well-being, livelihood and productivity of individuals and eventually societies. One in 10 people worldwide fall ill from eating contaminated food each year.

 

Unsafe food costs low- and middle- income countries $110 billion each year in productivity and medical expenses.

 

'We are seeking participation of food regulators from around 60 countries including G20 member countries. This is an opportunity to create an exchange of information on food products regulatory and safety requirements and to enable a common dialogue on food safety, food standards, risk assessment, analytical competence, labelling. Beside this, it will enable the food value chain stakeholders such as government, food manufacturers, processors, exporters and importers to understand food safety and regulatory framework in other countries,' said the official aware of the matter.

 

There will be a signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the countries such as Netherlands, Australia, Morocco on food safety measures.

 

According to the Food Service and Restaurant Business Report 2022-23, India’s food service market is expected to reach $79.65 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 11.19% from $41.1 billion in 2022.

 

'The summit will help us to understand current and emerging challenges and define a way forward to ensure effective implementation of food safety, quality and regulatory norms. Different government departments and ministries like ministry of commerce, agriculture, food processing, CDCSO, ICMR are likely to participate,' said the official.

 

The plan is also to launch first ever common digital platform—Food-o-Copoeia—an online guide prepared by any food authority in the world to captures all requirements related to quality, safety, labelling, claims, documents, regulations, prohibitions etc. for a specific food product.

Agricultural enterprise Samunnati has facilitated farm gate procurement to direct export of 275 MT of Thomson seedless grapes to Netherlands for the grapes season 2023. To ensure a seamless value chain, Samunnati facilitated farm gate procurement, end-to-end primary processing, cold storage, packaging, and certification, all the way up to the export stage.

 

Mr. Pieter Kok, Managing Director of Vrugteboom International B.V., the export partner said 'We had a successful season with grapes from India this year, and we are happy to collaborate with Samunnati. This programme involving 275 tons proved to be highly efficient. The cooperation was exemplary, every aspect was handled meticulously, and prompt information was provided. Looking forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration next year!'

 

Mr. Sanjay Gore, a grape farmer from Nasik said 'Even if the season is good, it is the price and payment that affects us the most. This is where Samunnati proved invaluable to us. It ensured immediate payments, which greatly supported our operations. We are delighted with our association and their commitment to fair and prompt transactions.'

 

Operations of this nature need meticulous execution. It had to be ensured all grape suppliers were registered with the GI certification authority, reinforcing its commitment to upholding quality standards. From the program inception in October 2022 to the receipt of final remittance in July, 2023, the execution excellence culminated in the successful shipment of 20 containers of grapes. This achievement has not only benefited over 3 dozen local farmers but has also ensured they receive better value realisation for their produce. The farmers also received immediate payments as against delay of many weeks.

 

Commenting on the collaboration, Anil Kumar SG, Founder, and CEO, Samunnati, said, 'Our efforts in facilitating grape exports to the Netherlands exemplify the power of a solution-oriented approach in overcoming export challenges from streamlining certification processes to addressing infrastructure and warehousing requirements. By empowering farmers and driving positive change, these initiatives ensure that farmers receive the maximum benefits in terms of meeting their working capital requirements and better value realization for their produce. It is also a valuable learning experience for Samunnati, inspiring us to pursue more opportunities and create an even greater impact in the future.'