The food authority has issued an order superseding the previous order about FSSAl’s certificate to the Rapid Analytical Food Testing (RAFT) kits /equipment /methods for use in both screening and surveillance purpose.

 

According to the FSSAI, a Certificate of Conformance is subsequently issued to the applicant which is valid for a period of three years from the date of issue after the RAFT kit is approved.

 

Now it has been decided that the applicants may use 'RAFT Logo' (as approved by the FSSAI) along with certificate number, validity period and 'barcode of the certificate' on the approved RAFT kits /equipment /methods.

 

In case of a kit can be used for multiple parameters, but approval was given for only one or few parameters, the applicants are now required to put a disclaimer - 'The ......... ... (name of RAFT kit/equipment/method) has been approved by FSSAI (RAFT) only for testing of ..... (list of approved parameters) in .........( list of approved food categories/matrices)'.

 

Satyen K Panda, advisor, QA, FSSAI, said, 'The applicants should ensure that Certificate number and validity must be as mentioned on the certificate.'

Oilmeals exports rose 36 per cent last month to nearly 2.9 lakh tonnes on higher shipments of soyabean meal and rapeseed meal, according to industry data.

Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) data showed that the export of oilmeals in October stood at 2,89,931 tonnes as compared to 2,13,153 tonnes in the same month last year.

 

Soyabean meal export rose to 87,060 tonnes last month from 40,196 tonnes in the year-ago period, while shipment of rapeseed meal increased to 1,69,422 tonnes from 98,571 tonnes during the period under review.

'Foreign demand for Indian soyabean meal has benefited from improved price competitiveness and the shortage of Argentine export supplies in recent months,' SEA said.

 

'The major consumers of Indian soyabean meal are South East Asia, where India has a logistic advantage and also can supply in small lots,' SEA Executive Director B V Mehta said.

Also, Indian Soybean Meal being Non-GMO has an advantage and is preferred by certain European countries and the US, he added.

During the April-October period of this fiscal, the total export of oilmeals increased 30 per cent to 25,66,051 tonnes as compared to 19,75,496 tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year. Soyabean meal export jumped to 6,73,910 tonnes in the first seven months of this fiscal from 1,61,534 tonnes in the year-ago period.

The district agriculture department will establish a strawberry cluster in 30 tribal hamlets near Bhimashankar, some 120km from Pune.

Like Mahabaleshwar, the weather and geographical conditions are suitable here to grow the berry. Hamlets in the backwaters of Dimbe dam have conducive weather conditions to grow them.

Agriculture department officials said that they will impart training to these farmers and the tribal development department will provide grants to cultivate the berries.

 

District agriculture officer Sanjay Kachole told TOI, 'We have collected soil from some villages and will recommend and identify ideally suited based on the results.'

 

This is not the first time that the government has planned such a venture here. A similar scheme launched for tribal hamlets in 2008-2009 found a handful of farmers for it. However, they could not sustain production as government grants and market facilities were lacking, agriculture officials said.

Hiraman Sevale, former Ambegaon tehsil agriculture officer, who encouraged tribal cultivators to cultivate strawberries then, told TOI, 'The temperatures in the hamlets in the backwaters of the dam are less than 20 degrees celsius in winter, suitable for growing strawberries. Some farmers can cultivate them if they get grants and marketing opportunities also.'

 

The only market for the fruit is Bhimashankar where devotees from across the country visit the temple which does not have the potential for huge customers.

 

Nilgiris farmers pen success story in apple cultivation

A group of farmers in the Nilgiris region of India have successfully grown apples in the village of Kookkal in Kotagiri. They plan to expand apple cultivation to all Badaga villages in the area. Over 120 farmers brought apple saplings from Kashmir and planted them on an experimental basis. Today, 50 of the saplings are bearing fruit. The farmers also aim to reintroduce orange, peach, pear, and apricot cultivation to the region, which was once famous for these fruits.

