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28 Mar, 2024 News Image Japan s corn use, imports expected to rise
Corn imports and consumption are forecast to increase in Japan for marketing years 2023-24 and 2024-25 as the country’s poultry layer population recovers from outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and feed demand rises while global prices soften, according to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.
 
In its Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report, the FAS said it anticipates robust import demand for corn in both marketing years as the country is highly dependent on imported ingredients to produce formula feed. 
 
Total corn consumption is seen at 15.32 million tonnes in 2023-24 and 15.35 million tonnes in 2024-25, due to slight increases in food, seed and industrial (FSI) use. Each marketing year, feed and residual use is pegged at 12 million tonnes. Corn is the primary ingredient for formula feed, accounting for a little less than 50% of the inputs for the estimated 24 million tonnes of total formula feed production in Japan. 
 
To meet corn demand, Japan is expected to import 15.3 million tonnes in 2023-24 and 15.35 million tonnes the following marketing year. Japan imports corn predominantly from the United States and Brazil and switches between them seasonally based on prices.
 
Meanwhile, the FAS forecasts food wheat and rice consumption to slightly decrease in 2023-24 and 2024-25 as Japan’s population declines and the shift in age demographics changes consumption trends. Furthermore, inflation fueled by the weak Japanese yen has caused consumers to reduce food purchases. 
 
FSI consumption for wheat in 2024-25 is projected at 5.45 million tonnes, down 0.4% from the 2023-24 estimate, and total demand is seen at 6.1 million tonnes. Production will increase slightly in 2024-25 to 1.16 million tonnes, up slightly from 1.14 million tonnes the previous year.
 
'While per capita wheat consumption has been stable in recent years averaging at slightly over 30 kilograms per year, per capita wheat consumption will face a moderate downward trend as the population ages and decreases its carbohydrate intake,' the FAS said.
 
Rice production is anticipated to fall 1% to 7.2 million tonnes in 2024-25, which continues a trend of the past decade caused primarily by the exit of small-scale farms, declining table rice demand and aging farmers and fewer younger farmers. 
 
Rice consumption for 2024-25 is forecast at 7.95 million tonnes, which has been fairly stable in recent years. Imports are expected to reach 685,000 tonnes in 2024-25, down slightly from 688,000 tonnes from a year ago.

 Source:  world-grain.com
28 Mar, 2024 News Image Govt to begin procurement of 500,000 tonnes of rabi onion in 2-3 days
Amid concern over likely fall in mandi prices in view of extension of onion export ban, the government on Tuesday assured farmers that it will start procurement of 5 lakh tonnes of rabi onion in next 2-3 days to protect their interest.
 
Last week, the commerce ministry extended the ban on onion export till further orders. The ban on onion shipment was valid till March 31.
 
'We want to assure farmers that their concern will be taken care of. ...We will begin procurement of 5 lakh tonne of rabi (winter) crop in the next 2-3 days for maintaining a buffer stock,' Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh told reporters.
 
The onion export ban is affecting traders and not farmers as average mandi (wholesale) prices are ruling currently at around Rs 13-15/kg in Maharasthra, which is almost double from the previous year level, he said.
 
'Even if prices crash, we will protect the interest of farmers,' he added.
 
The secretary said the government normally buys onion for the buffer stock at a prevailing mandi rates. However if the rates fall below the cost of production, the government will ensure their cost is covered at least.
 
In 2023-24, the government had procured 6.4 lakh tonnes of onion (both rabi and kharif crops) for the buffer stock at an average rate of Rs 17 per kg. Almost entire quantity has been disposed off, he said.
 
Nidhi Khare, Officer on Special Duty in the Consumer Affairs Ministry, said the onion procurement during the last year was done in June but this year it is going to kick-start early in the next two days.
 
Two nodal cooperative agencies -- Nafed and National Cooperative Consumers'? Federation of India (NCCF) -- will undertake procurement, she said.
 
For the procurement, NAFED and NCCF are to pre-register the onion farmers to ensure that payments to the farmers are transferred to their bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer.
 
About the impact of likely fall in rabi onion production on retail prices, the secretary said the average retail prices are currently stable at Rs 33/kg in the country.
 
The government has chalked out an action plan to address the supply-demand gap in two ways. The government is testing improving shelf life of 1,322 tonnes of onion through radiation treatment, and secondly farmers in key growing areas will be encouraged to grow early kharif crop subject to weather conditions, he said.
 
Rabi onion production is estimated to decline by 20 per cent to 190.5 lakh tonnes in the 2023-24 season (July-June), as against 237 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period as per the agriculture ministry data.
 
Rabi onion is critical for country's onion availability as it contributes 72-75 per cent of annual production in the country. The rabi onion is also crucial for ensuring year-round availability of onion as it has better shelf life compared to Kharif (summer) onion and can be stored for supplies till November-December.
 
