The Centre of Excellence for Vegetables at Gharaunda in Haryana has set up 'Aagun' dryers for processing farm produce and 'PronGO' cold storage boxes for storing and transport of farm produce at optimum temperature till it is sold in the market. The Centre of Excellence was set up as part of a government-to-government cooperation between India and Israel to bring innovative technologies to farmers to enhance food availability and farmer incomes.

 

A media statement said an NGO Advit Foundation, with CSR support from Axalta Coating Systems, has assisted with procurement of the dryer and the cold storage boxes.

 

The dryer allows for converting excess food harvest such as tomato, cucumber, carrot, okra among others, into high-value dried products; and the cold storage boxes allow for storage and transportation of vegetables and fruits such that no withering or deterioration in their quality takes place from farm-to-market.

 

Working concept

The dryers and cold storage boxes work on the concept of 'Phase Change Materials' that enable heating and cooling without the need for constant electricity. 'Phase Change Materials' store and release energy, allowing for flexibility in temperature maintenance and its control without having to rely on grid-electricity or batteries or generators.

 

In 'Aagun' dryer, a pre-determined drying temperature could be set at 45-50 degree Celsius depending on the vegetable or fruit to be dried. Solar heat during the day is used to maintain this temperature, and 'excess' solar heat is stored in the 'Phase Change Materials'. This stored heat gets released during non-sunshine hours and at night and gives uniform drying.

 

This leads to better quality dried products, with higher nutritional value, aroma, colour and taste owing to uniform drying without temperature fluctuations. The statement said nearly 15-20 kg of vegetables can be dried in 24 hours in the 'Aagun' dryer. The cost of operation is virtually zero, and the drying is more hygienic and less time consuming as compared to conventional drying under the sun, it said.

 

The 'PronGO' cold storage box maintains 0-8 degree Celsius temperature without electricity for upto 120 hours. It can also be mounted on two-wheeler vehicles and taken to the market. The box comes with a 'recharge station', a solar energy operated refrigerator, for storing thermal energy in the 'Phase Change Materials'.

 

The 'Aagun' dryer and the 'PronGO' cold storage storage box have been designed and made in India by the Gurugram-based Pluss Advanced Technologies, which is a subsidiary of Carborundum Universal, a Murugappa group company.

 

Quoting Charu Jain, Director of Advit Foundation, the statement said: 'A strategic intervention through indigenous innovations will allow us to ensure that the farmers get a fair price for their produce, food spoilage is reduced, and the food availability is increased.'

Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan has said Indonesia is close to securing rice shipments from India, despite the partial ban imposed by New Delhi.

 

Speaking to reporters after a hearing with the House of Representatives on Monday, Zulkifli said the import deal was still under negotiation but proceeded to answer, 'it’s close, hopefully it will work out,' when asked about the progress of the talks, without divulging details.

 

Separately, State Logistics Agency (Bulog) president director Budi 'Buwas' Waseso said India kept an open mind about exporting rice to Indonesia despite the ban imposed months ago.

In the first Indian study of its kind, UK researchers led by a University of Reading team explored the process of co-flowering with crops to attract bees and boost crop yields as a result.

 

The research published in the ‘Journal of Applied Ecology’ on Monday focused on the moringa crop, a nutrient-rich 'superfood' in southern India. By planting companion marigold flowers and red gram crops alongside Moringa trees in orchards, the research team increased the abundance and diversity of flower-visiting insects, ultimately improving pollination and boosting crop yield.

 

'Planting wildflowers on agricultural land is a tried and tested method seen in many arable fields and orchards in the UK and across Europe. This farming technique is known to boost insect pollinator numbers,' said Dr Deepa Senapathi, of the University of Reading.

 

'We worked with farmers in South India to design the best co-flowering crops and boost the numbers of native bees and other insect pollinators visiting the moringa orchards,' she said.

