The government plans to set up ‘Bharat Park’, an India-specific trade zone with a showroom and warehouse in the UAE. Goods Made in India will be displayed and stored for the global audience in the Park.

 

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Textiles and Commerce said the Bharat Park will facilitate other countries to buy Indian goods and the payment will be secured in UAE.

 

Urging the industry to maintain the quality of goods exported from India, he said the Bureau of Indian Standard will spend ?40 crore to set up 21 testing laboratories at various places in India.

 

Future of textiles

The future of the textile industry belonged to Man Made Fibre Textiles as there are limitations in ensuring enough supply of cotton to meet the growing demand, he said at the recent Export Awards function of The Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council.

 

He urged the industry to use the free trade agreements with Japan, Australia, UAE and South Korea. The current poor utilisation of this opportunity is a matter of great concern for India, he added.

 

Bhadresh Dodhia, Chairman, SRTEPC said export of man-made fibre textiles was down 9 per cent at $3.1 billion in the first seven months of this fiscal against $3.4 billion in the same period last year, though technical textile exports improved marginally to $1.51 ($1.5 billion).

 

Dodhia said the industry is confident that textile exports will cross $6 billion in this fiscal and technical textile shipments will cross $3 billion.

 

SRTEPC will achieve the Government’s export target of $11 billion of man-made fibre and $10 billion of technical textiles by 2030.

 

Road blocks

SRTEPC has urged the government to cover the entire value chain of MMF textiles under same GST rate and correct the current inverted duty.

 

Dodhia requested the government to cover the entire value chain of textiles and clothing under the Interest Equalization Scheme.

 

The GST on fibre is levied at 18 per cent while that on yarn and fabrics is 12 per cent and 5 per cent.

 

This has led to accumulation of huge input tax credits with the manufacturers and adding up to cost of production besides hampering competitiveness in the international market.

The Karnataka government now calls on to nourish the future with millets & organics. It is encouraging the cultivation of millets among farmers, food processors, marketers and consumers. The Raithasiri scheme, which was introduced in 2019-2020, benefitted 100,604 farmers with the financial expenditure of Rs 81.54 crore since inspection, it is working to expand cultivated areas to accelerate exports.

 

In the state Budget announcement 2020-21, the Raithasiri programme was envisaged to focus on high nutrient value crops like chia, quinoa and teff, which were included.

 

There is considerable encouragement to millet farmers. This has enhanced the cultivation of these nutra-cereals like foxtail millet, little millet, Indian barnyard millet, kodo millet, brown-top millet and proso millet, according to Karnataka Minister for Agriculture N Chaluvarayaswamy.

 

With all efforts to conduct fifth edition of Millets and Organics, 2024 – International Trade Fair, organised by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka from January 5-7, 2024, in the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru, he said that this will be a platform for farmers, farmer groups, domestic and international companies, Central and state institutions in the organic and millet sector to connect and explore opportunities in agri-horticulture, processing, machinery and agri-technology.

 

The nodal agency for the three-day Millets & Organics International Trade Fair 2024 is the Karnataka Agricultural Produce Processing & Export Corporation (KAPPEC).

 

The state has been a leader in the promotion of organics and millets with the First Organics and Millets trade fair being held in 2017, and subsequently the second, third and fourth editions in 2018, 2019 and 2023 respectively in Bengaluru.

 

Noting that millets need to be popularised because they are the traditional foods for more than half a billion people in Asia and Africa, he said that the state government had noticed the paucity of modern processing facilities as one of the major drawbacks in the processing of millets. Here the state intends to support the setting of millet processing units besides facilitating market linkages for millets grown in the state.

 

Further, production incentive of Rs 10,000 per hectare based on the crop survey data to encourage farmers cultivating millet has been done through the Union government’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT). Besides, the government has also helped in the distribution of 21,840.92 quintiles of ragi or finger millet which ranks sixth in production after wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and bajra in India. In the case of other millets, the government has distributed 999.24 quintiles of bajra, 132.33 quintiles of sorghum and 53.53 quintiles of foxtail millet or navane seeds to the farmers during the Kharif year 2023.

 

Since processing of millets is still a challenge and its processed products have poor shelf life hence encouragement is given at the farm gate level. 

