The All-India Edible Oil Traders Confederation has urged the national food authority FSSAI to streamline the process of issuing notification with respect to changes in labelling norms for packaged food items. 

 

Shankar Thakkar, president of the confederation, has stated that the frequent changes in the labelling norms of pre-packed food items are creating hurdles for the food businesses, as with new notification the old packaging material becomes obsolete, and the traders are required to replace the entire set of packaging material or request FSSAI by means of application fee to use the old material. 

 

'The FSSAI is continuously changing the norms, which is creating problems for the food businesses. The process to get permission to use old packaging material is also cumbersome and every time we go to get permission to use old packaging material, we’re levied a fee. Sometimes this also leads to corruption,' said Thakkar. 

 

He suggested that the FSSAI should only change such norms once in five years and also the food authority shouldn’t charge any fee, (which varies from product to product), for use of old packaging material. 

 

According to Thakkar, the matter is related to changes in norms for expiry date of packaged food products. Thakkar informed that FSSAI has amended the labelling norms for expiry date and issued direction to use DD/MM/YY format in place of ‘Best Before’ format.

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal along with Hon'ble Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Government of Canada, will co-chair the discussions for the sixth India- Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI) today in Ottawa. MDTI is a bilateral mechanism which provides institutional mechanism to discuss a broad spectrum of trade and investment related issues and cooperation areas. The Dialogue will focus on various themes including strengthening the Bilateral Trade Relationship between India and Canada, Investment Promotion and Cooperation, Green Transition – including Critical Minerals discussion and new Areas of Cooperation such as promoting B2B engagements.

 

The Ministers will also review India-Canada CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) negotiations. At the last MDTI meeting in March 2022, both Ministers launched the CEPA negotiations with a possibility to have an interim agreement or EPTA (Early Progress Trade Agreement). Since then, seven rounds of negotiations have been held.

 

The Minister will also be visiting Toronto from 9th to 10th May 2023, where he will have various engagements to promote trade & investment. These engagements will include meetings with CEOs of key Canadian companies, Round Table of Indian and Canadian CEOs, interaction with Canadian and Indian companies based in Canada and Financial Sector Round table etc. The Minister would be accompanied by a delegation of Indian CEOs led by FICCI.

 

The Minister will inaugurate the Indian Pavilion at SIAL CANADA-2023, which is the largest food innovation trade show in North America with participation of more than 1000 national & international exhibitors from 50 countries. The event will address the needs of the retail, food service & food processing industries. At SIAL Canada, Indian business participation consists of delegation from Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI), Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). There will also be a Trade and Investment Promotion Event for the Agricultural and Food Processing sector with Indian companies and Canadian importers on the sidelines of SIAL-2023. This event is likely to be attended by 200 companies.

 

The visit is expected to impart further momentum to bilateral trade and investment relations.

India, on Monday, prohibited the import of apples where the Cost, Insurance, and Freight (CIF) import price is less than or equal to Rs 50 per kilogram. The government changes the import policy to 'prohibited' from 'free' earlier.

 

The amendment in the apple import policy will not be applicable to Bhutan, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

 

'Import of apples…is Prohibited' wherever the CIF Import Price is less than equal ot Rs 50/- per kilogram. Minimum Import Price conditions shall not be applicable for imports from Bhutan,' DGFT said.

 

In April-February FY23, India’s apple imports were $260.37 million, with Turkey, Italy, Iran and Chile being the top sources. In the full 2021-22, India imported fresh apples worth $385.1 million.

 

The move assumes significance as apple farmers in Kashmir had called for a ban on the import of Iranian apples and imported apples were depressing the prices of domestic apples, sources said.

 

The government, had in 2018, removed the port restrictions on apple imports by allowing their inbound shipments through ports and airports in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Cochin, and land port and airport in Delhi. It had also permitted the imports through India’s land borders.

White rice (raw) prices have increased across Asia as some of the countries depending on the cereal as the staple food are building stocks to overcome any problem that might arise from the El Nino, which is likely to develop in the second half of 2023. 'Rice prices are up as countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia are looking to buy more rice,' said BV Krishna Rao, President, The Rice Exporters Association of India (TREA). 

 

'There is more demand from islands around the Philippines. The Malaysia market too is open. We are getting enquiries from Vietnam too,' said VR Vidya Sagar, Director, Bulk Logix. 'Arrivals of the new crop are likely in Vietnam by this month-end. Buyers are asking us to expedite shipments,' said M Madan Prakash, President, Agri Commodities Exporters Association (ACEA).

