The approval to import eggs from India was granted to only one company so far, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in its bid to alleviate shortages in the domestic market

“The company was given permission to import eggs from India based on their track record in bringing eggs from India to Qatar to meet the needs of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

“With the company's ability to deliver eggs in a short time, the ministry has agreed to grant special import approval for a period of six months commencing December 2022,” the ministry told Dewan Rakyat in a written reply dated Tuesday (Feb 28).

Nonetheless, the ministry did not reveal the name of the company that was granted this import approval.

The ministry was responding to Datuk Wan Saifulruddin bin Wan Jan [Bersatu-Tasek Gelugor ], who asked for the export volume of chicken eggs and the total production volume by local companies from 2018 until the end of February 2023.

Wan Saiful also asked the government to state the reason to import eggs from India, which are more expensive and the egg size is smaller; the list of the AP holders for egg imports, the way they were chosen, and the duration that this AP is in effect.

As a short-term intervention measure to ensure sufficient supply of eggs in the country, the ministry said it has allowed the importation of Fresh White Shell Egg type from India, weighing between 50-55 grams, which can be graded as grade D in Malaysia or medium in India.

“The issue of lack of eggs supply in the local market occurs when there is a decrease in production detected from October to December 2022, where the production cannot cover the needs in the country.

“So far, only one company has been given permission based on the application and proposal received from the company,” it said.

The ministry also said Malaysians on average consume 11.6 billion eggs a year, which translates to 968 million eggs every month, while production between 2018-2022 ranges from 10.9 billion to 13.6 billion eggs.

“Therefore, this production record clearly shows that egg production is sufficient for domestic needs every year, and there is a surplus that allows Malaysia to export eggs abroad.

“Malaysia is the fifth largest egg exporting country in the world, where(in) Malaysia’s main export destinations are Singapore and Hong Kong,” the ministry said.

A two-day Millets Mahotsav was organized from 28th February to 1st March 2023 at Bhojpur, Bihar. The event was inaugurated by Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras and brought the stakeholders of the food-processing sector on a common platform with a special focus on millets.

During his inaugural address, Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras stated that due to the initiative of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the United Nations declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets. He added that the UN declaration has put India at the forefront of championing the initiative and building a strong name for Millets globally. Touching upon the importance of millet and the immense market potential for millet-based value-added products, Shri Paras talked about the opportunities in millet processing in the state of Bihar. The state is known for the production of Jowar, Bajra, Ragi and Small Millets. During the year 2021-22, Bihar has exported 21,187.60 MT Millets worth 5.92 Million US Dollars and Bhojpur is the hub of sourcing of Sorghum and Small Millet.

Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras appreciated the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries for capacity-building activities in the food processing sector, benefitting the entrepreneurs to set up or upgrade the processing units in the region. He also elaborated on the various initiatives the Ministry of Food Processing Industries has undertaken to support the food processing sector. In addition, he cited the role of the PMFME Scheme in empowering micro food-processing enterprises by providing financial, technical, and business support across the value chain.

Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras also spoke about the efforts of the Government of India to augment trade across the global market through participation in events like GULFOOD-2023 held recently in UAE. The event, which witnessed participation from 125 countries, saw extensive participation from Indian exporters encompassing women entrepreneurs, start-ups, merchants and manufacturers showcasing agricultural, dairy, pulses and meat-based produce with a focus on Millets and their products.

The two-day event at Bhojpur, Bihar encompassed a wide range of activities like the exhibition and sale of various millet-based products, informative sessions on millet processing, interactive sessions between industry experts and micro food processing enterprises, SHGs, FPOs engaged in food processing. It witnessed an overwhelming response, with more than 1,000 participants attending the event, including micro food processing enterprises, self-help groups, farmer-producer organizations, producer cooperatives, etc.

The event was organised as part of a series of Millets Mahotsavs being celebrated across 20 States and 30 Districts in the country by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in the wake of the United Nations General Assembly declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets. The States that will be hosting the events include Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Punjab, Kerala, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, West Bengal, and Jharkhand.

In addition to the Millets Mahotsavs, a mega-food event - World Food India-2023 is being organized by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries from 3-5 November 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The event will provide a unique platform for all stakeholders, including producers, food processors, equipment manufacturers, logistics players, cold chain players, technology providers, academia, start-up & innovators, food retailers, etc. to interact and dialogue. Furthermore, the event, slated to be the biggest-ever congregation of dignitaries, global investors, and business leaders of major international and domestic food companies, will put India firmly on the global food landscape.

Being grown in more than 130 countries, Millets are considered traditional food for more than half a billion people across Asia and Africa. Millets are important by the virtue of their mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers’ income and ensure food & nutritional security all over the world. India is one of the leading producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of around 41 percent in global production. Recognizing the enormous potential of Millets, which also aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Government of India (GoI) has prioritized Millets. Spearheaded by the Honourable Prime Minister, the Government of India’s proposal for International Year of Millets (IYoM) 2023 was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The declaration has been instrumental for the Government of India to be at the forefront of celebrating IYoM.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has said that Shree Anna (Millets) is the need of the day, as it is rich in nutrients. In the present environment, whether at home or outside, food is available to us, but it lacks nutrients as per requirement. Nutrients should be in sufficient quantity in the food, for this it is necessary to have Shree Anna in our food plate. Shri Tomar said this as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the two-day National Millets Conference organized by Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur as part of the International Year of Millets.

