A farmer producer organisation (FPO) based in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Rapthadu Mandala Raithu Utpatti Darula MACS, supported by agri enterprise Samunnati and eFresh Agri Business Solutions, has become the first organisation to receive IndG.A.P certification for foxtail millet. The development comes at a time when the government wants to make India the millet hub of the world.

 

Certification schemes like IndG.A.P are designed to help farmers and exporters meet global food safety standards, essential to access overseas markets.'Adoption of G.A.P verified by a robust certification will enhance value realisation by farmers and make India globally competitive in agri exports,' said Samunnati founder Anil Kumar SG.

The Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an AI-based (artificial intelligence) app and website for the identification of pests, diseases and nutrient deficiencies in cashew plants.

 

‘Cashew Protect’ app, launched recently for mobile phones with Android and iOS operating systems, can currently detect six pests and one disease; it will eventually be developed to identify around 60 pests that attack cashew plants, besides 20 diseases, and 10 nutrient deficiencies, from uploaded images.

 

Cashew Protect app

The Principal Scientist at DCR in Puttur taluk of Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, Mohana GS, who conceptualised and designed the app, told businessline that farmers approach scientists on WhatsApp, seeking remedies to tackle pests and diseases affecting cashew. To address the farmers’ requirement, DCR decided to launchan AI-based app.

 

Though there are apps for identification of pests and diseases, there was no AI-based app for cashew.

 

How to get info

On the use of the app, Mohana said the farmer can upload photos of the affected part -- whether it is the leaf, fruit, an entire tree, or the stem – on the app/ website.

 

AI technology would identify the pest or disease instantly and provide remedial measures. 'So you will come to know about the management of the whole problem,' he said.

 

Cashew Protect app

For example: If a farmer uploads a tea-mosquito bug (TMB) affected cashew leaf, AI technology would give the similarity percentage of the image with that of the affected plant.

 

'Let us say similarity is 80, or 90 , or 95 per cent. Based on the similarity, you will come to know whether identification is correct or wrong. If it is more than 90 per cent, we can be sure that it is correctly identified and it will also show the image of the TMB-affected plant that is already stored in the system,' he said.

 

About cases where the disease/ pest has been wrongly identified, he said the AI system identifies pests and diseases based on the image that the farmer uploads. It would provide an answer based on its previous experience.

 

If the farmer is not satisfied with the results, he/ she can share it with experts on the website/ app.

 

Data analytics

, .

 

Large-scale use of the app globally will help identify the location of the problem using data analysis, Mohana said.

 

It is important that a large number of farmers used the app since large data sets help AI technology provide solutions in a better manner.

 

Benefits to farmer

The farmer, in whichever part of the world he is, can use this technology to find solutions to manage disease/ pest attacks in time.

 

Stating that timely management is crucial for management of pests such as TMB, he said if it is identified in time, the whole tree can be saved.

 

'If we can identify the problem at the right stage, we can take management measures and definitely it will improve productivity in case of pests and diseases, and also nutrient deficiency,' he said.

 

Languages

The website/ app is available in English, Hindi, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Odia and Garo languages.

 

Scientists from DCR and AICRP (All India Coordinated Research Project) - Cashew, from across the country were part of the project, which has been funded by the RKVY-RAFTAAR (Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana - Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sectors Rejuvenation) programme of the Karnataka government.

India on Tuesday announced the supply of 20,000 MTs of wheat assistance to Afghanistan in partnership with United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) through Iran’s Chabahar Port. The announcement was made at the first meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group (JWG) on Afghanistan held here on Tuesday.

 

The meeting was attended by the Special Envoys/Senior Officials of India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Country representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) also participated in the meeting.

 

India also offered capacity building training courses for the relevant stakeholders/partner agencies of UNODC and the relevant officials/stakeholders of Central Asian Republics in the field of countering illegal drug trafficking.

 

During the meeting, the Special Envoys/Senior Officials exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan, including the political, security and the humanitarian situation. While emphasizing the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs, the sides reiterated support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan, according to a joint statement issued at the end of the meet.

 

They emphasized the importance of formation of a truly inclusive and representative political structure that respects the rights of all Afghans and ensures equal rights of women, girls and members of minority groups, including access to education.

 

India and Central Asians also discussed regional threats of terrorism, extremism, radicalization and drug trafficking and also deliberated on the possibilities to coordinate efforts to counter these threats.

