The India-Africa partnership has been growing rapidly in recent years, and one of the key areas of cooperation is the agricultural sector. As two of the world’s most populous regions, India and Africa share a common interest in ensuring food security for their people. To achieve this, the two regions must work together to develop sustainable agricultural practices and policies.

 

In recent years, the Indian government has taken steps to strengthen its agricultural ties with African countries. This has included the establishment of the India-Africa Forum Summit, which brings together leaders from India and African countries to discuss issues of mutual interest. At the third such summit, held in Delhi in October 2015, the two sides agreed to strengthen agricultural cooperation in areas such as research, technology transfer, and capacity building.

 

India has also provided financial and technological support to African countries for the development of their agricultural sector. This includes the provision of agricultural machinery and equipment, training of farmers and extension workers, and the establishment of agricultural research centers. In addition, India has provided capacity building assistance to African countries in areas such as soil and water management, and crop production and protection.

 

At the same time, African countries have also taken steps to promote agricultural development. This has included the establishment of agricultural research institutions, the promotion of small-scale farmers, and the introduction of innovative farming techniques. African countries have also taken steps to improve their food security by increasing the production and availability of food. For example, some countries have implemented food aid programs and launched initiatives to reduce post-harvest losses.

 

The India-Africa partnership in the agricultural sector is seen as an important step towards achieving food security in both regions. By working together, India and African countries can share best practices, technology, and resources in order to develop more sustainable and productive agricultural systems. This will help to ensure that the people of both regions have access to the food and nutrition they need for a healthy and prosperous future.

Andhra Pradesh will soon contribute to 10% of India’s annual exports once new ports projects as well as last mile connectivity are completed, Industries & Infrastructure Minister Gudivada Amarnath said here on Tuesday.

 

The state’s exports increased by 15.31% compared to the performance in 2021-22, the recent Leads Report has said, placing it among the achievers in the coastal states, Amarnath said in an interaction with investors ahead of AP’s two-day global investors summit scheduled from March 3.

 

The government has informed investors about the availability of 48,352 acres of land bank for industrial development, as well as ready-built infrastructure to shorten the time required to set up new facilities.

 

Amarnath added that in the last three and a half years, his government has approved investments worth Rs.1.9 lakhcCrore. 'That would go on to create employment for around 90,000 people in the state in the future.'

 

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath assured investors that the government will help early completion and commissioning of their projects. 'We strongly believe reducing the time to start a business will have a significant impact on the manufacturer’s profitability. The state is building numerous plug-and-play facilities which will have ready-built factory sheds with quality power and water supply and help speed up setting up of manufacturing units.'

 

The state has embarked on a rapid growth path under the leadership of chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the state has emerged on top in the ease of doing business (EoD) for three consecutive years due to the governance reforms and investor-friendly policies, an official press release said.

Second Advance Estimates of production of major crops for agricultural year 2022-23 have been released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that foodgrain production of 3235.54 Lakh Tonnes is estimated in the current agricultural year. He said that, agriculture sector is developing day by day due to hardwork of farmers, proficiency of scientists and farmer’s friendly policies of the Government in the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

 

While appreciating the increase in the production of coarse grains in advance estimates, Shri Tomar hoped that there would be further increase in the production and use of coarse grains/nutritious grains in the coming years.

 

It may be noted that the year 2023 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Millets. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the name of   'Sri Anna' to coarse grains / nutritious grains.

 

The assessment of production of different crops is based on the feedback received from States and validated with information available from other sources. This assessment shall undergo further revision over successive estimates based upon feedback received from the states, alternative sources and other factors.

 

 As per Second Advance Estimates, the estimated production of major crops for 2022-23 is as under:

 

Foodgrains  –  3235.54 Lakh Tonnes (Record)

Rice  –  1308.37 Lakh Tonnes (Record)

Wheat – 1121.82 Lakh Tonnes (Record)

 Nutri / Coarse Cereals – 527.26 Lakh Tonnes

Maize  –  346.13 Lakh Tonnes (Record)

Barley – 22.04 Lakh Tonnes (Record)

Total Pulses – 278.10 Lakh Tonnes. (Record)

Gram – 136.32 Lakh Tonnes. (Record)

Moong – 35.45 Lakh Tonnes. (Record)

Oilseeds  –  400.01 Lakh Tonnes. (Record)

Groundnut  –  100.56 Lakh Tonnes.

