Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries and Jal Shakti Shri Prahlad Singh Patel has emphasised that India is one of the fastest-growing economies with many investment opportunities, especially in the food processing sector. Breifing the media on second edition of  World Food India 2023 in New Delhi today he said World Food India is an effort towards projecting potential of the sector before global stakeholders. He pointed out that the event is a unique example of whole of the Government collaborative approach, as 11 central Ministries/ Departments & their associated autonomous bodies are participating in it.

 

Shri Patel said so far 23 States/UTs and exhibitors from 16 countries have consented to participate in the event & more stakeholders are likely to be on boarded in remaining days of the event.

 

The Minister further apprised of the wide international representation in the event & about 10 overseas Ministerial & official delegations from many countries are participating in the event. He said a Reverse Buyer Seller Meet is also being organized in association with Department of Commerce & its associated commodity boards as part of the event & it is likely to have participation of about 1000 overseas buyers from more than 75 countries. In all the event is likely to witness participation of more than 900 exhibitors.

 

Shri Minhaj Alam, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries informed that exhibition is being held in Hall Nos 1,2,3,4,5,6 & 14 in addition to various activities in open space of Pragati Maidan & Bharat Mandapam. He provided brief of the arrangements at the venue for facilitating exhibitions, B2B, B2G & G2G meetings and collaborations.

 

The second edition of the global mega food event, World Food India 2023, is being organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) from 3rd-5th November 2023 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will inaugurate the event at the iconic Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan on 3rd November, in the presence of Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries. The Hon’ble President, Shrimati Draupadi Murmu will present the valedictory address on November 5th.The Netherlands will be the ‘Partner Country’ in this edition of World Food India, while Japan and Vietnam are ‘Focus Countries’. 

 

The experiential Food Street, curated by Celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar, promises to be the chief attraction for food enthusiasts and industry professionals alike. Spread over 3 Zones, it boasts a sustainable food theatre with a focus on Shree Anna or millets; pavilions showcasing regional cuisines from all corners of the country, street food as well as food from the royal culinary heritage of India.

 

Also on the cards is an attempt at setting a Guinness Record for the longest dosa in the world. 60 to 80 chefs will be working together to create a millet dosa over 100 feet long, a testament to the dedication and skill of the team effort.

 

To celebrate the International Year of Millets 2023, a monumental installation of 50,000 tetra-pack containers of millet beverages will be created and distributed to underprivileged children. The 75,000 visitors expected to visit over three days will also be treated to cultural programs, including dance and musical performances. The success of World Food India 2023 will establish a Global Food Event in the country at par with similar marquee events across the globe.

Launching an agricultural roadmap for Bihar, President Droupadi Murmu Wednesday called for climate-friendly agricultural practices and suggested that the state’s farmers take up organic cultivation.

 

'For some time, Bihar has received less rain. Otherwise, rivers and ponds have been part of its identity. Water conservation is required. Climate-resilient agriculture will play a key role in environment conservation. There has been growing demand for organic farming now… it is good to know that the state government has developed an organic farming corridor along Ganga,' she said in Patna.

 

Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav were present at the launch of the fourth Agricultural Roadmap that will run till 2028.

 

The President said it was heartening to learn that the agriculture roadmap provides for mega food parks and export infrastructure. She also praised increased productivity in wheat and maize farming in Bihar and spoke of how the state had become one of the top producers of honey, makhana and fish.

 

Calling herself the daughter of a farmer, Murmu also said she would like to return to her village after her tenure as President — to engage in farming.

 

The Chief Minister reminded Murmu of JD(U)’s support for her Presidential candidature and requested her to visit Bihar frequently. This was Murmu’s first visit to Bihar after becoming President.

 

The President accepted the invitation and termed herself a 'Bihari' as her home state of Orissa had historical links to Bihar.

 

Saying Bihar had a key role in making India a developed country, Murmu called it the land of Buddha where there was no place for 'ill-will and conflict'.

 

CM Nitish said: 'The fourth agriculture roadmap involves a cost of Rs 1.62 lakh crore from agriculture and other departments. Our farmers have excelled in potato and rice farming besides recording high productivity in production of vegetables. We have identified 9 lakh crore acres, mostly in North Bihar where there is water-logging for 8-9 months in a year. We have been developing it for fish and specialised farming. We have already become self-reliant in fish production.'

 

The CM also requested Governor Arlekar to assess the agriculture roadmap and give his feedback to departments concerned.

 

India's horticulture production is estimated to have risen annually by 1.37 per cent to 351.92 million tonne in 2022-23 due to better productivity, according to government data. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Wednesday released the second advance estimates of the area and production of various horticultural crops for the year 2022-23.

 

According to this estimate, total horticulture production in the country is expected to be a record 351.92 million tonne in 2022-23, with an increase of about 4.74 million tonne (1.37 per cent) as compared to the previous year, an official statement said.