Cultivate land or it may be lost to outsiders

Goan farmers are being encouraged to take advantage of agriculture department schemes in order to boost their family income and prevent non-locals from taking over fallow land, according to agriculture minister Ravi Naik. At an agricultural awareness camp, it was highlighted that agriculture can be profitable, with a focus on organic farming. Other issues discussed included the protection of bundhs to prevent flooding, giving control of agriculture activity to village panchayats, and reforms in the sector. Around 150 farmers attended the camp, which was blessed by a local priest and inaugurated by Naik.

Canacona tribals to finally get market complex

The scheduled tribe community in Gaondongrim and Cotigao villages in Canacona, India, have been engaged in farming and horticulture for centuries. However, they have never had a market yard for selling their produce, forcing them to sell by the highways or travel to the market in Chaudi. To resolve this issue, the Gaondongrim panchayat has decided to construct a new market complex in the village using funds allocated by the state government. The market complex will provide employment opportunities for the youth and is planned to be named after a local freedom fighter.

The utilisation of the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) by Indian exporters has reached 77 per cent during the first nine months since the implementation of the interim trade deal, according to official data.

 

This means that during the January-September period, of the total value of trade eligible for concessional tariffs under the trade agreement, 77 per cent of the value of Indian goods is being exported using the preferential or ECTA route.

 

For Indian exporters, sectors that have benefited from the trade deal include iron and steel products, linens, agricultural products, and electrical conductors.

Sugar prices in the UAE have increased by up to eight per cent in the past couple of months due to a surge in global prices.

 

But UAE prices are expected to drop soon as India is set to export sugar under an arrangement through the National Cooperative for Exports Ltd (NCEL), which was established to help cooperative societies tap the global export market and support them to produce and manufacture products that are in line with international standards.

 

India has imposed a ban on sugar exports in order to keep local prices in check. However, the ban does not apply to exports to the European Union and the US. Under this new NCEL mechanism, the government will directly deal with farmers and export the commodities, doing away with the need for middlemen. The UAE could also be added in the list of countries under NCEL where India could export its sugar.

 

Dr. Dhananjay Datar, chairman and managing director, Al Adil Trading, said the current stock being sold in the market is mainly imported from Brazil.

 

'There has been an eight per cent increase in sugar prices locally in the past two months. But once the Indian sugar arrives in the local market, prices will go down,' Dr Datar told Khaleej Times in an interview on Monday.

 

Sugar prices are trading at the highest prices since 2011 globally due to lower supplies after unusually dry weather damaged harvests in India and Thailand, the world's second and third-largest exporters. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization also warned about a 2 per cent drop in global sugar production in 2023-24, compared with the previous year, a loss of about 3.5 million metric tons.

 

Kamal Vachani, group director and partner at Al Maya Group, said the UAE has been traditionally importing sugar from Brazil, India, Thailand and some parts of Europe.

 

'These regions have been the constant supplier of sugar to the UAE as these countries’ production capacity and trade relations are good. The global sugar prices in the current scenario can import from Mexico, Australia and even some African nations that have been increasing sugar production from time to time,' he said.

 

Vachani added that the UAE is in a comfortable position when it comes to sugar stock.

 

Dr. Datar added that Thailand and Germany are the other markets that could be tapped to import sugar.

With the thorny bush of sea buckthorn, used in Ladakh for medicinal and other purposes, getting Geographical Indication (GI) tag recently, the administration has started making efforts to increase the production of the much sought-after berries. As per official records, at least 600 tonnes of sea buckthorn berries are harvested in Ladakh annually. This is the fourth product from Ladakh to get the tag. Sea buckthorn is mostly used in making juice, squash, soaps and also in traditional medicines due to high Vitamin-C content in it.

 

Farmers face major difficulty in harvesting the berries due to the thorn in the bushes on which they grow. A cloth is spread at the bottom of the bush and it is beaten with sticks so that berries fall on the cloth. However, most of the bushes can’t be reached for berries as they grow mostly in bunches and are not accessible due to high concentration of thorns. The berries grow in the wild in far-off areas, especially along the Indus river belt. The government has in the recent times taken initiatives by providing financial help to the farmers to grow berries on barren and uncultivable land in the UT.

