Restoration of a fully functional dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is the topmost priority, India said Wednesday at the working session on Dispute Settlement (DS) Reforms at the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference here. New Delhi proposed a three-point action plan that included providing opportunity to members to bring in new proposals at any stage, transition the discussions on dispute settlement reforms to WTO formal bodies, and restoring the appellate body.

 

The appellate body of the system is defunct for more than four years as the US has been blocking the appointment of judges, leading to the EU suggesting a Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), which is an alternative system to resolve WTO disputes that New Delhi has opposed as such an arrangement undermines the multilateral trading system. The 166-member WTO is discussing reforms of the dispute settlement system, which is termed as its 'Crown jewel.'

 

'India emphatically called for the restoration of the appellate body as the topmost priority of any reform process, along for effective formalisation of the ongoing informal dispute settlement reform discussions among some members at the WTO,' the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement. New Delhi also wants formalisation of the ongoing 'informal' dispute settlement reform discussions as such talks make it difficult for developing countries to participate effectively. Members resolve disputes by finding a mutually agreed solution, or through adjudication, whose ruling can be challenged at the appellate body.

India has submitted that per farmer subsidies provided by some developed countries were up to 200 times that of developing countries, and there was a strong case for establishing a level-playing field for millions of low-income farmers by starting the reform process with finding a permanent solution to public stockholding for food security, at the ongoing 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi.

 

'In the negotiating session on agriculture on Tuesday, India made a strong and compelling argument to finalise the permanent solution to public stockholding (PSH) and deliver this outcome at MC13, as this has been pending for 11 years. India recalled the three mandates on PSH from the Bali Ministerial of 2013, the General Council decision of 2014 and the Nairobi Ministerial decision of 2015,' per a statement issued by the Commerce Department.

 

New Delhi highlighted the vast differences in the actual per farmer domestic support provided by different countries, as notified to the WTO. 'Some developed countries provide subsidies which are 200 times than the subsidies provided by the developing countries. It was the membership’s duty to ensure a level playing field in international agriculture trade for millions of low-income or resource-poor farmers,' it emphasised.

 

Proposing a sequential approach to the overall reform process in agriculture, India said first and foremost, the permanent solution to the PSH has to be delivered as it already had a past mandate. After that, it was important to protect the treaty-embedded Special and Differential Treatment provision allowing flexibilities to developing nations. 'After that, if any discussion on reduction of domestic support commitments take place, the process should start with eliminating subsidies for countries who provide massive subsidies on a per capita basis,' the statement added..

 

At present, PSH subsidies given by developing nations, including for MSP programmes, are subject to a cap of 10 per cent of production value.India and other developing countries want a permanent solution incorporated in the Agreement on Agriculture that will give them the flexibility to expand their MSP and other PSH programmes without the apprehension of breaching the cap and attracting legal action. 

 

Although a peace clause negotiated at the Bali Ministerial Conference of 2013 gives developing countries immunity against legal action in case the cap got breached, it is limited to programmes existing in 2013 and riddled with many onerous conditions.

 

Without a permanent solution on PSH, the most critical and long-pending mandated issue at the WTO, developing countries’ fight against hunger cannot be won, it said

 

The significance of the issue was so high for developing countries and LDCs that more than 80 countries representing over 61 per cent of the world’s population, comprising the G33 group of countries, Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) and the African Groups, had co-sponsored a proposal on permanent solution.

 

India argued that the focus of the negotiations should not be narrowed down to the trade interests of exporting countries only, as the real concern is the food security and livelihood of people. 

Vietnam has imported husked brown rice from India for the first time in decades to process the grain and export the refined, white variety, trade and government sources said, as Hanoi tries to cash in on strong global demand for the staple.

 

Vietnam, the world's third biggest rice exporter, has imported at least 200,000 metric tons of husked brown rice from India between December and February, the sources said.

 

Vietnam is receiving brisk export orders for rice after India, the world's biggest exporter, imposed a ban on white rice exports in 2023.

