India’s pulses exports for the financial year will likely scale a new record on rising demand for chickpea and lentils from countries such as China, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bangladesh.

 

During the April-January period of the current financial year, pulses exports in terms of volume were up 80 per cent at 5.39 lakh tonnes(lt). In the same period a year ago, exports were 3 lt. In terms of dollar, pulses exports during April-January were up 73 per cent at $476 million ($275 million in the same period a year ago). In terms of rupee, exports were up 85 per cent at ?3,784 crore (?2,048 crore), as per the latest data from APEDA. In the financial year 2021-22, pulses exports were 4.1 lt, valued at $379 million.

 

Demand from expats

'There’s a lot of demand for Indian pulses, especially desi chickpea, kabuli chana and lentils among others from countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal,' said Bimal Kothari, Chairman, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex trade body. From countries such as the US, Canada and the UK, the demand for Indian pulses is largely driven by the expatriates, Kothari said.

 

'Exports of chana is up due to the demand from Bangladesh and Nepal, while the demand for tur dal is mainly from Gulf countries,' said Punit Bachhawat, a miller in Ahmedabad, who supplies to exporters. Also, there’s good demand for masoor (lentils) from Bangladesh, which used to import from Australia. With crop damage in Australia this year, Bangladesh is buying more lentils from India this year and also due to the Ramadan demand, Bachhawat said.

 

Rahul Chauhan of IGrain India said the growth in pulses exports is driven by the demand for chikpea ( kabuli chana), desi chikpea and lentils. Other variety of pulses such as pigeon pea (tur), black matpe (urad) and moong have witnessed a decline, he said.

 

'Lentil exports have more than doubled to around 43,784 tonnes during the April-November period this fiscal against 20,891 tonnes a year ago. Similarly, exports of kabuli chana have increased to 85,661 tonnes during April-Dec compared with 45,691 tonnes in 2021-22. Exports of desi chickpea have increased to 68,808 tonnes during April-December compared with 50,773 tonnes a year ago,' Chauhan said.

 

Vegan preference rising

APEDA chairman, M Angamuthu said 'with the rising preferences for vegetarian and vegan foods globally and India being the largest producer of varieties of pulses, we can cater to meet the increasing global demand for pulses.'

 

India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses. As per the second advance estimates for 2022-23, India’s pulses production is estimated at a record 278.10 lt against 273.02 lt a year ago. The record pulses output is largely driven by chana and moong crops, while the production of tur and urad was impacted by bad weather across various parts of the country. To keep prices of tur and urad under check, the government has kept the imports open of these pulses varieties till March 2024.

 

As per the second advance estimates, chana production is projected at record 136.32 lt (135.44 lt last year), while moong output is expected to be at a new high of 35.45 lt (31.66 lt).

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar recently held bilateral meetings with agriculture ministers of various countries participating in the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference. An MoU was also signed with the World Food Programme  (WFP) of the United Nations. Meanwhile, Tomar thanked the ministers for being a part of the global conference organised by India with the aim of promoting Shree Anna, under the International Year of Millets (IYM). He said that the International Year of Millets is being celebrated so that the Indian Shree Anna, its recipes and value-added products are accepted globally as a people's movement. He hoped to further strengthen India's agricultural ties with various countries.

 

In a meeting with Guyana's Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustafa, Tomar recalled the visit of the President of Guyana, Dr. Mohammad Irfan Ali, and Vice President Bharat Jagdev to India and said that agriculture is a very important area of cooperation between the two countries. Expressing happiness over the steady progress in India-Guyana relations, he hoped for concrete cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors. Tomar congratulated Guyana for the huge crude oil discovery, saying that this would enable Guyana to establish itself as a major energy exporter, which has the potential to transform the lives of its people. Expressing immense potential for cooperation in agriculture and agro-processing industries between India and Guyana, he said that the two countries complement each other as Guyana has vast arable land and water availability and India has the technology, expertise and skilled manpower, which will mutually benefit both the countries. India is keen to share its expertise and experience in the development of agriculture and allied sectors in Guyana, for which an MoU is under finalisation. He assured that Guyana's request for deputation of two experts to ITEC from India for three years to support the Guyana Sugar Corporation management and revive the sugar estates/plants in Guyana would be considered at the earliest.