 

The study, carried out by ecologists from the UK university and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, worked with smallholder farmers in the Kannivadi region of Tamil Nadu in 24 moringa orchards. They helped them plant red gram and marigold flowers in 12 orchards while the other 12 had no co-flowering crops planted in them.

 

Flower visitor numbers and diversity were 50 per cent and 33 per cent higher in sites with red gram and marigold flowers compared to those without. Sites with higher numbers of flower visiting insects also showed better quality of crops, with bigger moringa pods. The sites with red gram and marigold flowers which had previously suffered from a lack of pollination saw higher yields. Numbers of harvestable moringa fruits increased by 30 per cent in the orchards with co-flowering crops, compared to those without.

 

'Greater yields and higher quality fruit will translate to a healthier and better food supply for smallholder communities. The farming communities can also use the red gram as a protein source in their diets and receive extra income from selling the marigold flowers,' noted Senapathi.

 

The study was produced as part of the TROPICAL project, led by the University of Reading team using UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund, to investigate how research evidence from the UK could be used in tropical landscapes where pollinator-dependent crops are grown.

 

India has many crops of high economic and nutritional value, such as mango and moringa, where there is potential to significantly increase and improve crop pollination services. The researchers note that intensive farming practices, using large amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, and loss of natural habitats have negatively impacted biodiversity in India, including native bees and other pollinators.

 

Smallholder farmers in the tropics, whose crops depend on native pollinators, are particularly vulnerable to these impacts. The results of the study show how farmers can boost yields while also managing their lands in a more sustainable manner, the team concluded. 

India has told a WTO grouping with a major interest in farm trade that it will not discuss any new issue in the agriculture segment like imposition of export restrictions before a permanent solution is found with regard to public stockholding of food grains, an official said. This position was cleared during a mini-ministerial virtual meeting of about 28 WTO (World Trade Organisation) member countries on agriculture issues on November 28.

 

In the meeting, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal put forward New Delhi's approach to the issue saying that public procurement and stockholding of food grains serve the twin objectives of food security and income support to marginal farmers.

 

The 19-member Cairns group, which includes agri-exporting nations, lobbies for agricultural trade liberalisation. It was formed in 1986 in Cairns, Australia. Its members include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, and Peru.

 

 

Group members want the WTO to discuss comprehensive agriculture trade reforms such as not imposing export restrictions.

 

The group's representative was present in the virtual meeting.

 

'India has made it clear that no new issue in the agri sector can be discussed in the WTO before finding a permanent solution to a mandated issue of the public stockholding,' the government official, who did not wish to be named, said.

 

India recently criticised Cairns member countries during a WTO meeting on public stockholding of foodgrain for food security purposes in Geneva, stating that members are monopolising time to discuss their submission on domestic support.

 

On the public stockholding issue, India is pushing the World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to find a permanent solution as the issue is important for the country which has to support its marginal farmers and feed the poor people.

 

Developed countries that are major agri exporters allege that foodgrain bought at MSP if offloaded in the global market can distort prices so there should be a cap on support measures. It is strongly opposed by India.

 

In India, the government procures rice at a Minimum Support Price (MSP) and provides it to the poor through a public distribution system.

 

About 80 developing members, including the African Group, G33 Group, and Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Group, have been assertive, emphasising that this is a high-stakes issue because an outcome on public stockholding must be at the core of any potential agriculture package at MC13.

 

The 13th ministerial conference (MC13), the highest decision-making body of the WTO, is scheduled in Abu Dhabi in February next year.

 

To break the long-lasting stalemate in agriculture negotiations, the WHO chief has called for a mini-ministerial meeting on November 28.