Soyabean  –  139.75 Lakh Tonnes.

Rapeseed & Mustard – 128.18 Lakh Tonnes. (Record)

Cotton  –  337.23 Lakh bales (of 170 kg each)

Sugarcane – 4687.89 Lakh Tonnes (Record)

Jute & Mesta –100.49 Lakh bales (of 180 kg each)

 

As per Second Advance Estimates for 2022-23, Total Foodgrain production in the country is estimated at record 3235.54 lakh tonnes which is higher by 79.38 LMT as compared to previous year 2021-22.           

 

Total production of Rice during 2022-23 is estimated at (record) 1308.37 lakh tonnes. It is higher by 13.65 lakh tonnes as compared to previous year.

 

The production of Wheat (record) in the country is estimated at 1121.82 LMT which is higher by 44.40 LMT as compared to previous year’s production.

 

Production of Maize in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at (record) 346.13 lakh tonnes which is higher by 8.83 lakh tonnes than the previous year production of 337.30 lakh tonnes.

 

Production of Nutri / Coarse Cereals is estimated at 527.26 lakh tonnes which is higher by 16.25 lakh tonnes than the previous year’s production.    

 

The production of Moong is estimated at a new record of 35.45 LMT which higher by 3.80 LMT as compared to previous year’s production.

 

Total Pulses production during 2022-23 is estimated at 278.10 lakh tonnes which is higher by 5.08 lakh tonnes than previous year’s production of 273.02 LMT and 31.54 LMT higher than the average pulses production of last five years.

 

The production of Soybean and Rapeseed & Mustard is estimated at 139.75 LMT and 128.18 LMT respectively, which is higher by 9.89 LMT and 8.55 LMT respectively than the production of previous year 2021-22.

 

Total Oilseeds production in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at record 400.01 lakh tonnes which is higher by 20.38 lakh tonnes than the previous year’s oilseeds production. 

 

Total production of Sugarcane in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at record 4687.89 lakh tonnes. The production of sugarcane during 2022-23 is higher by 293.65 lakh tonnes than the previous year’s production.

 

Production of Cotton is estimated at 337.23 lakh bales (of 170 kg each) and production of Jute & Mesta is estimated at 100.49 lakh bales (of 180 kg each).

 

The estimated production of various crops as per the Second Advance Estimates for 2022-23 vis-à-vis the comparative estimates for the years 2012-13 onwards is enclosed.

India on Tuesday called on G20 nations to adopt '3S' strategy - Smart, Sustainable and Serve - for the agriculture ecosystem in order to address the global food security concerns. Addressing media on the sidelines of the first G20 Agriculture Deputies' Meeting, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said agriculture for India has always been a priority and for the world it has fully come to the fore now.

 

'Our thinking is we have to adopt 3S strategy for the agriculture ecosystem to make a mark on the world food system,' Scindia said.

 

The 3S strategy is 'smart' and 'sustainable' agriculture which should 'serve' all, he said. For smart agriculture, Scindia emphasised on adopting drone and other new technologies for increasing the crop yield.

 

For sustainable agriculture, farmers should focus on achieving higher yields, use better inputs besides focusing on advanced technologies and marketing, he said.

 

Stating that India has made a significant progress in agriculture, the minister said it is the top nation in the world in milk production, second in vegetables and fruits and third in foodgrains production.

 

India's foodgrains output has risen from 265 million tonne to 315 million tonne in the last eight years. The budgetary outlay for the farm sector has been increased by four-and-half times to USD 10.5 billion (around Rs 86,700 crore) in the last eight years, he added.

