The Global Pulse Confederation (GPC)’s three days convention — Pulses 24 — will kickstart in Delhi on February 15 where several dignitaries including ministers, top officials and industry leaders from India and about 40 other countries are slated to discuss issues including strategies by India to achieve self-sufficiency in production.

 

The event, organised by GPC in co-operation with co-operative major Nafed, will amplify the message of pulses as smart crops for a sustainable future and provide a platform for collaboration and innovation to further this mission, GPC said in a statement.

 

'Pulses are vital in the development of sustainable food systems and key players when it comes to food security and nutrition in India. The time and place of GPC’s New Delhi convention this year couldn’t be more apt as we look at bringing the global pulses industry together to connect and collaborate,' said GPC President Vijay Iyengar.

 

'The presence of so many high-level government speakers points to the government’s active role in furthering the cause of pulses in the country, underlining the importance of these crops,' Iyengar said.

 

Despite being the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses, previous annual conferences organised by the GPC have been held in various locations worldwide, including Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Cesmi (Turkey), Vancouver (Canada), Barcelona (Spain), Singapore, Las Vegas (USA), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Cape Town (South Africa), and Sydney (Australia).

 

Sunil Kumar Singh, additional Managing Director of Nafed, said when he attended a global conference of GPC earlier he realised that it was never held in India and so he proposed the GPC Board to hold it here and it agreed.

 

Apart from providing a platform for the enhancement of the global pulses trade, GPC is committed to positioning pulses as smart crops for a sustainable future, the statement said. It is dedicated to increasing the consumption and production of pulses worldwide to mitigate the impacts of climate change, malnutrition and food insecurity.

 

India is working to develop new tariff codes, called Harmonised System of Nomenclature or HSN codes in trade parlance, for certain rice varieties to enable exports of those which are traditionally not consumed by the people in the country, officials said Tuesday. At present, all categories of non-basmati white rice are banned for exports.

 

The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), is working on separate HSN codes for rice varieties which are GI (Geographical Indications) tagged such as Red Rice, Black Rice and Kalanamak Rice.

 

Every product that is globally traded, is coded as per the HSN system which describes and classifies all these goods.

 

Rajesh Agarwal, additional secretary in the commerce department, said that there are 40-50 varieties of non-basmati rice and when the government bans the export of that, all the varieties such as Sona Masuri, Govind Bhog, Kalanamak, or normal white non-basmati rice get impacted.

 

He said new HSN code for some other varieties of rice is the demand of the industry and a decision would be taken after a detailed stakeholder consultation.

 

'We are trying to see whether is there a merit in doing so because as a country on one hand we will not like to impose bans on rice, which we are not worried too much about, but at the same time, we need to see that there is enough incentives for farmers to keep on producing the normal varieties of rice also which is the core staple diet of the country,' he added.

 

Currently, there are six HSN codes for non-basmati rice and one for basmati rice.

 

The move assumes significance as the Red Sea crisis is expected to impact India’s rice exports this year. Due to restrictions on exports of rice, sugar, and wheat, India’s agri-exports may fall 9% but the country has started exports of commodities like water chestnut and makhana (fox nut).

He said that in 2022-23, 22 million tones of rice were exported.

 

'This year we will not be exporting... Non-basmati rice, we are not exporting, because we do not know whether there will be an exportable surplus or not,' he said.

 

The government is likely to come out with revamped guidelines for the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) in the next one month.

 

APEDA chairman Abhishek Dev said that India’s export of agricultural products has reached $26.7 billion in 2022-23 from $0.6 billion exports in 1987-88.

 

India has expanded the export basket to over 200 countries and now supplies fresh fruits to 111 countries. The exporters’ body is also planning trial shipments of mangoes, and pomegranates to the US and the EU Union through sea routes.

The DGFT vide Notification No. 60/2023 dated February 13, 2024 notified the ‘Indian Trade Classification (Harmonised System) of Export Items, 2023’ for Chapter 01-39 of Schedule 2. This notification is in accordance with the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, and the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023. The export policy and conditions for items under Chapter 01-39 are specified and available on the DGFT website. The notification is effective immediately.

 

In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992 (No. 22 of 1992), as amended, read with Para 1.02 and 2.01 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023, the Central Government hereby notifies Chapter 01-39 of Schedule 2 (Export Policy) of ‘Indian Trade Classification (Harmonised System) of Export Items, 2023’ [Chapter 01-39 of Schedule 2 (Export Policy) of ITC (HS), 2023] as enclosed in the Annexure to this Notification.

 

Chapter 01-39 of Schedule 2 of ITC (HS), 2023 contains current export policy of items indicated alongwith policy conditions to be fulfilled, if any. The same is available on the DGFT Website (www.dgft.gov.in) under heading captioned ‘ITC (HS) based Export Policy (Chapter 01-39)’.