India’s merchandise exports were up 6.2 per cent YoY in October 2023 and 2.4 per cent on YoY basis in Aug-Oct’23 period, recovering slightly ahead of the rest of Asia’s exports, said a report by ICICI Securities. South Korea’s exports grew by 5.1 per cent on-year in October 2023 after 13 consecutive months of contraction, while Taiwan’s exports declined only 2.8 per cent YoY in Aug-Oct’23, although they were down 12.8 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23. China, however, was a slight exception with its goods exports declining 8.2 per cent YoY in Aug-Oct’23, worse than its Jan-Oct’23 contraction of 5.2 per cent YoY, similar to India’s 4.9 per cent YoY decline for Jan-Oct’23. 

 

Prasenjit Basu and Laavanya Sisaudia, analysts and economists at ICICI Securities, said, 'Given the broad based cyclical rebound in engineering goods, textile and pharmaceutical exports, we expect India’s merchandise exports to accelerate further through the rest of FY24 and into FY25.'

 

Even as US import demand in Jan-Sep’23 weakened, it is now rebounding from its troughs even with the broad US economy weakening now, and this recovery in US and OECD demand will benefit Asia’s exports (including India’s). 

 

CAD to shrink to 0.4 per cent of GDP in FY24E

 

With services exports continuing to strongly outpace services imports, India’s services trade surplus expanded 21.7 per cent YoY in Apr-Oct’23. Further, since the merchandise deficit also declined by 12 per cent YoY, the current account deficit (CAD) is likely to have narrowed to about 0.7 per cent of GDP for the period, said ICICI Securities. 'The final quarter of the fiscal year is usually the strongest for the current account balance, so we expect the CAD to shrink to 0.4 per cent of GDP for FY24 – assuming that Brent crude oil averages $90/bbl in the Dec’23-Mar’24 period. Should Brent settle near its current levels (USD 80.5/bbl), a current account surplus will be the likely outcome in FY24,' the analysis report stated. 

 

Exports, imports likely to strengthen in FY25

 

With Asia’s economies strengthening and the US Fed beginning to ease monetary policy by mid-CY24, the merchandise export recovery is likely to gather pace, said ICICI Securities. Nonetheless, it added, a cyclical recovery in the global economy (other than China) will still result in mildly higher commodity prices. Given the likely strengthening of Indian import demand next year, the CAD is likely to remain slightly below 1 per cent of GDP in FY25 despite the expected rebound in exports.

 

Merchandise exports grow 2.4 per cent YoY in Aug-Oct’23, imports decline 1.8 per cent YoY and the trade deficit continues to shrink

 

India’s merchandise exports increased by 6.2 per cent YoY in Oct’23, only the second month of YoY growth in FY24 and the third in CY23. Merchandise exports grew 2.44 per cent YoY in the latest three months (Aug-Oct’23), but were still down 7 per cent YoY in Apr-Oct’23 (the first seven months of FY24) and down 4.9 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23. This, ICICI Securities sais, is marginally better than China’s merchandise exports, which declined 5.2 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23 (despite benefitting from a very low base due to the Mar-Apr’22 covid surge and lockdowns) and -7.7 per cent YoY for Apr-Oct’23, but were still down 8.2 per cent YoY for Aug-Oct’23. Taiwan’s exports declined 12.8 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23 (but were down only 2.8 per cent YoY in Aug-Oct’23), while South Korea’s exports declined 11.5 per cent YoY in Jan-Sep’23, but rebounded to grow 5.1 per cent YoY in Oct’23. Indonesia’s exports declined 10.7 per cent YoY in Jan-Oct’23 and declined a less severe 10.4 per cent YoY in Oct’23.

 

India’s imports rebounded strongly in Oct’23, growing 12.3 per cent YoY, primarily because of a near-doubling (+95.4 per cent YoY growth) in gold imports that month. India’s imports had contracted YoY in each of the previous eight months, so merchandise imports still declined 9 per cent YoY in Apr-Oct’23 (more than than the 7 per cent YoY decline in exports during the period), and the merchandise trade deficit declined by $20bn YoY in Apr-Oct’23.

