Addressing the FICCI Millet Conclave ‘Shree Anna’, Shubha Thakur, Joint Secretary (Crops, Oil Seeds), Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, expressed her delight at the engagement of younger individuals and the vibrant startup movement promoting millets. Reflecting on the past one and a half years, she noted the significant growth of startups in the millet sector, which has captured the attention of the highest levels of government. She emphasised the importance of making the millet movement a mass movement in India and globally. 'From climate-smart to income-smart; it is time to bring Amrit Kaal for Shree Anna (millets) and Indian farmers,' she added.

 

Speaking at the conclave, Dr Sudhanshu, Secretary at APEDA, highlighted the emergence of more than 80 startups in the millet sector within the past year and a half, responsible for developing well-packaged products, and acknowledged the innovation from large retail organisations.

 

He emphasised the need for continuous efforts to provide guidance and support to small entrepreneurs and startups in the millet area, recognising the need for handholding rather than focusing solely on large export houses. In addition, he stressed sustaining the momentum after the launch of the campaign and expressing the commitment to take it to the next level.

 

Speaking on occasion, TR Kesavan, Chairman of the FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE, passionately advocated for integrating millets into the regular diet, emphasising its multifaceted benefits, including nutritional value, climatic resilience, and income generation for farmers. He highlighted the challenges in cultivation, the need for mechanisation, and the importance of making millets profitable.

 

Celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar, in his special address, passionately endorsed the ‘International Year of the Millets – 2023’ campaign, urging a return to the traditional use of millets in Indian cuisine. Reflecting on the nation’s culinary history, he emphasised that millets were once extensively used across all cultures, states, and cuisines in India before being overshadowed by rice and wheat. He dismissed the notion that cooking with millets is difficult. 'I’ve always, as a chef, said that as a country, we’ve all grown up eating millet, and then somewhere down the line, we moved on to rice and wheat. I think we need to unlearn,' Chef Brar said, encouraging a return to culinary roots to understand how millets were originally used. The chef also highlighted the environmental responsibility associated with millets, describing it as a low environmental impact grain, especially concerning water consumption.

 

In his address, Padma Shri Dr Khader Vali, known as the Millet Man of India, passionately advocated for millets to eliminate various diseases. He emphasised that millets go beyond nutrition, offering a unique solution to global health challenges. Dr Vali highlighted the sustainable cultivation of millets, which requires minimal water, and lamented the disappearance of many traditional varieties. His insights served as a call to action, urging a reconnection with millets, recognising their unparalleled health benefits, and promoting sustainable cultivation.

 

Ravinder Balain, President South Asia at Corteva Agriscience, highlighted the United Nations’ declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets on India’s proposal and the Indian government’s subsequent initiatives to raise awareness about millets. Corteva is built on a belief in partnering with farmers and has been working to support resilience by advancing economic, environmental and social sustainability through proven science. He said that in Corteva, they firmly believe that 'When Farmers succeed, everyone wins.'

 

On the occasion, FICCI PwC Knowledge Report: Propelling India’s millet sector towards a sustainable future, was released. Speaking on the report, Shashi Kant Singh, Partner at PwC India, outlined the policy implications for the next 10 to 15 years, production aspects, awareness creation, innovation, and market development for millets. He emphasised the need to create both domestic and international demand for millets. He acknowledged the significant work done by the government in promoting millets. Singh also suggested that this can well be a jewel in India’s soft power diplomacy, reflecting the growing importance of the ‘Shree Anna’ in the global context.

 

The programme also saw the felicitation of winners of the 2nd Edition of Millet Startups Awards and Millet Idea Competition of Higher Education Students on 'Creating India’s Millet Revolution: Game-Changing Idea'.

 

Speakers congratulated the FICCI Task Force in Millets under Jitendra Joshi from Corteva and members from different segments of value chain on the completion of one year. A bajra cake was also cut to celebrate the occasion.

 

Key highlights of the FICCI-PwC Report: Propelling India’s millet sector towards a sustainable future

As part of the International Year of Millets (IYOM) 2023 celebrating these environment-friendly and highly nutritious crops, this knowledge paper also highlights the role of millets in ushering in economic prosperity along with proposed ways to achieve these goals. The report comprises three sections: knowing our nutri cereals, current perceptions about millets and mainstreaming millets.