 

This shall come into force with immediate effect.

 

Effect of This Notification: ITC (HS) based Export Policy for Chapter 01-39 of Schedule 2 is notified.

 

India is trying to pry open the UK market for ghee in exchange for bringing the latter’s blue cheese to the Indian market, under the proposed free trade pact being negotiated by the two countries, an official aware of the matter said.

 

Trade negotiators have pressed the UK to waive its sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules to let in ghee and other dairy products, which remain shut from the British market.

 

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Dr Hasan Mahmud, during his recent visit to New Delhi, requested India to export 50,000 tons of onions (as well as 100,000 tons of sugar) before Ramadan. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal pledged to export 20,000 tons of onions. The meeting took place on February 9.

 

Dr Mahmud stated, 'We are dependent on the Indian market for many essential commodities, particularly onions, sugar, lentils and spices.' He further added, 'I requested them to set an export quota for us so that at least we can import these from them at the right price and per our requirement.'

 

In addition to trade discussions, Dr Mahmud also extended an invitation to Indian President Droupadi Murmu to visit Bangladesh.

The Indonesian government has issued the first import permits for horticulture products in 2024 after a five-week delay which has impacted shipments from key supplying countries and contributed to a shortage of imported fruits for the Lunar New Year sales period. 

 

The first horticulture import permits were issued on 2 February, allowing 2024 trade to commence, according to a source from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.

 

One leading Indonesian fruit importer confirmed his company received an import permit on 2 February and took its first airfreight shipment of Australian grapes around a week later. 'The import permits have been very late to release this year – it’s taken almost a month and a half,' he told Asiafruit. 'At last, we can continue our business again.'

 

Nevertheless, the importer noted that permits were being 'released slowly'.

 

Under Indonesia’s import process for horticulture products, importers must apply for an import licence from the Ministry of Agriculture known as a Recommendation to Import Horticulture (RIPH). Once they receive this licence, they can apply to the Ministry of Trade for import permits. Importers apply to import a certain volume by commodity, supply country and arrival port over a set time-period.

 

Lunar New Year supply shortage

 

The delay in issuing import permits has affected all Indonesia’s trading partners and comes after only a limited number of permits (quotas) were issued towards the end of 2023. This has resulted in a shortage of imported fruits for the Lunar New Year sales period in Indonesia. Supply of fruit from Thailand and China has been worst affected, according to the importer.

 

'The biggest shortage is on longan from Thailand, followed by ponkan mandarins and Fuji apples from China,' he said. 'There has also been a shortage of Tasmanian cherries for Lunar New Year, but that’s because of weather [issues] rather than the import quotas.'

 

Relief for suppliers

 

Australian table grape growers and shippers are breathing a sigh of relief that trade can resume as Indonesia is the industry’s second largest export market. With the season well under way, the industry had yet to ship any fruit to Indonesia as of the end of January, according to Australian Table Grape Association CEO Jeff Scott, who said the situation was causing 'distress for a number of growers'.

 

Australia shipped around 22,000 tonnes of grapes to Indonesia in 2022, according to data from the Asiafruit Congress Statistics Handbook 2023, representing some 18 per cent of the industry’s total grape exports and 9 per cent of Australian production.

 

The delays in issuing agriculture import permits have affected a range of Australia’s agriculture industries, most notably the live cattle and meat trade. Australia is Indonesia’s largest supplier of live cattle, with annual shipments of around 400,000 animals worth A$400m (US$240m) in recent years, according to Reuters.

 

Washington apple exports to Indonesia have also been impacted by the import permit delays. 'We could not ship any fruit for two or three weeks during January,' said Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission. 'That probably amounts to around 50,000-70,000 boxes we could not send. It’s frustrating, but we’re back shipping now and we’ve sent about 29,000 boxes over the past two weeks.'

 

Washington apple exports to Indonesia stood at around 335,000 cartons (18kg) in the season to date at the end of January, up 43 per cent on the same point last year, when the industry had a very small crop. Production is forecast to rebound to 140m cartons in 2023/24, which would mark the second-largest crop on record, and the industry is hopeful of recovering ground in Indonesia this year.

 

'We shipped a total of 592,972 boxes to Indonesia last year, which was down 22 per cent on the year before (762,574 boxes), so we’re hoping to get back up to 600-700,000 boxes this year,' said Fryhover.

 

The import permit delays have coincided with the build-up to Indonesia’s general election. Indonesian voters are heading to the polls on Wednesday (14 February) for what will be the world’s largest single-day election, with more than 200m people expected to vote.

 

The world’s third-largest democracy and fourth-largest population – home to more than 275m people – will elect a new president and vice-president from three pairs of contenders as well as choosing executive and legislative representatives at all administrative levels. The three candidates include defence minister and former army general, Prabowo Subianto; former Central Java governor, Ganjar Pranowo; and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan.