 

Kunzang Wangmo, Horticulture Development Officer, Leh, who has keenly worked with farmers for increasing the harvest of the sea buckthorn, said it was included as a horticulture crop under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in Ladakh in 2018. 'Our main aim is to use the barren land in the region where nothing grows to cultivate the berries. This will bring the land under cultivation and also become a major source of income for the farmers. The GI tag will bring much needed attention on the crop from outside world,' said Wangmo.

 

The berries are harvested in September-October every year, Wangmo informed.

 

Interestingly, sea buckthorn is grown completely organically without the use of any pesticide or other chemicals in Ladakh. Wangmo said the sea buckthorn of Ladakh is in demand by private firms outside the UT. While the primary processing of the berries is done in Ladakh, the pulp is sent to these firms for value addition.

 

As per a study by the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) due to scarcity of resources, sea buckthorn has been used traditionally for a variety of purposes. 'Every part of the plant, including fruit, leaf, twig, root and thorn, has been traditionally used as medicine, nutritional supplement, fuel and fence and therefore, sea buckthorn is popularly known as Wonder Plant, Ladakh Gold, Golden Bush or Gold Mine of cold deserts,' it states.

 

Traditionally, the dense and thorny shrub was planted around agricultural field and plantation sites to protect crops from stray animals and pedestrian movement.

 

Ladakh remains the major site for sea buckthorn with over 70% of the total area (13,000 hectares) on which it is present in the country.

 

Specialised machinery needed

 

According to horticulture officials, if some specialised machinery is brought in, the production of berries from wild sea buckthorn can increase tremendously in the region.

Despite having a vast forest area, the main berry harvest is less than 6 per cent, which is 600 tonnes of the available produce.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday permitted banks to open additional current accounts for export proceeds in addition to special rupee vostro accounts with a view to providing greater operational flexibility to exporters.

 

To provide greater operational flexibility to exporters, banks maintaining special rupee vostro accounts as per the provisions of the RBI circular dated July 11, 2022, are permitted to open an additional special current account for its exporter constituent exclusively for settlement of their export transactions, RBI said in a notification.

 

In July 2022, the RBI had asked banks to put in place additional arrangements for export and import transactions in Indian rupees in view of the increasing interest of the global trading community in the domestic currency.

 

'In order to promote the growth of global trade with emphasis on exports from India and to support the increasing interest of the global trading community in INR, it has been decided to put in place an additional arrangement for invoicing, payment, and settlement of exports/imports in INR,' it said.

 

India has been trying to promote rupee trade following the Russia-Ukraine war and the sanctions imposed by the West.

 

In July 2022, the RBI decided to allow the settlement of India’s international trade in rupee. Accordingly, authorised Indian banks must open and maintain special rupee vostro accounts of the partner trading country’s banks.

Some of the countries that have been allowed to receive Indian white rice on government-to-government (G2G) deals are seeking waiver of customs duty on the cereal’s consignments. 

 

African countries are the main ones seeking duty-free imports of rice from India, trade sources said.

 

Customs officials imposed a 20 per cent duty on white rice consignments of 5,300 tonnes from Visakhapatnam port last month to Port Louis in Mauritius.  

 

FTA exemption

'Some of the buyers who are getting rice through G2G deals are arguing why India should impose an export duty for such deals.' an exporter said on condition of anonymity.

 

Official sources said while white rice exports, which are G2G deals since the Centre has banned its shipments, are levied a 20 per cent export duty, no tax is imposed on consignments heading to nations with which India has a free trade agreement (FTA). 'India is not imposing export duty on countries which have entered into an FTA with it. That way, there is no duty for consignments heading to Nepal, but it is imposed on those for Bhutan,' the exporter said.

 

NCEL gets mandate

In October, the government allowed exports of 10.34 lakh tonnes (lt) of non-basmati white rice to seven countries on G2G basis. The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade notification on Wednesday said the shipments would be handled by the National Cooperative Export Ltd (NCEL).