 

In the case of organics, Karnataka ranks eighth in the country in terms of organic area of 82,015.56 hectare and fourth in terms of total certified organic annual production of 237091.45 million tonne as per the APEDA(Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) statistics. 

 

The ultimate objective of the state government is to popularise 'organic produce and millets as traditional super foods to nourish the future generations,' said the department of agriculture officials.

India’s coffee exports in the calendar year 2023 scaled a new high in value terms on higher global prices. This is despite a 5.5 per cent decline in volumes on reduced offtake by key buyers in Europe and Russia.

 

The shipments were up 4.50 per cent to hit a record $1.16 billion during 2023 over previous year’s $1.11 billion. In rupee terms, the growth was 9.81 per cent at Rs.9,578 crore over the previous year’s Rs.8,722 crore. The per unit value realised by the Indian exporters was up 16.5 per cent on bullish global prices.

 

The exports were a record high in calendar year in value terms, said KG Jagadeesha, Secretary and CEO, Coffee Board. Factors such as high prices, efforts of exporters and promotional activities of Coffee Board helped achieved this milestone, he added.

 

Segment-wise

Among the green beans, only the premium arabica parchment shipments registered a growth of 7.6 per cent at 38,045 tonnes during 2023 compared to the previous year’s 35,329 tonnes. Arabica cherry shipments were down by 1.2 per cent at 8,772 tonnes (8,887 tonnes last year), while the robusta parchment volumes were down 2 per cent at 29,128 tonnes (29,741 tonnes). However, the robusta cherry shipments saw a major decline of 17 per cent at 1.57 lakh tonnes (1.90 lakh tonnes). Instant coffees were up 7.28 per cent at 36,999 tonnes (34,486 tonnes), while the imports for re-exports were up by around 7 per cent at 1.05 lakh tonnes (98,819 tonnes). India imports raw coffees to convert them into instant coffees and re-exports them.

 

Italy continued to remain as the largest buyer of Indian coffees, although the offtake during 2023 was down by a tenth at 55,546 tonnes (61,717 tonnes). Similarly, purchases of Indian coffee by Germany, the second largest buyer, were down at 35,877 tonnes (43,822 tonnes) and the Russian Federation was by 19 per cent at 27,455 tonnes (34,102 tonnes). Exports to Belgium, the fourth largest buyer of Indian coffees were down by 35 per cent at 19,079 tonnes (29,234 tonnes).

 

The only markets where the Indian coffee shipments registered a growth were the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Libya, Poland and Malaysia. Shipments to the UAE were up 7 per cent at 18,124 tonnes (16,935 tonnes), while Libya registered a 33 per cent growth at 13,022 tonnes (9748 tonnes). Exports to Malaysia surged 40 per cent at 12,971 tonnes (9,223 tonnes), while Poland saw an increase of 1.73 per cent at 15,679 tonnes (15,411 tonnes).

 

Major shippers

CCL Products India Ltd continues to be the largest exporter of coffees shipping out 39,047 tonnes during the year, followed by Vidya Herbs Pvt Ltd with 30,012 tonnes and NKG India Coffee Pvt Ltd with some 24,130 tonnes. Other major exporters during the year include Allanasons Pvt Ltd - 23,745 tonnes, Tata Coffee – 23,498 tonnes, Indus Coffee Pvt Ltd – 21,709 tonnes, Olam Food Ingredients India Pvt Ltd – 20,950 tonnes, Emil Traders – 18107 tonnes, Louis Dreyfus Company India Pvt Ltd – 16719 tonnes, Vayhan Coffee Ltd - 14909 tonnes, Ecom Commodities India Pvt Ltd – 14638 tonnes, and SLN Coffee – 14117 tonnes.

 

India is the seventh largest coffee producer is the fifth largest exporter with a share of around 4 per cent in the global market.

The government will review the progress of the Production-Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for all 14 sectors on January 12, an official said on Thursday. The meeting assumes significance as the government has disbursed Rs 2,900 crore till March 2023 under the scheme.

 

The empowered committee in PLI has also approved Rs 1,000 crore disbursement to beneficiary firms of the electronics sector.

 

The scheme was announced in 2021 for 14 sectors such as telecommunication, white goods, textiles, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles, speciality steel, food products, high efficiency solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell battery, drones, and pharma with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore.