 

'Countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia are stocking up to ensure they are not affected by the upcoming El Nino in any way. They don’t want to go through their 2007-08 experience when agri commodities prices exploded,' said S Chandrasekaran, trade analyst.

 

2007-08 crisis

In 2007-08, India banned rice exports resulting in the grain’s prices touching $1,000 in the global markets. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO), an arm of the UN, it resulted in a crisis, harming the poor. 'If the government keeps up its support, we could end up exporting the same volume of rice like last fiscal,' said Rajesh Paharia Jain, a New-Delhi based exporter.

 

According to the International Grains Council, India’s 25 per cent broken white rice is quoted at $442 a tonne, while Thailand and Vietnam are quoting $490 and $480, respectively. Indian rice prices have increased 27 per cent year-on-year, more than Thailand (11 per cent) and Vietnam (16 per cent).

 

According to FAO, production of maize, rice and soyabean could be affected in the event of the El Nino developing.

 

Key development

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said El Nino will set in in the second part of the monsoon from August, while the Australian Bureau of Meteorology expects it to develop in July-end. The US Climate Prediction Center sees the event, which leads to drought in Asia and floods in the Americas, developing during May-June and strengthening further. 'One of the key developments in the global rice markets is that buyers have accepted the 20 per cent export duty on white rice,' said Jain, pointing to the 3 per cent rise in rice exports in the 2022-23 fiscal. 

 

'These Asian countries are buying so that they will not be caught by any ban that India might resort to ensure food security as it did last year when it banned wheat and fully broken rice exports,' said Chandrasekaran.

 

'India will not sacrifice its food security, though it might take care of least developed countries’ needs,' he said. 

 

Parboiled under pressure

'We are getting supplies of 25 per cent broken in Chennai at Rs.28,500 a tonne. Two weeks ago, we shipped at $430 a tonne cost and freight to South-East Asia. Prices have gone up further,' said ACEA’s Prakash. 'However, parboiled rice prices are stressed. There is no (Indian) government procurement so prices are falling,' said Bulk Logix’s Sagar.

 

White rice prices are gaining also because the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is procuring stocks for the central pool to be distributed through ration shops and to meet any food emergency. 

 

FCI’s rice procurement topped 50 million tonnes (mt) last week and it is set to meet the 62.17 mt target for the current marketing year to September. 

 

Record output

Indian parboiled rice prices are ruling below $380 a tonne in the global market in view of the slack demand. It is over $100/tonne competitive against Thailand and Pakistan. 

 

Rice stocks until April 1 with FCI were at a five-year low and total foodgrain stocks, including wheat, were also at a five-year low mainly in view of wheat procurement being affected last year. 

 

Lower wheat production resulted in its procurement being affected last year, while more rice was diverted to make up for distribution through ration shops. 

 

India’s rice exports have been supported by record production of 130.83 mt (129.47 mt a year ago) of rice during the current crop year to June. Though kharif rice production dropped to 108 mt against 111 mt a year ago, the output was made up due to higher acreage in the rabi season.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) organized the Seventh National Conference of Agrivision on the theme 'Self-reliant Agriculture - Self-Reliant India' on Saturday.

 

The Union Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, addressed the conference and appreciated efforts made by students and farmers working in the field of agriculture.

 

He also passed prominent proposals related to agriculture.

 

Narendra Singh Tomar during the conference, said, 'If a farmer feeds us, then why can't we call him a rich, prosperous, or anna (food) giving farmer? We rather call him poor. It should add to their prestige. Agriculture is the backbone of our country. Our farmers and scientists who are working in the agriculture sector deserve appreciation and should always be encouraged.'

 

He added that in this regard, 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also tried to connect this sector with many new dimensions by prioritising agriculture. Its success is being reflected in us today. More money can be made in other sources of livelihood but works in fields to feed 140 crore people across the nation.'

 

Shubham Singh Patel, National Convenor of Agrivision said, 'Agrivision is constantly working towards the betterment of the agriculture sector. There is a need to improvise the agriculture sector with new technology so that this sector can develop into a profitable one.'

 

In addition to this, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme, about 2.5 lakh crore rupees have been deposited by the central government in the bank accounts of crores of farmers with complete transparency so far. The scheme created 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the country and is being implemented for Rs 6,865 crores. The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme has approached as a boon for small farmers, under which short-term loans of about Rs 20 lakh crore have been given to them.

The directorate of industries has offered to set up district level laboratories for the certification of agricultural yield to encourage exports from the districts.

 

According to a senior official from the directorate of industries, the laboratories will certify agricultural produce in accordance with the requirements set by the nations to whom the exports are destined.

