The Asia Pacific Plant Protection Commission unanimously elected India as chair of the Standing Committee on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the biennium 2023-24 during their 32nd Session held in Bangkok in November last year. The APPPC Workshop on Systems Approach for the management of fruit flies on mango has been scheduled from 19-23 June 2023 at Hotel Fortune Select Exotica, Vashi, Navi Mumbai.

 

The Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmer Welfare, GOI, Shobha Karandlaje inaugurated the workshop in the presence of Ashish Kumar Shrivastav, Joint Secretary (PP), Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Dr. YubakDhoj G.C., Executive Secretary, APPPC Secretariat, Dr. S.N. Sushil, Director, ICAR-NBAIR, MoA&FW and Dr J.P. Singh, PPA, DPPQS.

 

Shobha Karandlaje emphasized on the production of pest free as well as residue-free fruits and vegetables for getting market worldwide so that farmer’s income can be increased. She further linked the agricultural export/trade, measures to be taken, and the need to strengthen the working together for export promotion.

 

Ashish Kumar Shrivastava, Joint Secretary (PP) has briefed on the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), APPPC, and their role in Phytosanitary mitigation for safe transboundary movement of commodities. He shared his experiences with the implementation of the Systems Approach for mango in India. In this aspect, he further emphasized on development of a Systems approach for all the important Agricultural commodities by farm registration/ orchard registration with the State Agriculture Department, application of Integrated Pest Management at the farmer level, regular monitoring of pests, and timely management of pest so that even smaller farmer and marginal farmer can also produce export quality produce and stringent treatment can be avoided.

India has scripted a history in exports in the last two years both in terms of growth rate and absolute numbers with the shipments reaching at worth USD 500 billion in 2020-21 and USD 776 billion in 2022-23, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. India under Prime Minister Modi has continued to maintain a 'robust economy' despite the global challenges of 'depression, recession and inflation', to name a few, Goyal said.

 

India is standing firm and is realising 'record exports' at a time when the economies of even the developed countries are in a struggling situation, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister added.

 

'India has scripted history in exports in the last two years both in terms of growth rate as well as absolute numbers. It is our resolve to increase India's export to worth 2 trillion dollars by 2030,' he told reporters while highlighting the achievements of the nine years of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government at a press conference at the BJP headquarters.

 

The Modi government is working towards making India a 35 trillion dollar economy in the next 25 years from the current 3.5 trillion dollar economy along with taking care of India's heritage, and destroying the 'mindset of slavery', he added.

 

Replying to questions at the press conference, the Union minister said India's import from China increased by 33 times in ten years of the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government and reached nearly worth USD 45 billion from 'perhaps 1.5 billion dollars' in 2004.

 

'We don't know what MoU Congress leader had signed (with China) ...India's own industry kept on dying one after another in those ten years due to this,' he charged.

 

Goyal said that the Modi government has kept both import and export open with China as per the World Trade Organisation's rules.

 

Over the nine years, the Modi government has taken several efforts to give a boost to various industries in India to increase indigenous production and reduce India's dependence on other countries, he said.

 

'Through quality control order, we will be able to stop cheap and substandard products that come from other countries including China, and our consumers will get good quality products,' he added.

 

The Commerce Minister said India has emerged as a robust economy under Prime Minister Modi's leadership.

 

'Many Fortune 500 companies want to come to India in the manufacturing sector, service sector and open R&D centres here for which the commerce and industry ministry is extending them complete support,' he said.

 

Under the leadership of PM Modi, Goyal said India has realised her potential and capabilities in the last nine years in ensuring 'Seva, Sushasan and Garib Kalyan' (service, good governance and welfare of poor).

 

The Modi government's 'consistent efforts' have resulted in the transformation of the country through empowering the poor, youth, women and downtrodden, he added.

 

'Lakhs of people have been trained under the Samarth scheme in the field of textiles and technical textiles. I am happy to inform you that in technical textiles, out of 11 lakh beneficiaries who have been trained so far, 74 per cent have got jobs. Of these, 73 per cent were women,' he added.

 

Goyal, who also holds food, consumer affairs and public distribution portfolio, said there was a time when the sugarcane farmers were in trouble as they did not get the price of sugarcane for months and 'sometimes even years'.

