Think-tank GTRI on Sunday suggested that the government study the bilateral free trade agreement with Singapore and as part of the Asean bloc together while reviewing its trade pact with the 10-nation grouping. Singapore is a member of 10-nation Asean bloc with which India has a free trade agreement in goods since 2010. Separately, India also implemented a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) with Singapore in 2005.

 

The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) also suggested a similar exercise with Thailand, another member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). India signed a limited free trade pact with Thailand in 2006.

 

These suggestions assume significance as India and Asean have agreed to review their trade pact and are aiming to conclude the exercise by 2025.

 

Asean members are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

 

Out of these, five countries - Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam - account for 92.7 per cent of India's exports and 97.4 per cent imports from Asean.

 

India's export to Asean was USD 19.1 billion in 2008-09 and it increased to USD 44 billion in 2022-23. On the other hand, imports from the 10-nation bloc rose to USD 87.6 billion in the last fiscal as against USD 26.2 billion in 2008-09.

 

'India has a separate FTA with Singapore with more relaxed rules of origin of products. The two FTAs may be studied together. India has a separate FTA with Thailand called early harvest scheme (EHS) with relaxed rules of origin than what India-Asean FTA offers. Substantial imports may be happening through EHS. The two FTAs may be studied together,' GTRI said in its report.

 

With Indonesia, the report said that in 2022-23, India imported a total of USD 28.8 billion worth of goods and the primary imports included coal (USD 14.4 billion), which consisted of both steam coal (USD 13.7 billion) and coking coal (USD 0.7 billion).

 

Additionally, India imported palm oil worth USD 5.6 billion and copper ore worth USD 0.9 billion from Indonesia.

 

These products are needed by India, most imports take place at MFN (most favoured nation) zero duty, it said adding the FTA review may not be helpful to cut such imports.

 

'Coal imports have increased by 121 per cent in the past one year alone and most coal is steam coal, available in abundance in India. India should focus on using local coal. Offering MSP (minimum support price) on mustard and other similar oils will cut domestic prices and wean people away from inferior palm oil gradually,' GTRI Co-Founder Ajay Srivastava said.

 

With Singapore, the report said that electronics constituted a significant portion of imports, totalling USD 7.2 billion in the last fiscal, including computers (USD 1.7 billion) and integrated circuits (USD 1.5 billion). Other notable imports included plastics, iron and steel, gold, and a smaller amount of fertilizers.

 

'Singapore does not produce coal, iron, steel, or fertilizers. Firms may be transhipping these from Singapore. But this adds to cost and is bad business. Such imports must be out of the FTA, but need investigation why they are happening in the first place. Rules of Origins may be checked for use of value addition norms for electronics products, gold etc,' he said.

 

Further the country's imports from Malaysia stood at USD 12.7 billion in 2022-23 and the main goods included palm oil (USD 3.5 billion), petroleum products (USD 3.2 billion), and electronics (USD 2.2 billion) and most of these imports are commodities needed by India and the FTA review may not be helpful to cut most of such imports, GTRI said.

 

Nutrihub, an arm of the ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), is organising a two-day International Nutri Cereal Convention (INCC) beginning November 27.

 

The convention, which is being organised in the International Year of Millets, will focus on the theme ‘Mainstreaming Millets Now and Beyond 2023’.

 

Representatives from 19 countries will attend the conference. The list includes Takayuki Hagiwara, Food and Agriculture Organisation, and Vijay Paul Sharma, Chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).

 

About 850 stakeholders consisting of Indian State millet missions, start-ups, exhibitors, entrepreneurs, self-help groups, farmer producer organisations, nutritionists, and dieticians are expected to take part in the event.

 

'The conference will help promote a more sustainable and nutritious global food system by focusing on millets – from farms to plates; raising awareness of the significance of millets; and promotion of new millet-based products,' C Tara Satyavathi, Director of IIMR, said.

 

B Dayakar Rao, Principal Scientist and CEO of Nutrihub, said that a strategy paper would be prepared based on the deliberations at the conference.

 

The government plans to sharply increase its procurement of tur dal from a few metric tonnes to around 8-10 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) to keep prices of the commodity under control in a year when the acreage under the pulse has shrunk and production is expected to be low, said a senior official.

 

The all India retail price of tur dal jumped over 40% from Rs 112 per kg last year to Rs 158 per kg this year, according to government data.

 

Retail inflation in pulses as a category rose to 18.79% year-on-year in October mainly due to a sharp spike in prices of tur, chana and moong, against 6.61% food inflation in the same month. This is despite the government’s effort to increase the imports from African nations and Burma by scrapping the import duty on tur in March.