 

The Officers said that the laboratories are suggested to assist farmers get the certification of most of the major agricultural yields of the districts based on the parameters of the presence of chemicals defined by the destination countries. There is no common test for yield as each country has a distinct set of guidelines set by their governments.

 

The task is part of the steps taken to augment the locals towards exporting their yield. The department has decided to maximize the exports at least twice the current volume.

 

Presently, have to look for laboratories to get certified, which is a monotonous procedure including time and money. The officer said that the laboratories to be set up in public private participation mode will certify the products and thus simplify the testing process. This will impact in quick turnaround time.'

 

Regarding the value of the laboratories, the officer said that was yet to be determined by adding that since the government will also be in control, the end user will have to pay reasonably for the services.

 

Such laboratories will also be benefitted from the exports of one district one product (ODOP) and the Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products.

 

Out of 72 ODOPs that have been identified 50 are agro-based products. Also, the industries department is tying up with the technical universities for the ODOP marketing projects which include designing, packaging, branding, and promotion of the products.

 

Already, Maharashtra has 34 GI products. And, 16 potential GI products have been identified too.

India will propose a SWIFT-like system used in international banking at the G20 meet to facilitate similar paperless transactions for cross-border trade.

 

The system will be based on an electronic bill of lading in the form of an interoperable digital document that is expected to boost trade and investment.

 

'Such a system can greatly facilitate global trade and also provide end-to-end visibility to all stakeholders including the authorities,' a government official told ET.

 

An interoperable digital document allows data and information flow across systems, applications, or components accessible across countries.

 

The official said just like SWIFT in which cross-border financial systems talk to each other, there is a need for a similar mechanism for cross-border trade.

 

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) is a vast messaging network used by financial institutions to quickly, accurately, and securely send and receive information to facilitate global money transfers.

 

'The idea is to eliminate paper for cross-border transactions,' the official said, adding that seamless paperless trade can be a complete game-changer for global trade.

 

This would need shipping liners, insurance companies, and banking entities to have a single common interface, the official said, adding that the effort is to work on a template that can be easily adopted by any country.

 

A bill of lading is a document that provides proof of ownership of goods and forms the basis for the release of payment.

 

New Delhi is of the view that such a system will make global trade paperless, reduce transaction costs substantially, and boost trade.

 

The template also includes standardised certificates and mutually recognised standards to bring about meaningful simplification and ease in trade, another senior government official said.

 

The standardisation will allow one country's infrastructure to speak to another country's infrastructure, bringing down the time taken in a transaction and the release of payment.

 

Indian customs have already introduced paperless customs clearances for imports and the country is showcasing its impact on the ground to make its case at the G20 discussion. New Delhi assumed the G20 presidency in December.

 

India could also use the template provided by the United Kingdom, which introduced a draft electronic trade documents legislation, based on the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law or UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records. It allows the legal use of electronic transferable records both domestically and across borders.

 

'This could be a starting point,' the first official said, adding that even standardisation and adoption of common certification will help trade, especially in the developing world.

 

India, which sees itself as a voice of the global south, is of the view that mutual recognition of standards and common standards can ease trade for developing and least developed countries.

Manufacturers of packaged processed food, processed forms of millets, spices and fertilisers have fetched encouraging enquiries from traders of Nepal with some products likely to make its way to Kathmandu.

 

Industries of Madhya Pradesh are hoping to clock some deals with Nepal following a meeting with a delegation of industrialists and traders from Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

 

Rajkumar Sabu, director of a manufacturer and exporter of unprocessed food products in Indore said, 'There were a lot of enquiries for millets, spices, processed food and ready to eat items from Nepal. We hope to strike some deals as the business delegation took many samples of products manufactured in Indore. We already have trade relations with Nepal as we export sabudana and poha. Now we are hoping to strike some new deals.'

 

Exports from Madhya Pradesh to Nepal are meager with only a handful items like fertilisers and agricultural products, according to Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

 

Industry players from food, textile, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, fertilizer, ayurvedic medicines, automobiles and engineering showcased their products and food items to the delegation from Nepal.

 

Deepak Bhandari, president, Global forum for industrial development said, 'Industries from Nepal were in Indore to explore business opportunities and expand export ties. Indore is a hub for several products that are manufactured locally and have good demand in the international market.'

 

A delegation of around 30 traders and industrialists from Madhya Pradesh is likely to visit Nepal in last week of May.

 

Sagar Katwal, member of the Nepal delegation said, 'We see a lot of trade potential with Madhya Pradesh as the state lies in the centre of the country. We saw a good demand for Indian fertilisers, processed food and agricultural products in Nepal.'