 

'The way Modi ji gave importance to the sugar sector and sugarcane farmers, facilitated their work and also added ethanol. This saved our foreign exchange, reduced the import of crude petroleum and reduced pollution,' he said.

India has decided to approve wheat and broken rice exports to few selected countries following their requests to allow the shipments of the grains, the government said in two separate notifications issued late on Tuesday.

 

The South Asian country banned exports of wheat and broken rice in 2022 to lower local prices.

 

But following requests, India would allow broken rice exports to Indonesia, Senegal and Gambia in 2023/24 financial year started on April 1.

 

New Delhi also approved request from Nepal and allowed wheat exports in the current financial year.

 

Indian exporters, which were exporting grains to these countries, need to bid for the allocated quota of wheat and broken rice, the government said in notifications.

 

Indonesia has signed an agreement with the Indian government to potentially import 1 million tonnes of rice if the El Nino weather pattern hits domestic supply, media quoted the trade minister as saying on Friday.

Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala held a bilateral meeting today with Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food,  Ms. Marie-Claude Bibeau.

 

The two sides discussed the potential bilateral cooperation to strengthen livestock health management system, genetic upgradation of livestock, biosecurity measures, capacity building etc.   Both sides felt that there is much to learn from each other in the related fields.

 

Exchanging information and expertise will help build the knowledge and capability of each other’s animal husbandry sector, which will have mutual benefits for both countries.

 

Both the dignitaries have discussed the various ideas to further strengthen the close and special unique India- Canada friendship.

Exports of Alphonos, Kesar and Banganpalli mangoes from India to the US market has more than doubled in the current season (April-June) compared to the year-ago period, because of a decline in air freight and a new irradiation facility in Ahmedabad.

 

Sources told that mango exports to the US have crossed 2,000 ton in the current season, up from 891 ton in the 2022-23 season. The exports of Banganpalli and Kesar varieties have commenced this season to South Korea, another high value market. Exports to the United Kingdom is currently being undertaken.

 

Trade sources said that one of the factors behind the spike in mango exports to the US and the UK this year has been the low cost of air freight rates, which rose sharply in the last few years because of the pandemic, has 'normalised' since then.

Sowing of paddy, the main kharif crop, is underway in areas which received monsoon rains and the planting is picking up as the monsoon progresses in different parts of the country, Agriculture Commissioner P K Singh said on Tuesday. 'Paddy sowing has just started and it has been good so far in areas which have received rainfall. It is picking up as the monsoon progresses in different parts of the country,' Singh told PTI. In some parts, farmers have started preparing nurseries, he said.

 

In nurseries, the paddy seeds are first sown and raised into young plants. The plants are then uprooted and replanted in the main field.

 

Till last week, area under paddy was lower by 14.66 per cent at 5.32 lakh hectare as against 6.23 lakh hectare in the year-ago period, as per the Agriculture Ministry data.

 

In case of pulses, the Agriculture Commissioner said the pulses are grown in rainfed areas and sowing will pick up with the progress of monsoon rains.

 

Pulses were sown in 1.80 lakh hectare till last week of the 2023 kharif season, as against 4.22 lakh hectare in the year-ago period, the data showed.

 

Area sown to oilseeds too remained slightly lower at 4.11 lakh hectare till last week, but coarse cereals were covered in higher area at 12.43 lakh hectare till June 16.

 

Paddy is the main kharif crop, sowing of which normally starts with the onset of southwest monsoon. About 80 per cent of the country's total rice production comes from the kharif season.

 

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has projected normal southwest monsoon this year. After initial delay in its onset, the monsoon has advanced to other regions.

 

Except in east and northeastern region, there was rainfall deficit during June 8-14 period in other parts of the country as per the IMD data.

As the newly-elected Congress government in Karnataka grapples with the challenge of securing rice supplies to fulfill its electoral pledge, farmer leaders and experts propose an alternative solution — that the State explore the possibility of procuring millets like ragi and jowar directly from local farmers at the minimum support price.

 

Such a move would help address the nutritional security besides encouraging farmers to grow more millets, they said.