 

Scindia, the union minister for civil aviation and steel, also mentioned that his home state Madhya Pradesh too has made a significant progress in the farm sector and is a major producer of soya and garlic.

 

The state's foodgrains output increased almost 4 times to 629 lakh tonne from 165 lakh tonne in last 18 years. Irrigation has improved by 50 per cent in the state, he said.

 

'Based on the outcome of the discussion, India and G-20 nations will provide a new road map for agriculture to the world,' he added.

 

The first Agriculture Deputies Meeting of the Agriculture Working Group (AWG) under India's G20 presidency is being held here from February 13-15.

 

The second day of the meeting will continue deliberations on four key priority areas: food security and nutrition; sustainable agriculture with climate smart approach; inclusive agriculture value chain and food supply system; and digitisation of agriculture transformation.

 

On the last day of the event on February 15, the delegates will deliberate on key deliverables of the AWG. It will be a technical session with discussions and participation from all members concerned and international organizations.

 

Next meetings of G20 AWG are likely to be held in Chandigarh, Varanasi and Hyderabad.

Use modern technologies in foodgrain management and Quality Control to bring more transparency and minimum human interface, said Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles and Commerce & Industry while reviewing the operations of Food Corporation of India UP Region in Lucknow.

 

He called upon all the officers to send their suggestions to make the functioning of Food Corporation of India more efficient and modern. Shri Goyal also directed FCI officers to use their expertise in the field of foodgrain management and suggest the better design of godowns in order to create higher capacities in limited area of land.

 

While reviewing the issues related to wheat and paddy procurement, he directed that FCI should open more procurement centres covering almost all revenue districts so the farmers have option to sell their produce to FCI or to any other agency. He appreciated the use of E-POP machine at purchase centres in UP and advised that the same system should be implemented in other states also in order to bring more transparency in the procurement system from farmers.

 

Keeping in view of the demand, population and vast geographic area of Uttar Pradesh, the Union Minister directed that more quantity of Wheat should be offered in the Open Market Sale Scheme to control the market price of Wheat.

 

While reviewing the storage capacities in the state Shri Goyal said that all the godowns of FCI, both owned and hired should be of highest standard. All the Godowns of poor standard should immediately be upgraded by undertaking required repairs else the same should be considered for de hiring.

Famous to produce litchi, kinnow, galgal and lemon along with mango, now the Nurpur area of Kangra district will get a new identity from the cultivation of guava with the efforts of the horticulture department and the hard work of the farmers.

 

Under the Integrated Horticulture Development Mission, 3334 saplings of two advanced varieties of guava have been procured from Lucknow and made available to the farmers by the department in Pandrehar and Loharpura panchayats under Nurpur development block.

 

In both the panchayats, a new and successful experiment has been done by planting VNR and Shweta varieties of guava on 26-26 kanals of land. In which guava orchards have been prepared by forming two clusters by connecting four farmers with horticulture activities.

 

According to the officials, along with solar fencing of both the orchards, water facilities are available from a check dam and storage tank of one lakh litres each for irrigation, from where the irrigation system has been ensured by applying two drips to each plant. The yield has started in this orchard in the second year but keeping in view the growth of plants and better crop the fruits have been plucked, they said.

 

These orchards have been prepared in a completely organic way. While farmers will get two crops in a year from this, 300 grams to one kilogram of guava will be produced from VNR variety while 250 grams to 350 grams of guava will be produced from Shweta variety.

 

Officials said that after five years, when the plant is fully prepared, every farmer will earn an average income of Rs 50,000 from one kanal in a year. Especially the off-season crop that is between November to January, the farmers will be greatly benefited by getting good prices in the market.

 

Harbans Singh a farmer from Pandrehar panchayat says that he has developed guava orchard with the inspiration and cooperation of the Horticulture department. Along with the guava plants planted on the raised bed, mustard, peas, onions and garlic have been grown on the vacant land, which have yielded a good crop. 'Its cultivation will also benefit us a lot in the coming times,' he said.