 

The procurement will happen through the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) at market rates, which is much higher than the minimum support price (MSP), the official said, asking not to be identified.

 

The purchase will be done through the procuring agencies – National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) – directly from the farmers and will begin right at the start of the season when the kharif crop starts coming to the market, the official said.

 

The production of tur is estimated at 34.21 LMT, which is slightly less than last year’s output, according to the first advance estimate released by the ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare in October.

 

'This will send a message to the farmers that there is a definite buyer in the market, encouraging them to plant more tur in the years to come,' the official said, adding that an increase in area will eventually help in reducing import dependence.

Due to heavy reliance on imports, countries like Mozambique and Burma are dictating terms, causing disruption in the supply of the dal, which is amongst the most consumed pulse in the country.

 

The acreage under tur shrunk during the kharif season, leading to production shortage which in turn pushed food inflation in the last few months. The area under tur dropped from 46.13 lakh hectares on September 29, 2022 to 43.87 lakh hectares on September 29, 2023, according to government’s data.

India, along with at least 20 other countries, will deliberate the way forward on trade distorting subsidies that have prevented substantive progress in the multilateral agriculture negotiations, at a key mini-ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) this week.

 

The meeting, to be held Tuesday, follows India's criticism of the Cairns Group for proposing to halve the overall agriculture domestic support entitlements by the end of 2034 and 'ambushing' public stockholding talks.

 

Around 80 WTO members opposed this proposal by the Cairns Group, which has 19 members including Argentina, Australia, Brazil and Canada. Last month, the European Union had shown willingness to negotiate the public stockholding issue with India. The move was seen as a significant breakthrough on the issue which has been deadlocked for the past 10 years.

 

'The meeting aims to provide clear political guidance to overcome the stumbling blocks in the agriculture negotiations,' said an official, who did not wish to be identified.

 

The mini-ministerial meeting assumes significance as India and 80-odd developing and least developed countries want an outcome on public stockholding to be at the core of any potential agriculture package at the 13th ministerial conference (MC13) of the WTO next year.

 

Last month's meeting of senior officials could not give a clear sense of direction on the talks.

 

The G33, African Group and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States are seeking the fulfilment of the existing mandate and the adoption of a permanent solution at MC13 after the deadline was missed at MC11 in Buenos Aires. They have proposed to amend the anti-circumvention clause in the Bali Ministerial Declaration of 2013, as per which developing countries who procure food stocks for security 'do not distort trade or adversely affect the food security of other members'.

 

They have said that a permanent solution for public stockholding should account for inflation and also be based on a recent reference price instead of an old one, which is based on 1986-88 prices.

 

Public stockholding is a policy tool used by governments to purchase, stockpile and distribute food when needed. Developing countries' food subsidies are protected by an interim peace clause, which shields food procurement programmes against action from WTO members in case the subsidy ceilings - 10% of value of food production in the case of India and other developing countries - are breached.

 

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala released the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2023 (milk, egg, meat and wool production 2022-23) based on Animal Integrated Sample Survey (March 2022-February 2023) during  the National  Milk Day event at Guwahati today. The main features of the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics are:

 

Milk, Egg, Meat and Wool Production 2022-23

 

Union Miniter Shri Parshottam Rupala informed that the Production of Milk, Egg, Meat and wool in the country is estimated annually based on the results of Integrated Sample Survey (ISS) which is conducted across the country in three seasons i.e., Summer (March-June), Rainy (July-October) and Winter (November-February). The estimates of milk, egg, meat and wool for the year 2022-23 have been brought out and the outcomes of this survey are summarised below:

 

Milk Production:

 

Union Minister Shri Rupala informed that the total Milk production in the country is estimated as 230.58 million tonnes during 2022-23 registered a growth of 22.81%over the past 5 years which was 187.75 million tonnes in 2018-19. Further, the production has increased by 3.83% during 2022-23 over the estimates of 2021-22. In past, the annual growth rates were 6.47% in 2018-19; 5.69% in 2019-20; 5.81% in 2020-21 and 5.77% in 2021-22.

 

Minister stated that the highest milk producing State during 2022-23 was Uttar Pradesh with a share of 15.72 % of total milk production followed by Rajasthan (14.44 %), Madhya Pradesh (8.73 %), Gujarat (7.49 %), and Andhra Pradesh (6.70 %). In terms of annual growth rate (AGR), the highest AGR recorded by Karnataka (8.76%) followed by West Bengal (8.65%) and Uttar Pradesh (6.99%) over the previous year.

