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23 May, 2023 News Image

Banarasi paan: Savour the flavour of the GI-tagged mouth freshener.

Every region in India has its own version of paan and almost everyone in India eats, if not loves, it. But there is something about Banarasi paan that sets it apart. Is it the leaf, the ingredients, or is it the preparation? It is hard to pick but one thing is clear, there is no paan that tastes like Banarasi paan.

While across the country paan is evolving into new avatars — think chocolate, butterscotch paan, and even blueberry strawberry paan, in addition to the social media-friendly ‘fire paan’ — in Varanasi it is still preferred the classic way. Eaten with kattha (catechu) which is an extract from the Acacia tree, chuna (limestone paste), supari (betel nut), and in some cases tobacco, it is the quintessential old fashioned paan that lets you enjoy the subtle nuances of each ingredient.

The story of Banarasi paan

'Paan is considered auspicious in Varanasi. Belief is that the first-ever seed of paan was planted by Shiva and Parvati at Mount Kailash from where they brought it to Kashi. Since this is the city of Shiva, it became a part of life here,' says Rajeev Manhar, vice president Brij Hotels, who lives and works in Varanasi.

Folklore here also connects paan to the Ramayana. 'It is said that when Hanuman visited Sita in Ashok Vatika and she had nothing to give him as a gesture of affection, she plucked paan leaves and quickly made a garland of it. And so, even today paan is offered to Hanuman, especially in Varanasi,' adds Rajeev.

'Paan is a way of life in Varanasi,' says Anubhav Sapra, the founder of Delhi Food Walks who has been travelling to Varanasi for many years to research and chronicle the street food. 'I have tasted paan from across the country, but I haven’t eaten anything like Banarasi paan.' The paan here, according to him, is much beyond a snack, a mouth freshner or a condiment. It is an emotion.

It’s all in the leaf

Every region has its preferred betel leaf. 'It is the way the leaf is treated in Varanasi (in a process called pakana which literally translates to cooking but means ripening of the leaf) that makes it softer than any other, which is why Banarasi paan melts in your mouth,' explains Anubhav.

Interestingly, the leaf that gives the Banarasi paan its identity is not grown in Varanasi: it is from Bihar, Bengal or Odisha.

'Of the 90 varieties of the betel leaf that grow across the world about 45 are found in India. A lot of it also comes from Bangladesh which has perfect climatic conditions for its farming,' says Rajeev. While Bengal and Bangladesh are known for the volume of production of the leaf, it is the Bihari Maghai or Odiya Jagannathi leaf that is popular in Varanasi. The Maghai leaf is used from December to May, Jagannathi is used from June to November.

Cultural significance

Apart from its taste and finesse, Banarasi paan is also popular for its cultural significance. In Varanasi, paan shops can be found at every corner, and also by the Ganges. Everyone has their favourite stall, and each panwari (paan maker) has his own style. 'The Banarasi paan became popular when Bachchan ji sang a song about it. But recently with Modi ji talking about it too it has gained even more popularity,' says Rajan Chaurasia, the second generation owner of Ramchandra Chaurasia Tambul Bhandar.

According to Rajan what makes the Banarasi paan most special is the process of ripening it. 'The leaves are smoked in a dark room with special coal and wood and checked frequently. This not just bleaches the leaf, especially Maghai, but also makes it so soft that it melts in your mouth.'

There are four varieties of paan that are commonly made in Banaras. The sada or plain which is made just with supari, kattha and lime, meetha or sweet — simple sada paan in which the leaf is sweeter and gulkand ka meetha which is a paan made with hira-moti chutney (a sweet mix) and zarda which is made with tobacco.

Over time these stalls have become community spaces where locals converge. 'Paan shops are places where locals hang out and discuss local politics, ongoings in the city, and comment on matters of universal importance. It is a common thread that binds the people here,' says Rajeev.