 

Hitendra Patial, subject matter expert of Horticulture Department, says that under the Integrated Horticulture Development Mission, guava orchard has been prepared with the help of 75:25 scheme to the gardeners. He said that the officers of the department visit the orchards from time to time and give technical advice to the farmers regarding the care of the plants.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which was established in 1986 and works under the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, has achieved phenomenal success in the promotion of export of agricultural products in its successful journey of 37 years.

 

Started with a merely USD 0.6 billion export in 1987-88, the APEDA’s active intervention took the export of agricultural products to a new height of USD 19.69 billion till April-December 2022-23 and expanded the export basket to over 200 countries. In 2021-22, the APEDA exported agricultural products worth USD 24.77 billion.

 

The target given to APEDA in the current financial year (2022-23) is USD 23.56 billion, out of which 84% i.e. USD 19.69 billion has been achieved till December 2022, and the remaining target is expected to be completed within the stipulated time period.

 

According to the WTO Trade Data, India was ranked at 25th in 1986, which slipped further to 28th in 1987 and at 29th position in 1988. However, the ranking of India improved significantly as the county’s position moved to 10th rank in 2019 which improved further to 9th position in 2020 and at 8th rank in 2021.

 

Aiming to take export of agricultural products to a new level, APEDA promoted IT-enabled activities for ease of doing business in the promotion and development of exports from India. APEDA has undertaken initiatives like paperless office (re-engineering, digital signatures, electronic payment facility), APEDA Mobile App, phase-wise delivery of online services, monitoring and evaluation, uniform access, and virtual trade fair to make governance more efficient and effective.

 

APEDA’s intervention led to setting up and upgrading the infrastructure of the country for agri exports and augmenting quality of agri exports.

 

Keeping in mind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘vocal for local’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, APEDA has been focusing on promotion of exports of locally sourced GI (Geographical Indications) tagged as well as indigenous, ethnic agricultural products. New products and new export destinations have been identified and accordingly the trial shipments have been facilitated.

 

As on date, there are 417 registered GI products and of them around 150 GI tagged products are agricultural and food GI out of which more than 100 registered GI products fall under the category of APEDA scheduled products (Cereals, Fresh Fruits and vegetables, processed products, etc).

 

Some of ethnic and GI tagged products exported by India include dragon fruit, patented village rice, jackfruit, jamun, Burmese grapes, dehydrated mahua flowers, and puffed rice. GI varieties of mango, GI tagged Shahi litchi, Bhalia wheat, Madurai malli, king chilli, Mihidana, Sitabhog, Dahanu Gholvad Sapota, Jalgaon banana, Vazhakulam pineapple, Marayoor jaggery, Khasi Mandarin (GI) from Meghalaya, etc.

 

The Agriculture Export Policy stepped in as an Institutional mechanism in 2018 for promotion of agricultural exports in the States for the first time with a focus on agriculture export-oriented production, export promotion, better farmer realization and synchronization with the policies and programmes of Govt. of India laying emphasis on farmer-centric approach.

 

A Market Intelligence Cell has been constituted in APEDA and the activity of dissemination of E-market intelligence reports comprising detailed market analysis has commenced.

 

A Farmer Connect Portal has also been set up by APEDA on its website for providing a platform for FPOs/FPCs, Cooperatives to interact with exporters.

 

Working in tandem with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, APEDA has taken a giant leap in making landlocked Purvanchal a new destination of agri export activities by developing Varanasi Agri – Export Hub (VAEH) in a record time. The Varanasi region, where almost NIL export activities were happening due to lack of basic infrastructure, is now abuzz with agri export activities.

 

After the intervention of APEDA, Varanasi region has recorded exemplary changes in the export scenario and registered many first-of-its-kind achievements in a very short span of time from Purvanchal region. The agri exports from Himalayan belt, J&K to Ladakh was an achievement in development of region with regard to agri exports. The landlocked states such as North Eastern Region, Uttar Pradesh, Uttranchal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh spurred in agri exports when their products were sourced from farmers and displayed in the retail chains of importing countries.

