India and Iran on Wednesday held wide-ranging talks focusing on enhancing trade, connectivity and counter-terror cooperation even as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian raised the issue of controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad made by two former BJP spokespersons.

 

An Iranian readout of Abdollahian's talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said the foreign minister hailed the Indian people and the government for their respect for Prophet Mohammad as well as for their religious tolerance and historical coexistence between various faiths.

 

It said Abdollahian announced that Iran prefers 'no limits' for expansion of ties with India. The Iranian foreign minister, who is on a three-day visit to India, also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

The crisis in Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan were among the key issues that figured in the talks Abdollahian had with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

 

On Afghanistan, the two sides reaffirmed the importance of providing immediate humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and reiterated the need for a representative and inclusive political system in support of a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan.

 

The two sides also signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters. The Iranian readout of Abdollahian's talks with Doval said the foreign minister raised the issue of the controversy triggered by the comments on Prophet Mohammad.

 

It said the NSA reaffirmed the Indian government's respect for the founder of Prophet Mohammad, saying offenders will be 'dealt with in such a way that others will learn a lesson'.

 

'Abdollahian hailed the Indian people and government for their respect for the divine faiths, especially the Prophet Mohammad and also for the religious tolerance, historical coexistence and friendship among followers of various religions in the country,' the readout said.

 

It stated the Iranian foreign minister called for attention to the sensitivities of Muslims, adding he said 'Muslims are satisfied with the stance of Indian officials in dealing with the culprits.'

 

The BJP on Sunday suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled the party's Delhi unit media head Naveen Jindal for allegedly making derogatory comments.

 

The Ministry of External Affairs said both sides acknowledged the significance of bilateral cooperation in the field of regional connectivity and reviewed the progress made at the Shahid Beheshti terminal of the Chabahar port.

 

'The sides agreed that the Chabahar port has provided much needed sea-access to landlocked Afghanistan and has also emerged as a commercial transit hub for the region, including for Central Asia,' it said.

 

'They reaffirmed their commitment to continue to cooperate on the development of Chabahar Port. Teams from both countries will be meeting soon to address operational aspects,' it added.

 

The MEA said the two ministers also discussed international and regional issues, including Afghanistan and reaffirmed the importance of providing immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

 

It said they also reiterated the need for a representative and inclusive political system in support of a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan. The MEA said Jaishankar appreciated the role of Iran in facilitating India's medical assistance to Afghanistan, including supply of COVID-19 vaccines to Afghan nationals residing in Iran.

 

The Iranian statement said Abdollahian described security and military ties between the two countries as 'suitable' and pitched for further expansion of the cooperation including to fight terrorism at the bilateral and regional levels and also to help the people of Afghanistan.

 

The talks between Jaishankar and Abdollahian focused on overall bilateral ties.

 

'Wide ranging discussion with FM @Amirabdolahian of Iran. Reviewed our bilateral cooperation, including in trade, connectivity, health and people to people ties. Exchanged views on global and regional issues including JCPOA, Afghanistan and Ukraine,' Jaishankar tweeted.

 

It is the first visit to India by a senior minister of a member nation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation after the controversial remarks triggered anguish in the Arab World.

 

Abdollahian's visit to India came days after Iran joined Kuwait and Qatar in summoning the Indian ambassadors over the remarks against Prophet Mohammad by Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal.

 

Since then, several countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jordan, Bahrain, Maldives, Malaysia, Oman, Iraq and Libya denounced the comments.

 

The Iran nuclear deal also figured in the talks. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was finalised in 2015 between Tehran and several world powers including the EU.

 

It was aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions. The US had withdrawn from the deal in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. There have been fresh efforts now to restore the deal. Iran has been a key country for India in the Gulf region.

 

The two sides have been jointly focusing on improving connectivity between South East Asia and Central Asia. At a connectivity conference in Tashkent last July, Jaishankar projected Iran's Chabahar Port as a key regional transit hub.

 

Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan to boost connectivity and trade ties. India has been in touch with Iran over the developments in Afghanistan following its takeover by the Taliban on August 15.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal for the signing a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Arab Emirates on cooperation in the field of industries and advanced technologies.