 

To mainstream millets and bring the 'Shree Anna' to every plate, the report proposes a four-pronged strategy, in addition to celebrating a ‘Decade of Millets’:

 

Production enhancement interventions entail crop and varietal improvements, concerted efforts on value-added product development, innovations in production and processing technologies, and holistic policy support for millet promotion.

 

The awareness creation facet in the proposed strategy highlights the importance of mainstreaming millets and prioritising the interests of cultivators, consumers, and investors alike.

 

Innovations for increasing the area under millet cultivation along with dedicated product development endeavours would be helpful in increasing consumption.

 

Demand generation through public-private partnership models and global initiatives would be helpful in the long run to sustain the fervour.

The trial exercise of directly exporting fresh fruits and vegetables from Assam to Singapore under the supervision of the island country's Ministry of Trade and Industry was successful, officials said on Saturday.

The cargo included coffee plum, star fruit, jackfruit, Assam lemon, and pineapple, the exporter Achintya Kumar Das, the Founder of KADlien Innovations and Export Centre, told PTI.

 

The 24-kilogram cargo was carried by Druk Air on August 23.

The project is a collaborative effort of Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry and India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with support from the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), APEDA, and KADlien, he said.

 

'Singaporean authorities have expressed satisfaction after visiting and witnessing the fruits at the importer's site,' Das stated.

Singapore High Commissioner to India Simon Wong also took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the team behind the project.

 

'I am happy to announce the first air cargo shipment of fruits from Assam to Singapore. This will establish a direct agro-export source from the NE to Singapore. We thank CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for this pioneer initiative,' he said.

FIEO Assam head Kaushik Dutta said,' This will no doubt open up new markets for the exotic fruits and vegetables from Assam and North East at large. Also congratulations to @Drukair for starting the direct flight from Guwahati to Singapore.

Just days after assuring that there are no plans to restrict export of non-Basmati parboiled rice, the Centre late on Friday imposed 20 per cent export duty on par-boiled rice with immediate effect. The decision was taken to curb the rising prices of rice, and it comes at a time when food inflation for July had skyrocketed to 11 per cent, pushing the retail inflation for the month to 7.44 per cent. The decision to impose a 20 per cent export duty on parboiled rice will make purchasing the commodity expensive for foreign buyers, thus limiting its overseas sales and at the same time boosting its domestic availability.

 

India and Greece on Friday agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a strategic level and double the two-way trade by 2030. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to the Hellenic Republic at the invitation of Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

 

Both leaders held high-level talks in a warm and friendly atmosphere and they noted the ongoing cooperation between the two sides and exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest, said an India-Greece joint statement.

 

Building on the foundation of the long-standing warm and close relationship between their countries and peoples, the two leaders decided to upgrade Greek-Indian bilateral ties to the level of a 'Strategic Partnership' and agreed to work to further expand bilateral cooperation in political, security and economic spheres, it added.

 

'The two Prime Ministers also decided to take steps to further strengthen people-to-people ties between the two countries. Appreciating the increase in bilateral trade and economic engagement in recent years, the leaders also directed that both sides shall work to double bilateral trade by 2030,' the statement said.

 

The bilateral merchandise trade stood at about USD 2 billion in 2022-23, according to Indian government data.

 

Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Prime Minister Modi reiterated the need for further broadening and deepening bilateral engagements, in the field of defence, shipping, science and technology, cyber space, education, culture, tourism and agriculture.

 

'They took note of the signing of the MOU on cooperation in the field of agriculture, including the establishment of a Hellenic-Indian Joint Sub-committee on Agriculture for facilitating sectoral cooperation for mutual benefit,' the joint statement said.

 

Both leaders directed their senior officials to ensure regular dialogue in the areas including political, economic, defence, security and public diplomacy, it said, and the two leaders also agreed to encourage direct flights between Greece and India.

 

Prime Minister Modi welcomed Greece into the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and looked forward to Greece's membership of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

India and the European Union have made good progress in the ongoing three negotiations- India-EU Free Trade Agreement; a standalone Investment Protection Agreement; and a Geographical Indications Agreement, the government said Saturday.

 

The commerce and industry ministry said in a statement that the two sides discussed their market access issues and review the progress made so far under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council.

 

Commerce and industry Piyush Goyal met the European Commission Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis for the third High Level Dialogue.

 

'Minister Goyal and I held a positive and thorough discussion on advancing our Free Trade Agreement during our High-Level Economic Dialogue today,' Dombrovskis said, adding that both sides would benefit enormously from a comprehensive trade and investment partnership.