 

Rice shipments from Vietnam surged to a record 8.3 million metric tons in 2023.

 

Surging exports have led to a drawdown in stockpiles in Vietnam, which is still keen to meet rising global demand, said an exporter in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata.

 

Since rice paddy was not available in Vietnam for milling, some traders imported husked rice from India and made a good profit by processing and exporting the grain, he said.

 

Soon, other traders followed suit, the exporter said.

 

While India's husked brown rice was offered at around $500 per metric ton on a free-on-board (FOB) basis on the east coast, Vietnamese dealers sold the polished grain at over $600, the sources said.

 

Vietnam started buying husked brown from India only recently, and it now accounts for around 95% of India's total husked brown rice exports, they said.

 

Hanoi is currently importing around 70,000 metric tons of husked brown rice from India every month, said a government official, who declined to be identified, as he's not authorised to talk to the media.

 

Although the new season's supplies have started trickling in in Vietnam, Indian rice is still cheaper, the Kolkata-based exporter said.

 

Before India imposed the rice export ban, Vietnam imported 100% broken white rice to make animal feed and beer.

 

The Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Malaysia are leading importers of rice, and they depend on exports from India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Myanmar.

 

India currently allows exports of only parboiled and premium basmati rice varieties. 

Vedanta Aluminium has launched a 'Jeevika Samriddhi Project', a sustainable agriculture initiative, for farmers in Jharsuguda district, Odisha. The project will be impacting over 400 farming households in its initial phases, as per the reports.

The project sets its sights on an additional 500 households in Parmanpur, Kumudapali, and Dalki villages. Focusing on smart agricultural practices, the initiative aims to uplift and empower rural communities.

In its current phase, the project introduces sustainable solutions, including pond restoration, solar pumps for reliable irrigation, and modern micro-irrigation methods.

 

Till now, the improved irrigation facilities have enabled farmers to engage in year-round cultivation, reducing dependency on rainfall. Solar irrigation systems in existing bore wells, implemented in Phase III, augment infrastructure, supporting the cultivation of various hybrid vegetables.

 

Agri-allied activities like pisciculture provide additional income sources, integrating fish farming with traditional agriculture for optimal land utilization.

Comprehensive training and exposure visits will empower farmers with knowledge in climate-smart agriculture practices and modern technological interventions.

Indian onion will start to arrive in Bangladesh in the first week of March. India will send the onion to Bangladesh under a bilateral agreement. A total of 50,000 tonnes of onions will be imported under the agreement.

 

Commerce ministry sources confirmed the matter.

 

Onions are being sold at high prices in the country's market for a long time. Every year during the month of Ramadan the demand for onions becomes higher than any other time.

 

The market stakeholders fear that the price of onion will increase further in the upcoming Ramadan. In this situation, the government wants to import 50,000 tons of onions from India before the month of fasting to keep the market supply and prices normal.

 

Earlier, India permitted the export of 50,000 tonnes of onions to Bangladesh ahead of Ramadan, relaxing the vegetable's export ban.

The Indian government has pegged its wheat procurement target for the 2024-25 rabi marketing season at 35 million tonnes (mt),s going by its experience over the past two year. The conservative target, lower than any normal year, is despite the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare hoping for a record wheat production, sources said.

 

However, a government official, who was present at the meeting, said the total estimated procuerement as tod by the States was 36.7 mt. The Centre, however, may prune this taking a more realistic approach, he said.

 

In the 2023-24 season, the government procured about 26.2 mt of wheat out of the targetted 34.15 mt and in 2022-23 only 18.8 mt was bought for the Central Pool against the target of 44.4 mt. The Food Ministry said the lower procurement was due to a dip in production. While traders and processors said the government’s production estimates were on the higher side, the Agriculture Ministry stuck to its output assessment even as prices in domestic market ruled high throughout 2023-24 despite ban on export.

