Watan-Jordanian media reported that Qatar has banned the import of fresh leafy vegetables from Jordan, except 'upon fulfilling specific conditions and precautionary measures.'

 

This came according to a decision conveyed by the Qatari Ministry of Health to concerned parties in Jordan, as reported by the local news website 'Ammon.' The decision sparked controversy among activists on social media and prompted an official clarification.

 

The website obtained documents indicating that shipments must be accompanied by a conformity certificate issued by one of the companies accredited by the Qatari Ministry of Health as a third party for pre-inspection in Jordan. This is a precautionary measure to ensure compliance with pesticide residue limits.

 

According to the documents, the Qatari decision also includes all chilled or frozen seafood such as fish, shrimp, squid, and cuttlefish coming from India.

 

The Qatari Ministry of Health’s decision, as reported by Jordanian media, has not been published by the Qatari ministry on its official website or its social media accounts, nor has any Qatari media, official or private, referred to it so far.

 

After the news was also published by Jordanian media, there has been no official Qatari comment on this matter, neither from the Ministry of Health nor the Qatari government in general, at the time of writing these lines.

 

Official Clarification: The decision does not imply a ban and is a routine annual procedure

The decision does not mean a ban; it’s a routine annual measure After the stir caused by this news, the spokesperson for the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture, Lawrence al-Majali, issued a statement clarifying the matter.

 

He pointed out that the requirement for pesticide residue limits on Qatari imports of Jordanian leafy crops 'is not a ban on the entry of leafy vegetables but rather a routine and annual precautionary measure.'

 

He further stated, as reported by 'Ammon,' that the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture is concerned with meeting the requirements of importing countries in terms of Jordanian products complying with specifications and technical regulations.

 

Jordanian Official Reveas the Extent of Jordanian Losses from the Qatar Blockade

Jordanian official reveals the extent of Jordanian losses from the blockade of Qatar Al-Majali also noted that the ministry, as part of a national agriculture strategy, is working on a national plan to reduce pesticide residues in all Jordanian vegetable and fruit products for the local market and for export markets.

 

Jordanian agriculture also works on the necessary procedures to facilitate agricultural exports and improve their quality, according to al-Majali, who confirmed that Qatari health requirements regarding conformity certificates are a procedure adopted by Jordan for its imports. He added, 'It also works to achieve this for Jordanian exports to other markets such as European and Gulf markets.'

 

According to the media spokesperson for the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture, the measure taken by the Qatari authorities is a precautionary measure taken annually by them and is reviewed for the control of agricultural pesticides with imports of plant products to ensure their quality.

 

It seems that this controversy arose across social media due to events in Gaza and the ongoing war, coinciding with popular protests in Jordan rejecting the entry of vegetables and goods to the occupying entity through Jordan.

India’s nutraceutical industry with current market size of $4 billion is growing rapidly beyond everyone’s expectations, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Kamala Vardhana Rao said on Thursday. Addressing an event organised by industry body Assocham, Rao said, '…the nutraceutical industry is not just growing but flourishing at a rapid rate, surpassing all expectations.' The focus on nutritional and food security has intensified due to rise in demand and supply, he said, adding that the regulatory role becomes paramount to ensure safety and efficacy of products amid tinkering in the genetics of foodgrains like wheat and rice.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Advisor in the Ayush Ministry Manoj Nesari said both neutraceuticals and ayurveda sectors are growing rapidly amid heightened regulatory focus, innovative breakthroughs and a symbiotic relationship between the two sectors. He said the Harmonized System (HS) Codes for export of these products, though smaller in digit, are being implemented.

 

The Harmonized System is a standardised numerical method of classifying traded products. Assocham National Wellness Council Co-Chair and Aroma Magic Chairperson Blossom Kochhar, Zeon Lifesciences Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Garg, SHEFEXIL Chairman Lal Hingorani and Tech Sci Research Vice President Alwin Samuel were also present at the event.

The meeting of the highest decision making body of the WTO on Friday entered the fifth day with key members including India, the US and EU holding talks to iron out differences on issues such as agriculture, fisheries subsidies, and duty moratorium on e-commerce trade.