 

He said: 'We need to see good progress in terms of investment protection - important to attract further European investment to India'.

 

The EU is India’s second largest trading partner but there is still a lot of untapped potential, Dombrovskis said, adding that there is a clear political willingness on both sides to change gear and make faster progress.

 

'We must now use this momentum to bridge major gaps that remain,' he said, adding that the two committed to important outcomes, including reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

 

The upcoming WTO ministerial conference matters were also briefly discussed during the meeting

 

Traders in Nepal have resumed importing onions from India to meet the soaring domestic demand ahead of a festival season, days after the supply was halted following India's decision to slap a 40 per cent export tax on the vegetable. Last week, India, the world's biggest exporter of onions, imposed a 40 per cent tariff on the export of the vegetable till December 31 to restrict overseas sales.

 

The move reportedly came amid an anticipation of a price rise ahead of the festival season when demand for most commodities goes up.

 

The new tariff had severely affected Nepal as several traders in the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market - the Himalayan nation's largest wholesale market for agricultural products - reported a sudden scarcity of onions. Nepal imports 99 per cent of its onion requirements from India.

 

Traders in Nepal imported 265 tonnes of onions from India in the last 48 hours which helped resume smooth supply of the vegetable ahead of the festival season.

 

On Wednesday, 120 tonnes of onions were imported from India, and on Thursday, 145 tonnes came till noon, said Binaya Shrestha, spokesperson at the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board.

 

Wholesale price of onions has been fixed at Rs. 75 per kg after the tax adjustment, he said.

 

The traders had halted the import of onions on Monday and Tuesday after India imposed the export duty on the vegetable.

 

The price of onions which was sold at Rs. 70 per kg in the retail market has now jumped to Rs. 100 after the imposition of export tax.

 

However, the supply has become smooth, there is no shortage of onions in the market even though the traders have started hoarding the vegetable after India announced the tariff.

 

The Customer Protection Division under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has intensified market monitoring activities over the last week following complaints from some consumer groups about shortage and price hikes of onions.

 

In the last four days, market monitoring was conducted at more than 30 places, said Ghanashyam Subedi, director of the division.

 

He said those found to be charging unreasonably higher prices have been fined as per the consumer protection laws.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has expressed the desire to 'quickly' get back on the negotiating table to discuss a potential trade agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. Last year, both the regions agreed to pursue an FTA and resume the negotiations. 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.

 

'We have large investments coming from GCC countries. We already have a FTA with UAE...The GCC countries led by Saudi Arabia have expressed the desire to quickly get back on the negotiating table to discuss potential agreements with the GCC countries.

 

Many GCC member nations have also approached India individually with the request to enter into a bilateral agreement,' he told reporters here.

 

The minister is here for the G20 trade and investment ministerial meeting.

 

Among the economic regions, GCC is the top source of imports. Imports from GCC countries were USD 133 billion in 2022-23, up 20.3 per cent on year while exports were 16.7 per cent higher at USD 51.3 billion.

 

India's exports to the GCC member countries grew by 58.26 per cent to about USD 44 billion in 2021-22 against USD 27.8 billion in 2020-21.

 

Bilateral trade in goods has increased to USD 154.73 billion in 2021-22 from USD 87.4 billion in 2020-21. Services trade between the two regions was valued at around USD 14 billion in 2021-22, with exports aggregated at USD 5.5 billion and imports at USD 8.3 billion.

 

Both sides held negotiations for the trade pact in 2006 and 2008 but talks stalled thereafter due to unknown reasons.

 

Gulf nations are host to a sizable Indian population. Out of about 32 million non-resident Indians (NRIs), nearly half are estimated to be working in the Gulf countries.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Shri Piyush Goyal said that focus of G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM) will be on easing barriers to international trade and investment; helping boost productivity and output and fostering economic growth and prosperity for all. While addressing the opening session of TIMM in Jaipur, Rajasthan today, the Minister encouraged the Ministers from G20 and other invitee countries to work collectively to achieve concrete, decisive and action-oriented outcomes.

 

Shri Piyush Goyal said that TIMM focusses on formulating shared outcomes on issues related to the multilateral trading system, inclusive trade and ease of trade and business. He said that these issues have been deliberated upon in the four Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) Meetings held under India’s G20 Presidency. The Minister said that the meetings have aimed at formulating fair, inclusive and sustainable trade and trade related investment policies.