 

States lacking confidence

However, the Food Ministry was unable to dispute the production estimates and commenced releasing wheat from official reserves starting June 28. Thus far, approximately 9.5 mt have been sold in the open market to maintain price stability.

 

State officials, barring those from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, weren’t as confident about reaching the normal procurement levels seen three years ago when the government bought a record 43.34 mt. Nonetheless, they are optimistic about surpassing last year’s levels, according to sources.

 

Punjab, which had procured the highest among all States at 12.12 mt last year, may procure 13 mt this year, while Uttar Pradesh has told the Centre that it could contribute 6 mt, even higher than the record 5.64 mt achieved in 2021-22. Last year, UP could procure only 2.20 lakh tonnes of wheat.

 

In Madhya Pradesh, the Centre is hopeful of buying about 8 mt in 2024-25, against 7.1 mt in 2023-24, though the State had contributed 12.94 mt in 2002-21 to become a topper pipping Punjab. The Government did not release the wheat procurement target after the meeting of State Food secretaries.

 

Output may top 111 mt

Though the Agriculture Ministry is yet to release its official production estimates of wheat for this year, it is learnt that it could be about 111 million tonnes, against record 110.55 mt in 2022-23 crop year (July-June).

 

Meanwhile, Himanshu Pathak, Director-General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said at the annual general meeting of the top research body that the country’s wheat output may exceed the targetted 114 mt this year on good weather and coverage of 85 per cent area with climate-resilient varieties.

 

E-auction price at 12-week high

However, even as the Government is optimistic about record output, wheat prices in the weekly e-auction of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) reached above the minimum support price (MSP) level on Wednesday and also hit the highest in last 12 weeks.

 

According to Food Ministry data, FCI sold 4.65 lakh tonnes of wheat out of 5 lakh tonnes offered an an average Rs.2,279.45/quintal — up from Rs.2,237.15 in the previous week also from MSP of Rs.2,275 . The previous high was on December 6, 2023, when the average selling price in the auction was Rs.2,301/quintal.

 

Exports of poultry products such as eggs and egg products, which crossed the Rs.1,000 crore mark in the first nine months, are set to scale to hit a new record of Rs.1,200 crore to Rs.1,400 crore in the current financial year 2023-24 on strong demand from countries such as Oman and Sri Lanka among others.

 

India’s poultry exports had touched a high of Rs.1,081 crore ($134.04 million) during 2022-23, doubling over the previous year’s Rs.529.8 crore ($71 million) on rising demand for eggs and egg products among others. In the first nine months of the current fiscal, the poultry exports stood at Rs.1,074 crore ($134.02 million).

 

Shipment volumes till end of December stood at 8.56 lakh tonnes over previous financial year’s 6.64 lakh tonnes.

 

Exports of eggs to Sri Lanka have witnessed more than a 100 fold increase in value terms in the first nine months with the neighbouring nation emerging as the second largest buyer of Indian poultry products. Value of poultry products exported to Sri Lanka stood at Rs.117.19 crore till December end in the current fiscal as compared to Rs.98 lakh during 2022-23. In volume terms, the shipments to Sri Lanka stood at 1.69 lakh tonnes till December end in current fiscal over previous year’s 1,416 tonnes.

 

Exports to Oman, the largest buyer of Indian poultry products stood at Rs.293.90 crore in the current fiscal till December as compared to Rs.277 crore in 2022-23. Other countries that saw an increase in poultry shipments till end-December include Japan at Rs.82.91 crore (Rs.57.77 crore in 2022-23) and Qatar at Rs.63.38 crore (Rs.51.60 crore) among others.

 

Valsan Parameswaran, Secretary, All India Poultry Exporters Association, said robust demand from countries such as Sri Lanka and Oman among others is driving the exports. 'We expect the overall exports this year to be between Rs.1,200 crore to Rs.1,400 crore,' Parameswaran said.