And does the GI tag matter to the public? 'Most people in Banaras will not even know that we now have a GI tag,' says Rajeev. For the common man, he adds, paan has been a way of life since the beginning of Varanasi and a tag will not change anything. For the rest of the world though the recognition will help people understand the nuances of paan in this city.

Source: thehindu.com

23 May, 2023 News Image

Spread cultivation of millets in newer ares of Andhra Pradesh: Governor.

Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer on Monday called for an action plan to ensure cultivation of millets is taken up in different parts of the state.

The Governor made these remarks while presiding over the 55th convocation of Acharya N G Ranga Agicultural University (ANGRAU) at Bapatla.

'The Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) of the United Nations has set a target to achieve food security, end hunger, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030,' said the Governor in a press release shared by the Raj Bhavan.

In this effort, Nazeer noted that millets should be brought into cultivation in newer areas in collaboration with the Agriculture department.

As millets are a rich source of nutrition, besides being climate resilient, he said India is promoting a diet based on this rich source.

According to the Governor, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative, 2023 has been declared as the 'International Year of Millets' by the United Nations General Assembly with a goal to increase millet consumption.

Source: business-standard.com

23 May, 2023 News Image

FSSAI re-operationalises stds for crude corn (maize) oil under additives norms.

The Food Authority, FSSAI, has re-operationalised the standards for crude corn (maize) oil under the provisions for solvent extracted crude vegetable oil in the FSS (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations.

The FSSAI has already notified the draft in this regard for public comments and according to the food authority, it was done to allow the food businesses to import the crude corn (maize) oil.

'FSS (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations is already notified on FSSAI website on 31.05.2022 for public comments. Meanwhile, to allow the FBOs to import the crude corn (maize) oil, it has been decided to re-operationalise the provisions of proposed draft with effect from 20.12.2022,' reads the notice issued by the FSSAI.

The draft lays to amend the sub regulation 2.2.9 relating to solvent extracted crude vegetable oils (not direct human consumption).

According to the draft, the solvent extracted crude corn (maize) oil need to follow parameters including moisture and insoluble impurities (% by mass max) -0.25, refractive index at 40% -1.4637-1.4675, saponification value range 187-195, iodine value at 103-128, acid value max at 8, unsaponifiable matter (% by mass) -2.5 and flashpoint penskey martens (closed up method) at 100 degree centigrade.

Source: fnbnews.com

23 May, 2023 News Image

Andhra Pradesh aims to export 4,000 tonnes of mangoes this season.

Andhra Pradesh has set an ambitious target of 4,000 tonnes of exports of mangoes to various countries this season.

Claiming to be India’s largest mango producer this target is more than double the quantity exported last year.

Fruit exporters said that the mango export season is from May to June.

This year, the export commenced in the first week of May. Last year, about 1,800 tonnes of mangoes were exported from the state.

Most of the mango growers in the state cultivated Banginapalli, China Rasalu, Pedda Rasalu, Totapuri, Neelam and Suvarnarekha varieties.

Source: knnindia.co.in

23 May, 2023 News Image

First Inter-Ministerial Committee Meeting held on World Food India 2023.

Anita Praveen, Secretary, Food Processing Industries, chaired the First Inter-Ministerial Committee Meeting with senior representatives from Ministries/Departments/Boards here recently. The agenda of the committee meeting was to apprise the officials of preparation made so far for World Food India 2023 and discuss participation of respective Ministries/Departments/Organisations in the event. This was in continuation to series of interactions held to apprise the Ministry’s plan of action for the upcoming World Food India 2023 and discuss potential areas of collaboration. The roundtable witnessed participation from the senior officials of key Central government ministries and departments.

During her address, Praveen requested the officials to share specific plan of action regarding their participation/partnership in the Mega Food Event that is being organised from November 3-5, 2023, in New Delhi.

All Central ministries and departments were requested to share suggestions on the planned sessions of World Food India and participate in the event actively as well as support the Ministry in awareness creation on the relevant department’s social media handles, embark participation of senior policy makers, industry members, SHGs and all relevant stakeholders to make the event a grand success.

