The recent Bournvita controversy has put the proposed norms in the spotlight amidst a larger health debate

 

The regulation proposes to rank food products from 0.5-5 stars based on their nutritional profile so that consumers can make informed decisions

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is in the process of examining thousands of responses from various stakeholders that it has received on the proposed health star ratings regulations on the front of the packet of packaged food products. The latest controversy over brand Bournvita has triggered a larger health debate on social media. It has also brought the spotlight on the proposed health star rating (HSR) regulations.

 

A senior FSSAI official said, “We have received more than 12,000 responses and comments from various stakeholders. These responses have been sent to a scientific panel, which is examining it.”

 

The food safety authority had first proposed these norms in 2018 for high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products. The regulation proposes to rank food products from 0.5-5 stars based on their nutritional profile. The food authority issued a draft on health star ratings in September, 2022 to seek stakeholders’ comments.

 

Divergent views

The draft regulations have evinced divergent views. Health activists and NGOs have been in favour of implementation of these norms with some asking for even more robust warning labels for HFSS products. On the other hand, many domestic food companies, especially MSMEs, have been stressing that the HSR in its current form will adversely impact India’s traditional and ethnic food sector.

 

“In countries such as Australia, health star ratings have been implemented in the voluntary format. In Chile, such regulations are mandatory. We will examine all aspects. We will have a detailed discussions with all stakeholders before any decisions are finalised,” the FSSAI official stated.  Once the regulations are finalised, they will be voluntary in nature for a period of four years, as per FSSAI’s proposal.

 

Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKTPO) under the guidance of Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Prashant Goyal and under supervision of Managing Director JKTPO , Khalid Jahangir, organised the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) Awareness Drive for organic certification of Saffron, ODOP product of Kishtwar District in collaboration with Invest India (One District One Product) team, DPIIT, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry at District office complex here.

 

The workshop organised with the vision to provide training and certification to farmers who are already pursuing organic farming but don't have the necessary certification for their products authenticity.

 

This workshop is one of the initiatives of JKTPO for the promotion of ODOP products in Jammu and Kashmir which includes conduction of Buyer Seller meets, participation in national and international trade fairs/ exhibitions and capacity building programs. The drive will increase the export potential of saffron as organic certified products have huge international market.

 

National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) under Ministry of Commerce & Industries, Government of India involves accreditation of Certification Bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming and marketing etc.

 

The NPOP standards for production and accreditation system have been recognized by European Commission and Switzerland for unprocessed plant products as equivalent to their country standards.

 

With these recognitions, Indian organic products duly certified by the accredited certification bodies of India are accepted by the importing countries.

 

This was the second National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) Awareness Drive after Pulwama for organic certification of Saffron organized by JKTPO. The workshop was attended by more than 45 saffron producers of Kishtwar district, and more farmers will come under organic certification.

 

On this occasion, Saffron Development Officer, Kishtwar, said: 'there is a huge demand of Kishtwar saffron in India and abroad due to its unique aroma and flavour but farmers are not getting good prices due to less marketing linkages.

 

This organic certification of Saffron will boost the demand of saffron and will help to increase the income of farmers.'

After registering growth for four consecutive years, India’s pulses imports in terms of the rupee declined by around 5 per cent during the 2022-23 fiscal.

 

As per the Commerce Ministry’s quick estimates of major commodities, the value of pulses imported stood at ?15,780.73 crore during FY23 compared with ?16,627.58 crore in FY22. In terms of dollar, pulses imports were down by 12.79 per cent at $1.94 billion against $2.22 billion.

 

The decline in import value was likely on account of a dip in purchases of some pulses varieties such as as black matpe (urad), red kidney beans (rajma) and desi chickpea (gram). However, imports of tur and lentils increased. The Government is yet to release the quantitative import data for pulses.

Negotiations over a US-led Indo-Pacific trade pact are likely to yield results this year, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said.

 

Momentum is growing for the 14-nation economic initiative known as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, with the next round of talks set in Singapore in May, Tai said Thursday at a press conference in Tokyo.

 

The IPEF, launched last May during President Joe Biden’s trip to Asia, aims to strengthen US trade relationships in the region excluding China and is part of Washington’s efforts to counter Beijing’s growing global clout. The pact, which includes nations accounting for 40% of the global economy, demonstrates its trade commitment to the region, she said.