 

The 13h ministerial conference (MC), which was to end on February 29, extended for a day as developing and developed nations were unable to find a common ground on these key issues.

 

The members are talking to end the impasse and so far things have not moved much, an official said.

 

'There are nine countries in the Green Room meeting including Brazil and China. The negotiations have been extended as WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is pushing for outcomes,' the official said.

 

However, officials here are not sounding positive so far about bridging the differences and coming out with a ministerial declaration, which is a must for the success of the conference.

 

India has clearly stated that finding a permanent solution to the public stockholding of grains for food security purposes should be the top priority before taking up any new issues in the agriculture sector.

 

There are major differences among rich nations also on issues related to market access for agri commodities. There are seven agri matters which include export restrictions.

 

An official said talks are going on among the member nations on all the issues and India is clearly stating that it will not compromise the interests of farmers and fishermen.

 

New Delhi is pressing for a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding of grains for food security programmes and has asked developed countries engaged in distant water fishing to stop providing any kind of subsidies for 25 years.

 

India is also pressing for an end to the moratorium on imposing customs duties on e-commerce trade.

 

India and South Africa have blocked a proposal led by China on investment facilitation stating that the agenda is out of the WTO mandate.

 

India has also asked for the restoration of the appellate body of the WTO's dispute settlement system. The US has been blocking the appointments of judges in the body since 2019, due to which the system is not working smoothly.

 

New Delhi is pitching for finding a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding (PSH) for its food security programmes.

 

PSH programme is a policy tool under which the government procures crops like rice and wheat from farmers at a minimum support price (MSP) and stores and distributes foodgrains to the poor.

 

As part of a permanent solution, India has asked for measures like amendments in the formula to calculate the food subsidy cap.

 

Further, the talks on non-trade issues such as trade inclusiveness, women's participation in trade, industrial policy and environment, in the draft Abu Dhabi package also remained unresolved so far.

 

However, the ministerial has managed to get at least five outcomes such as new disciplines on domestic regulation for services, formal joining of Comoros and Timor-Leste as members of the WTO, and least developing countries continuing to get the benefits of LDC even three years after graduation.

 

Besides, India is also pushing for the adoption of open and interoperable payment systems with a view to cut the cost of money transfers or remittances as the dominance of a few large players in the market contributes to these high costs through complex and opaque fee structures.

 

According to an expert, the challenge of high remittance costs, averaging 6.18 per cent globally, are well above the United Nation's target of 3 per cent.

 

MC is the highest decision-making body of the 166-member Geneva-based multilateral body. As many as 22 more nations have shown interest to join the organisation.

 

At the meeting of the Heads of Delegation on 28 February, DG Okonjo-Iweala has called on members to go the extra mile to find convergence on various negotiations at the ministerial gathering and to be mindful that time is running out to conclude meaningful agreements.

The government on Thursday estimated the country's production of food grains to be about 154.19 million tonnes during the kharif season and 155.12 million tonnes in the rabi season in 2023-24.

 

As per the second advance estimate of major agricultural crops released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, kharif rice output is estimated at 111.46 million tonnes. For the rabi season, the estimate is 12.36 million tonnes.

 

Production of wheat is projected to be 112.02 million tonnes.

 

The estimate for millet grain (Shree Anna) production is 12.89 million tonnes during the kharif season and 2.49 million tonnes during the rabi period.

 

The estimate for tur is 3.34 million tonnes, slightly more than last year's production of 3.31 million tonnes.

 

Gram projection is estimated at 12.16 million tonnes, which is marginally lower than the previous year.

 

Lentil output is estimated to be 1.64 million tonnes, compared with 1.56 million the previous year.

 

Production of soybean is projected at 12.56 million tonnes, while that of rapeseed and mustard is estimated at 12.70 million tonnes.

 

The advance estimate projects cotton output to be 32.31 million bales (of 170 Kg each) and sugarcane production to be 446.43 million tonnes.