 

They emphasized that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts and reaffirmed that no terrorist organizations including those designated by the UNSC resolution 1267 should be provided sanctuary or allowed to use the territory of Afghanistan, according to the joint statement.

 

The country representative of the UNWFP in Afghanistan briefed the participants on the India-UNWFP partnership to deliver foodgrain assistance to Afghan people and made a presentation on the current humanitarian situation, including the aid requirements for the year ahead. The sides took note of the current humanitarian situation and agreed to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, according to the joint statement.

 

The country representative of the UNODC in Afghanistan highlighted the partnership of India and UNODC in fighting the menace of narcotics in Afghanistan and thanked India for providing humanitarian aid for the Afghan drug user population.

India’s non-basmati rice exports surged 4 per cent to 14.56 million tonnes (mt) during the April-January period of the current fiscal from 14.01 mt a year ago. This is despite the Government imposing a 20 per cent export duty on white (raw) rice and banning shipments of fully broken rice.. However, with an upward trend in freight cost, the realisation by exporters may get hit if importing countries do not absorb any increase.

 

The non-basmati rice segment registered a 3 per cent growth in value at $5.17 billion (Rs.41,273 crore) from $5.01 billion in the year-ago period, according to the latest data from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). In the entire 2021-22, non-basmati rice export was 17.26 mt worth $6.12 billion (Rs.45,652.35 crore).

 

Freight uptrend

Exporters said when the government imposed the duty in September last year, the freight cost was about $100-$120/tonne and it was declining. While it dropped to about $50/tonne in February, it began to show an uptrend in the first week.

 

'Importing countries did not feel the impact of export duty as in the same period there was a fall in the freight cost. One thing is established the world now knows India as a credible destination for non-basmati rice,' said BV Krishna Rao, President of The Rice Exporters Association (TREA). There is no concern for now and exporters are ready to wait for the next kharif crop’s arrival in October to see if any policy change will be required, Rao said.

 

He said the increase in non-basmati rice has to be seen amid the crop failure in Pakistan and also the quantitative restriction in Myanmar. However, he said: 'The world needs Indian rice. We will seek a change in policy if at all there is a drop in export.'

 

Fair assessment in Sept

Rao further said even after the imposition of export duty, neither there is a substantial improvement in procurement, nor a decline in export. He said a fair assessment could be made by September about how the kharif paddy crop would be and a decision could help exporters to enter into new contracts for shipments from October-November.

 

'As no fresh crop from any other origin to come before September, we are fairly covered till then. A policy review at that time will be definitely of help,' Rao said.

 

Meanwhile, basmati rice increased 41 per cent to $3.82 billion (Rs.30,514 crore) in the 10 months to January and there was an 18 per cent surge in volume to 3.66 mt. Total exports of rice (both non-basmati and basmati) increased 16 per cent to $8.98 billion (Rs.71,787 crore).

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has notified the standards for Basmati rice (including Brown Basmati rice, Milled Basmati rice, Parboiled Brown Basmati rice and Milled Parboiled Basmati rice) through Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) First Amendment Regulations, 2023.

 

These standards will be enforced with effect from August 1, 2023.

 

FSSAI, in a statement, has remarked, 'In order to ensure supply of standardised genuine Basmati rice in domestic and export markets, the food authority has notified regulatory standards for Basmati rice that have been framed through extensive consultations with the concerned government departments / agencies and other stakeholders as well.'

 

'As per these standards Basmati rice shall possess natural fragrance characteristic of Basmati rice and be free from artificial colouring, polishing agents and artificial fragrances. These standards also specify various identity and quality parameters for Basmati rice such as average size of grains and their elongation ratio after cooking; maximum limits of moisture, amylose content, uric acid, defective/damaged grains and incidental presence of other non-Basmati rice etc.'

 

FSSAI added that these standards are aimed to establish fair practices in the trade of Basmati rice and protect consumer interest, both domestically and globally, as being a premium quality rice and fetching a price higher than the non-Basmati varieties, Basmati rice is prone to various types of adulteration for economic gains which may include, among others, undeclared blending of other non-Basmati varieties of rice.

 

Due to its unique quality attributes, Basmati is a widely consumed variety of rice both domestically and globally and India accounts for two thirds of its global supply.