 

Services exports grow at a modest pace

 

Based on the RBI data, India’s services exports grew 9.1 per cent YoY in Jul-Sep’23 (Q2FY24), while services imports declined 3.5 per cent YoY – compared with 6.2 per cent YoY and -1.2 per cent YoY respectively in Q1FY24. Including the Oct’23 estimates, the services trade surplus in Apr-Oct’23 widened by 21.7 per cent YoY, thus continuing to contribute to a YoY reduction of the current account deficit (CAD).

 

Engineering goods exports set for cyclical acceleration, while electronics sustain their strength

 

According to the ICICI Securities report, a clear cyclical rebound has begun in the key manufactured-export category of engineering goods. Oct’23 marked the third consecutive month of YoY growth in engineering-goods exports. Electronics exports have grown strongly for five of the past six years, and grew 28.2 per cent YoY in Oct’23 (slightly more than their 27.7 per cent YoY growth in Apr-Oct’23). Chemical exports declined marginally YoY, but are set to rebound as well.

 

Cotton textile exports accelerate sharply, synthetics resume growing

 

Cotton textiles began rebounding in Jul’23, and have accelerated notably in Aug-Sep’23 (+26.7 per cent YoY) and Oct’23 (+36.5 per cent YoY). Synthetic textiles also resumed growing in Oct’23 (+10.2 per cent YoY), but garment exports were still contracting. 

 

Pharma exports strengthen; refinery, jewellery past their cyclical trough

 

The pharmaceutical sector has seen steady export growth over the past eight years, and accelerated to 29.3 per cent YoY growth in Oct’23 – taking their growth for Apr-Oct’23 to 8.1 per cent YoY. Petroleum product exports, however, still declined 4.65 per cent YoY in Oct’23 (and -16.2 per cent% YoY in Apr-Oct’23), while jewellery exports declined 9.8 per cent YoY in Oct’23, and 22.3 per cent YoY in Apr-Oct’23. Yet both are well past their cyclical trough and close to resuming at least modest growth, the ICICI Securities analysis stated.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) efforts to promote Millets production and exports on the occasion of International Year of Millets-2023 are commendable. Thus special measures have been taken to benefit the farmers.

 

On the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries has been participating in the Millets Expos organized across the country, and is achieving good results through the production of millets with high nutritional values and exports to other countries.

 

Thus, it is playing a vital role in providing better benefits to the consumers as well as to the farmers and exporters. As a part of this, India’s Millets Food Expo organized for two days at Hitex Exhibition Center, Hyderabad under the IIMR is setting up stalls and creating awareness about Millets.

 

Mr. Tarun Bajaj, the director of the APEDA, New Delhi will inaugurate the Millets stalls set up under the APEDA, Hyderabad Regional Office. Mr. Manprakash Vijay, DGM, New Delhi, AGM Mr. R.P Naidu and Assistant Manager Raj Kumar will be present in this program.

New season basmati rice prices in India have surged this year due to robust demand from the world's top buyers in the Middle East and Europe, forcing bulk buyers in wholesale grain markets to pay 10% to 15% more than last year.

 

Last month's decision to cut a floor price for basmati rice exports to $950 a ton from $1,200 a ton has spurred a flurry of export contracts, boosting demand and pushing up prices in most wholesale markets of top grain growing states, farmers said.

 

This month, Reuters reported that India signed contracts to export about 500,000 metric tons of new season basmati rice, indicating brisk overseas sales of the premium aromatic variety.

 

Wholesale prices of one of the top basmati rice varieties have jumped to around 50,000 rupees ($599.93) a ton, up from 45,000 rupees a ton last year, said Sukrampal Beniwal, a basmati rice grower from the northern state of Haryana.

 

Prices of some other varieties have touched 46,000 rupees a ton against last year's 40,000 rupees, he said.

 

'Rice millers and exporters are flocking to wholesale markets to buy basmati from us to meet their export obligations and it looks like demand is likely to be strong,' Beniwal said.