 

Non-Basmati Rice has emerged as India’s top export item among the many agricultural and processed food product exports under APEDA basket. With the export of USD 4663 million in nine months of 2022-23, it is recorded a significant contribution in the current fiscal. Other top products in the APEDA export basket in 2022-23 is Basmati Rice, Cereal preparations & Miscellaneous processed items and meat, dairy & poultry products.

 

As a part of the Indian Millets promotion on web, APEDA has designed, developed and launched the Millets Portal. It has also created a separate portal Indian Millet Exchange to promote millets.

 

Agricultural sector is one of the key sectors of the Indian economy as it provides direct employment to about 65% of the working population in the country and also forms the basis of major key industries. Agriculture contributes about 20.2% to GDP and about 14.1% India’s export of agricultural products during 2020-21.

 

Realising the importance of agriculture and processed food products export from the country, the Government in 1986 had set up Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) through an Act of Parliament under the Commerce Ministry. Then the newly created body replaced the then existing Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC). The APEDA had been undertaking most of the activities as per its mandate and scope of work allocated spanning its 14 product categories which mainly includes the sector of fruits and vegetables, processed fruits and vegetables, animal, dairy and poultry products and cereals.

 

Over the years, APEDA has been handling issues concerning product safety, quality and global promotion for all its product categories, compromising more than 700 products. With the agriculture awareness about environmental and food safety issues in the importing countries and constantly additional food norms and consumer preferences, APEDA has been constantly sensitizing its trade exporters about export requirements and also providing assistance for setting up of infrastructure facilities for common uses and as well as by the concerned member exporters for having export oriented production for exports from the country.

 

Considering the importance of food safety and traceability required by the importing countries of developed economies, APEDA took a number of initiatives in the area of quality development such as preparation of standards, procedures for identified potential products, development of residue monitoring protocol, recognition of laboratories and implementation of traceability systems, etc.

 

The Government of India through the Ministry of Commerce initiated development of National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), which was approved by the Government on May 2, 2001 and APEDA designated as Secretariat for NPOP.

 

Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF) organizes workshops/capacity building programmes for stakeholders across the country.

 

The visionary approach, aggressive and consistent efforts of APEDA has enabled India to position itself as a consistent and quality supplier of agri products.

The G20 submit will come out with new solutions, such as new technologies, to boost farm productivity which is key to addressing the global food security concern, said Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister while inaugurating the first meeting of the Agriculture Working Group (AWG) under India's G20 presidency adding that India will continue to play a major role in fulfilling world's food requirements.

 

'The country will use every opportunity to cater to world's food security needs, ' he said adding that the world will need 345 million tonnes (MT) foodgrains by 2030.

 

In the current fiscal year out of 4.6MT of wheat export, Madhya Pradesh contributed 2.1 MT, Chauhan. The area under cultivation in Madhya Pradesh has gone up to 299 lakh hectares from 199 lakh hectares 18 years ago. The production has gone up from 619 lakh tonnes from 159 Lakh tonnes in this duration, he said.

 

Talking about millets he said India is making the world aware about millets and it's benefits, thus creating global demand for the same.

 

Chauhan said that it is important to move towards natural farming in order to protect human health as well the health of the environment in order to pass on a better environmental to the future generations.

 

Natural farming is promoted under the Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati Yojana a sub scheme under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana being implemented by the agriculture ministry.

 

According to the agriculture ministry, 0.5 million hectare (MH) is covered under natural farming mostly in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh has 0.1 MH under natural farming. More than 0.73 million farmers have already initiated natural farming methods.

 

The three-day event organised to deliberate on agriculture-related matters on the first day. It is expected to be attended by around a hundred delegates from G20 member countries, guest countries and international organizations.

 

On the second day, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will be present and there will be a general discussion among the participating members and international organizations.

 

The third day will be dedicated to the deliberations on the key deliverables of AWG. It will be a technical session with discussions and participation from all members concerned and international. organizations.