 

Egg Production:

 

Shri Parshottam Rupala stated that the total Egg production in the country has estimated as 138.38 billion nos. during 2022-23 registered a growth of 33.31% growth over the past 5 years as compared to the estimates of 103.80 billion numbers during 2018-19. Further, the production has increased annually by 6.77%during 2022-23 over 2021-22. In past the annual growth rate was9.02% in 2018-19; 10.19% in 2019-20; 6.70% in 2020-21 and 6.19% in 2021-22.

 

Shri Rupala informed that the Major contribution in the total Egg production comes from Andhra Pradesh with a share of 20.13 % of total Egg production followed by Tamil Nadu (15.58 %), Telangana (12.77 %), West Bengal (9.94%) andKarnataka (6.51 %). In terms of AGR, the highest growth rate was recorded by West Bengal (20.10%) and followed by Sikkim (18.93%) and Uttar Pradesh (12.80%).

 

Meat Production: 

 

Union Minister stated that the total Meat production in the country is estimated as 9.77million tonnes during 2022-23 registered a growth of 20.39 % over the past 5 years as compared to the estimates of 8.11 milliontonnes in 2018-19.Further, the production was increased by 5.13 % in 2022-23 over 2021-22.In the past the growth rate was 5.99 % in 2018-19; 5.98 % in 2019-20; 2.30% in 2020-21 and 5.62 % in 2021-22.

 

He further stated that the Major contribution in the total meat production comes from Uttar Pradesh with 12.20 % share and followed by West Bengal (11.93 %), Maharashtra (11.50 %), Andhra Pradesh (11.20 %) and Telangana (11.06 %). In terms of annual growth rate, the highest Annual Growth Rate (AGR) has recorded in Sikkim (63.08%) followed by Meghalaya (38.34%) and Goa (22.98%).

 

Wool Production:

 

Shri Rupala inormed that the total Wool production in the country is estimated as 33.61 million kg during 2022-23 registered a negative growth of 16.84% over the past 5 years as compared to the estimates of 40.42 million kg during 2018-19. However, the production has increased by 2.12% in 2022-23 over 2021-22. In past the growth rates were -2.51% in 2018-19; -9.05% in 2019-20, - 0.46% in 2020-21and-10.87% in 2021-22.

 

He informed that the Major contribution in the total Wool production comes from Rajasthan with a share of 47.98% followed by Jammu & Kashmir (22.55%), Gujarat (6.01%), Maharashtra (4.73%) and Himachal Pradesh (4.27%). In terms of annual growth rate, the highest AGR has recorded by Arunachal Pradesh (35.75%) followed by Rajasthan (6.06%) and Jharkhand (2.36%).

The commerce ministry is working to address issues related to non-tariff barriers and market access for domestic products in sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana and Gulf nations to boost India's exports, an official said.

 

The official said meetings have been held with Indian missions of the sub-Saharan African countries with which India has significant bilateral trade.

 

The major trading partners of India in that region in 2022-23 were South Africa (total trade USD 18.9 billion, exports USD 8.5 billion); Nigeria (USD 11.85 billion, exports USD 5.15 billion); Togo (USD 6.6 billion, exports USD 6 billion), and Tanzania (USD 6.5 billion, exports USD 3.93 billion).

 

The other countries were Mozambique (USD 5 billion, exports USD 2.5 billion); Angola (USD 4.22 billion, exports USD 621 million); and Kenya (USD 3.4 billion, exports USD 3.2 billion).

 

'A virtual meeting with Indian Mission of top 10 countries (bilateral trade-wise) in sub-Saharan African region was held in September to discuss the overall economic and commercial relations with those countries, export performance and non-tariff barriers which are acting as impediments to bilateral trade and enhance exports,' the official said.

 

A similar meeting was also held with Indian Missions in GCC countries. GCC is a union of six countries in the Gulf region -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. The council is the largest trading bloc of India.

 

The bilateral trade in 2022-23 with these countries stood at USD 52.76 billion with Saudi Arabia; USD 84.8 billion with the UAE; USD 18.77 billion with Qatar; USD 13.8 billion with Kuwait; and USD 12.4 billion with Oman.

 

The ministry has asked exporters to focus on potential key sectors such as food, electronics and engineering, and major markets to boost exports.

 

It has suggested focus on organising fairs and exhibitions at global scale.

 

India's merchandise exports rose 6.21 per cent to USD 33.57 billion in October this year, even as the trade deficit touched a record high of USD 31.46 billion during the month.

 

Imports increased 12.3 per cent to USD 65.03 billion during the month due to a jump in gold imports.

 

Cumulatively, exports during the April-October period this fiscal contracted 7 per cent to USD 244.89 billion, while imports fell 8.95 per cent to USD 391.96 billion.