In a separate statement, the consumer affairs ministry said the recent decision to extend onion export prohibition has been necessitated by the overall domestic availability against the prevailing international prices and global availability concerns.
 
The government, meanwhile, has allowed exports to neighbouring countries that rely on India for their domestic consumption requirements. The government has allowed the export of onion to Bhutan (550 tonnes), Bahrain (3,000 tonnes), Mauritius (1,200 tonnes), Bangladesh (50,000 tonnes) and UAE (14,400 tonnes i.e. 3,600 tonnes/ quarter).
 
The ministry also mentioned that the continuous procurements by NAFED and NCCF have guaranteed remunerative prices for onion farmers all through the year in 2023. Subsequently, the government adopted retail sale intervention for disposal of onion at subsidized price of Rs 25 per kg last year.
 
'The timely intervention and calibrated release ensured stabilization of retail prices effectively without impacting farmer realization,' it added.

 Source:  business-standard.com
28 Mar, 2024 News Image Bangladesh to import 50,000 tons onion from India
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in a meeting on Wednesday approved in principle a proposal of the Commerce Ministry in this regard.
 
Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali presided over the meeting.
 
As per the proposal, state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), a subordinate body of the Commerce Ministry, will import the onion from Indian National Cooperative Export Limited on G-to-G basis.
 
However, the price of the onion was not disclosed in the meeting as the proposal will again come to the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase for approval.
 
'At that time, the rate of the onion might be disclosed,' said an additional secretary of the Cabinet Division who briefed reporters about the decision.

 Source:  dhakatribune.com
27 Mar, 2024 News Image FTA talks with SACU nations on the cards after new govt takes over.
Discussions for a free-trade agreement (FTA) between India and the five-member South African Customs Union (SACU) nations may begin after the new government takes over in June, two people aware of the matter said.
The customs union includes South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini. 
After the Lok Sabha elections, India plans to reach out to SACU nations to launch trade talks, one of the persons cited above said.

 Source:  business-standard.com
27 Mar, 2024 News Image Exporters work on product identification problems under UK s replacement scheme for GSP.

The UK government’s decision to replace the popular Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) programme, which offered import duty concessions to developing nations and LDCs for certain items, with the 'simpler and more generous' Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) has resulted in some inadvertent confusion for Indian exporters as product description under the new scheme is different from one used by India for exports, sources have said.


 Source:  thehindubusinessline.com
27 Mar, 2024 News Image China expands access for imported food, agricultural products, fostering globally shared market.
China continues to expand its agricultural and food product market access, fostering a globally shared market and generating new development opportunities for the world. As part of recent developments in the sector, 38 Brazilian meat enterprises were granted export qualifications for China, as announced by the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
 

 Source:  globaltimes.cn
27 Mar, 2024 News Image Indian onion imports to Bangladesh to proceed despite export ban.

According to State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu, Bangladesh is set to receive 50,000 tons of onions from India in the coming days, despite a recent export ban by the Indian government. This move comes after India granted an exemption to Bangladesh and five other nations, allowing them to import onions in an effort to stabilize domestic markets.


 Source:  freshplaza.com
27 Mar, 2024 News Image India and Germany Move Forward on Sustainability with Inaugural GSDP Conversation Series; Dr. Philipp Ackermann Highlights Farming's Vital Role.

On March 22, 2024, the German Embassy, in partnership with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), launched the inaugural 'GSDP Conversation Series' at Sunder Nursery Park in New Delhi. This initiative marks a significant step in advancing the Indo-German Partnership for Green and Sustainable Development (GSDP). Key topics discussed during the inaugural event include green energy, urban sustainability, and climate resilience, with a specific focus on countries such as Cameroon, Peru, Ghana, Benin, and Malawi.


 Source:  krishijagran.com
27 Mar, 2024 News Image Government has directed NCCF and NAFED to initiate procurement of 5 lakh tonnes of onion for the buffer requirement directly from the farmers.

In the current year, the Government has directed NCCF and NAFED to initiate procurement of 5 lakh tonnes of onion for the buffer requirement directly from the farmers as Rabi-2024 harvest started arriving in the market. For the procurement, NAFED and NCCF are to pre-register the onion farmers to ensure that payments to the farmers are transferred to their bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer.


 Source:  pib.gov.in
27 Mar, 2024 News Image Amul goes international: Desi dairy giant to launch fresh milk in US within a week, says MD Jayen Mehta.

For the first time, Amul fresh milk will be available outside India, with the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) launching four variants of milk in the US market within a week, to cater to Indian diaspora and Asian population. 'We have been exporting dairy products for many decades. This is the first time we are launching fresh milk outside India,' GCMMF MD Jayen Mehta told PTI.


 Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com