Shri Tomar said that we know that millets are being produced as a special product in the world. With the passage of time, the share of millets in the food plate decreased and millets lost its competitive edge. Efforts are being made to promote millets again and increase its use. Under the leadership of India, the whole world is celebrating the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets. It will be formally launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at an International Conference in New Delhi on 18th March. Apart from this, G-20 meetings are due to be held in about 50 cities across the country this year, in which about two lakh people from abroad will visit India. Under the directions of the Prime Minister, a plan has been prepared for the promotion of millets through G-20 meetings. In all the programs of G-20, priority is being given to millets in food, so that when these people return to their country, they take good taste of food from here and India’s Shree Anna gets new recognition in the world. Our farmers and the country will get the benefit of this.

Shri Tomar said that the millets crop is rain-fed, which can be grown with less expenditure and consumes less water. Poor farmers can produce it in barren land. The more the use of millets increases, the more nutrients will be available in the food, which will benefit people. If the use of millets increases in the world, processing will increase, exports will increase, which will benefit small farmers and it will eventually help improve their financial condition. This International Year of Millets is very important from this point of view. To increase research on this in the country, three National Centers of Excellence have been set up in Haryana, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, through which a lot of work is being done. There are about 2000 Startups working in the Agriculture sector, most of which are related to millets. Agricultural products worth more than Rs 4 lakh crore were exported from our country, most of which are organic and millets. Lauding the contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University in promoting agriculture in Madhya Pradesh and making it emerge as a soya growing state, said the University is also working on millets crops that are vanishing, an area which needs to be doubled up. In the program, Member of Parliament, Shri V.D. Sharma, State Agriculture Minister Shri Kamal Patel and Vice Chancellor Prof. Pramod Kumar Mishra were among dignitaries present.

Shri Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles said that developed and developing countries must have different goals and timelines while being sensitive to each other's needs, potential goals and roadmap towards sustainability. He was addressing the gathering at Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Special Plenary Session of India Europe Business and Sustainability Conclave in New Delhi today. 

Shri Goyal highlighted that India has been one of the top 5 performers when it comes to benchmarking our work and meeting the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). ‘Technology, finance and sustainable lifestyles are going to play an important role in ensuring sustainable growth’, he opined. 

Shri Goyal urged world leaders to recognize that everyone must contribute their fair share in improving energy efficiency, in reducing waste, in boosting the circular economy and in achieving green goals by transitioning and helping other nations transition to green growth to make the world a better place to live in. India's partnership with the UK and the EU is significant in the global effort to make the planet safer and greener, he said. 

He reiterated India's commitment to ensuring that sustainability and inclusive growth defined India's growth story. The Minister urged all business leaders to focus on sustainability and ensure that all actions respect nature. 

Shri Goyal said that today’s businesses understood the value of sustainability and the complementarity of sustainability with business. He stressed that the long-term value proposition for any business came out of sustainability as it would make businesses safer for the stakeholders and prepares us for a better future. 

Speaking of Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of trusteeship, the Minister said that we must recognize the importance of inter-generational equity and added that we don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors but borrow it from our children. He also pointed out that to India, sustainability and respect for nature came traditionally and naturally

The Minister said that to a large extent the climate crisis was created by high levels of consumption and waste generation. He said that only a collective effort would help combat the climate crisis and achieve sustainable growth. He noted that the government would only be able to play the role of an enabler and that it would be business and people at large who would have to adopt practices that lead to sustainable development. ‘If we accept this as a global responsibility, a shared commitment for a better world, we can do wonders. We need speed and we need to scale up our efforts for a sustainable world’, he observed. 

The Minister referred to the jacket that was gifted to the Prime Minister during the Energy Week, that was made out of recycled plastic and said that the PM had worn it to the Parliament and it was a sign and an inspiration that we all needed to contribute to the Green Movement. He emphasized the importance of sustainability and inclusive growth in India's growth journey. He cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Zero Defect & Zero Effect Manufacturing, in which quality and sustainability are two crucial elements of India's growth journey. 

The Minister said that inclusive growth had been another vision of the Prime Minister, who aimed at bringing prosperity to every single citizen of the country. He noted that the government had succeeded in meeting the basic requirements of life of the masses, thereby raising aspiration levels, especially of the youth, and empowering them to drive economic growth. Shri Goyal highlighted India's large consumer base of 1.4 billion recognizing sustainability as an important element of future growth.

The Special Plenary Session of India Europe Business and Sustainability Conclave saw participation from European Union (EU), The Netherlands, Malta and United Kingdom (UK). 

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has notified amended rules for implementing all PRC (Policy Relaxation Committee) decisions regarding the levy of Composition Fee. DGFT is extending the benefit of reduced Composition Fee for cases where it has allowed an extension in EOP (Export Obligation Period) and/or regularization of exports already made. This was notified vide Public Notice No. 59/2015-20 on February 28, 2023 by amending Para 4.42 of Handbook of Procedures (2015-20).

The rationalization of Composition Fee calculations aids in automation and accelerated delivery of services by attempting to make the procedure simpler and more understandable. The revised Composition Fee model, which is based on a specific rate for different levels of the 'CIF value of Authorisation,' is less complicated and simpler to calculate. This will assist in streamlining the compliance process with minimal human intervention, reducing the risk of discrepancies and confusions. 

Automating the process will result in faster service delivery by reducing the need for manual calculations and paperwork. This initiative aims to integrate a uniform and transparent system for implementing all PRC decisions, including past decisions related to levying Composition Fee in the case of extending Export Obligation Period (EOP) and/or regularization of exports made under the Advance Authorization Scheme. The goal is to make doing business easier and reduce transaction costs.

Calculation simplification also contributes to the "Ease of Doing Business" mission by reducing complexity and making the procedures relatively easy for exporters. 

DGFT is working towards this goal by making the Composition Fee calculation procedure smoother and easier to understand for exporters. This initiate started with Public Notice No. 52 dated 18.01.2023 and continues with this PN issued today. These initiatives will eventually result in stronger trade facilitation and ease of doing business.