 

The federation also urged for direct air connectivity between Indore and Kathmandu to give a fillip to trade from Madhya Pradesh.

Katwal said, 'We also hope to connect with Madhya Pradesh to create a spiritual circuit between Mahakal temple in Ujjain to Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.'

Sh. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and H.E Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, jointly inaugurated the events to commemorate the first anniversary of the entry into force of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the UAE. Speaking at the event, Sh. Rajesh Kumar Singh highlighted how the path-breaking India-UAE CEPA, which was negotiated in just 88 days, has become a significant turning point in the bilateral economic relations between the two countries.

 

For India, the CEPA with UAE is the first in the region and for UAE, it is their first ever CEPA. Since the entry into force of CEPA, bilateral trade between India and UAE has witnessed tremendous growth of 20% when compared to the previous year. India’s exports to the UAE also recorded a remarkable growth of 12%, reaching US $ 31.3 billion in 2022-2023.

 

As part of the CEPA celebrations, Sh. Rajesh Kumar Singh inaugurated the Kerala Pavilion today at the Annual Investment Meeting in Abu Dhabi. He held meetings with the senior leadership of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Mubadala, the top UAE investors in India. Welcoming the surge in investments from the UAE to India, Sh. Rajesh Kumar Singh invited both companies to explore new sectors for investing in India, especially the renewable and digital sectors. The UAE is currently the seventh largest investor in India with an estimated investment of US$ 18 billion.

 

Secretary, DPIIT will be inaugurating the International Jewellery Exposition Centre in Dubai tomorrow. He will also be the Chief Guest for a multi-sectoral B-2-B event in Dubai organised by the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) tomorrow, in which around 100 companies from India and UAE, including representatives of various Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) are expected to participate.

 

The 'CEPA – Beyond Trade' commemorative event included food and fashion pavilions, sharing of the success stories of the historic trade bonds between India and the UAE and panel discussions on future areas of cooperation.

 

The visit of Secretary, DPIIT to UAE is his first official trip abroad since assumption of office in April 2023, indicating the significance India attaches to close relationship with UAE.

Trade ministers of India and Canada will review the progress in talks on the proposed free trade agreement between the two countries besides discussing ways to strengthen economic ties, an official statement said on Monday.

 

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Government of Canada, will co-chair the discussions for the sixth India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI) on Monday in Ottawa.

 

MDTI is a bilateral mechanism which provides institutional mechanisms to discuss a broad spectrum of trade and investment related issues and cooperation areas.

 

The discussions will focus on various themes including strengthening the bilateral trade relationship, investment promotion, green transition - including critical minerals, it said.

 

'The ministers will also review India-Canada CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) negotiations,' it added.

 

At the last MDTI meeting in March 2022, both ministers launched the CEPA negotiations with a possibility to have an interim agreement or EPTA (Early Progress Trade Agreement).

 

Since then, seven rounds of negotiations have been held. In such agreements, two countries significantly reduce or eliminate custom duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. They also liberalise norms for promoting trade in services and attract investments.

 

Further, Goyal will also be visiting Toronto from May 9 - 10, where he will have various engagements to promote trade and investment.

 

'These engagements will include meetings with CEOs of key Canadian companies, Round Table of Indian and Canadian CEOs, interaction with Canadian and Indian companies based in Canada and Financial Sector Round table,' the commerce and industry ministry said.

 

The minister is accompanied by a delegation of Indian CEOs.

 

He would also inaugurate the Indian Pavilion at SIAL CANADA-2023, which is the largest food innovation trade show in North America with participation of more than 1,000 national and international exhibitors from 50 countries.

 

Indian companies that have presence in Canada include Tata, Aditya Birla, Reliance, Wipro, Infosys, and TCS. Similarly Canadian firms such as Bombardier, SNC Lavalin, and CAE have a presence in India.

 

India attracted USD 3.2 billion foreign direct investment during April 2000 and December 2022.

 

India's exports to Canada stood at USD 3.8 billion during April-February 2022-23 as against USD 3.76 billion in 2021-022. Imports from Canada stood at USD 3.77 billion during the 11-month period lat year as against USD 3.2 billion in 2021-22.

 

Major items of Indian exports include medicines, garments, diamonds, chemicals, gems and jewellery, petroleum oils, made-up, sea food, engineering goods, marble and granite, rice, electric equipment, and plastic products.

 

Imports included pulses, fertilizers, newsprint, aircraft and aviation equipment, diamonds, copper ores and concentrates, bituminous coal, wood pulp, nickel, unwrought aluminum, asbestos, and cameras.