 

Shri Goyal mentioned that TIMM will have Sessions on (i) Multilateral Trade for Global Growth & Prosperity; (ii) Inclusive & Resilient Trade and (iii) Leveraging Technology for Paperless Trade. He expressed that these Sessions will result in coming up with significant outcomes keeping in mind the current multinational challenges.

 

The Minister highlighted that the five priority issues namely (i) Trade for Growth & Prosperity, (ii) Resilient Trade and GVCs, (iii) Integrating MSMEs in World Trade, (iv) Logistics for Trade and (v) WTO Reforms have been extensively discussed among the G20 member/invitee countries during the TIWG meetings. He noted that in today's interconnected world, the concept of global value chains has revolutionized the way nations engage in trade and investment. Shri Goyal added that the COVID-19 pandemic and other shocks have disrupted the global value chains and made us realize the importance of promoting inclusive and sustainable global value chains.

 

Shri Goyal said that India under its G20 Presidency has recognized the crucial role played by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the global economy and makes efforts under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to provide them continuous support. He said that MSMEs are the backbone of economies driving innovation, creating jobs and contributing significantly to overall economic growth. The Minister said that equitable access and participation for MSMEs in global trade must be ensured to unlock new avenues for growth. He also cited the example of successful integration of MSMEs in the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and its benefits.

 

The Minister said that the shared commitment to foster inclusive growth extends beyond the boundaries of our traditional systems. While recognizing the importance of smooth logistics for international trade, he said that paperless trading is a critical step towards streamlining cross border transactions, reducing administrative delays and enhancing the pace in trade operations. Shri Goyal cited the example of PM GatiShakti initiative for infrastructure development and logistics efficiency using layers of GIS data to plan and implement projects.

 

He said that it is imperative to have a more dynamic and inclusive trade environment, with reforms in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Shri Goyal said that these reforms must reflect the evolving global economic landscape. He said that India can provide leadership to the Global South in the realm of trade and investment and integrate the world economy making it more inclusive. The Minister said that the spirit of collaboration and mutual understanding defines G20 whose decisions shape the trajectory of economies, livelihoods of people, and the future of the world.

In a major milestone that will boost export trade between the two countries, Kenya has secured market for fresh avocado market in India. This development comes after the Indian government approved the export of the fresh produce beginning this September when the first shipment are expected to commence in a move that farmers welcomed with batted breath.

 

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) Managing Director Theophilus Mutui confirmed that the government of India last week approved Kenya’s request to export avocados: 'The India Government allowed Kenya avocado market access after notifying the world trade organization (WTO) about the same. We are happy as export destinations continue to increase and thus help our farmers to grow more avocados.'

 

Kenya and India have been carrying out negotiation talks for the last five years and this therefore is good news for Kenya, which has already been exporting the fruits to China. In the next two weeks, exports will commence.

 

India's trade deficit is falling at a rapid pace and the exports are expected to see positive growth in the coming months, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He said that countries in the world are facing a slowdown and global trade is relatively weak right now.

 

Given the challenging situation, high interest rates, and cut down in discretionary spending have led to a fall in the exports of readymade apparel and the gem and jewellery sector, the minister said adding lower petroleum prices have resulted in lower export numbers.

 

'All in all, trade continues to be robust, our trade deficit is falling rapidly. And India will continue to benefit significantly from our global outreach,' Goyal told PTI.

 

When asked if he expects the country's merchandise exports to come in positive growth from September, he said, 'I do believe it is possible'.

 

India's exports contracted by 15.88 per cent in July, the sixth straight month of decline, to USD 32.25 billion this year due to a global slowdown and a fall in shipments of key sectors like petroleum, and gems and jewellery.

 

Imports during the month also declined by 17 per cent, the eighth month of fall in a row, to USD 52.92 billion from USD 63.77 billion in July 2022. This led to a narrowing of the trade deficit to USD 20.67 billion against USD 25.43 billion in July 2022.

 

Talking about his bilateral meetings, the minister said that more and more countries are looking at expanding trade and business with India. 'There is a lot of interest to invest in India,' he added.

 

As Chandrayaan-3 successfully soft-landed on the Moon on Wednesday to propel India into an elite group of nations. Goyal said that at least three countries approached him for a partnership with India in the space sector.

 

'So, space is going to become a new frontier in which India will provide a leadership role at affordable competitive prices, modern technology and with full self-reliance, where we have the capabilities of our people to reach the moon and aspire for beyond,' he added.