 

The trade deficit during the seven-month period was USD 147.07 billion against USD 167.14 billion in the corresponding period last year.

 

Think-tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) in its report, released in August, has said India needs to act in a fast-track manner for removal of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) being faced by domestic exporters in different countries to achieve one trillion dollar outbound shipment target for goods by 2030.

 

Key Indian exports that face high barriers include ceramic tiles in Egypt; and microbiological regents in Saudi Arabia, the report added.

 

Most Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) are domestic rules created by countries with an aim to protect human, animal or plant health and environment.

 

NTM may be technical measures like regulations, standards, testing, certification, pre-shipment inspection or non-technical measures like quotas, import licensing, subsidies, government procurement restrictions.

 

When NTMs become arbitrary, beyond scientific justification, they create hurdles for trade and are called NTBs.

 

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority (APEDA), an organization under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, played an instrumental role as an export facilitator and flagged off its Cashew Nut shipment to Bangladesh, Qatar, Malaysia and the USA to mark National Cashew Day on November 23rd, 2023. Bangladesh will be receiving it’s first-ever shipment of Cashew Nuts all the way from Odisha.

 

After Côte d'Ivoire, India is the second largest producer and exporter of Cashew Nuts with a share of more than 15%, followed by Vietnam in the world’s cashew export. India’s top export destinations are the UAE, the Netherlands, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the major Cashew producing states in India. India primarily exports Cashew Kernels with small quantities of Cashew Nut Shell Liquid and Cardanol.

 

With the UAE and the Netherlands remaining as the top export destinations for Indian Cashew Nuts, APEDA is working towards exploring new markets for cashew in the international markets of Japan, Saudi Arabia, UK, Spain, Kuwait, Qatar, USA and European countries, etc.

 

APEDA jointly with its Regional Offices organised programmes to celebrate the National Cashew Day in seven states in collaboration with the Cashew Association, Exporters and Stakeholders. The event included a diverse range of activities such as interaction sessions with the stakeholder of Cashew, Platform for Networking, Knowledge Sharing, and discussion on industry trends and challenges faced in the sector.

 

On the onset of the event that brings together stakeholders, exporters, and enthusiasts from the cashew industry Mr. Abhishek Dev, Chairman (APEDA) addressed the participants to celebrate the National Cashew Day, 'Today, our various regional offices of APEDA have come together to not just celebrate but to engage in meaningful discussions on the growth trends, production, export strategies, and the challenges faced by the cashew sector.'

 

The demand for cashew products has been on the rise, and to see the industry evolve and thrive is a heartening moment. The growth is a testament to the hard work of the farmers, processors, and exporters.

 

The chairman further applauded and encouraged the farmers and growers of cashew nuts, 'Our dedicated farmers have played a crucial role in contributing to the increased production of cashews. Their commitment to quality and sustainable farming practices has not only elevated the industry standards but has also positioned us as key players in the global market.'

 

As soon as Cashew Nut and its product has come in the ambit of APEDA, it has been engaging with the stakeholder of Cashew Nut sector to address the various issues and challenges facing the industry in the form of modernization and the processing facilities, logistics, quality and strict international competition.

 

The event was one such platform to engage with the stakeholder of the Cashew Nut sector in all Cashew Nut producing areas of the country and APEDA will intensify such initiative to regain its position in the World Cashew Nut trade.

 

In the future, APEDA may intervene in the automation of the cashew industry. Training of professionals, registration of cashew processing units, and a traceability system will be formulated for cashew, replicating peanuts. APEDA will disseminate cashew-related information to stakeholders. APEDA is dedicated to continually exploring innovative methods, leveraging technology, and strengthening trade relations to ensure that Indian cashew products reach every corner of the world.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking at the 6th India-Japan Indo-Pacific Forum, recently highlighted the steadily broadening India-Japan partnership in recent years.

 

'It is reflected in arrangements such as the Quad, the supply chain resilience initiative, the clean energy partnership, and the semiconductor supply chain partnership. We have also joined multilateral initiatives like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEC),' Jaishankar virtually said at the forum held on November 16.

 

The external affairs minister termed these arrangements as critical in creating a reliable and resilient global economy. Japan, he said, continued to play an important role in India's economic growth story as it is actively involved in various national campaigns and flagship initiatives of India.

 

'Particularly noteworthy are the infrastructure development, ICT and digitization, energy, space, food processing, science and technology, healthcare, and R&D cooperation,' Jaishankar said.

 

Against that backdrop, the minister noted that both countries are working on a shared commitment to realise the Yen 5 trillion goals of investment, which is approximately USD 42 billion over the next five years.