 

The MoU aims to strengthen the supply chain resilience of industries and cooperation in renewable & energy efficiency, health and life sciences, space systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Industry 4.0 Enabling Technologies between the two countries.

 

'The implementation of MoU may lead to increase in research and innovation in all areas of mutual cooperation, particularly in the areas of Renewable Energy, Artificial Intelligence, Industry Enabling technologies and Health and Life science,' the government said in a statement.

 

This could lead to growth of these sectors, increased domestic production, enhanced exports and reduction in imports, it added.

 

As per the statement, the MoU aims to strengthen and develop industries in both nations through investments, technology transfer and the deployment of key technologies.

 

India and the UAE have signed a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which has potential to increase trade between the two sides to $100 billion from US$ 60 billion in the next five years.

Assam Minister for Agriculture Atul Bora stated that the Government is planning to start Millet Mission in the coming days.

 

With an aim to strengthen the Agro-Economy in Assam, the First State Level Conclave cum Exhibition of the Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) was held in Guwahati. Organised by Assam Agribusiness & Rural Transformation Project (APART), the conclave aims to facilitate a platform for the registered FPCs of the State.

 

Bora said that the Government is also planning to start Millet Mission in the coming days. Farmers today are also taking keen interest in diversification of crops, which is an added boost to the Agricultural Sector, the Minister stated. He also reiterated the need to mitigate the issue of middle men in supply chain. The State Government is considering to set up Milk Processing Plants and Pork Processing Plants to help the local youth and farmers, the Minister mentioned. Additionally, to ease the process of harvest, Combine Harvester will be distributed amongst the farmers in subsidized rate. The Minister along with other dignitaries launched the Agri Horticulture Newsletter.

 

Anant Lal Gyani, Director Agriculture, mentioned about the FPC initiatives, it’s current status and future prospects for the farming community. The FPC programme aims to prepare the farmers to access wider markets and function as a private limited company owned and managed by the farmers.

 

APART aims to support 125 FPCs in the respective project districts. Each FPC will have a Common Service Centre (CSC) and Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) Besides asset creation at the FPC level, APART also provides capacity building programmes (Training, exposure visit etc.) for the FPC members on different aspects, such as FPC Management, accounting, farm machinery operation and maintenance, and improved production technology, post-harvest management and value addition etc. APART, also focuses on establishing a proper market linkage of the FPCs at the local, national and international levels.

The Malda Mango Merchants’ Association has requested authorities of the patent information centre of the state council of science and technology to give them authority to use GI (geographical indication) tags and logos of three popular varieties of mangoes in the interest of mango producers.

 

So far, only the state government can use the GI tags with the mango consignments, private producers cannot.

 

Uzzal Saha, the MMMA president, said the association was ready to pay the requisite fee to use the GI tags and logos for 'Lakshmanbhog', 'Fajli' and 'Khirsapati' or 'Himsagar' varieties of mangoes.

 

'They got GI tags and logos were approved long back. In 2017, the state government appealed for renewal of the GI tags and logos from the Registrar of the Geographical Indications. It was approved and is valid till 2027,' Saha said.

 

He explained that if mango growers could use GI tags for these species, it would promote trade both in domestic and export markets.

 

The mangoes are in high demand in Europe and Middle East.

 

The summer fruit is produced over 31,500 hectares in Malda with an average annual production of around 4 lakh metric tonnes.

 

Around 10 lakh people are directly or indirectly involved with mango production and trade in Malda.

 

Saha said that at a recent meeting of the MMMA, growers asked office bearers to take initiatives so that they can use the GI tags and the logos in the interest of promotion and trade, especially mango export.

 

'Once we get permission, tags and logos can be used by all our members. These three varieties of Malda mangoes can then be categorically identified in domestic and international markets. Also, buyers will be sure of the authenticity of these three varieties,' he said.

 

Another senior grower said that earlier Malda mangoes were sent to international exhibitions in Doha of Qatar and Milan in Italy. 'However, use of GI tag would help in increasing the international market for mangoes of Malda,' he said.

 

Bengal on Wednesday logged 85 Covid-19 cases, 48 recoveries and no death. Bengal has 469 active cases, according to the state bulletin. The state’s positive  confirmation rate is 1.07 per cent.