 

Tomar, in a meeting with Suriname's Minister of Agriculture Parmanand Prahlad Sewdien, said that India and Suriname share close, warm and friendly relations, which have been strengthened by cultural and people-to-people contacts over the course of 150 years. He wished success to the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Suriname, and expressed confidence that the official visit of President Santokhi to India in January 2023 would take our bilateral relations to a new high. Expressing happiness and pride, he said that Hindi is spoken on a large scale in Suriname. Like India, Suriname is also a country of multi-ethnicity and diversity, where people live in peace and harmony. As per the discussion held during the second meeting of the Joint Working Group on Agriculture, Tomar hoped that the draft Joint Action Plan for five years (2023-27) would be ready soon and said that we will provide wood export facility from Suriname to India. India's exports of agri-related goods to Suriname in 2021-22 was US$4.34 million. There are more possibilities to increase trade and investment, especially in agro-food processing. Under India's flagship programmes, development partnership, India is committed to provide technical assistance to Suriname as needed, contribute to capacity building and skill development of human resources. Shree Anna is the ideal solution to make countries self-reliant and reduce dependence on imported grains. India can start agricultural cooperation projects, if offered by Suriname, as well as depute agricultural scientists under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programmes to conduct studies for the cultivation of Shree Anna in Suriname.

 

In a meeting with Agriculture Minister of Zambia Reuben Mtolo Phiri, Tomar said that India and Zambia have had cordial relations for a long time. The leaders of Zambia's freedom struggle drew inspiration from the leaders of India's freedom struggle, especially Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji continues to inspire its leaders and the younger generation in Zambia. Zambia is one of the few African countries that has benefited greatly from India's development cooperation programme. India provides scholarships for various higher education courses and ITEC training slots as well as special capacity building programmes under the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) along with Exim Bank credit, Railway Wagons, Flood Relief Grant and Line of Credit. Zambia, with its rich natural resources, has become an important destination for Indian investments in various sectors. India is one of the leading investors in Zambia with committed investments of over US$5 billion. Bilateral trade between India and Zambia has been growing steadily. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in India for trade and investment with Zambia, but again logistics and the small size of Zambia's economy remain the main constraints and limiting factors.

 

In a meeting with Mauritius' Minister for Agri-Industry and Food Security Manish Gobin, Tomar said that India shares close, long-standing ties with Mauritius for historical, demographic and cultural reasons. People of Indian origin comprise about 70% of the island's population of 1.2 million. Mauritius is one of the few important countries with which independent India established diplomatic relations even before the Independence of Mauritius in 1948. There is a high level of trust and mutual understanding between the leaderships of the two countries, which is reflected in continued high-level political engagement. This special relationship has resulted in exceptionally close cooperation in maritime security, development partnership, capacity building and cooperation in international fora. The enduring cultural and people-to-people relations between India and Mauritius are nurtured by the Indian Cultural Center in Mauritius (India's largest in the world) and the World Hindi Secretariat, a bilateral organisation for the promotion of Hindi. India is among the largest trading partners of Mauritius. Bilateral trade grew by 69% to reach US$786.72 million in 2021-22.

 

The topics of agriculture were discussed in the meeting between Tomar and Mahinda Amaraweera, Agriculture Minister of Sri Lanka. Tomar said that a significant proportion of the population in India and Sri Lanka depends on agriculture and both sides have very similar priorities for taking this sector forward. Thus cooperation between the two sides in the agriculture sector becomes natural. India has traditionally been one of Sri Lanka's largest trading partners and Sri Lanka is one of India's largest trading partners in SAARC.

The state Food Processing Industries and Horticulture (FPI&H) department is doubling the variety of mangoes that will be exported to foreign countries this year.

 

The State will be exporting as many as 75 varieties of mango which will be dominated by Malda and Murshidabad districts. Last year about 34 mango varieties were exported to different countries abroad.

 

'This year, India is celebrating its 75 years of Independence and so we have planned to export 75 types of fruits. We have already held a meeting with the growers and the exporters of mangoes in association with APEDA (The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) which oversees the export. We are expecting that by the first week of June, consignments will be ready for export,' a senior official of State FPI& H department said.