 

As per the notification, the maximum quantity of rice — 2.95 lt — was allocated to the Philippines, while Cameroon got 1.9 lt, Malaysia 1.7 lt, Cote d’Ivoire 1.42 lt, Republic of Guinea 1.42 lt, Nepal 95,000 tonnes and Seychelles 800 tonnes.

 

The Centre has allowed NCEL to handle the G2G as part of its efforts to promote cooperatives, though a section of the trade has questioned the decision. 'Despite the fact that farmer producer organisations and farmers, from whom NCEL will procure, stand to gain, Customs authorities are imposing a duty,' said the exporter.

 

Burden on poor nations

Sources said NCEL has so far exported 5,301 tonnes to Mauritius and 1,150 tonnes of rice to Bhutan. The organisation is at an advanced stage of negotiations to ship the cereal to the Philippines, Seychelles, Cameroon and Singapore. 

 

Trade sources said while policy decisions are taken by the Commerce Ministry, the duty is imposed by Customs officials, who say the orders are clear and unambiguous.

 

The 20 per cent duty on rice exports increases the landing cost of rice by $80-85 a tonne. For some of the poor African countries, this might be a burden, say trade sources.

 

Currently, Indian parboiled rice is quoted at $515 a tonne f.o.b, according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association. 

 

businessline’sHyderabad correspondent KV Kurmanath who visited Cote d’Ivoire last month reported that Indian curbs have resulted in rice prices increasing by 25-30 per cent in the African nation. Three of the top five countries importing Indian rice are in Sub-Saharan Africa – Benin, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire – with each buying over one million tonnes in 2022.   

 

Why curbs

India has resorted to curbs on rice exports since September 2022 on food security grounds, particularly when wheat production was affected in 2022 and 2023 due to indifferent weather.

 

As a result, the Centre began distributing more rice under the public distribution system, while also trying to cool prices through such curbs. On September 8, 2022, the Centre banned exports of broken rice and imposed 20 per cent export duty on white rice shipments.

 

On July 20 this year, it banned exports of  white rice. On August 26, it imposed 20 per cent export duty on shipments of parboiled rice. However, the government clarified that it will allow exports to neighbouring and vulnerable countries.

 

Last year, kharif rice production was affected as key growing regions such West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and western Uttar Pradesh received deficient rainfall. 

 

This year, too, kharif sowing was affected due to the south-west monsoon playing truant and August turning out to be the driest in over 122 years. 

 

During the 2022 kharif, rice production was estimated at 110.51 million tonnes (mt), while this year it is projected at 106.31 mt by the Ministry of Agriculture. 

The UK's demand of a higher level of protection for its GI products from the agriculture sector under the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India remains an unresolved issue as the talks for the pact are on to iron out differences, an official said.

 

British GI (Geographical Indication) products include Scotch whisky, Stilton cheese and Cheddar cheese.

 

A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.

 

Once a product gets this tag, any person or company cannot sell a similar item under that name. India normally provides general protection for violation of GI rules, but the UK is seeking a higher level of protection, the official, who did not wish to be named, said.

 

'Negotiations are going on between the two countries. There are some issues pending in the intellectual property rights (IPRs) chapter,' the official added.

 

According to experts, the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) under the World Trade Organisation outlines an elevated level of protection for GIs.

 

This enhanced protection prohibits the use of a GI if the product does not genuinely originate from the designated area, regardless of whether the public is misled or the true origin is specified. This ensures complete protection of a GI, safeguarding its reputation under all circumstances.

 

It also prohibits the use of terms like 'kind', 'style', and 'type' for products that fall under this protection. Currently, this higher level of protection is exclusive to wines and spirits.

 

GI is an intellectual property right. On this subject, under a free trade agreement, normally two countries include rules prescribed in the TRIPS and do not go beyond that.