 

'Defence and security have also seen growth. In recent years, there has been an increasing frequency of defence exchanges. In January this year, we achieved a new milestone through the Veer Guardian bilateral fighter aircraft exercise. We also see scope for increasing defense equipment and technology cooperation,' he said.

 

2023 has also been an important year for both countries, as they chaired the G20 and G7, respectively.

 

'As chairs of two international groupings, the G20 and the G7, it was with a sense of exceptional responsibility that India took up the G20 presidency. Our vision of one earth, one family, and one future sought to focus on the key concerns of the many, not just the narrow interests of the few. It was at India's initiative that the African Union was admitted as a permanent member of the G20, and through that, we gave them a long overdue voice at such an important institution,' Jaishankar said.

 

Notably, India and Japan marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. Both countries are celebrating 2023 as the India-Japan tourism exchange year with the theme 'Connecting the Himalayas with Mount Fuji'.

 

'The purpose of these celebrations is to facilitate greater engagement between our peoples, which would further solidify the foundation of our ties. Today's dialogue is a very good example of a platform that brings together very diverse points of view to enhance and deepen our relationship,' he concluded.

In a landmark achievement, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India has successfully facilitated the first-ever shipment of cashew nuts from the state of Odisha to Bangladesh. 

 

The consignment, comprising 2 metric tons of premium quality cashew nuts, was exported by the West Bengal-based exporter M/s. Paaf Global Pvt Limited. This monumental step not only strengthens economic ties between the two nations but also opens up new avenues for the agricultural sector in Odisha.

 

The cashew nuts, sourced from the renowned company 'Passion Gourmet,' run by a dynamic women entrepreneur in Odisha signify a blend of quality and empowerment. This initiative holds particular significance as it aligns with the broader mission of promoting women-led businesses and developing economic growth in the region.

 

To mark this historic occasion and to celebrate National Cashew Day on November 23, 2023, APEDA, in collaboration with the Government of Odisha, has organized an Export-Oriented Capacity Development Program in the conference hall of IDCO, Bhubaneswar. This program is designed to sensitize Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), inspiring them to venture into the field of agriculture exports. By encouraging them to become exporters, the initiative aims to eliminate middlemen from the supply chain, thus maximizing farmer’s income.

 

The shipment was virtually flagged of by Shri Abhishek Dev, IAS, Chairman-APEDA in the presence of senior officersof APEDA, Dr. Arabinda Padhee, IAS Principal Secretary – Dept. of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Govt. of Odisha,Shri Saswat Mishra, IAS Principal Secretary-Dept. of MSME, Govt. of Odisha,other senior officers of Govt. of Odisha, ECGC, NABARD, RPQS, CUSTOMs etc. Around 40 members of FPOs/FPCs from cashew growing districts joined & witnessed the flag-off ceremony.

 

Mr. Abishek Dev, IAS, Chairman APEDA, in his virtual address expressed his immense pleasure on National Cashew Day being observed in the entire nation with a positive wave and lauded the developments happening towards the growth of Cashew exports from India. He further congratulated the export taking place from Odisha.

 

Dr. Arabinda Padhee, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmer Empowerment, Government of Odisha spoke in detail about the various potentials and production strength of the State. He also expressed his delight on the State being surplus in sapling production and increased yield with enhanced quality. He congratulated the initiative which has led to export of the cashew consignment.

 

Mr. Saswat Mishra, IAS, Principal Secretary, MSME Department, Government of Odisha in his address spoke about the vast opportunity available and potentials for growth of exports from Odisha. He highlighted the various facilities made available to the entrepreneurs through common facilitation centers at various locations in the State. He lauded the efforts being taken by APEDA and other facilitation agencies for the achievement.

 

Mr. Sukanata Panigrahi, Board Member, APEDA, congratulated the APEDA team for successful execution of exports from the State and also highlighted the importance and developments happening in cashew sector.

 

Mr. Subrata Ghosh, Managing Director of M/s. Paaf Global Pvt Limited, expressed his excitement about this remarkable achievement, stating, 'This successful shipment not only represents a significant achievement for the cashew industry in Odisha but also reflects the potential for growth and collaboration in the agricultural sector between India and Bangladesh.'

 

Subsequent shipments of cashewnut from Odisha are being planned for some otherglobal destinations including Bahrain & Qatar,as committed by the exporter.

 

The program was coordinated by World Trade Center Bhubaneswar and Ananya.

 

This initiative not only holds promise for the economic prosperity of the region but also aligns with the broader vision of a self-reliant India, developing entrepreneurship and sustainable agricultural export.