 

Households, especially in urban areas, are spending 20% to 40% more on their basmati rice consumption, according to the latest survey by Local Circles, a New Delhi-based consultancy.

 

India annually exports more than 4 million tons of basmati - a premium long-grain variety famed for its aroma - to Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, among others.

 

Europe is another big market for the rice.

 

India in July imposed a ban on non-basmati white rice exports to stabilize domestic prices and later set the floor price for basmati rice exports.

Production of milk, egg and meat has significantly increased in 2022-23 over the past five years, though wool output during the same period has witnessed a negative growth, says a report released by Union minister Parshottam Rupala here on Sunday. The Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2023 report, which was released by the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying during National Milk Day event here, is based on the Animal Integrated Sample Survey (March 2022 to February 2023).

 

The survey is conducted across the country in three seasons, summer (March-June), monsoon (July-October) and winter (November-February).

 

The country's total milk production is estimated at 230.58 million tonnes in 2022-23, registering a growth of 22.81 per cent compared to the figures of 2018-19 when the output was 187.75 million tonnes.

 

According to the report, the production increased by 3.83 per cent in 2022-23 over the estimates of 2021-22. The annual growth rates in the past few years were 6.47 per cent in 2018-19, 5.69 per cent in 2019-20, 5.81 per cent in 2020-21 and 5.77 per cent in 2021-22.

 

The top milk-producing state in 2022-23 was Uttar Pradesh with a share of 15.72 per cent, followed by Rajasthan (14.44 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (8.73 per cent), Gujarat (7.49 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (6.70 per cent).

 

In terms of annual growth rate (AGR), Karnataka with 8.76 per cent topped the list, followed by West Bengal (8.65 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (6.99 per cent) over the previous year.

 

Total egg production has been estimated at 138.38 billion units during 2022-23, registering a growth of 33.31 per cent compared to 2018-19 figures when production was 103.80 billion units.

 

It has increased annually by 6.77 per cent during 2022-23 over 2021-22. The annual growth rate was 9.02 per cent in 2018-19, 10.19 per cent in 2019-20, 6.70 per cent in 2020-21 and 6.19 per cent in 2021-22.

 

Andhra Pradesh topped the list in egg production with a share of 20.13 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu (15.58 per cent), Telangana (12.77 per cent), West Bengal (9.94 per cent) and Karnataka (6.51 per cent).

 

In terms of AGR, the highest growth rate was recorded by West Bengal (20.10 per cent) followed by Sikkim (18.93 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (12.80 per cent).

 

The total meat production in the country is estimated at 9.77 million tonnes during 2022-23, a growth of 20.39 per cent compared to 2018-19 figures when output was 8.11 million tonnes.

 

The production has increased by 5.13 per cent in 2022-23 over 2021-22. The previous growth rates were 5.99 per cent in 2018-19, 5.98 per cent in 2019-20, 2.30 per cent in 2020-21 and 5.62 per cent in 2021-22.

 

Uttar Pradesh was the major meat production contributor with 12.20 per cent share, followed by West Bengal (11.93 per cent), Maharashtra (11.50 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (11.20 per cent) and Telangana (11.06 per cent).

 

In terms of AGR, Sikkim recorded the highest with 63.08 per cent, followed by Meghalaya (38.34 per cent) and Goa (22.98 per cent).

 

The total wool production in the country is estimated at 33.61 million kg during 2022-23, registering a negative growth of 16.84 per cent compared to 2018-19 when output was 40.42 million kg.

 

However, the production has increased by 2.12 per cent in 2022-23 over 2021-22.

 

The earlier growth rates were -2.51 per cent in 2018-19, -9.05 per cent in 2019-20, -0.46 per cent in 2020-21 and -10.87 per cent in 2021-22.

 

Rajasthan tops wool production with a share of 47.98 per cent, followed by Jammu & Kashmir (22.55 per cent), Gujarat (6.01 per cent), Maharashtra (4.73 per cent) and Himachal Pradesh (4.27 per cent).