 

After the Food Corporation of India (FCI) decided to halt the sale of rice and wheat through the Open Market Sale Scheme to States, Karnataka is now seeking rice supplies from Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Punjab to fulfil its commitment of providing 10 kg rice to each member of households below the poverty line. The Union government discontinued the OMSS sales to States, with the exception of the North-East region, citing delayed monsoon and escalating cereal prices as the reasons behind this move.

 

'Instead of buying rice from other States to provide under public distribution system, the Government should procure ragi and jowar from local farmers and provide them to beneficiaries. Ragi is consumed in southern parts of the State, while jowar is consumed in the northern districts. This will also encourage farmers to grow more of these cereals and lead to employment opportunities in the state,' said Chamras Malipatil, President of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS). Also, the Government can look at providing sona masuri rice to the beneficiaries, he added.

 

Echoing similar views, farmer leader Kurubur Shantakumar, said by procuring ragi and jowar directly, the State should come to the rescue of farmers.

 

Prakash Kammaradi, agri-economist and former chairman of Karnataka Agriculture Prices Commission, said the State should look at providing 5 kg of jowar/ragi along with rice under the PDS. Such a move will help address the nutritional security, while giving a signal for farmers at the start of the kharif cropping season to plant more of these coarse cereals, he added.

 

'In the year of millets, it will be a win-win situation for the farmers, the government and the beneficiaries,' Kammaradi added.

Israel is known as a very small country. This country has done the work of creating a great example by revolutionizing agriculture in the world. Innovation in agriculture is nothing new in Israel. Meanwhile, Israel is now all set to revolutionize agriculture in India. Companies such as ICL Group, Netafim and BioBee are experimenting with different changes in agriculture in India.

 

ICL is one of the world's leading fertilizer companies. The company claims that if these fertilizers are given to the crops, they get a lot of nutrients. This nutrient boosts crop performance and increases crop yield and is of great use for sustainable agriculture.

 

ICL's eqo.x biodegradable fertilizer technology is a milestone in the evolution of agriculture. This fertilizer can be used to produce a large amount in agriculture without degrading the environment. eqo.x calls for a transformation in agriculture without environmental degradation.

eqo.x builds nutrients in the soil with sustainable agriculture and has a long-term impact with biodegradable release technology. They say that only one Eqo.x contains all the ingredients used to produce more in less agriculture. ICL is working to stop wrong dosages through bulk fertilisers.

 

ICL's big move in India

 

ICL is also building its presence in India with the launch of ICL Leaf. They aim to provide nutrients for efficient and profitable crops. Along with this, ICL Leaf is currently helping Indian farmers grow several crops including grapes, cotton, bananas, tomatoes and pomegranates. It is known that other crops are also using it.

 

Netafim's major contribution to irrigation technology

 

Netafim, known worldwide for drip irrigation, has made a big move in India. Netafim develops sustainable solutions to make agriculture more efficient and less damaging to our environment.

 

Their smart irrigation technology is a game-changer, enabling farmers to use water and nutrients more efficiently, increasing crop yields while reducing environmental impact.

 

BioBee-Pest Management

 

At present, if any crop is to have a high yield, it is first hit by pesticides. Different drugs are used to control these pesticides. Meanwhile, Israel has made a big revolution in this.

 

BIO-BEE is working to control pesticides through this company. Bio Bee is currently gaining ground in India. The feature of this is that it does not cause any environmental damage, the company says.

 

Currently, Israeli companies like ICL, Netafim and BioBee have made a big move in India. The crisis in agriculture worries us about the future, but Israel's agricultural progress is reawakening optimism.

Indi lime, belonging to the ‘Kagzi’ variety, has earned a geographical indication (GI) tag for eight years from the Union government. This is the second lime after the Assam lime to be accorded this recognition.

 

The Karnataka State Lime Development Board (KSLDB), University of Horticultural Sciences Bagalkot (UHSB) and the Horticulture Department Vijayapura had worked relentlessly for the last five years to get this tag, with which growers can now expect exports of lime to about 25 countries.

 

Vijayapura district accounts for 58% of all lime produced in Karnataka, which ranks fourth among the states in lime cultivation.

