The food authority has issued a direction to FSSAI notified laboratories to review their capabilities related to organic food testing. The labs were also asked to get APEDA recognition for the same.

 

The FSSAI’s direction says that the laboratories are required to take necessary measures to upgrade the infrastructure, as Government of India has decided to promote organic products in India in coming years.

 

The labs were asked to review their current capabilities and take the necessary steps to enhance the infrastructure and scope of the testing for organic products. The labs were also asked to make an application to APEDA for recognition of the laboratory for testing organic products and apply to National Referral Laboratory of APEDA for participation in proficiency testing as a pre-requisite to qualify for pre-export testing of organic products.

 

According to FSSAI, it has been decided by the Government to promote organic products in India by encouraging and strengthening cooperative societies. The success of this depends on the reliable testing to ensure their authenticity of the organic products.

 

'Therefore, all food testing laboratories need to optimise their facilities and procedures to handle organic testing efficiently and accurately,' reads the direction issued by the FSSAI.

It’s a second bite at the cherry, for growers from the US betting on a fruitful trade with India. With India removing the fumigation requirement on cherries shipped from the US, the Northwest Cherry Growers (NWCG) are hopeful of growing their market presence in India rapidly.

 

On Tuesday, as the NWCG, a trade association based in the US, launched its promotion campaign in India to introduce this summer’s crop of the juicy red fruit in retail stores here. Ron Verdonk, Minister-Counselor for Agricultural Affairs, Embassy of the United States of America, commented how earlier too they had access to the Indian market, but the fumigation protocol caused distribution issues for the Pacific Northwest cherries.

 

Fumigated cherries tend to soften quickly thereby affecting shelf-life and onward distribution to smaller towns, where according to Sumit Saran, In-Country Marketing Representative of NWCG, there is now growing consumer interest in exotic imported fruit. He described how even places like Dhanbad are showing interest in products like blueberries and cherries. The Northwest cherries are currently retailing in the Indian market for Rs.1,500 a kg though in the next few weeks as more volumes come in, prices are likely to come down, said Saran. July is the start of the season for the US cherries which retail till August end and so far 4,400 boxes each of 10 kg have been shipped to India.

 

Rosy outlook for apples

Meanwhile, Verdonk was also pretty gung-ho about the apples and walnuts trade from the US picking up in India this year after the announcement that the retaliatory tariffs on these will be ended during the recent visit of Prime Minister Modi to the US. 'Come September and we will have a level playing field for Washington apples again,' said Verdonk.

 

In 2017, India was the second biggest export market for Washington Apples, raking in $120 million for the 1,400 odd growers of the fruit. However, in 2019, India imposed retaliatory custom duties on 28 American products including apples, walnuts, chickpeas and lentils. This dealt a body blow to Washington Apples which faced an additional 20 per cent duty (added to the existing 50 per cent) and resulted in only $1 million worth of the fruit being exported to India last season.  India is a big consumer of apples, and imported a total of 3,60,000 tonnes last year. 'The opportunity in India is immense,' said Verdonk. 

 

He anticipates that the tariffs will be lifted coinciding with the apple harvest in the US and will bring cheer to the growers in Washington.

 

Nutritionist Kavita Devgan on the nutritional benefit of cherries

 

During the cherry promotion event, nutritionist Kavita Devgan talked about the nutritional benefit of the stone fruit, which she said had a low glycemic index (20-25) and thereby was diabetic friendly. She also dwelled on the fact they have anthocyanins which helps in lowering blood pressure and natural melatonin that promotes better sleep.  

 

And to drive home the point that there is a lot more to cherries than sprinkling on top of desserts, celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani rustled up savoury delicacies that heroed the fruit — a millet cherry khichdi and a charcoal grilled slider accompanied by a tangy cherry sauce.

The Uttar Pradesh government has unveiled an ambitious plan to enhance the state's agricultural value by investing approximately Rs 3,800 crore in agricultural start-ups during the financial year 2023-24 (FY24).

 

The initiative aims to bolster various sectors including seeds, fertilizers, warehousing, soil nutrients, harvest/post-harvest crop management, and food processing units. Additionally, the scheme covers agricultural and horticultural crops along with allied farm activities such as pisciculture, sericulture, and food processing.

 

A senior agriculture department official revealed that the state intends to approve a minimum of five agricultural ventures and start-ups each month in all 75 districts. By streamlining the loan process, the government hopes to extend the benefits of the scheme to over 3,000 agricultural entrepreneurs and young farmers.

 

The funding for this endeavor will be sourced from the Centre's Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme, which focuses on investing in medium- and long-term community agricultural assets at the local level. To be eligible for a credit line from designated commercial banks, the project must have a value exceeding Rs 1 crore.