 

Samanta Layek, deputy director of the Horticulture department in Malda, said that Qatar, Bahrain and some Middle East countries cherish the different varieties of mangoes that are exported from Bengal. Mangoes grown in Malda are the most abundant while in terms of variety Murshidabad tops among the districts. As many as 30 mango varieties from Malda have already been identified for export among which three mango varieties namely Fajli, Himsagar and Lakshmanbhog that have bagged GI-tag (Geographical Indication) will be top in the list.

 

The other types that will be exported from Malda include Gopalbhog, Brindabani, Aswina, Rakhalbhob, Funia Molayamjam to name a few. 'Work is on for finalising the mango varieties that will be exported from Murshidabad,' the official added.

 

Apart from Malda and Murshidabad, ‘Amrapali’ grown in Bankura as well as ‘Chatterjee’ grown in Hooghly are also under active consideration when it comes to export.

 

Bengal produces over 400 varieties of mango and is one of the leading States in the production of table variety mangoes in the country amounting to over seven lakh metric tonnes. Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, Hooghly, East Burdwan, North Dinajpur, Purulia and Bankura are the districts where mangoes are grown.

 

Mango yield is expected to cross the 4-lakh metric ton mark this year in Malda.

 

As per the records, about 3.70 lakh metric tonne mangoes were produced last year in the Malda district.

Preparations are underway to send Bhagalpur's famous Zardalu mango abroad. Through APEDA, both Zardalu mango and Katrani Chuda will be sent abroad. Preparations have also started for this. Last year it was sent to England, Belgium and Bahrain. Will be shipped to many more countries this year. The District Magistrate told that after marking the farmers, their mangoes are sent abroad.

 

Mango reaches many dignitaries

 

Bhagalpur in Bihar has become world famous for Zardalu Mango and Katrani Chuda. Every year this mango reaches many big personalities including His Excellency the President, the Prime Minister. Jardalu Mango Secretary Ved Vyas Chaudhary said that Bihar's Bhagalpur is known throughout the country for Jardalu Mango and Katrani Chuda. Maintaining its identity will be our first priority.

 

This mango has many benefits

 

Zardalu mango has many benefits. According to experts, even diabetic patients can eat this mango. Zardalu mango proves to be helpful in digestion. Especially its taste is different from all mangoes. This mango can last for more days.

 

Mango crop is grown in many hectares

 

Zardalu mango is cultivated on more than 1000 hectares in and around Bhagalpur. Especially in Sabour, it has the highest yield. Now along with the country people from abroad will also be able to taste the taste of mangoes.

The horticulture department is all set to form a curry leaf cluster on 1,500 hectares in and around Karamadai at a cost of 2.5 crore. The region is famous for cultivation of Sengambu variety of curry leaves.

At present, around 1,000 farmers from Karamadai, PN Palayam, SS Kulam and Annur are cultivating curry leaves on 1,270 hectares in the region, of which 1,000 hectares falls in Karamadai. The plan is to bring these farmers together, while increasing the acreage under cultivation.

Announcing the cluster as part of the state agriculture budget, agriculture minister M R K Panneerselvam said the fund allocation would be used to enhance the area under curry leaf cultivation.

'Drip irrigation system, farm machinery, quality planting materials, solar drying unit, and training for production of value-added products such as dry curry leaf, curry leaf powder and paste will be provided to the farmers. Residue analysis of curry leaf samples will be carried out to meet the export standards as well.'

 

Welcoming the announcement, farmers in the Karamadai region said it was their long-pending demand. Curry leaves cultivated in the region find a market across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Kerala.

T Muthusamy, a farmer, said, 'We thank the state government for fulfilling our long-pending demand. It will boost curry leaf production and we are happy with the announcement.'

He said the export business was a challenge, as they lacked exposure to markets abroad, packaging technique and marketing ideas for value-added products such as juice, powder and oil extract.

'Curry leaf is sold at anywhere between 5 and 70 per kg, depending on the weather condition and production. The announcement is expected to insulate us from highly volatile prices. We will be able to get a steady income, if we could focus on value-added products,' Muthusamy told TOI.