 

The regulation also specifies the broken Basmati rice name(s) including Basmati Rice Tibar, Basmati Rice Dubar, Basmati Rice Mini Dubar, Basmati Rice Mogra, & Basmati Rice Mini Mogra.

 

Also, the FSSAI has notified the regulations related to Blended Rice, which can be mixture of Basmati and/ or non-Basmati rice which resemble with each-other as closely as possible in final attributes.

 

The Regulations say that every package of Blended Rice shall carry a label detailing the rice used for blending with percentage.

The Maharashtra Economic Survey 2022-23 has projected that the agriculture and allied sector, which is the mainstay of the state’s rural economy and engages 55 per cent of the population, will register 10.2 per cent growth in the outgoing fiscal year.

 

The projected growth is attributed to the good monsoon and the absence of drought for the past three years. The state recorded 119.8 per cent monsoon rain in 2022. Of the total 355 talukas (excluding those in Mumbai city & Mumbai suburban districts), 204 received excess rainfall, 145 got normal rains and only six received deficient rainfall.

 

As against the advanced estimate (2021-22) pegged at 4.4 per cent, followed by the first revised estimate of 11.4 per cent, the projected growth of 10.2 per cent seems a quantum leap.

 

The sowing for kharif season 2022-23 was completed on 157.97 lakh hectares, which was lower than last year’s 163.79 lakh hectares. The production of cereals, oilseeds, cotton and sugarcane is expected to increase by 10 per cent, 19 per cent, five per cent and four per cent respectively. But the overall production of pulses is estimated to sharply decrease by 37 per cent compared with the previous year.

 

The rabi crop sown on 57.74 lakh hectares shows a reverse trend for 2022-23. Though pulses production is expected to rise by 34 per cent, the production of cereals and oilseeds is likely to decrease by 13 per cent.

 

The increased area under sugarcane cultivation is a key contributor to the growth. The average area under sugarcane plantation, which was 12.32 lakh hectares, rose to 14.88 lakh hectares. The average area under sugar plantation in the state till four years ago stood at 9.89 lakh hectares. The rise in sugar plantation and production saw farmers turning to cash crops in larger numbers in drought-hit Marathwada.

 

Cotton, which is the mainstay of the backward regions of Vidarbha and Marathwada, also recorded an increase in both the area under plantation (42. 29 lakh hectares) and production (81.92 metric tonnes) in 2022-23.

 

According to the economic survey, the area under horticulture crops was 23.46 lakh hectares in 2022-23, as against 23.92 lakh hectares in 2021-22. As per the first advance estimates, the total area under fruit crops in 2022-23 is 8.32 lakh hectares, of which the area under mango cultivation is the highest (1.64 lakh hectares), followed by pomegranate (1.56 lakh hectares), grapes (1.19 lakh hectares), mandarin orange (1.20 lakh hectares), banana (0.91 lakh hectares) and mosambi (0.65 lakh hectares). As per the first advance estimates, the total area under vegetable cultivation is 2022-23 is 11.62 lakh hectares, of which onion is the highest (9.18 lakh hectares), followed by tomato (0.60 lakh hectares) and green chilly (0.33 lakh hectares).

 

Although the BJP-Shiv Sena government has pledged to promote millets, both the area under cultivation and production have dropped for the crops. Around 20 years ago, the area under millet cultivation was 72.30 lakh hectares and production was 53.16 lakh metric tonnes. In 2021-22, the area under these crops was 23.07 lakh hectares and production was 22.69 lakh metric tonnes.

 

Under the Maharashtra Millet Mission, innovative concepts like 'millet of the month' and 'shet tithe poushtik trundhanya' are being implemented to popularise millets.

 

The real challenge for the government will be to enhance the irrigation potential, especially in Vidarbha and Marathwada, to draw small and marginal farmers to millet farming. They account for up to 78 per cent of all farmers in the state.

 

The total area under irrigation in 2021-22 was 43.38 lakh hectares. The command area under major and minor irrigation projects was 33.19 lakh hectares, while that under minor irrigation projects was 10.19 lakh hectares.

 

As part of the drought-free Maharashtra mission and providing better infrastructure to farmers to access water, the government has undertaken Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan 2.0. The project, undertaken between 2014 and 2019, has helped increase the irrigation potential.