 

Under the scheme, beneficiaries will receive an interest subsidy of 6 percent, equally shared by the AIF and the state government. Notably, projects with a value of up to Rs 2 crore will not require collateral or guarantees during the loan application process. The official stated that the core objective was to facilitate a profitable post-harvest value chain and ensure lucrative prices for farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs.

 

To facilitate the implementation of the scheme, the central government has signed a memorandum of understanding with nearly a dozen public sector banks, enabling them to provide loans under the AIF scheme. Agriculture serves as the backbone of Uttar Pradesh's economy, and in the 2022-23 period, the state's agricultural exports witnessed a growth of 5.5 percent, reaching approximately Rs 19,000 crore compared to Rs 18,000 crore the previous year.

 

These farm exports encompassed various agricultural and horticultural crops, including fruits, vegetables, food grains, and oilseeds, particularly those promoted by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority.

 

The Adityanath government has set an ambitious target of doubling rural income by adopting a multi-faceted approach that focuses on increasing farm productivity, yield, acreage, and establishing a profitable marketing chain.

Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Mr. J. P Dalal highlighted the substantial increase in the budget allocation for the Agriculture Department, rising from 800 crores to 4,000 crores. This significant surge reflects the government’s unwavering commitment to strengthen the agricultural sector and ensure the welfare of farmers, he added.

 

During the closing ceremony of the three-day fruit festival at the Sub-Tropical Fruits Centre, Ladwa, Kurukshetra, Mr. Dalal emphasized the potential of farmers to achieve higher profits through tropical horticulture farming. He urged the farmers to adopt horticulture farming practices and leave traditional farming methods, in order to maximize profitability while reducing farming cost.

 

The Minister further encouraged the farmers to avail benefits of the special grant scheme initiated by the government to establish fruit orchards. This scheme offers grants to farmers for setting up orchards with a variety of fruit trees. The state government is actively promoting the establishment of fruit orchards as they offer higher profitability for farmers, he added.

 

The Minister commended events like the fruit festival for providing technical insights related to horticulture crops. He suggested developing horticulture tourism centres to educate urban children about fruit and other horticultural crop cultivation. He lauded the department’s efforts in creating awareness among farmers.

 

Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board, Vice-Chairman, Mr. Dhuman Singh Kirmach lauded the people of Ladwa for their unique contribution in establishing the fruit centre.

 

Mr. Joginder Singh, Joint Director, Horticulture Department, stated that approximately 1,500 farmers received training on various aspects such as mango restoration, high-density plantation, drip irrigation, disease management, canopy management in litchi, nursery management, peach cultivation, plum and pear intensive management, and advanced international techniques. The fruit festival provided farmers with practical demonstrations and technical knowledge to enhance fruit yield and ensure disease-free crops.

 

The Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister also honoured officials, department representatives, and firms for their informative stalls aimed at educating farmers. He acknowledged the participation of 1,500 students from 22 schools in various competitions held during the event.

The Indian government will set its own standards on artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and does not have to do what international agencies say, a top official of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said.

 

'We don't have to follow the West or East as India is in a powerful situation..we are working on what the effect of consuming aspartame or other sweeteners can have on the Indian population,' FSSAI Advisor HS Oberoi said on Thursday, while addressing a conclave by the Indian Beverages Association (IBA), which represents Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Red Bull and Dabur among other beverage companies.

 

Last week, Reuters reported that the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), will publish a report that aspartame could be declared a possible cancer risk to humans. Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, is used by soft drinks like Diet Coke, ice-cream and chewing gum. The IARC report is expected to be made available together on July 14, a potential development that could have a cascading impact on the consumption of low-sugar and diet beverages and foods.

 

Oberoi said the FSSAI will define guidelines and thresholds of usage of artificial sweeteners based on its own risk assessment studies and in consultation with all stakeholders, including foods and beverages companies, scientists and government agencies.

 

'We don't have to go by what the world says..our regulation will be based on what our scientists feel is good for the Indian population, based on risk assessment studies and in consultation with all stakeholders,' he said.

 

Two months back too, the WHO released conditional guidelines which said that non-sugar sweeteners like aspartame and stevia do not help in weight loss and can increase risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The WHO had said replacing free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) does not help with weight control in the long term, adding that these are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value.

India and Tanzania have agreed on a roadmap to further boost their time-tested ties by identifying new areas of cooperation in sectors like trade, investment, agriculture, defence and education, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries said.

 

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday met Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Stergomena Tax at the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission Meeting n Dar es Salaam.

 

Mr. Jaishankar said the two sides had a very productive round of the Joint Commission.

 

'This gave us an opportunity to do a stocktaking of our relationship to discuss what are the new areas that we need to move forward. Also, to agree on how to deepen our cooperation in the areas that we have been working on for many years,' he said.

 

Among the domains that the two sides looked at was their economic cooperation, and how to increase trade and investment. The two sides also discussed how to promote stronger collaboration in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and technology.