 

The highest AGR has been recorded by Arunachal Pradesh (35.75 per cent), followed by Rajasthan (6.06 per cent) and Jharkhand (2.36 per cent).

New season basmati rice prices in India have surged this year due to robust demand from the world's top buyers in the Middle East and Europe, forcing bulk buyers in wholesale grain markets to pay 10 per cent to 15 per cent more than last year.

Last month's decision to cut a floor price for basmati rice exports to $950 a tonne from $1,200 a tonne has spurred a flurry of export contracts, boosting demand and pushing up prices in most wholesale markets of top grain growing states, farmers said.

 

This month, Reuters reported that India signed contracts to export about 500,000 metric tonnenes of new season basmati rice, indicating brisk overseas sales of the premium aromatic variety.

 

Wholesale prices of one of the top basmati rice varieties have jumped to around 50,000 rupees ($599.93) a tonne, up from 45,000 rupees a tonne last year, said Sukrampal Beniwal, a basmati rice grower from the northern state of Haryana.

Prices of some other varieties have touched 46,000 rupees a tonne against last year's 40,000 rupees, he said.

'Rice millers and exporters are flocking to wholesale markets to buy basmati from us to meet their export obligations and it looks like demand is likely to be strong,' Beniwal said.

Households, especially in urban areas, are spending 20 per cent to 40 per cent more on their basmati rice consumption, according to the latest survey by Local Circles, a New Delhi-based consultancy.

 

India annually exports more than 4 million tonnes of basmati - a premium long-grain variety famed for its aroma - to Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, among others.

Europe is another big market for the rice.

India in July imposed a ban on non-basmati white rice exports to stabilize domestic prices and later set the floor price for basmati rice exports.

The International Nutri Cereal Convention 5.0 has mooted a Nasscom-like organisation for the millet ecosystem to steer it over the next decade. 

 

The two-day event, which attracted key players in the ecosystem from India and abroad, decided to come out with a Hyderabad Declaration to help the ecosystem mainstream millets well beyond 2023.

 

Delivering the Presidential address at the valedictory here on Tuesday, T R Sharma, Deputy Director-General (Crop Science) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said collaborations between various stakeholders hold the key for mainstreaming millets in the food system.

 

Stating that there was a remarkable progress in (seed) varietal development and technologies to facilitate value addition in millets, he said a lot needed to be done. 'We need to invest in research and development and processing technologies and work on strategies to increase exports,' he said.

 

'We need a 10-year roadmap to develop the millet ecosystem. We need to create a more enabling environment,' he said.

 

Promote value-addition

VP Sharma, Chairman of CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices), said issues such as fall in the area of millets and not so encouraging returns to the farmers growing millets were the key concerns. 'We need to increase the productivity and production. Besides the minimum support prices, we should ensure additional revenues by promoting value addition. Also, working on improved varieties and promoting institutions, we need to incentivising the farmers more so that they will grow more millets,' he said.

 

B Dayakar Rao, Chief Executive Officer of IIMR-Nutrihub, said a Hyderabad Declaration was being prepared in association with various stakeholders to give millets a further push. 'It will give a broad roadmap for the millet sector for the next 10 years,' he said.

 

Tamil history examples

Tara Satyavathi, Director of ICAR-IIMR (Indian Institute of Millets Research), said a plan of action would be prepared based on the deliberations of the two-day conference.

 

Tamilisai Soundarajan, Governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry, gave away the awards to start-ups, entrepreneurs and Odisha Government for their contribution to the ecosystem.

 

Addressing the gathering later, she cited the examples from Tamil history and culture where millets were used by the warriors for strength. 'You will continue to be ‘little’ (young) if you eat little millets,' she said, relating a Tamil saying.

 

'Millets are good for both the months-old chidren to the elderly,' she said.