 

The government plans to carry out soil and water conservation work in eligible villages where the first phase of the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan as well as other development programmes were not implemented.

 

Bridging the gap between the availability and efficient use of water in villages will be part of the project for sustainable development and agriculture.

The FSSAI has decided to extend the enforcement of regulations related to advertising & claims related to brand names identical with the characteristics of the product like fresh and natural. The food regulator has decided that the enforcement of these regulations shall be extended by six months from the date of notification so that the food businesses can exhaust their existing pre-printed packages.

 

Called the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Second Amendment Regulations, 2022, this regulation was notified in the Gazette of India on December 13, 2022, and enforced with immediate effect.

 

However, the food businesses made representations before the food authority seeking time as there was small but significant difference in the draft and final notification with respect to front of the pack labelling of such brand names.

 

'After due consideration of the representations of the food business operators and also to ensure sustainable practices for food business operations, it has been decided to extend the enforcement of sub-regulation (7) of regulation 4 of Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Second Amendment Regulations, 2022 for a period of six months from the date of notification,' reads the direction issued by the FSSAI.

 

The sub-regulation (7) of regulation 4 of the final amended regulations specifies that in case of trade mark, brand name or fancy name containing adjectives such as 'natural', 'fresh', 'pure' etc., a disclaimer 'This is only a brand name or trademark, or fancy name and does not represent its true nature:(relevant one may be chosen as applicable)' shall be mentioned 'prominently' on the front of pack of the label.

 

It is pertinent to note that in the direction dated Oct 26, 2021, regarding enforcement of Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, & re-operationalisation of Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Amendment Regulations, 2021; sub-regulation (7) of regulation 4 specifies that in case of trade mark, brand name or fancy name containing adjectives such as 'natural', 'fresh', 'pure' etc., a disclaimer 'This is only a brand name or trade mark and does not represent its true nature' shall be mentioned 'below such trade mark, brand name or fancy name'.

 

The same provision was also included in the draft Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Amendment Regulations, 2021, notified in the Gazette of India on Dec 27, 2021.

 

According to the FSSAI, representations were received from the stakeholders requesting an extension of implementation of the sub-regulation-7 due to the change in the final notification vis-a-vis draft notification as this would require changes in the artwork of the label and also to exhaust the existing old inventory of packaging materials.

In a move to harness export potential of millets to the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCCs), the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), that works under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lulu Hypermarket LLC.

 

APEDA aims to promote millet products and value-added products around the world in association with Lulu Group, which is an international retail hypermarket chain that operates stores and shopping malls across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, India and Far East.

 

As per the agreement, the group will facilitate promotional activities for millet products and enable the country to display millets and its value added products, ready to eat products in international retail chains by sourcing it from Farmer Producer Organisations, Farmer Producer Companies, women entrepreneurs and startups.

 

APEDA will facilitate manufacturers to send various samples of millet products to Lulu Hypermarkets, which will be showcased at its various stores. APEDA, in association with the group, will also provide assistance in labelling of the products in accordance with the requirement of different importing countries.

 

As a part of its series of events for the promotion of International Year of Millets (IYoM) 2023, APEDA is organising export promotion activities for millets in 16 International Trade Fairs.

 

India has exported millets worth $ 46.05 million during April-November 2022-23, and UAE being the major importing country of Indian millets. Signing of MoU will facilitate APEDA’s strategy to promote the export of millets and its value-added products in West Asian countries to achieve the overall set target of $100 million for export of millets and its value-added products by 2025.

 

The MoU was signed between Dr Tarun Bajaj, director APEDA and Salim VI, the chief operating officer of LuLu Group in presence of APEDA chairman Dr M Angamuthu, consul general of India Dr Aman Puri and M.A. Yusuff Ali, chairman & managing director of LuLu Group.

 

M Angamuthu said, 'It’s a mission and vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote millets in the international market. The APEDA team is ready to provide all required help to exporters, millet producers, women FPOs, to promote Indian millets across the globe. It’s a good opportunity to boost our exports as India has very distinctive traditional varieties of millets which are loved by health-conscious people. The export of millets will help in increasing the income of farmers.'

 

APEDA has also planned to organise millet promotional activities in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Sydney, Germany, United Kingdom and United States of America by facilitating participation of different stakeholders from India in some of the significant food shows, Buyer Seller Meets and Road Shows.