 

NITI Aayog has suggested states formulate their specific AgriTech policy to promote agriculture-based start-ups while enabling digitalisation of licensing regime, ensuring access of quality data and last mile connectivity to such start-ups to expand operations.

 

In its white paper on ‘Gearing Up To Solve Food Security Challenges’, the Aayog said that the agritech solutions available in the market are making the lives of smallholders better by improving access to quality input, access to market, reducing risks, access to information, and a host of other products and services, resulting in improved productivity and price realisation.

 

'Still, the agritech start-ups are not scaling up as fast as the start-ups in other sectors as they face challenges regarding access to quality data, regulations and the absence of agriculture-related infrastructure,' it said.

 

The white paper has been prepared by the Atal Innovation Mission under NITI Aayog in partnership with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and supported by Rabo Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

The Aayog has proposed half-a-dozen recommendations to help agritech startups in India to achieve their full potential and ensure food security in the country.

 

These include improving last-mile connectivity, access to public data, promoting local level of infrastructure for farm-level processing, digitalisation of licensing regime, formulating state-specific AgriTech policy and establishment of facilitation centre for agritech start-ups at local as well as global level.

 

'A distinct agritech start-up policy will go a long way in promoting and facilitating many such start-ups. It will also help the government departments work around the issues related to sharing of data, usage of data, and privacy issues by the private firms,' it said, adding these challenges are primarily related to regulations, understanding the market and its size and local facilitation.

 

Further, it has suggested setting up of a central body which will work with industry associations, respective embassies and multilateral organisations and promote start-ups to expand to other markets.

 

The Aayog is of the view that due to fragmented land parcels and many smallholder farmers in India, it is challenging for start-ups to reach out to individual farmers.

 

'To ensure that all smallholders can benefit from the services and products of the agritech startups, the government needs to put significant effort into building the capacity of local institutions like FPOs or cooperatives,' said, adding that these local institutions will act as a conduit between smallholders and start-ups.

 

Talking about the need for promoting local level of infrastructure, the Aayog said the government should promote the creation of local agriculture-related infrastructures by incentivising and providing financing from formal financial institutions. 'It will boost the farmers' income and ensure the start-ups' scalability and sustainability,' it added.

 

India has more than 2,000 agritech startups and the government aims to scale to 10,000 in near future.

The 13th Meeting of India Thailand Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was held today in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by Director General of Department of Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, Ms. Auramon Supthaweethum and Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, India Ms. Indu C. Nair. This was the first physical meeting of the JTC after it was revived in 2020, after 17 years.

 

Thailand is India’s important trading partner in ASEAN with total trade of USD 16.89 Billion in 2022-23. Thailand accounts for 13.6% of India’s total trade with ASEAN. Thailand is an important destination for India’s gems and jewellery, mechanical machinery, auto and auto components and agricultural products especially marine products.

 

Reviewing the status of bilateral trade and each partner’s  modest share in  other’s global imports, the chairs emphasised the need for identifying new potential products and priority sectors for expanding the bilateral trade. Both sides also discussed various market access issues and technical barriers faced by their exporters and agreed to resolve the same through regular and sustained bilateral discussions. India raised the restriction faced in its export of marine, poultry and meat products. 

 

Both sides identified a range of potential  commodities and sectors for strengthened partnership such as value added marine products, smartphones, Electric vehicles, food processing and  pharmaceuticals.  The countries also agreed that there is huge scope in collaboration in the Service Sector and agreed to explore establishing mutual recognition/cooperation  arrangements in Nursing, Accounting, Audio Visual and Medical Tourism.

 

The meeting also reviewed the progress of the ongoing efforts on  connecting Unified Payment Interface (UPI) of India with  Prompt Pay Service of Thailand and the settlement of trade transactions in local currency.

Multiple points of convergence will ensure that India is an essential partner in the plan of the United Arab Emirates to strengthen food security in the Global South

 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), whose food security has been built on imports from global markets, is now focusing on the twin objectives of food access and readiness to confront supply chain crises. India, the world’s second-largest food producer, is an essential partner in the UAE’s ambition to strengthen food security. The India-UAE food security partnership stands to benefit from multiple points of convergence.