A NITI Aayog working group on agriculture has suggested the government to re-visit its open-ended procurement policy for rice and wheat at minimum support prices (MSP) to dissuade farmers from growing these crops and instead move to other crops such as nutri-cereals, pulses and edible oil as their demand could surpass production by 2047.

 

'The open-ended procurement of rice and wheat at minimum support prices acts as a disincentive for diversification towards high-value and riskier crops,' it said in a report submitted to the Aayog on Thursday.

 

'It is, therefore, important to re-think about the policy of open-ended procurement, and restrict the procurement of rice and wheat to the requirements of the country's food security and welfare schemes,' it said, suggesting that farmers be compensated through price deficiency schemes for the additional market surplus. 'If they diversify away from rice and wheat, they can be compensated for the revenue foregone from these, if any.'

 

The 23-member working group on crop husbandry, agriculture inputs, demand and supply, set up by the Aayog in 2022 under PS Birthal, director, ICAR-NIAP, was tasked to study and analyse the trends in demand and supply of major food commodities and examine the changing consumer preferences for food and related items by 2047 and make suitable recommendations.

 

The other recommendations of the working group included evolving economically feasible cropping patterns suited to the resource endowments to meet the disproportionate increase in the demand for fruits, vegetables, pulses, edible oils, nutri-cereals and maize compared to rice and wheat,

 

Besides, it suggested aggressive investment in infrastructure required for perishable commodities to avoid post-harvest losses and reduce high price volatility through private investment.

 

'Promote millet consumption and production, reduce consumption of edible oils which is more than its recommended intake and may adversely affect human health and enhance pulses production,' it said.

 

According to the report, pulses will remain one of the key components of the Indian diet, even as production remains lower than the demand. 'There is a need for a technological breakthrough in pulses, and for exploring possibilities of their cultivation in rice-fallow areas,' it said.

 

The working group said that with the sustained rise in per capita income, changing lifestyles and increasing consumer preferences for nutritious foods, the consumption basket will continue to diversify away from staple cereals towards high-value food commodities.

INI Farms, part of the AgroStar Group, has shipped its first container of ‘Kimaye’ pomegranates to the United States through the sea route. Travelling nearly 20,000 kms, this is the longest distance travelled by any Indian fruit in the world, the company said.

 

Pomegranate shipment through the sea route is the result of more than year-long joint efforts of APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture Govt of Maharashtra, Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB), United States Department of Agriculture APHIS (USDA APHIS), NPPO, Pomegranate National Research Center (NRC) and INI Farms. This encompassed various initiatives from farm registrations, training & monitoring, air shipment trials, development of sea protocol, static trials for shelf life extension and post-harvest treatment, the company said.

 

The container consignment of 12.6 tonnes of ‘Kimaye’ pomegranates was flagged off by Rajesh Aggarwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Abhishek Dev, Chairman, APEDA, at MSAMB’s Irradiation Facility Center in Vashi (Navi Mumbai) on Wednesday.

 

India is the world’s largest producer of pomegranates, with over 2,75,500 hectares of land under cultivation. During the fiscal year 2022-23, the country exported over 60,000 tonnes of pomegranates to UAE, the Netherlands, Oman, Bahrain and others.

 

The successful export of pomegranates to the US opens up a new opportunity for Indian pomegranate farmers and exporters and will open doors to other long-distance markets like Australia.

 

Rajesh Agarwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, said, 'There is a huge opportunity for exports for the Indian agriculture industry. India’s unique agro-climatic conditions combined with the vast diversity of F&V offerings and our ability to grow produce around the year give us a unique advantage in the global F&V trade. Such initiatives are connecting Indian farmers to the world and this will massively benefit both parties as global consumers will get the opportunity to enjoy Indian produce and as a result, Indian farmers will prosper with the help of access to global markets. This initiative is a good start and a testament to the growing Indo-US relations.'

 

Abhishek Dev, Chairman, APEDA. said, 'Fruit exports from India have been growing steadily over the last few years. We are seeing 29 per cent year-on-year growth in fresh fruit exports and pomegranate alone is growing at 20 per cent year-on-year and has the potential to grow further in the coming years. This initiative is a collaborative effort from the production side, the exporter and the buyers. We are grateful to the efforts of the USDA officials who helped us implement the right practices. We also developed sea protocols which have helped us build a 60-day shelf life of the product and preserve its quality. With the success of this first commercial sea trial shipment of pomegranates to the US, we are hopeful that it will open up many more opportunities for F&V exports to the US.'