Boosting cooperation in areas of energy, ports, fintech, digital infrastructure, railways and investment flows are set to be focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) beginning Tuesday. Following talks between Modi and President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the two sides are likely to ink a number of agreements to shore up cooperation in several key areas.

 

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, addressing a press conference, said both sides are looking at firming up understandings in areas of ports, logistics, energy security, energy trade and digital domain, among others.

 

The Modi-Al Nahyan talks are scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

 

'We are also looking to see if we can arrive at an understanding on investments in the field of digital infrastructure, arrangements for the protection and promotion of capital flows,' he said.

 

Kwatra said there may be some understanding for cooperation in the domains of ports and maritime sphere.

 

'Since the digital cooperation between our two economies is an important element of the partnership, we are also looking to see if we can arrive at an understanding on investments in the field of digital infrastructure,' he said.

 

Kwatra said the two sides are also examining possible cooperation in the areas of maritime heritage as well as on fintech products and railways.

 

'Currently the two sides are busy discussing various agreements that could be finalised during the visit,' Kwatra said, adding he was not in a position to share more details.

 

It would be the prime minister's seventh visit to the UAE since 2015, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday, announcing the trip.

 

Modi and Al Nahyan are also likely to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

 

The prime minister will also meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president, prime minister and defence minister of the UAE.

 

At his invitation, the prime minister will participate in the World Government Summit 2024 on Wednesday in Dubai as the guest of honour and deliver a special keynote address at the summit.

 

Modi will also inaugurate the BAPS Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.

 

The prime minister is scheduled to address the Indian community in the UAE at an event in Zayed Sports City.

 

Following the landmark visit of Modi to the UAE in August 2015, bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

 

Both countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022 and a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System in July 2023 to promote the use of Indian Rupee and AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham) for cross-border transactions.

 

The two countries are among each other's top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about USD 85 billion in 2022-23, according to official data.

 

The UAE is also among the top four investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23.

 

About 3.5 million strong and vibrant Indian community forms the largest expatriate group in the UAE.

 

The UAE was invited as special invitee for G20 during India's Presidency of the grouping.

 

In Feb 2023, the India-UAE-France (UFI) trilateral was formally launched.

 

With India's active support, the UAE joined SCO as dialogue partner in May 2023. The UAE also joined BRICS as a member on January 1 with India's support.

 

The India-UAE defence cooperation is also on an upswing in the last few years.

 

In January 2024, the first India-UAE bilateral army exercise 'Desert Cyclone' was held in Rajasthan.

 

He joined Bangladesh’s State Minister of Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury at the inauguration of the Sultanganj, Godagari Port of Call, flagging off a cargo vessel from Sultanganj (Bangladesh) to Maia (India) to operationalise the important river connectivity route between India and Bangladesh, read a press release.

 

The high commissioner highlighted the new river route as part of the growing economic and connectivity links between India and Bangladesh and a visible symbol of the recent transformation of their relationship.

 

He stressed the importance of multimodal connectivity in unlocking the true potential of bilateral cooperation and described the re-opening of the Maia-Sultanganj river route as a step.

 

This will not only benefit the local economies on the two sides of the border, but will also contribute to national economies and strengthen sub-regional cooperation and integration, said the envoy.

 

The high commissioner noted that India was today Bangladesh’s largest export destination in Asia.

 

Talking about other forward looking initiatives, the High Commissioner noted the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Bangladesh, for which negotiations are going to start soon.

 

The inauguration of the Sultanganj, Godagari Port of Call and the flagging-off of a cargo vessel from Sultanganj (Bangladesh) to Maia (India) marks the first of the five trial movements of cargo vessels between Maia Port in India and Sultanganj, Godagari Port of Call in Bangladesh on Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route 5&6.

 

There is significant potential for cargo movement through this IBP Route, which is expected to give new impetus to Inland Waterways ecosystem in both countries.

 

Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation A H M Khairuzzaman (Litton), Members of Parliament from Rajshahi-1 Omor Faruk Chowdhury and Chapainawabganj-3 Md Abdul Wadud, and Senior Secretary of Shipping Md Mustafa Kamal attended the event.

 

Officials from BIWTA, and Ministry of Shipping of Government of Bangladesh were also present.

There was a time when Dilpreet Singh, a farmer from Sangrur, was going from pillar to post to sell his millet. Local shops were turning him away. But now, a lucrative overseas market has suddenly opened up for him.

 

It all happened when Singh was browsing the internet looking for sales avenues for his millet. He came across the site of APEDA, the Centre’s agri export promotion agency. Using its help, he got an exporter’s license and completed other formalities such as fumigation to send his first consignment to Australia. It turned out to be a golden deal for Singh, who sold the millet at a rate that was over seven times what other exporters, on average, receive.