Further, the participating officials assured support to Ministry of Food Processing Industries

(MoFPI) through technical/sectoral sessions, investment-oriented sessions with Ambassadors and High Commissioners, buyer seller meets/RBSMs, engagements with startups/IPRs/ONDC, promotion of Ayush Aahar products and GI products. Some of the suggestions / feedback given by the officials included ensuring participation from exporters associated with the respective boards.

Praveen concluded her remarks by urging all stakeholders to join hands in making the event a success by leveraging their respective strengths and extending additional support. The next meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee is expected to be held in June 2023 to firm up concrete partnership/participation of different stakeholders.

Further, the Investment Facilitation Cell (Invest India) and the event partner (FICCI) were directed to coordinate with the respective ministries and departments for facilitating the discussed action plan and seek necessary support from government bodies.

Source: fnbnews.com

23 May, 2023 News Image

Agriculture minister Tomar virtually inaugurates honey testing labs across India.

The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday virtually launched the honey testing labs at multiple locations across India.

The agriculture minister inaugurated a regional testing lab- IIHR in Bengaluru and New Delhi. A mini honey testing lab was launched in Kupwara, in J&K and at Damoh in Madhya Pradesh. He also inaugurated a lab in Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh and Haryana.

As per reports, the minister also inaugurated a Bee box Manufacturing Units- Honey & Other Beehive Products Collection centres, Trading, Branding and Marketing units at Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh & Uttar Pradesh.

On the occasion of the World Bee Day on 20th May, 2023, Union Minister Tomar graced an event at the Raja Bhoj Agriculture College, Waraseoni Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh.

Addressing the occasion, he said, 'Under the '10,000 FPO Scheme' of the Government of India, in order to strengthen the beekeepers in the country by developing the institutional framework for collective development, 100 bee keepers / honey producers FPOs have been allocated under NBHM for which TRIFED, NAFED and NDDB have been selected.'

'In this sequence, a total of 80 FPOs of bee keepers /honey producers have been registered. Further he stated that there is huge potential for honey production in this area which must be utilized for increasing farmer’s income,' he said.

During the World Bee Day celebration, an exhibition with over 100 stalls were set up by beekeepers, processors and different stake holders of beekeeping sector to showcase the diverse varieties of honey bee and different products in beekeeping sector.

The event was attended by Kamal Patel, Agriculture Minister, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh along with the Chairman, OBC Welfare Commission and Chairman, NDDB.

Source: knnindia.co.in

22 May, 2023 News Image

FSSAI clarifies on format of test reports related to primary and referral food labs.

The FSSAI has issued a clarification on format of test reports related to ‘Report of the Food Analyst’ (for primary notified laboratory) and ‘Certificate of Analysis by the Referral Food Laboratory’ and ‘instructed’ the stakeholders to follow the test report formats of Form VII A and Form XI.

This order is applicable for both primary and appeal samples.

The direction by the food authority stated, 'All the FSSAI notified food testing laboratories and concerned stakeholders are hereby informed and instructed to follow the test report formats given under Food Safety and Standards (First Amendment) Rules, 2022, i.e. Form VII A and Form XI from now onwards for issuing test reports of the sample analysis (primary and appeal samples).'

According to FSSAI, recently in January 2023, the Food Safety and Standards (First Amendment) Rules, 2022 have been notified wherein the test report formats, i.e. Form VII A ‘Report of the Food Analyst’ (for primary notified laboratory) and Form XI ‘Certificate of Analysis by the Referral Food Laboratory’ (for appeal samples) have been published.

'In view of this, the Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and Sampling Analysis) Regulations, 2011 are being revised to omit the given format of test reports, i.e. Form A ‘Certificate of Analysis by the Referral Food Laboratory’ and Form B ‘Report of the Food Analyst,' reads the FSSAI statement.

Source: fnbnews.com

22 May, 2023 News Image

Progress of area coverage under summer crops.