 

Pankaj Khandelwal, Co-CEO, INI Farms, said, 'We are proud to be the pioneers in the industry to ship pomegranates to the US. This milestone is part of the continuous efforts of the entire INI Farms team that has helped put the Indian Farmer on the world map by making great quality Indian fruits available worldwide.'

 

Michael Schreuder, Dy Principal Officer, US Consulate-Mumbai, said, 'This is a landmark day for India-US trade as this consignment of pomegranates commences its journey via a 37-day journey by sea. This initiative is also a demonstration of the growing bilateral relations and trust between the two countries.'

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released Second Advance Estimates of Major Agricultural Crops (Kharif & Rabi Season) for the year 2023-24. From the last agricultural year, the summer season has been segregated from Rabi season and therefore this year Second Advance Estimate of area, production and yield includes only two seasons i.e. Kharif and Rabi season.

 

This estimate has been primarily prepared on the basis of information received from State Agricultural Statistics Authorities (SASAs). The data received has been validated and triangulated with information received from Remote Sensing, Weekly Crop Weather Watch Group inputs and other agencies. Further the climatic conditions, previous trends, price movements, mandi arrivals etc. are also considered while preparing the estimates.

 

The details of production of various crops (Kharif & Rabi only) are given as under:

 

Kharif Foodgrains– 1541.87 LMT/ RabiFoodgrains– 1551.61 LMT

Kharif Rice -1114.58 LMT; Rabi Rice – 123.57 LMT

Wheat – 1120.19 LMT

Kharif Maize – 227.20 LMT; Rabi Maize– 97.50 LMT

Kharif Shree Anna– 128.91 LMT; Rabi Shree Anna– 24.88 LMT

Tur – 33.39 LMT

Gram –121.61 LMT

Kharif Oilseeds–228.42 LMT / Rabi Oilseeds– 137.56 LMT

Soybean –125.62 LMT

Rapeseed & Mustard – 126.96 LMT

Sugarcane – 4464.30 LMT

Cotton – 323.11 Lakh Bales (170 Kgs. each)

Jute – 92.17 Lakh Bales (180 Kgs. each)

The Kharif foodgrain production is estimated at 1541.87 LMT, and Rabi foodgrain production is estimated at 1551.61 LMT.

 

Kharif Rice production is estimated at 1114.58 LMT as compared to 1105.12 LMT in 2022-23, showing an increase of 9.46 LMT. Production of Rabi Rice is estimated at 123.57 LMT. Production of Wheat is estimated at 1120.19 LMT, which is higher by 14.65 LMT as compared to previous year production of 1105.54 LMT.

 

Production of Shree Anna (Kharif) is estimated at 128.91 LMT and Shree Anna(Rabi) is estimated at 24.88 LMT. The production of Jowar (Kharif) and Jowar (Rabi) is estimated at 15.46 LMT and 24.88 LMT respectively, which is higher by 0.66 LMT and 1.66 LMT respectively, than the previous year. Further, Production of Nutri/Coarse Cereals (kharif) is estimated at 356.11 LMT and Production of Nutri/Coarse Cereals (Rabi) is estimated at 144.61 LMT.

 

Production of Tur is estimated at 33.39 LMT which is approximately similar to last year’s production of 33.12 LMT. Further the Tur harvesting is still progressing, which may result further changes in successive estimates. Production of Gram is estimated at 121.61 LMT which is marginally lower from previous year’s gram production but higher than the average (2018-19 to 2022-23) Gram production. The production of Lentil is estimated at 16.36 LMT which is higher by 0.77 LMT than the previous year’s production of 15.59 LMT

 

The production of Soybean is estimated at 125.62 LMT and production of Rapeseed & Mustard is estimated at 126.96 LMT which is approximately similar to last year’s production however higher by 20.57 LMT from average production. The production of Cotton is estimated at 323.11 Lakh Bales (of 170 Kg each) and production of Sugarcane is estimated at 4464.30 LMT.   