The visiting Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development of Nepal, Shri Mahendra Rai Yadav, held a meeting with the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar here today. During the meeting, Shri Tomar assured all possible cooperation from India's side to Nepal. Also, the two countries agreed to expeditiously finalize a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for agricultural cooperation so that rapid progress can be made on various bilateral agricultural issues.

 

Welcoming the Nepalese delegation to the bilateral meeting, Shri Tomar said that India and Nepal enjoy close and friendly relations, which are clearly manifested in the age-old historical and cultural ties, open borders and close people-to-people contacts. Shri Tomar spoke of strengthening cooperation with Nepal in all fields including agriculture and informed that India has made great progress in the field of research and development in agriculture and allied sectors. Shri Tomar said that Nepal can learn from the Indian agricultural system, whenever required.

 

The Nepalese Minister thanked Shri Tomar and reiterated the cordial and friendly relations between the two countries. He requested the Agriculture Minister Shri Tomar to extend cooperation in the field of agriculture technology, Murrah buffalo breed, resolution of quarantine issues at border points and supply of animal vaccines etc. Shri Tomar assured the Nepal delegation of early resolution of the issues raised by them. Complimenting the Nepalese Minister and other delegates for visiting India, Shri Tomar solicited Nepal's support for India's candidature of the Presidency of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Bangladesh has said its dependence on Indian wheat has increased and it will need to import at least 6.2 million tonnes (mt) of wheat from India this fiscal, its High Commissioner in New Delhi has been informed. 

 

While Dhaka will need 0.6 mt of wheat on a government-to-government basis, it requires a similar amount on a government-to-business basis, the Bangladesh Ministry of Food (Foreign Procurement) said in a communication to High Commissioner Muhammad Imran on June 3. 

 

Responds to MEA request 

For business-to-business transactions, Bangladesh will need another 5 mt, its senior assistant secretary in the Ministry of Food, Muhammad Mahabubur Rahman, wrote to the High Commissioner in a communication seen by BusinessLine. 

 

Rahman was responding to a May 25 letter from Imran, saying he required the details as India’s Ministry of External Affairs has sought them. It is not clear if the High Commissioner has conveyed to the Narendra Modi government the wheat it would require this fiscal. 

 

The Indian External Affairs Ministry had sought the details as the Centre has banned wheat exports from May 13. However, the government said it was open to supplying the cereal to neighbouring and vulnerable countries, mainly on a government-to-government basis. 

 

'The Bangladesh Government has already ordered one lakh tonnes of wheat. Private businessmen also ordered 3  mt of wheat,' the Food Ministry official said.

 

LCs opened for 2 tenders

The order for one lakh tonnes was placed by the Sheikh Hasina government after finalising two tenders by April end and opening letters of credit (LCs), the second one on May 12. 

 

'It is also learned that the private sector has already opened LCs for about 3 million mt of wheat under business-to-business basis from India,' he further said on the orders placed by private trade. 

 

Stating that the Hasina government had issued LCs to Singapore-based Agrocorp International Pte Ltd and India’s Bagadiya Brothers for the import of 50,000 tonnes of wheat each from India, Rahman said LCs to the tune of nearly 7 lakh tonnes had been issued by the private sector. 'We have not yet received the full information regarding how many LCs (were) opened before May 13, 2022. We have not received any information regarding shipment from India to Bangladesh,' Rahman said, adding that information would be provided once the Ministry gets the details. 

 

Low prices, quick shipment

Bangladesh’s annual wheat demand is at least 7.5 mt. With the neighbouring country producing only eight lakh tonnes, it is forced to import the rest. 

 

'Our dependence on India has been increasing over the last few years due to low prices and short shipment time. Moreover, after the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine, India became our major source of wheat import,' the Food Ministry official said. 

 

During the 2020-21 and 2021-22 fiscals, Bangladesh imported 1.16 mt and 4.08 mt of wheat, respectively, from India. It was the top importer of the foodgrain. 

 

Though Russia had been the main supplier of wheat to Bangladesh, the Ukraine war has affected supplies, forcing it to turn to India. One of the advantages for Bangladesh to buy from India is that it can get the consignments by road, apart from the sea. 