 

Besides robust demand, the growing quality awareness among the farmers and the trade is also contributing to the growing trend, Parameswaran said, while stressing upon the need for creating additional infrastructure such as a dedicated quality laboratory in the main producing region of Namakkal in Tamil Nadu.

 

Mahesh P S, Joint Commissioner and Director, Centre of Excellence for Animal Husbandary, Bengaluru, said going forward, the poultry exports will increase both in chicken meat and eggs.

 

'The focus on quality poultry products at competitive prices will increase the pie. New states joining the bandwagon of South India’s poultry hub are West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Punjab etc. India being driven by primary choice in the global arena in this millennium, finds partners for poultry too and next year’s target may be Rs.2,000 crore,' Mahesh said.

 

Parameswaran said the Indian exporters are also witnessing demand from African countries, but transportation and realisations were an issue. Also there is a rare opportunity from Russia that’s likely to open up for the Indian products, he said.

 

Indian poultry exports, which stood at Rs.768 crore ($117.42 million) in 2015-16 had subsequently touched a six year low of Rs.435 crore ($58.70 million) during 2020-21 only to rebound in the past three years.

The  Indian food authority has asked the  Commissioners of Food Safety of States and Directors of Regional Offices, to monitor the pendency of licensing applications under their jurisdiction through FoSCoS Dashboard and instruct the concerned licensing authorities to strictly adhere to the timelines as prescribed under clause 2.1.4 of Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, and orders issued by FSSAI from time to time.

 

In an advisory, FSSAI has urged all Designated Officers that 'No pre-licence inspections shall be conducted in cases other than mentioned in the Order for Risk Based Inspection.

 

'In the case where Designated Officer believes that it is necessary to conduct inspection in non-mandatory categories, he/she shall record the reason in writing with clear justification,' reads the advisory issued by the FSSAI.

 

The food regulator added that, once an application is marked for inspection in non-mandatory categories, inspection

should be done within 15 days.

 

And, in case, inspection is not conducted within 15 days, DO should recall the application back to Document Scrutiny Stage in FoSCoS and grant the licence.

 

Further, in case, where DO still believes that inspection is necessary to be conducted prior to grant of licence, he/she can reassign the inspection to another FSO or to himself/herself for immediately conducting the inspection without any further delay.

 

The FSSAI had earlier issued directions for Risk Based Inspections in May 2022 wherein pre-licence inspections have been mandated for the categories of Manufacturer/Processor including Milk & Milk Products, Meat & Meat Products, Fish & Fish Products, Fortified Rice Kernels (FRKs) and Slaughter Houses.

 

In remaining categories of food business, it was already prescribed that no pre-licensing inspection is required

and licence may be granted based on the submission of mandatory documents for licence.

 

According to FSSAI, it has come to notice that Designated Officers are frequently marking licensing applications for pre-licensing inspection in non-mandatory cases which is delaying the processing of applications and grant of licence.

 

In some applications, it was observed that inspection is not initiated even after 15 days of marking of inspection.

India may overtake Asian country like China - which currently stands the highest in food export, manufacturing, and bioprocessing.

 

The Vice Chancellor of DY Patil International University, Prof Prabhat Ranjan, predicted that India will excel and hopefully overtake Asian country like China - which currently stands the highest in food export, manufacturing, and bioprocessing - in the forthcoming decades and emerge as a global epicentre. He said this while addressing the inaugural session of a national conference on ‘current trends in the food and bioprocessing sector’, which was held here during 23-24 February.

 

The event served as a platform for academic discourse and exchange, bringing together esteemed professionals, scholars, and students from across the nation. The Director of the School of Bioengineering and the Co-convenor for the conference, Prof Shashi Singh welcomed the attendees to the university and the city and expressed hope for the awaiting discussions to be fruitful for all attendees.