 

'On January 12, there is a PLI review meeting,' the official said, adding, 'some PLI sectors are doing very well, others are in gestation period, and there are some which are lagging a bit, we expect to see a take-off very soon'.

 

The purpose of the schemes is to attract investments in key sectors and cutting-edge technology; ensure efficiency and bring economies of size and scale in the manufacturing sector and make Indian companies and manufacturers globally competitive.

 

The schemes have attracted over Rs 95,000 crore in investment till September 2023.

 

According to the Commerce and Industry Ministry, 746 applications have been approved till November 2023 under these schemes.

 

As per the ministry, of the USD 101 billion of total electronics production in 2022-23, smartphones constituted USD 44 billion.

 

About PLI in white goods (AC and LED light components), the ministry has said that 64 companies have been selected under the scheme.

 

Of this, 34 would invest Rs 5,429 crore for air-conditioner components and 30 would invest Rs 1,337 crore for LED component manufacturing.

 

'Further investments of Rs 6,766 crore are envisaged creating additional direct employment of about 48,000 persons,' the ministry has said, adding that 13 foreign companies are investing Rs 2,090 crore under the scheme.

Three items of Arunachal Pradesh have received the prestigious Geographical Indication tag, officials said on Wednesday. These are adi kekir (ginger), handmade carpets by Tibetan settlers and wooden items made by Wancho community.

Adi kekir is a variety of ginger produced in the East Siang, Siang and Upper Siang districts. It is known for its taste and size.

 

Handmade carpets by the Tibetan refugees who live in various parts of the state are famous for their typical designs, motifs and textures.

Wancho wooden craft items are unique as they feature human heads — tobacco pipes with head-shaped bowls and drinking mugs with warriors carrying heads. The artisans also make sculptures of Buddha, animals and dolls.

 

Nabard is supporting the initiative of the state government to promote these products, and is also providing financial assistanc, officials said.PTI

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Packaged items to display price per unit

Starting Monday, manufacturers and importers of packaged items must mention the price per unit in addition to the overall MRP on packets. They are also required to mention the month and year of manufacturing. The new rule eliminates the option to mention the month and year of 'pre-packed or imported'. The unit price per kg or per litre must be mentioned for items weighing more than a kg or litre, and per gram or millilitre for items weighing less than a kg or litre. Packed items with more than one unit, like pencils or pens, must also mention the price per piece. The consumer affairs ministry has removed the 'specified quantities' norms for packaging for 19 types of items, giving manufacturers the freedom to decide quantities.

Charcoal to sunglasses, auction of unclaimed items today

An auction will take place at the office of the Chief Postmaster General in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The auction will feature a variety of unclaimed articles from different categories such as bags, clothes, electrical items, toys, and mobile phones. These items have been received between 2017 and 2023 and have not been claimed by their owners. The auction is being held due to reasons like the need for payment of tax or lack of proper addresses. Among the items, there are bags, cloth materials, watches, mobiles, fancy items, and toys, although many of the mobiles are in poor condition.

North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation  (NERAMAC) procured more than 140 MT of products like Pineapple, Avocado, Black Rice, Cashew nut, Large Cardamom, Cinnamon, and Black Pepper. It is a PSU under the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region that supports farmers of the region to obtain remunerative prices for their produce and to enhance the region's agricultural, procurement, processing & marketing infrastructure.

 

Under its umbrella brand ‘NE Fresh’, It also provided market linkages for fresh pineapple and other vegetables. NERAMAC has a product basket of 130+ products in the retail segment. 

 

Around 30 local entrepreneurs/MSMEs associated with NERAMAC for branding and marketing their processed products. Retail products are marketed through 12 stalls/retail outlets of NERAMAC covering seven cities/towns, including two, One Station One Product (OSOP) stalls at Kamakhaya and Dimapur Railway stations.

 

NERAMAC also launched the Brand ‘NERAMAC Premium’ for marketing of G.I.-tagged products. NERAMAC has facilitated the User Authorisation registration of 1308 farmers of NER for all 13 G.I.-registered Agri-Horti products during the year.  This is a significant milestone for the development of the agri-horti sector of the North East Region.