The government on Monday said illegal subsidies by trade partners and other countries hurt Indian trade and business, and that corrective actions are taken in the form of invoking dispute settlement mechanisms. The Department of Commerce on February 9, 2023 had stated that illegal subsidies by trade partners and other countries hurt Indian trade and business, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh told the Lok Sabha.

 

'At a multilateral forum, the disciplines regulating the provision of subsidies and the use of countervailing measures to offset injury caused by subsidized imports are addressed in the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures,' he said in a written reply.

 

According to him, the subsidies whether they are prohibited (illegal) or actionable are determined by three major steps within the Subsidies and Countervailing Measures agreement.

 

Based on them, corrective actions are taken in the form of invoking dispute settlement mechanism, Singh said.

Raw coffee prices have rebound over the past few days, providing some relief to beleaguered growers. As a result, a majority of the growers are resorting to more of 'consignment sales' rather than the 'outright sale' of the beans.

 

Through consignment sales, growers are storing their produce with the coffee curers, anticipating prices to go up in the days ahead. The firm trend in prices in recent days points to the crop being lower than initial estimates, stakeholders said.

 

Farmgate prices of raw coffee such as arabica parchment, which ruled at Rs.13,000-13,500 per 50-kg bag at the end of December, are now hovering at around Rs.14,750-15,100, an increase of around 11-13 per cent. Similarly, arabica cherry prices are currently ruling at Rs.7,200-7,450 (Rs.6,450-7,000 as of December 29, 2022).

 

Robusta parchment prices are hovering around Rs.9,800-10,300 levels (Rs.8,000-8,300), while the robusta cherry is ruling around Rs.4,600-4,900 (Rs.4,300-4,550).

 

Battling challenges

The harvest of the mild variety arabicas is almost over, while growers are busy picking the robusta beans across the key growing regions of Karnataka, which accounts for over two-thirds of the country’s coffee output. In the early part of the harvest season during December, growers were disappointed as prices had eased from the October highs, but the latest rebound has given them some relief. Coffee growers have been battling challenges such as changing climate patterns, higher input costs and shortage of trained labour.

 

'Arabica production is down compared to the initial estimates as a majority of the growers have harvested a lower crop. However, compared to the last year, the arabica crop will be slightly more this year. The robusta crop is down. In fact, robusta prices are ruling quite firm as the world market is also sensing some shortfall,' said Mahesh Shashidar, Chairman, Karnataka Planters Association, the apex coffee growers body.

 

Bose Mandanna, a large grower in Suntikoppa near Madikeri, attributed the improvement in prices to the demand situation. 'The crop is not that great as there was damage due to excessive rains and those who have commitments are trying to cover up,' Mandanna said.

 

Need-based buying

Ramesh Rajah, President, Coffee Exporters Association, said a lower arabica crop was the reason for higher prices, even as the export demand is slow as overseas buyers are resorting to more need-based buying. 'Order books are low from what we hear,' Rajah said, adding that the impact of the recession in the West on coffee consumption is not clear.

 

Rajah said the coffee arrivals are slow this year compared to normal years as growers, expecting prices to firm up further, are resorting to more of consignment sales. Coffee arrivals, in a normal year peak during February. 'This year the proportion of coffee going into storage and not being sold, seems to be very high' Rajah said.

 

As 97-98 per cent of the coffee growers lack storage space, they tend to store their produce with curing works. 'The proportion of consignment sales are more this year as compared to the outright sales,' said a coffee curer in Chikkamagaluru. In a consignment sale, growers store their produce with the curing works and sell it at a later date .

 

The state-run Coffee Board in its post monsoon estimate had pegged higher the 2022-23 crop in Karnataka. Arabica output is seen higher at 72,945 tonnes (68,025 tonnes in the previous year) and robusta at 1.81 lakh tonnes (1.73 lakh tonnes). Overall Indian crop for the 2022-23 season is seen higher at 3.60 lakh tonnes as per Board’s post monsoon estimates over previous year’s final estimate of 3.42 lakh tonnes.