M Buvaneshwari, deputy director of horticulture, Coimbatore, said all the requirements of farmers would be met soon. 'We are ready to offer all support to the farmers. We have applied for the geographical indication (GI) tag for Sengambu variety of curry leaf and the same is expected soon. It will be a milestone in the history of curry leaf production.'

The Yogi government is planning to replace around 17% of the area under paddy (rice) cultivation with millets and oilseeds in the coming years, a top official in the agriculture department said.

 

UP is the second largest producer of rice in the country (15 million MT) and has 60 lakh hectares of land under paddy cultivation across 70 districts.

 

The government plans to reduce this to 50 lakh hectares while getting the area reallocated for millets and oilseeds, a move that could mark a radical change in the cropping pattern, especially during the kharif season.

 

Officials said the change would be brought through concerted and extensive campaigns among farmers. Sources said the government was also planning to promote "exotic" varieties of rice which could have higher returns.

 

Data show that only seven districts (Bijnor, Kushinagar, Pilibhit, Chandauli, Baghpat, Varanasi and Ambedkarnagar) have high productivity (over 2500 kg/hectare). A total 55 districts have medium (2000-2500 kg/hectare) or medium-low productivity (1500-2000 kg/hectare). Five and three districts have low and very low productivity, respectively.Rice production has been registering downward fluctuation in the wake of lesser rainfall. Last year, rice production came down nationally from 111 million MT in 2021 to around 105 million MT in 2022. UP reported to have received 42% less rainfall last year and recorded acreage under rice going down by around 2.5 lakh hectares.

 

According to experts, the plan falls in line with the UP government's concerted efforts to promote millets which has been the focus of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. The year 2023 is being observed as the international year of millets. With 11 lakh hectares of land under millets, UP is the second largest producer of coarse grain too.

The 37th edition of Aahar, a specialised International food and hospitality event of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and apex industry bodies, concluded at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, on March 18, 2023.

 

ITPO, the host organisation, claimed that over one lakh business visitors and 1,500 participants from India and abroad expressed their satisfaction over the business response, tie-ups, networking and joint ventures in the fair.

 

The concluding ceremony also witnessed an award ceremony wherein Pradeep Singh Kharola, chairman & managing director, ITPO, and Rajat Agarwal, executive director, ITPO, presented the Awards for Excellence in display in various categories including F&B Equipment, Food & Processed Food, Hospitality & Décor Solution and Foreign sector.

 

In the category of Processed Food Products & Beverages, VRB Consumer Products Pvt. Ltd. bagged the Gold Medal, while Cremica Food Industries Ltd. won the Silver Medal and Doehler India Pvt. Ltd was honoured with the Bronze Medal.

 

La Pyramid Hospitalities Pvt. Ltd. was awarded the Gold medal, while the Silver medal was conferred on Rich Products & Solutions Private Limited and the Bronze to Karachi Bakery Kothapet in Dairy/Bakery/Confectionery.

 

In Spices/Agri Produce, Pansari Industries won Gold, DS Spiceco Pvt. Ltd. Silver and Pravin Masalewale got Bronze.

 

In Foreign Sector, White Expo LLC, Russia got Gold, Embassy of Brazil, Silver and Italian Trade Agency, Bronze.

 

Government/Commodity Boards/PSU Sectors: Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion bagged Gold, APEDA, Silver and Tea Board India, Bronze.

 

In Allied Sector, Gold was awarded to Vezlay Foods Pvt. Ltd., Silver to Alimento Agro Foods Pvt. Ltd. and Bronze to Mangat Ram Dal Mills Pvt. Ltd.

 

In F&B Sector – Mitttal International got Gold, International Equipment Co. got Silver and Brass Line, Bronze while in Hospitality & Décor Solutions Laxree Amenities Pvt. Ltd. got Gold, IFB Industries Limited, Silver and The Designo International, Bronze.

 

ITPO officials acknowledged support of all the associates as well as different media verticals for 'grand' success of the event and assured that ITPO will continue and strive to make this fair better and better every year, with best in class services to exhibitors and also sought suggestions and feedback from the stakeholders.