 

While preparing the kharif crop production estimates the Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) based yield has been considered. However, States are still under the process of compiling results of Kharif CCEs. Further, CCEs of few crops viz., Tur, Sugarcane, Castor etc. are still ongoing. The Rabi crop production is based on preliminary area sown report and the average yield. Therefore, these figures are subject to change in the successive estimates on the receipt of better yield estimates based on CCEs. The production of various Summer crops will be included in the forthcoming third advance estimates.

 

The details of Second Advance Estimate 2023-24 along with previous estimates are available on upag.gov.in .

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his British counterpart Kemi Badenoch will make another attempt to iron out differences and decide the future course of action on the much-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries before the general elections.

The ministers are expected to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization’s four-day summit – the 13th Ministerial Conference -- in Abu Dhabi.

 

The meeting between Goyal and Badenoch will take place a week after a delegation headed by commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal was sent to London to seal the deal.

 

'The bilateral between Piyush Goyal and his UK counterpart at the sidelines of the WTO meet (MC13) holds the key for the future course of action,' a person aware of the matter told Business Standard.

This is an indication that the ball is now in the courts of respective political leaders to announce the signing of the FTA deal as most of the issues have been closed at the negotiators' level.

'Certain issues can only be resolved after a final political call is taken to sign the deal,' the person cited above said.

India and the UK have been negotiating a trade deal for over two years now. Both sides already missed the Diwali deadline in 2022, set by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

A year later, both sides were aiming to finalise the deal by October in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak in New Delhi. However, continued differences have delayed the deal.

The latest meeting also assumes significance as both sides are trying to arrive at a consensus ahead of the general elections in India.

Before Barthwal’s visit, the Prime Minister’s Office also reviewed the progress of the proposed deal.

Last month, a UK delegation led by Sunak’s chief economic adviser Douglas McNeill was in New Delhi to discuss the proposed FTA and an investment treaty.

 

To date, 14 rounds of negotiations have taken place.

Some of the contentious issues include the UK's demands for lower tariffs on whisky, automobiles, and electric vehicles, as well as its attempt to seek more opportunities in telecommunications, legal, and financial services in the Indian markets.

Other tricky areas included chapters on the rules of origin and intellectual property rights. Similarly, India is bargaining hard to seek a resolution on London's plan to roll out the carbon border tax on its imported goods from 2027 and an inclusion of the social security agreement.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi said that robust 8.4% GDP growth in Q3 2023-24 shows the strength of Indian economy and its potential. He also reiterated that our efforts will continue to bring fast economic growth which shall help 140 crore Indians lead a better life and create a Viksit Bharat.

 

The Prime Minister posted on X;

 

'Robust 8.4% GDP growth in Q3 2023-24 shows the strength of Indian economy and its potential. Our efforts will continue to bring fast economic growth which shall help 140 crore Indians lead a better life and create a Viksit Bharat!' 

India and South Africa have filed a formal objection against an investment agreement at a World Trade Organization meeting in Abu Dhabi, blocking its adoption, a document showed and delegates confirmed on Wednesday.

 

The Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement, agreed by some 125 countries or about three-quarters of the WTO's members, aims to simplify red tape, improve the investment environment and encourage foreign direct investment.

 

But according to WTO rules, any one of its 164 members can block a deal from being adopted by the body - a step which is necessary to ensure that countries are in compliance.

 

'We underscore that given the lack of exclusive consensus, this is not a matter for the...(meeting) agenda,' the document said. The Indian and South African delegations did not immediately comment publicly on the development.

 

Negotiations to set new global trade rules on a broad range of topics are due to wrap up on Thursday, although delegates said that little progress has so far been made, barring the formal accession of two new members to the body: East Timor and Comoros. A paragraph on climate change is confined to an annex of the draft package of deals since members cannot agree.

 

'It's hard to tell if we are going to land something or if we are sleepwalking into failure,' said one trade delegate.