 

'I have already received $35,000 and will receive the remaining amount soon,' Singh told businessline. He grows millet on a 14-acre land and says he ensures there is no mix with any other grain, and the entire crop is chemical-free. Singh is also confident in meeting the importing country’s stringent condition – delivering the products to Australian Customs within 21 days of fumigation done in India.

 

The first export consignment of 14.93 tonnes of millets and millet-atta valued at about $45,000 was flagged off by APEDA Chairman Abhishek Dev on January 31. 'It is heartening to know our farmer is exporting millets from Punjab to Australia after meeting their requirements,' Dev said. The Sydney-based importer Jasvir Singh, who joined the virtual flag-off ceremony, expressed confidence in importing more such consignments in the future as the Sangrur farmer has complete value chain control from end-to-end.

 

Dilpreet Singh grows millets in his own farms and also does both primary and secondary processing in his own unit, including packaging. The first consignment included different millet varieties – Proso, Kodo, Foxtail, Little, Browntop, Barnyard, Ragi, Bajra, and Jowar – both in the form of grain as well as flour.

 

Narrating his journey, Singh said that the first time when he packed his products in a 500-gram pack and took it to a local shop, the trader refused to buy and advised him to sell at mandis in bulk. Undeterred, Singh kept trying.

 

'I started looking for export opportunities. As people from the diaspora normally help and I knew the current buyer earlier, I got in touch with him and he showed interest in my products,' Singh said.

 

India has exported 95,373 tonnes of millets worth $45.46 million (Rs.375.71 crore) during April-November of the current fiscal. In 2022-23, the millet export was 169,049 tonnes worth $75.45 million (Rs.608.12 crore). APEDA has facilitated around 500 start-ups in marketing and exporting millet-based value-added products.

 

Development of the Chabahar port as a 'golden gateway' connecting the countries in the Indian Ocean region to Central Asia is a significant example of India-Iran engagement, Iranian ambassador Iraj Elahi has said. The envoy said cooperation between the two countries in implementation of the ambitious International North- South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is also important examples of the growing bilateral ties.

 

In an address at an event marking the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Elahi said the 'cordial meeting' between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August last paved the way for a 'new phase' in the 'good cooperation' between the two nations.

 

'The cooperation of the two countries in the development of Chabahar port, as the golden gateway connecting the countries along the Indian Ocean to Central Asia and the Caucasus, and the cooperation in the INSTC are important examples of the growing cooperation,' he said on Friday.

Located in Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India and Iran to boost connectivity and trade ties.

 

India has been pushing for the Chabahar port project to boost regional trade, especially for its connectivity to Afghanistan. India and Iran have projected the port as a key hub for the INSTC project.

 

The INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode transport project for moving freight among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.

 

The Iranian ambassador said the economic relations between Iran and India are developing in different sectors.

 

In his remarks Elahi, talking about historical linkages between the two nations, complimented India for preserving the Persian language in its 'heart' throughout centuries.

 

'The relations between the two nations of Iran and India have a long history. Beautiful Persian poems are still read in every corner of India. India, like a kind nanny, has preserved the Persian language in its heart throughout the centuries,' he said.

 

The envoy said Persian poets of India have made a great contribution to Persian poetry.

 

On overall ties, he said Iran and India are having important coordination and cooperation at the regional and international levels.

 

'The presence of Iran and India in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) shows the cooperation of the two countries at the international level,' he said.

 

Talking about challenges facing Iran, Elahi described his country as a 'victim of terrorism' which has been having a non-stop fight against terrorism.

 

'Iran has prevented ISIS from dominating the West Asian region,' he said adding the country is 'proud to have lost one of its national heroes' in the fight against terrorism, and the world will never forget the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq.

 

Soleimani was killed in a drone strike near Baghdad in January 2020.

 

On the regional situation, the ambassador said Iran has always stood by the 'oppressed' people of Palestine from the beginning until now.

 

'Iran, with its unique geopolitical position, plays an important role in international connections and in strengthening the peace and stability of the West Asian region,' he said.

 

Highlighting Iran's development journey in the last four decades, Elahi said Iranian people and government have stood against many 'fierce storms' such as terror, 'economic sanctions or economic terrorism' but the country has been moving towards the 'heights of victory'.

 

He listed Iran's 'extraordinary rise' in various scientific, economic and technological fields.

 

'Self-sufficiency in the production of agricultural products, industrial products, Nano technology, aerospace technology and peaceful nuclear energy are some of the successes and capabilities of Iran,' he said.

 

'In the past month, Iran managed to simultaneously launch three research satellites into space and take steps towards becoming a space power,' he said.