 

Many capabilities

 

India has built its status as a global agri-export powerhouse using its vast tracts of arable land, a highly favourable climate, and a large and growing food production and processing sector. Along with serving global markets with its diversified agri-produce, India has, in recent years, acted as a humanitarian provider of food to developing countries, demonstrating awareness of its evolving role in advancing regional and global food security. India has also made major budgetary outlays towards setting up massive food parks, with due emphasis on modern supply chain management spanning farm gate to retail outlet. These investments, complemented by how India has placed its food sector to benefit from bilateral trade agreements, reflect the country’s strong and sustained intent to make the most of its agri-capabilities in the global food marketplace.

 

In parallel, India runs the Public Distribution System, the world’s largest food subsidy programme, providing nearly 800 million citizens with subsidised grains, providing its people with the reassurance of daily, affordable meals. Equally laudable is India’s ‘Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition (POSHAN) Abhiyaan’, the world’s largest nutrition programme for children and women. As a part of its G-20 presidency, India is promoting the consumption and farming of millets — nutritious, drought-resistant, sustainable, crops — that demonstrate the resilience focus that India offers to the global food security dialogue. In the realm of food security, India’s G-20 presidency seeks to address the three Cs, of “Covid, Conflict, and Climate' (to borrow from India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s address last year), issues pernicious to food security in India and across the globe.

 

What the UAE brings to the table

 

Seen together, India brings to the table an incredible wealth of food sector experience and the ability to operationalise the world’s largest food supply chains — formidable capabilities that are strengthening the India-UAE food security partnership in a variety of ways. During the I2U2 (India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States) summit in July last year, the UAE committed $2 billion in investment towards constructing food parks in India (in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat), while the signing of a food security corridor on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)’s sidelines (with logistics partner DP World) has taken forward India’s envisioned presence on the global food value chain, beyond the UAE.

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar today released Crop Specific “Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Application of Pesticides with Drones” in the public domain for the guidance of farmers and other stakeholders. Shri Tomar also released a booklet titled "Machinery for Millets Production, Processing and Value Addition". On this occasion, Shri Tomar said that agriculture is our priority, so whether it is research or initiating schemes, the first priority of the government is to promote agriculture and improve the financial condition of the farmers. Today there are many challenges in the Agriculture sector. To retain the farmers, to attract the new generation and to increase the remuneration of the farmers by reducing the cost of production. For this, technical support in the agriculture sector is very important, the government is making continuous efforts in this direction.

 

 

Union Minister Shri Tomar said that there are possibilities of new challenges in the agriculture sector, therefore, along with change in strategy from time to time, change in methodology is necessary. Talking about the agriculture sector, without the support of technology, we will not be able to achieve our goals in the future, so efforts are being made to link the schemes with technology. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also always emphasizes on the support of technology and also works on them himself. Talking about major schemes, today under the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi, about Rs 2.5 lakh crore have reached the accounts of the farmers, in which there is no question mark. The micro irrigation project is also yielding good results. Topics like Natural Farming are being taken forward. Our country made Nano Urea and the farmers will soon be able to avail the benefits of Nano DAP. Drone technology has been accepted by the government in the Agriculture sector. Last time when there was an outbreak of locusts, the need for the use of drones was felt at that time, since then drone technology is before us with the full support of the central government under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Modi. In reducing the cost in agriculture and avoiding the side effects of pesticides, farmers will get extensive benefits from drones.

 

Shri Tomar said that whenever we undertake any new scheme, we must keep in mind that its benefits reach the last person. This is the reason why when the scheme of drones was being made, common farmers, common graduates were also included in it, so that the use of drones could be made accessible to small farmers. Everyone needs to work together in this direction. For this, he stressed on the need to make Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) more efficient and said that awareness sessions should be organized for graduate/post-graduate agricultural students in agricultural universities & colleges, through which they can get employment, besides making them capable for farming on their own land. A plan should be made for the benefits of drones to reach the common man.