 

Santosh Sappandi, the managing director, KSLDB, told TOI a fresh proposal had been submitted to the Geographical Indications Registry of the Union government on March 26, 2021. 'Our proposal has been registered on the website of Intellectual Property India, with validity until March 25, 2031. We are now awaiting the certification from Delhi,' Sappandi said.

 

Historian Krishna Kolhar Kulkarni noted that though there is no evidence on cultivation of lime in the 15th century, during the rule of Yusuf Adil Shah, it is still widely believed that lime was much in vogue around that time in the Muslim community and the sultans had encouraged lime cultivation on the banks of River Bhima. 'It is believed that the Vijayapura region served as the hub for cultivation of lime, grapes, oranges, mangoes and various other fruit varieties,' Kulkarni said.

 

Explaining the unique features of Indi lime, Sappandi said it’s rich in ascorbic acid and has lesser seeds. 'It has a very thin rind, but is highly juicy. It is high on demand in national and international markets. The GI tag will now help further enhance its popularity across the world,' he added.

 

Ashok Allapur, former chairman, KSLDB, said Indi lime is now the main crop for about 11,000 growers in the region. 'Experts from UHSB and the Horticulture Department have played a crucial role in creating awareness on growing this variety, with the fruit deriving its name from Indi taluk that alone accounts for 50% of the ‘Kagzi’ lime production in Vijayapura,' he added.

A trade delegation from India is on a four-day visit to Russia to explore opportunities of boosting Indian farm and processed food exports from $750 million to $3 billion in three years to balance burgeoning Russian goods imports that saw over 369% year-on-year growth in 2022-23 to $46.33 billion, mainly on purchase crude oil.

 

Sensing robust demand for food and food products in Russia, a 50-member delegation of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) is visiting the country between April 24 and 27, which will 'further deepen the economic ties' between the two countries, director general and CEO Ajay Sahai told HT from Moscow.

 

There is a 'massive push' from governments of the two countries to enhance bilateral trade, he said. The Indian exporters are in Russia close on the heels of Russian deputy prime minister Denis Manturov’s India visit last week that revived a dormant free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations involving Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Manturov is also Russia’s trade minister.

 

'We see significant demand for India food items, soy, animal feed and processed food,' Sahai said. 'Indian exporters can supply these items. We are also discussing the possibility of rupee-rouble trade.' Other potential areas of exports are automobiles and auto components, he said. The demand for these items have jumped in Russia because many foreign manufacturers and suppliers have shut Russian operations.

 

The delegation is taking part in buyers and sellers’ meetings in Moscow and St Petersburg, he said. FIEO signed a memorandum of understanding with Business Russia to promote trade and investment between the two nations. Business Russia is an apex industry association representing the private sector.

 

'The two organizations will cooperate to arrange exhibitions, buyer-seller meetings, workshops, seminars and encourage enterprises to work in tandem with their counterparts for joint ventures,' Sahai said. 'We are looking to increase our agro and processed food exports from about $750 million to over $3 billion in next three years,' said FIEO board member NK Kagliwal, who is leading the Indian delegation.

 

India can diversify exports to other areas such as electronics, medical devices, solar cells and textiles to reduce the trade deficit, Sahai said.

 

During the India visit of Manturov, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had highlighted the urgent need to address the trade imbalance created by the recent increase in two-way trade to over $45 billion.

 

India-Russia trade saw a jump since 2022, mainly driven by India’s increased purchases of discounted Russian crude oil after the producers’ cartel – the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) -- and its allies resorted to unprecedented output cuts to keep international oil prices high. Due to Western sanctions on Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine, India and China have emerged as two preferred buyers of crude from Russia.

 

The two countries have also agreed to revive the FTA negotiations. 'The EAEU FTA is being renewed, which could not progress much due to pandemic,' a government official said, requesting anonymity. Russia-led five-member EAEU includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan. A joint statement to launch negotiations for FTA between India and the bloc was signed on June 3, 2017.

 

In fact, a meeting between India and EAEU was scheduled on March 16-18, 2020, in Moscow after a report of a joint feasibility study group was prepared to launch the negotiations. The meeting could not take place due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the official said.

 

The FTA will help the two partners to collaborate in key areas such as oil and gas, gold and diamond, timber, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, aviation, railways and logistics, he added.