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers’Welfare has released progress of area coverage under Summer crops as on 19th May 2023.


Sl. No.	Crops	Area Sown
Sl. No.	Crops	Current Year 2023	Last Year 2022
1	Rice	28.07	30.28
2	Pulses	19.81	19.09
a	Greengram	16.33	15.56
b	Blackgram	3.25	3.24
c	Other Pulses	0.23	0.28
3	Shri Anna -cum -Coarse Cereals	11.93	11.54
a	Jowar	0.26	0.21
b	Bajra	4.74	3.98
c	Ragi	0.14	0.20
d	Maize	6.78	7.14
4	Oilseeds	10.17	pib.gov.in
22 May, 2023 PM Modi and his British counterpart Sunak agree to work towards 'ambitious' FTA during talks in Japan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on Sunday reviewed the progress of the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and agreed for their trade teams to continue at pace towards an 'ambitious' deal, Downing Street said. Modi and Sunak met on the sidelines of the summit of the G7 advanced economies here in Hiroshima. In their second in-person meeting since the G20 Summit in Indonesia last November, the two leaders are said to have discussed the deep ties shared between the nations. In relation to India's G20 presidency, Downing Street also indicated that the British Indian leader's first visit to India is expected to be for the G20 Summit in New Delhi later this year. 'The leaders reflected on the deep ties between the UK and India, rooted in our human connections, and the vital importance of democracy and fair and open trade,' said a Downing Street spokesperson. 'They discussed progress on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement. The leaders agreed that their teams would continue to work at pace to finalise an ambitious and mutually beneficial deal,' the spokesperson said. 'The leaders discussed the wider objectives of the G7 Summit and the Prime Minister [Sunak] committed his strong support for India's G20 Presidency, which comes at a crucial time for global security and prosperity. He looked forward to working closely with Prime Minister Modi ahead of a successful Summit later this year,' the spokesperson added. Modi is also said to have passed on his 'warm congratulations' to Sunak on the Coronation of King Charles III earlier this month, where India was represented by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) readout of the meeting echoed similar outcomes of the in-person meeting between the two leaders, as they reviewed the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including taking stock of progress in the India-UK FTA negotiations. The two nations last month concluded the ninth round of FTA negotiations with detailed discussions across a range of policy areas. Recently, Britain's Chief Negotiator for the FTA - Harjinder Kang - was appointed the country's new Trade Commissioner to South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, based in Mumbai. According to official UK government statistics, India was the UK's 12th largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2022, accounting for 2.1 per cent of total UK trade. They also agreed to deepen cooperation across a wide range of areas, such as trade and investment, science and technology, higher education, and people-to-people relationship. During discussions on India's G20 presidency, Prime Minister Modi said he looked forward to welcoming Sunak to New Delhi for the G20 Summit in September. The G7 Summit concluded in Hiroshima this weekend after wide-ranging discussions between leaders from the largest economies of the world. India was invited as a guest nation to the Group of Seven, which includes the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy, with the European Union (EU) as a non-enumerated member. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com/
22 May, 2023 PM Modi, Brazilian President Lula discuss ways to further deepen bilateral strategic partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held productive and wide-ranging talks with Brazilian President Inacio Lula da Silva during which they discussed ways to further deepen the bilateral strategic partnership, especially in sectors of defence production, trade and renewable energy. Modi and Lula met on the sidelines of the summit of the G7 advanced economies here in Hiroshima. 'The talks with President @LulaOficial were productive and wide-ranging. India and Brazil will keep working together to deepen trade ties. We also discussed diversifying cooperation in sectors like agriculture, defence and more,' Prime Minister Modi tweeted. 'Cementing bonds of friendship. PM @narendramodi met President @LulaOficial of Brazil in Hiroshima. Discussed ways to further deepen the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership, especially in sectors of defence production, trade, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, dairy & animal husbandry and renewable energy,' the Ministry of External Affairs tweeted. They also exchanged views on regional developments and cooperation in multilateral platforms, it said. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
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