 

In her keynote address, Dr Malathy Venkatesan, a senior chief scientist at Tata Chemicals innovation centre in Pune, reminisced the days when she taught at the Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology (addressed by her as UDCT - the former name of the institution) and acknowledged the university’s role in fuelling her interest in science. Her talk canvased a comparison between the consumption of alternative sugars and common sugars. It shed light on the differential metabolism of different sugars, debunked the myth of artificial sweeteners being related to better health objectively, and explained the hormonal influence over hunger, among other subjects.

 

Sruthi Sadanandan, the chief product strategist and founder at Altruistic Innovations and an industry expert at the conference, discussed alternative protein spaces and the burgeoning field of cultivated meat. In her talk, she elucidated the abundant scopes and job opportunities available in the domain in addition to highlighting the currently faced challenges and technological advancements in the area. Sandanandan’s talk was followed by a paper and poster presentation session.

 

Prof Smita Lele, a former emeritus professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) in Mumbai inspired the audience with her discourse on ‘holistic’ research and the encouragement to investigate upon the observance of odd results with the belief that a breakthrough may be waiting to be realised underneath the observation.

 

The final talk for the day was delivered by the Founder & Director of Food Monk Consultants LLP in Pune, Bhagyashri Chavan. Her presentation delved into entrepreneurial opportunities in the food processing industry, the nuances of starting a food product manufacturing business, and consumers’ predilection towards healthier and minimally processed food.

 

The conference provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the latest developments and opportunities in the food sector, setting the stage for further exploration and collaboration in these fields.

 

The second day of the conference commenced with a talk from the chief guest and keynote speaker for the day, Dr Chiranjit Chowdhury who is a senior scientist from National Chemical Laboratory. He spoke about bacterial microcompartments and their employment as versatile and sustainable armours for enzymes against adverse conditions while they are used in bioprocessing techniques.

 

Dr Rahul Bhambure, a senior scientist at the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune spoke on continuous downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies. He convincingly established during his talk how continuous radial chromatography is superior to continuous axial chromatography and the wondrous increment in process productivity observed by wielding continuous radial chromatography.

 

Dr Jyoti Sagar Gokhale, an assistant professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, spoke about integrated bioprocessing of fruit waste to produce value-added products. She discussed the products that she and her group concocted like bio-vanillin, chocolate-flavoured powder from jackfruit seeds, and several equally interesting creations and their respective manufacturing processes.

 

An industry expert, Dr Anbarasu Karthikaichamy, who is the associate director of R&D at Zero Cow Factory, located in Gujarat, spoke about synthetic biology and precision fermentation and delineated the many upsides and the need to adopt precision fermentation in the dairy industry for a sustainable future and to produce milk healthier than naturally drawn milk.

 

Dr Balakumaran - a scientist at the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) in Kerala, discussed the contemporary biotechnology industry’s expectations, opportunities in the industry and the knowledge gap potentially employable students are faced with. The talk spanned from a comprehensive strategy to search for relevant jobs and the nuances of the varied career choices to success stories of organisations that bridged the gap between graduates and industry essentials. The talk was followed by a games segment where attendees enthusiastically partook in the games ‘what’s in the box’ and ‘guess the food item with emoticons.’

The Washington state apple industry faced a significant setback when India imposed a 20% tariff in retaliation to US tariffs on steel and aluminum. This move effectively closed off what was the second-largest market for Washington apples in 2018, where the state contributed 53% of India's apple imports, plummeting to a mere 1% after the tariff imposition.

 

However, the landscape shifted dramatically on September 6, with the removal of these tariffs, sparking a resurgence in apple exports from Washington to India. 'On that day, shipments to India started in great value and volume. So far, we've shipped 1.3 million cartons of apples to India,' Todd Fryhover, President of the Washington Apple Commission, revealed. The lifting of tariffs is not just a win for apple exports but also heralds significant economic benefits.

 

'Apple exports in 2022 were valued at more than $250 million, and now, with India's apple tariffs lifted, that number will only grow,' Kristin Ang, NWSA Co-Chair and Port of Tacoma Commission President, stated, underscoring the optimistic outlook for Washington's apple industry.