 

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that 'along with food grains, horticulture is also continuously recording record production in the country, which is the good result of the hard work of our farmers, the efficiency of scientists and the farmer-friendly policies of the central government under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is committed to the welfare of farmers.'

 

Production of fruits, vegetables, plantation crops, flowers and honey is expected to increase.

 

'Fruit production is estimated to be 108.34 million tonne in the year 2022-23 as compared to 107.51 million tonne in the year 2021-22. The production of vegetables is estimated to be 212.91 million tonne in the year 2022-23 compared to 209.14 million tonne in the year 2021-22,' the statement said.

 

Production of plantation crops is estimated to increase from 15.76 million tonne in 2021-22 to 16.05 million tonne in 2022-23, which is an increase of about 1.78 per cent.

 

As per the data, potato output is expected to be 60.54 million tonne compared to 56.18 million tonne in the year 2021-22.

The Indian government has allowed the export of 10.34 lakh tonnes (lt) of non-basmati white rice to seven countries on a government-to-government (G2G) basis.

 

A notification issued by the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade on Wednesday said the shipments would be handled by the National Cooperative Export Ltd.

 

The maximum quantity of rice — 2.95 lt — has been allocated to the Philippines, while Cameroon will get 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).

 

Food security

The exports were permitted following requests from the respective governments for supply of non-basmati white rice. India had banned exports of white rice from July 20 to ensure supplies in the domestic market and cool rising prices.

 

The Government had then said it would meet the food security demands of neighbouring and vulnerable countries. Additionally, India has agreed to supply rice to Singapore owing to good bilateral relations.

 

India has also imposed a 20 per cent export duty on par-boiled rice and fixed $1,200 a tonne as minimum export price for basmati rice. In September 2022, the Centre banned shipments of broken rice.

 

These curbs followed worries over the impact of a truant south-west monsoon on the paddy crop during this year’s kharif season.

 

Weather hits crop

A late start to the monsoon in June, excess rainfall in July, and a 32 per cent deficient rainfall in August have markedly impacted the annual rainfall season this year. The South-West monsoon accounts for about 85 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall. 

 

This year, the paddy crop was affected by heavy rains during July in Haryana and Punjab. The prolonged dry period in August has affected the crop in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

 

The Centre has said rice production will touch 112 million tonnes (mt) this year. However, it is yet to release its first advance estimate of the crop, which is usually done in the last week of September. 

The Custom authority does not need to send an imported food item for clearance to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) if it is meant for re-export or production of value-added items, which are only for exports, the authority has clarified.

 

The clarification came after several business groups and industry associations approached the regulator in the view of objections raised in some quarters.

 

The advisory should also facilitate ease of doing business. The FSSAI stated that consignments don’t need clearance if they are imported for use in a company’s sister concerns or wholly-owned subsidiaries, meant for 100 per cent export production.

 

However, this is subject to a defined relationship agreement between the two entities and accompanied with a sanitary or health certificate issued by the competent authority of an exporting country.

 

The food importers may take a self-declaration to the Customs authority, following which the concerned official may issue a ‘not in scope’ certificate to facilitate the import. 

India has withdrawn its three-month long ban on rice exports to Nepal. 

 

In a notice issued by India's Department of Commerce on Wednesday, it is mentioned that India will now export 95,000 tons of rice to Nepal. Such exports will be carried out through the National Co-operative Exports Limited of India.

 

In mid-July, India announced a ban on the export of non-Basmati white rice. India announced a ban on rice exports in an effort to control rising food prices in their domestic market.

 

Last year, too, India had banned the export of broken rice and slapped a 20 percent duty on export of husked rice, semi-milled and wholly-milled rice. The three-month long restriction was lifted only in December 2022. 

 

Nepal imports large quantities of paddy and rice from India. With the announcement of the ban on rice export by India, the price of rice has soared in the Nepali market. 

 

The Government of Nepal had been repeatedly writing letters, requesting its southern neighbor to lift the export restriction on rice. Nepal had sought permission to import 100,000 tons of rice. In response, India has now agreed to export 95,000 tons of rice to Nepal.

 

Government records show that Nepal fulfills around 20 percent of its demand for rice through imports. Of around seven million tons of demand, around 1.5 million tons of rice is imported.

 

India is the world's top exporter of rice, accounting for about 40 percent of the global trade in grains produced. Along with India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan and the USA are other top rice exporters. 

 

The major buyers of rice are countries like China, the Philippines and Nigeria. India has set quotas for Nepal, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Malaysia and the Philippines, among others, to sell the farm product.

India exported 22.76 lakh tonnes (lt) of oilmeals during April-September of 2023-24 against 17.62 lt in the corresponding period a year ago, registering a growth of 29.15 per cent.

 

Data provided by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) showed that India exported 3.30 lt of oilmeals during September 2023 against 2.40 lt in September 2022, up 37.35 per cent.