 

'We spoke about expanding training and exchanges within us. And we looked at areas like health, agriculture, defence and education as new domains to go between India and Tanzania,' he told reporters.

 

He said India and Tanzania have a very strong and time-tested relationship which is based on solidarity and camaraderie which comes from a shared struggle for independence during the colonial times.

 

'And from the very beginning of our independence, we’ve always had a very good understanding. Today, that is reflected in a very robust economic engagement. We have a trade of almost six and a half billion dollars annually,' Mr. Jaishankar said.

 

He said India has significant Indian investment in Tanzania, which is the country’s key trade partner in Africa.

 

Talking about their bilateral development partnership, Mr. Jaishankar said India is proud of the water partnership between the two nations.

 

'Water Partnership which involves soft loans of almost a billion dollars, which when the projects are completed, will bring safe drinking water to 8 million Tanzanians. I think it will cover 28 towns in this country. And for us, it’s a great privilege to be associated with such a major transformational development initiative,' he said.

 

Mr. Jaishankar said during his visit, the two sides agreed on a new flagship project — the establishment of a campus of the Indian Institute of Technology — that would underline the deep friendship between the two nations.

 

'...for the first time ever, the IIT is going abroad and we are very very pleased that this should take place in Zanzibar, because in many ways, Zanzibar is a meeting point of African and Indian cultures,' he said.

 

So overall, it has been a very productive visit, he said.

 

'I would like to end by emphasising that Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi believes that the deep solidarity between India and Africa must be expressed in very practical terms in a way in which we share experiences, we share capabilities, we contribute to each other’s understanding of the world.

 

'And today, this joint commission meeting and the roadmap that we have put forward is a way of doing it because Prime Minister Modi deeply believes that partnerships are made by recognising the priorities of partners,' he said.

 

Mr. Tax said the two sides noted with satisfaction the milestones in various areas including politics, trade and investment, energy, education, water, health, ICT and defence and agreed to reinforce cooperation in these areas.

 

The decision to establish the first Indian Institute of Technology in Zanzibar will contribute to the efforts of Tanzania in enhancing capacity in technology and innovation.

 

Tanzania remains committed to continue partnering and cooperating with India, she said.

 

During his stay here, Mr. Jaishankar also called on Tanzanian President Samia Hassan of Tanzania and discussed bilateral ties in defence and security, maritime cooperation and capacity building.

 

He also conveyed the personal greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi to President Samia.

 

Bangladesh is all set to settle trade with India in Rupee from Tuesday, a move to cut their reliance on the American currency, which was involved in nearly 90 per cent of global forex transactions in 2022, The Daily Star reported.

 

Bangladesh Bank and the Indian High Commission are expected to announce the news regarding the Indian currency at an event at Le Meridien Hotel in Dhaka tomorrow.

 

The central bank governor and the Indian high commissioner will also join, a Bangladesh Bank (BB) official said.

 

The BB has already given permission to three banks - Sonali Bank, Eastern Bank and State Bank of India (SBI) in Bangladesh - to open nostro accounts with their counterparts in the neighbouring country.

 

The nostro account is an account that a bank holds with a foreign bank in the currency of the country where the funds are held. It is used to facilitate foreign exchange and international trade transactions involving foreign currencies.

 

This new move will open the letters of credit in the rupee to source a portion of the products from the neighbouring country and thus cutting the use of the US dollar to some extent, according to The Daily Star.

 

The government has toughened import rules due to the shortage of American greenback, driven by higher import bills, with a view to stopping further depletion of the foreign currency reserve, which has fallen by nearly 30 per cent from a year ago.

 

The private commercial bank, Eastern Bank and the country office of SBI have already opened nostro accounts with Indian ICICI Bank and SBI, the BB official said, adding that state-run Sonali Bank will open the account in the quickest possible time.

 

Both the BB and the Reserve Bank of India (the central bank of India) have given permission to the two Indian banks to start settling the bilateral trade in the Indian rupee (INR), he added.

 

The new arrangement will allow Bangladesh to perform foreign trade with India to the tune of USD 2 billion, equivalent to its current annual export receipts from the country. Last month, BB Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder said that if the trades through the unofficial channel are added then the imports can go up to USD 27 billion, as per The Daily Star.

 

As per plans, ICICI Bank and SBI will settle imports with Bangladesh in the rupee. And the amount will be deposited with the Bangladeshi banks' nostro accounts with the two.

 

In the second phase, the Bangladeshi banks will settle the import payments on behalf of the local importers by using the rupee deposited with the counterparts.

 

The dominance of the US Dollar is declining in the last few decades. At the ASEAN finance ministers and central banks meeting in Indonesia in March, policymakers also discussed the idea of cutting their reliance on the USD, the Japanese yen and the euro and 'moving to settlements in local currencies' instead.