 

Nilanshu Shekhar, founding partner at law firm KAnalysis, said Indian legislation does not differentiate between wines and spirits, and other products in terms of GI protection, and the decision to grant higher protection rests with the central government and varies based on international recognition.

 

India has been advocating for extended protection to other products beyond wines and spirits to prevent misuse of its labels like Basmati rice by other countries.

 

'The UK's interest in securing higher-level GI protection for more products in the proposed FTA with India predominantly benefits its strong export segments of wines and spirits, dairy products etc. As FTAs are based on mutual benefits, India should negotiate firmly for the UK to offer similar elevated GI protection to Indian products to a higher range of Indian products too,' Shekhar said.

 

He said that this approach would create a more balanced and reciprocal trade relationship, potentially opening new markets and enhancing the global standing of Indian products.

 

A higher level of GI protection for products like cheese will create problems for Indian companies, hence, New Delhi should not accede to the demand unless the UK is reciprocating equally in this or another department, he added.

 

Sharing similar views, expert on internal trade and WTO-related issues, Abhijit Das said: 'If the UK is demanding a higher level of protection for its GIs, Britain must be willing to give a higher level of pro-action to our GIs as well. But, there could be some adverse consequences for cheese manufactured by Amul in India'.

 

The famous Indian goods carrying GI tag include Basmati rice, Darjeeling Tea, Chanderi Fabric, Mysore Silk, Kullu Shawl, Kangra Tea, Thanjavur Paintings, and Kashmir Walnut Wood Carving.

 

Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal has recently stated that India and the UK are not working under any deadline for the conclusion of negotiations for a free trade agreement as both sides are discussing issues 'slightly' complex in nature. India and the UK launched the talks for the agreement in January 2022.

After successful conclusion of a preliminary free trade agreement (FTA) last year, India and Australia have started discussions to take bilateral ties forward in areas such as digital trade, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), traditional knowledge, labour, and sports, two people aware of the development said.

 

New Delhi and Canberra concluded the seventh round of talks regarding a comprehensive deal on October 20, agreeing to pursue negotiations on five tracks and 14 new areas, including digital trade, government procurement, MSMEs, traditional knowledge, sports, gender, environment, innovations, space, labour, and competition policy, they added requesting anonymity.

 

'While each partner has identified potential areas of cooperation, both will finally converge on areas of common interests, and take the negotiations further. Meanwhile, formal talks on five tracks – remaining goods, services, digital trade, government procurement, product-specific rules of origin (ROO-PSRs) -- have been progressed fast,' one official said.

 

GRAF ON 2+2

 

According to official data of the commerce ministry, India’s exports to Australia jumped 17% to $4.9 billion in the first six months (April-September) of 2023-24 while imports fell by 24.6% to $8.3 billion. India key exports to Australia are petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel products, electrical machinery, and garments. Its chief imports are coal, gold, iron ore, pulses and minerals. 'Most of the imports are feeding to our domestic industries as raw materials,' the second official said.

 

After operationalising the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) with Australia in December last year, the two partners agreed to pursue a wider deal, a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and have been working on its contours since February. India and Australia are looking to enhance the scope of ECTA, signed on April 2, 2022, and ratified by parliaments of the two countries last November. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia in May, he and his counterpart Anthony Albanese reiterated their commitment to concluding CECA by the end of this year.

 

'The talks for expanding scope of ECTA proves that the deal is mutually beneficial and has immense potential to grow further,' the second official said. The impact of FTA between India and Australia is visible. Australia has become India’s 10th top export destination in April-October 2023 with exports of $5.48 billion, with about 16% year-on-year growth, he added. According to the Australian trade department, in 2022 India was Australia’s 6th largest trading partner with two-way trade in goods and services valued at $46.5 billion.

 

The comprehensive FTA will take economic ties between the two countries to a strategic level as Australia is expected to offer assured supplies of critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt to India without any disruption, the second official said. The two sides will, however, have to deal with tricky issues such as Australia’s demand for greater access to India’s market for its wines and agricultural products, the officials said.