 

Shri Tomar said that on the initiative of Prime Minister Shri Modi, according to the declaration of the United Nations, the year 2023 is being celebrated worldwide as the International Year of Millets (Shree Anna). Shree Anna is getting priority and recognition in various events. For this our responsibility has increased along with making us proud. If the demand and consumption of Shree Anna will increase in the country and the world, then along with production-productivity, processing and export will also have to be increased.

 

Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Manoj Ahuja, Director General of ICAR, Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Abhilaksh Likhi, Joint Secretary Smt. Shubha Thakur, Smt. S. Rukmani and Ms. Vijayalakshmi, Agriculture Commissioner Shri P.K. Singh, Deputy Commissioners (Mechanization & Technology) Shri C.R. Lohi and Shri A.N. Meshram, Senior Officers, Scientists and representatives from Drone Federation of India, ICAR, SAU and States, Civil Aviation Ministry, FMTTI Director and farmers participated.

 

Grant-in-Aid for Drones - Under the Agricultural Mechanization Sub-Mission, ICAR institutes, KVKs, SAUs, other State/Central Government Agricultural Institutes and Government of India PSUs engaged in agricultural activities are provided financial assistance at the rate of 100% of the drone cost (up to Rs. 10 lakh per drone) besides Contingent Expenses for the purpose of demonstration of drones in the farmers' fields. FPOs are given grant-in-aid at the rate of 75% for purchase of drones for demonstration on farmers' fields. For the purpose of providing agricultural services through the use of drones, financial assistance is given at the rate of 40% of the original cost of the drone by CHCs to Farmers Cooperative Society, FPOs and Rural Entrepreneurs for the purchase of drones, subject to a maximum of Rs.4 lakh. Agricultural Graduates setting up CHCs are provided financial assistance up to Rs. 5 lakh at the rate of 50% of the cost of drone. Individual small and marginal farmers, SC-ST farmers, women farmers, farmers of North-Eastern states will also get 50% of the cost of the drone subject to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh while other farmers are eligible for assistance at 40% of the cost of the drone, subject to a maximum of Rs. 4 lakhs.

Wheat procurement in the current season was 11.14 million tonnes (mt) as of April 19, up by 12 per cent from 9.98 mt in the corresponding period last year as higher purchases were recorded in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The procurement in Punjab, the largest contributor to central pool stock, is lower so far, which may pick up after cover and plinth (CAP) storage has been allowed.

 

Nearly 12 lakh farmers have benefitted so far from the ongoing procurement season that started on April 1, with the expected outflow of ?23,663.63 crore at the minimum support price (MSP) of ?2,125/quintal.

 

As the harvesting started late this year due to unseasonal rains, farmers started bringing the crop only after it dried in the field, reducing moisture to normal, officials said. As Punjab has always seen arrivals improving after Baisakhi festival (April 14), this year, too, the daily arrivals which were 0.64 mt on April 16 increased to 0.72 mt on April 19. Millers said it would very soon go up to 1.5 mt per day.

Four international airports in Kerala shipped a total of 14,898.305 ton of various products from January to March this year. This included fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, meat, eggs, and coconut.

 

In March alone, 5,265.503 ton of products were exported through the Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Kannur airports. Exports of unprocessed food products and vegetables have increased since the Covid lockdowns. The lion's share of exports from Kerala going to Gulf countries, as well as the UK, Ireland, and the US, among other markets.

 

Approximately 39 percent of the state's airport exports go through Kochi International Airport (CIAL), with 5,807.947 ton of products exported through CIAL from January to March. Exports via CIAL increased by 24.2 percent in March compared to January. In contrast, Thiruvananthapuram airport shipped 3,520.11 ton, Kozhikode airport shipped 3,645.88 ton, and Kannur airport shipped 975.80 ton of products.

 

Exporters complain of space constraints at airports other than Kochi. The ban on non-scheduled foreign cargo flights at Kerala airports, along with the lack of cold storage facilities in and around the airports adversely affect exports. Exports are carried out on passenger flights in limited quantities, which forces exporters to depend on airports in Bengaluru and Chennai.

 

Fruits and vegetables make up 85 percent of Kerala's four airport exports, with 12,795.075 tons shipped during January-March. Additionally, 66.135 tons of eggs and 529.139 tons of fish products were exported during this period. There was a considerable increase in egg exports during this time, with most going to Gulf countries, particularly Oman.