 

As part of the promotion of Indian millets, APEDA has planned to showcase millets and its value added product at various global platforms such as Foodex, Seoul Food & Hotel Show, Saudi Agro Food, Fine Food Show in Sydney (Australia), Belgium’s Food & Beverages Show, Germany’s BioFach and Anuga Food Fair, San Francisco’s Winter Fancy Food Show.

 

It is estimated that the millets market is set to grow from its current market value of more than $9 billion to over $12 billion by 2025.

Moving closer to its aim of self-sufficiency in milk production, the Kerala government will implement the Dairy Village project in 40 more panchayats during the next financial year, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Milk Cooperatives J Chinchurani said.

 

The proposed plan envisages payment of ?50 lakh for each chosen panchayat, with the amount being contributed equally by the civic body and the State government, she said after inaugurating Milma’s H2F (Help to Farmers) project in Kochi.

 

The announcement comes one-and-a-half months after the government announced ?12.5 crore to implement the Ksheera Gramam (Dairy Village) project under the State’s Commercial Dairy Milk and Milk Shed Development Programme.

 

'From 20, we are doubling the number of the panchayats,' the Minister said at the function, which also saw the release of four new Milma products.

 

Appealing to dairy farmers to go for total insurance cover for their cows and calves, the Minister said the government has been striving to improve the efficiency of the State’s dairy sector by enabling a rise in the volume of milk per cow.

 

'When Punjab stands first in the country with 14.5 litres of milk a day from a cow, Kerala comes second with 10.6 litres. We need to go up the rank,' she said.

 

Releasing the logo of H2F, Chinchurani also announced the launch of compensation to APCOS (Anand Pattern Cooperative Societies) in the event of damage to their buildings owing to natural disasters. She also declared open a scheme that entitles farmers with a minimal refund if they lose their cow or calf unexpectedly.

 

The government will implement the decisions taken at the recently concluded State Dairy Development Department conclave on the timing of milking the cows to increase their efficacy.

 

'We are trying to fix the time at dawn and dusk in place of the current general practice of small hours and afternoon. This will ensure an ideal gap of 12 hours and also facilitate the dairy farmers to engage in other day-time jobs that can increase their income,' she said.

 

Milma’s also released new products such as sugar-free Peda, Chocolate Peda, Jack Fruit Peda and Guava Ice-cream.

 

ERCMPU Chairman MT Jayan said the cooperative union has submitted to the government a set of developmental projects totalling ?40 crore. 'As much as 83 per cent of Milma’s revenues go to the farmers, while the rest is used for welfare purposes,' he added.

Amid the fall in onion prices, the government on Tuesday said it has directed cooperatives Nafed and NCCF to intervene in the market and immediately start procurement of red onion directly from farmers. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (Nafed) and National Consumers Cooperative Federation of India Limited (NCCF) have also been directed to simultaneously sell the procured onions in the consumption centres.

 

'Prices remained stable due to consistency in demand and supplies as well as export potential. However, the month of February saw a decline in prices of red onion, particularly in the State of Maharashtra where the modal rate dropped to Rs 500 -700/quintal,' the agriculture ministry said in a statement.

 

Experts attribute this fall due to increased production in other states, reducing dependence on the supplies from the major producing district of the country -- Nashik, it added.

 

In view of falling prices and to protect the interest of farmers, the ministry has directed two cooperatives Nafed and NCCF to immediately intervene in the market for the purchase of red onion. Nafed began the procurement on February 24 and has already purchased 4,000 tonne at above Rs 900 per quintal directly from farmers so far, the statement said.

 

Nafed has opened 40 procurement centres where farmers can sell their stock and get their payment online. It has made arrangements for the movement of the stock from purchase centres to Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi, it noted.

 

The government has been creating a buffer stock of onion in the last few years under the Price Stabilization Fund scheme to keep the supply chain smooth during the lean seasons.

 

In 2021-22, Nafed purchased 2.51 lakh tonne of rabi onion for buffer. This year, the government aims to buy 2.5 lakh tonne.

 

The Centre is in touch with state governments and keeping a close watch on the market so that additional interventions, if required, are taken for the benefit of farmers, as per the statement. Onion production in the country is pegged higher at 318 lakh tonne in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June) against 316.98 lakh tonne in the previous year.