The Philippines will remain as the world’s largest rice importer in 2025 for the third consecutive year as the country turns to foreign supplies to feed its growing population.

Improved demand in the European Union, West Asia and the US has boosted export order books by at least 10% from six months before, companies said, signalling a possible recovery from last year. Leather goods, footwear, and apparel are driving demand but engineering goods shipments for new projects are facing a challenge due to geopolitical tensions, exporters said.

In a development that gives India the advantage to gain geographical indication (GI) tag for its basmati rice, the European Union (EU) has re-published Pakistan’s application for such a tag for the fragrant rice under a new clause.

Terming the India-European Union Foreign Trade Agreement (FTA) the 'most difficult FTA,' External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said on Monday that it is the most difficult one because there are a lot of non-trade issues involved in this FTA.

The government is working on a verification system to help exporters deal with countervailing duty cases on domestic products over the RODTEP scheme, an official said. The exercise is important as countervailing or anti-subsidy duties were imposed on certain domestic units by the US and European Union (EU).

Avocados Australia Limited, the representative body for the Australian avocado industry, announced its much-anticipated entry into the Indian market, accompanied by cricket icon Brett Lee as the brand ambassador. This exciting collaboration marks a significant milestone for both Australian avocados and the Indian fresh fruit market. 

India is expected to remain the leading player in the global rice market, the latest projection by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) revealed. This development comes in spite of the restrictions imposed by the country on the exports.