 

The dollar accounted for more than 70 per cent of global reserves at the turn of the century. The share declined to 59 per cent in 2011 and 58 per cent last year, International Monetary Fund data showed, reported The Daily Star.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is keen on expanding the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi at the earliest. C.B. Singh, Deputy General Manager of APEDA, highlighted the increasing movement of perishable cargo from this airport.

 

In the 2022-23 financial year, Varanasi airport handled 561 metric tons of perishable cargo, marking a significant growth of 420% in exports of fresh fruits, vegetables, and cereals from eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP).

 

During the first quarter of the current financial year (April-June), the Varanasi airport handled 160 metric tons of agricultural cargo, compared to 46 metric tons in the same period of the previous year, reflecting a remarkable increase of 248%. The cargo space of the Varanasi-Sharjah route is consistently reaching full capacity daily.

 

This flight provides direct connectivity to the Gulf market, while for London and other international destinations, Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs) and exporters from the eastern UP region have to opt for trans-shipment, utilizing domestic flights to transport their freight to Delhi or Mumbai for further transportation.

 

Singh pointed out that currently, only a few airlines have trans-shipment bonds for international cargo, such as Indigo and Air India Express. However, other major airlines like Air India and Vistara have not yet applied for trans-shipment bonds. To sustain the momentum of agricultural exports from the eastern UP region, it is crucial to establish additional trans-shipment bonds with more airlines. Furthermore, increasing the frequency of international flights and operating cargo flights are essential steps.

 

The growth in perishable cargo and the rising demand for agricultural exports from eastern UP highlight the need for infrastructure development. The expansion of the Varanasi airport would enhance the region's capacity to handle larger volumes of cargo and facilitate direct exports to international markets. This development will not only benefit farmers and exporters but also contribute to the economic growth of the region.

 

APEDA remains committed to supporting the agricultural sector and promoting the export of high-quality agricultural products from India. By focusing on infrastructure improvements and collaboration with airlines, APEDA aims to create a conducive environment for agricultural exports, ensuring the steady growth of the industry and boosting the economy as a whole.

During the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States of America, major announcements related to resolution on key trade issues were made by the US and it was agreed upon to terminate six WTO disputes related to retaliatory tariffs.

 

During the visit of Indian PM, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the United States and the Republic of India have agreed to terminate six outstanding disputes at the World Trade Organization and India also agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs, which it had imposed in response to the U.S. Section 232 national security measures on steel and aluminium, on certain U.S. products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents.

 

'These tariff cuts will restore and expand market opportunities for U.S. agricultural producers and manufacturers.  The resolution also maintains the integrity of the U.S. Section 232 measures,' reads the statement issued by the Office of the US Trade Representative.

 

The statement added that the agreement represents the culmination of intensified bilateral engagement over the last two years, including through the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum, to deepen economic and trade ties and 'As a result of our work, U.S. agricultural producers and manufacturers will now enjoy renewed access to a critical global market.'

 

The six World Trade Organization disputes that will be terminated include three disputes initiated by India and three disputes initiated by the United States.

 

United States – Countervailing Measures on Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products from India (DS436);

 

India – Certain Measures Relating to Solar Cells and Solar Modules (DS456);

 

United States – Certain Measures Relating to the Renewable Energy Sector (DS510);

 

India – Export Related Measures (DS541);

 

United States – Certain Measures on Steel and Aluminium Products (DS547); and

 

India – Additional Duties on Certain Products from the United States (DS585).

 

Meanwhile, Tai has also written to the Indian Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal, asking for withdrawal of retaliatory tariffs, as agreed.

 

The letter says that India shall rescind the additional duties on U.S. origin products on the tariff lines imposed in response to U.S. measures of March 8, 2018, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (Section 232) and revert to the current applied most-favoured-nation (MFN) rate for these tariff lines.

 

India shall rescind these duties within 90 days of the receipt of this letter. India shall notify the United States upon rescinding the additional duties and shall provide a copy of the relevant legal instruments.

India's trade minister will hold talks in the UK on a free trade deal with Britain and meet ministers from the European Free Trade Association from July 10 to 11, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Sunday.

 

Trade minister Piyush Goyal will meet with his UK counterpart, Kemi Badenoch, as well as representatives from British industry, the ministry said in a statement.

 

The talks offer an opportunity to discuss the main priorities of a free trade agreement 'with a focus on addressing trade barriers, promoting investments, and fostering greater cooperation in areas such as technology, innovation, and intellectual property rights,' the statement said.

 

Differences have emerged between India and the UK on some key tariff lines and investment protection rules, including disagreement over concessions on duties levied by India on car and liquor imports.

 

Goyal will also meet ministers and officials from the European Free Trade Association, which comprises Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, to assess progress toward reaching a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement with them.