 

BV Mehta, Executive Director of SEA, said India was outpriced in the international market in the case of soyabean meal last year. India exported 5.86 lt of soyabean meal during the first six months of 2023-24 against 1.21 lt in the corresponding period of 2022-23.

 

Export of rapeseed meal increased to 13.44 lt during April-September 2023-24 against 12.40 lt during the period. Castor seed meal export from India increased to 1.81 lt in the first half against 1.54 lt a year ago.

 

Rice bran shipments down

However, there was a decline in the export of ricebran extractions during the first six months of the current financial year. India exported 1.51 lt of ricebran extractions during April-September 2023-24 against 2.04 lt in the corresponding period of 2022-23.

 

Mehta said India exports around 5-6 lt of de-oiled ricebran every year to Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, etc.

 

Stating that India exported around 1.5 lt during April-July 2023-24, he said the Government prohibited export of of de-oiled ricebran with effect from July 28 until November 30. This decision has seriously affected domestic ricebran processors and export of de-oiled ricebran, he said.

 

Korea top buyer

Oilmeals from India are exported to countries such as South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

 

South Korea imported 4.62 lt of oilmeals from India during the first six months of 2023-24 (5.29 lt in April-September of 2022-23). This included 3.41 lt of rapeseed meal, 98,080 tonnes of castorseed meal, and 23,091 tonnes of soyabean meal.

 

Vietnam imported 3.02 lt of oilmeals from India during April-September 2023-24 (3.11 lt). This included 90,540 tonnes of ricebran extraction, 1.62 lt of rapeseed meal, 49,162 tonnes of soyabean meal, and 748 tonnes of groundnut meal.

 

Thailand imported 3.74 lt of oilmeals from India during the first six months of 2023-24 (3.58 lt). This included 3.63 lt of rapeseed meal, 6,193 tonnes of soyabean meal, 4,666 tonnes of ricebran extraction, and 701 tonnes of castorseed meal.

 

Bangladesh imported 4.35 lt of oilmeals from India during April-September 2023-24 (1.81 lt). This included 27,771 tonnes of ricebran extractions, 2.38 lt of rapeseed meal, and 1.68 lt of soyabean meal.

The Philippines will receive 295,000 metric tons of non-basmati white rice from India, the largest rice exporter in the world.

 

This was the culmination of rice importation talks between the two nations since August. The Philippines had recently gone through a lean season, jacking up rice prices and moving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to resort to a price cap.

 

'Request made at the leadership level and the positive decision reflects the growing confidence in the bilateral relationship,' the Indian embassy in Manila said in a statement to the media on Wednesday, October 18.

 

Other countries also set to receive rice exports from India are Nepal, Cameroon, Cote d’ Ivore, Republic of Guinea, Malaysia, and Seychelles.

 

The Department of Agriculture has yet to comment on this latest development. This story will be updated once the agency gives a statement. Authorities expected rice prices to drop should the importation talks push through.

 

Despite India’s rice export ban, its government allowed exports to select countries through the National Cooperative Exports Limited.

 

A Reuters report said, India in July banned exports of non-basmati white rice and later imposed a 20% duty on exports of parboiled rice.

 

Last August, the Indian government allocated export quotas of non-basmati white rice to Singapore, Bhutan, and Mauritius.

Though late rains and dry spells were a cause of concern in the first few weeks of the kharif season, Telangana has registered a record paddy area of 26.30 lakh hectares (lh) as against a normal area of 20.17 lh.

 

The area under paddy was 13.89 lh in 2014-15, the first kharif season after the State was formed.

 

As per the Union Ministry of Agriculture, the kharif paddy acreage went up by 1.89 per cent to 411.95 lh compared to 404.27 lh during the same period last year.

 

The present condition of the crop in some areas of the State, however, is said to be precarious. 'There is no rain for over a month now and water in smaller tanks is not enough to water the crops at this crucial stage of the crop. If there is no rain in the next one week, it might cause serious harm to the crop,' S Malla Reddy, a leader of Telangana Rythu Sangham, said.

 

Millet, cotton area down

This has resulted in a reduction in the area for millets and cotton. Redgram area is reduced to 1.91 lh against a normal area of 3.11 lh while the maize area fell to 2.13 lh against the normal area of 2.88 lh.

 

The area of cotton fell to 18.11 lh against the normal area of 20.23 lh.

 

According to the third Advance Estimates of Production of Food grains for 2022-23, rice production estimate was 175.27 lakh tonnes (lt) in the State.

 

The Agricultural Market Intelligence Centre of Prof Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) forecast that Paddy-Grade-A and Paddy-Common could trade in price ranges of Rs.2,250–2,720 and Rs.2,185–2,250 a quintal respectively during October 2023.

India will allow exports of non-basmati white rice to Nepal, Cameroon, Malaysia, Philippines, Seychelles, Ivory Coast and the Republic of Guinea, a government notification showed on Wednesday.

 

India in July banned exports of non-basmati white rice and later imposed a 20% duty on exports of parboiled rice.