 

Under the scheme 'Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Produce Organisations (FPOs)' of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India, 205 FPOs have been formed across NER covering 15,500 farmers.  

Sunderban Honey’, which is exported to different parts of the country and abroad, has been registered and recognised as a GI (Geographical Indication) product.

 

'The honey collectors, popularly known as ‘maula’ take risks to venture deep into the forest of the Sunderbans for honey collection. Hence, this honey getting the GI tag has special significance,' said Ujjal Biswas, Minister in Charge of Science and Technology and Bio-Technology department which is also the nodal department for GI matters.

 

More than 2000 families in Sunderbans earn their living through honey cultivation. Every year from March- April, the Forest department issues boat licenses (BLC) to traditional honey collectors so they can enter the forest to collect honey. The entire collection is purchased and marketed by West Bengal Forest Development Corporation Ltd. (WBFDCL).

 

The application process of seeking a GI tag for the Sunderbans honey dates back to 2020 when a Pune-based organisation applied to the Centre for the tag for Sunderban honey. When the matter was brought to the notice of the Science, Technology and Bio-Technology department, they took it up with WBFDCL and collected all relevant materials and documents associated with this collection process that has been in place for four decades and made a fresh application for GI tag.

 

In December 2022, the GI authorities conducted an online meeting attended by state government officials concerned and a section of the ‘Maula’. The entire process was deliberated in detail and the GI authorities decided that WBFDC should be the original applicant. Finally, the state government has been informed that Sunderban Honey has been recognised for GI. 'The certificate will be handed over to us soon,' a WBFDCL

 

official said.

 

The state government ensures that the maulas get a minimum support price for the hard work and risk they take during honey collection. Individual janata insurance to the tune of Rs 5 lakh each is provided to everyone who ventures into the forest.

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated a tur dal procurement portal through which farmers can register and sell their produce to NAFED and NCCF at a minimum support price or market price. A similar facility will be launched in future for urad and masoor farmers as well as maize farmers, he said.

 

The minister also transferred via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) about Rs 68 lakh to 25 farmers towards payment for sale of tur via the portal.

 

Cooperative National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF) undertake procurement of pulses on behalf of the government's in order to maintain a buffer stock.

 

After the launch, the Minister said before the sowing operation, tur farmers can register on the portal to sell their produce to NAFED and NCCF at minimum support price (MSP).

 

The registered tur farmers will have an option to sell to either NAFED/NCCF or open market, he said and added suppose the open market price of tur remains higher than the MSP, in that case an average rate will be arrived through a formula.

 

Shah further said more farmers were not taking up pulses farming as prices were not assured. With procurement via the portal, the initiative will bring a major reform in the agriculture sector and help achieve self-reliance in pulses production.

 

'Tur will be procured from farmers and it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantee,' he added.

 

Stating that the country is still dependent on import of some varieties of pulses except for chana and moong, the Minister said, 'By December 2027, the country should become self reliant in pulses. We will not import even one kilo of pulses from January 2028.'

 

He appealed to Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS), Farmer Producers Organisations (FPOs) and progressive farmers to create awareness about the portal and encourage farmers to take advantage of this facility.

 

Pulses production has increased in the last ten years to 26.05 million tonnes in 2022-23 from 19.2 million tonnes in 2013-14 crop year (July-June), due to more than two times increase in the minimum support price, he said.

 

However, the domestic production of pulses is still short of consumption and depends on imports.

 

Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, Minister of State for Cooperation B L Verma, and Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Ashwini Choubey were also present at the event.

 

A goods show room and warehouses for Indian goods will be set up in United Arab Emirates (UAE), Commerce and Textiles Minister, Piyush Goyal said Thursday. The planned ‘Bharat Park’ will facilitate other countries of the world to buy Indian goods, he said during and event organised by the Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC).

 

Expressing concern on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Japan, Australia, UAE, and South Korea, he said that utilisation of benefits are very poor in India. He also said that Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will spend Rs. 40 crore for setting up 21 testing laboratories across the country.

 

A SRTEPC statement said manmade fibre textiles sector is facing issues of inverted duty structure under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. 'There is 18% GST on fibres, 12% on yarns and 5% on fabrics. This is leading to accumulated input tax credits with the manufacturers, which i@ adding to their cost,' the statement said.