Business activity in India expanded robustly in May, helped by the dominant services industry, according to a survey that also showed exports rising at a record pace and the sharpest job addition rate in nearly 18 years.

With many African countries, such as Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, and Cote d’lvoire, actively looking beyond China for attracting foreign investments in agriculture — crucial for food security and economic growth — India is pushing its interests in the sector to secure economic and diplomatic ties with the region. 

If the European Union (EU) gives the Geographical Indication (GI) for Indian basmati rice, Pakistan exports can considerably be hampered, says a policy brief prepared by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).

The commerce ministry has prepared a draft comprehensive strategy for negotiating future Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and it will be circulated to certain key departments soon to get their feedback, an official said. The draft strategy in the form of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was recently discussed in a meeting involving former commerce secretaries, senior officers from different ministries and international trade experts.

The second Saudi Food Show, the largest global F&B sourcing event in the Kingdom, gets underway today 21 May 2024 at Riyadh Front, with the Saudi F&B industry on the cusp of huge growth. This year’s show, which runs until 23 May, will take place once again under the patronage of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, His Excellency Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef, with the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) as Strategic Partner.