 

Aahar (March 14 - 18, 2023) was organised by ITPO with active support of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, APEDA, ARCHII, HOTREMAI, FHSAI, FIFI, FIWA and AIFPA, FAIC, FIFHI, ICMA, KREMAG and Plant Based Foods Industry Association.

According to the dream of PM Narendra Modi, the agriculture sector will play a major role in making India a developed country by the year 2047. For this, special attention will have to be given to higher education in the agriculture sector.

 

Need to focus on agriculture education

In this work, the World Bank is already running a project NAHEP in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which is set to be further expanded. The intention of the World Bank and ICAR is that India should become a major hub for providing higher education in the agriculture sector globally.

 

Inauguration of three day seminar

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the three-day seminar in this regard with the help of ICAR and World Bank. On this occasion, Tomar said that to overcome the kind of challenges arising in the agriculture sector, more attention has to be given to higher education in agriculture. Only then India will be able to become a developed country.

 

Need of digital era in agriculture sector

Regarding the National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP), he said that more expectations have risen from it considering its achievements in the last five years. Speaking on the occasion, Bekjod Shamsiev, Senior Agricultural Scientist, World Bank said that all the targets under NAHEP have been met. Now more emphasis will be laid on the inclusion of digital in the agriculture sector.

Farmers have welcomed the state government’s proposal to seek Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Arasampatti coconut and Krishnagiri panneer rose. J Kennedy, a coconut farmer in Arasampatti, said, 'There are over 3,000 coconut farmers in Arasampatti and surrounding villages. The coconuts are exported to several states for over five decades.

 

Arasampatti coconut tree can withstand drought-like conditions and the quality of oil is very good. The minister’s proposal to seek GI tag for coconut grown in our village will encourage many more farmers. The government should also start a coconut research centre and coconut oil factory in the area.'

 

Tamizhaga Vivasaigal Sangam president KM Ramagounder said, 'GI tag proposal for Arasampatti coconut and cultivation of panneer rose will benefit many farmers. Co-operative crop loan to the tune of Rs 14,000 crore and an interest-free co-operative loan for Rs 1,500 crore will benefit the farmers.

 

Already, ragi was procured from farmers and distributed at ration shops in Dharmapuri and Nilgiris on a pilot basis, later it was procured through cooperative societies to benefit the farmers. Fund allocation of Rs 18 crore for red gram transplantation in Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Salem will help people to consume quality food.'

An Inter-Ministerial delegation from India led by Department of Commerce   participated in the second Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) negotiating round in Bali, Indonesia from March 13-19, 2023.

 

Negotiators from 13 other countries, including, the United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam also participated in the Bali negotiating round.

 

During the Bali Round, discussions covered all the four pillars of the IPEF: Trade (Pillar I); Supply Chains (Pillar II); Clean Economy (Pillar III); and Fair Economy (Taxation & Anticorruption) - (Pillar IV). India participated in the discussions related to Pillars II to IV. 

 

Building on the discussions that took place during the previous rounds: First IPEF Round held in Brisbane, Australia, in December 10-15, 2022, and the Special negotiating round held in New Delhi, India from February 8-11, 2023, in Bali, IPEF Partners undertook in-depth text-based discussions and conducted follow-up conversations as they work to advance a shared vision for an open, connected, prosperous and resilient Indo-Pacific region.

 

During the negotiations, the Chief Negotiator of India reiterated India’s belief that IPEF will deepen the economic engagement and promote inclusive development through enhancement in trade and investment in the region. On the side-lines of the negotiating round, the Chief Negotiator and the Pillar Leads also held bilateral meetings with IPEF countries and other concerned stakeholders.

 

Representatives of interested Indian companies also participated in the Stakeholders engagement session and Business Forum, organized on the margins of the IPEF Bali Round on 17 and 18 March 2023 respectively. In addition, a representative from National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) also gave a detailed presentation at the Business Forum on Unified Payment Interface (UPI),  a successful example of Digital Public infrastructure in India.

 

IPEF Partners have committed to an aggressive negotiating schedule throughout 2023 with the objective of realizing concrete benefits to enhance a shared vision for economic competitiveness and prosperity in their respective economies. Additional details about the next in-person negotiating round will be released at a later date.