 

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) data showed that wheat exports in 2020-21 were 2.08 mt in 2020-21 and a record 7.23 mt in 2021-22. During April this fiscal, exports were estimated at 1.45 mt. 

 

The Centre banned wheat exports after its prices surged in the domestic market and inflation soared. Besides, production this year was affected by a heatwave that swept the country in March and April. 

 

On the other hand, the Food Corporation of India was unable to procure stocks for the Central pool, to be distributed through ration shops, as open market prices were higher than the minimum support price of Rs.2,015 a quintal. Following the ban, the national weighted average modal price (the rate at which most trades take place) has cooled to Rs.2,047 a quintal.

 

Demand for flour

Meanwhile, demand for wheat flour has surged in view of the ban on wheat. 'We are witnessing good demand from North Africa, West Asia with Egypt joining the countries seeking flour,' said VR Vidya Sagar, Director, Bulk Logix. 

 

'Wheat flour exports have doubled since the ban was imposed on May 13,' said Rajesh Paharia Jain, a New Delhi-based exporter.

 

Sagar said flour was priced at $350-400 a tonne free-on-board (f.o.b), while Jain said the price was $380. 

 

When India banned wheat on May 13, officials had said 97,000 tonnes of flour had also been exported in April. Going by reports that flour exports have doubled, exporters say nearly three lakh tonnes could have been exported by now.

 

A multinational firm’s export-import official said wheat flour exports were better than wheat, though their shelf-life is low and it can be shipped only to nearby destinations. 'At least 90 per cent of the wheat exported will be milled. We are more competitive even in milling,' the official said.

 

Adi Narayan Gupta, a Delhi-based flour miller, said there is good scope for flour exports, though the demand is 'still emerging'. 'Some quantity has been exported but more of it from near port areas,' he said.

 

A flour miller from South India said demand for wheat flour is lukewarm and there was nothing worthy to take note of. 

The matter was discussed during a virtual meeting between Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development Mary Ng and India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday.

 

The Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) was decided upon when Ng visited India this March. At the same time, the two countries 'continue to work towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement', a readout from Global Affairs Canada, Canada’s foreign ministry said.

 

It added that the ministers 'discussed the status of negotiations on key issues, including trade in goods and services, and investment protection'.

 

'Minister Ng and Minister Goyal reaffirmed their commitment to maintain momentum into the next round of negotiations, to take place in the coming months,' the statement added.

 

In a tweet, Goyal said that both nations were 'working to identify sectors for greater partnership & investments to deliver early gains for our businesses and people.'

 

Enhanced bilateral engagement between the two countries has been evident in recent months after a difficult period since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to India in February 2018.

 

Last week, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault and India’s Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, signed a Memorandum of Understanding 'to increase bilateral cooperation on climate action, environmental protection and conservation', according to a Canadian release on Friday. The described India as 'a key partner in addressing climate change and environmental issues'.

 

The MoU was signed on the margins of the Stockholm+50 meeting in the Swedish capital. 'We are launching a collaborative process between our two governments that will strengthen each of our responses to the challenges we face in dealing with climate action and nature protection,' Guilbeault said.

 

Last month, the India-Canada Science and Technology Cooperation Committee meeting took place in Ottawa, and was chaired by Department of Science and Technology Secretary Prof Srivari Chandrasekhar and his counterpart, Deputy Minister for International Trade at Global Affairs Canada David Morrison.

 

A joint statement noted that both countries were 'committed to deepening ties' and science, technology and innovation were 'a key pillar of the relationship'.

India's bilateral trade with all the six members of GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) group countries, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, has increased significantly in 2021-22 on account of increasing economic ties between the two regions.

 

India's exports to the GCC have increased by 58.26 per cent to about USD 44 billion in 2021-22 against USD 27.8 billion in 2020-21, according to the data of the commerce ministry.

 

The share of these six countries in India's total exports has risen to 10.4 per cent in 2021-22 from 9.51 per cent in 2020-21.

 

Similarly, imports rose by 85.8 per cent to USD 110.73 billion compared to USD 59.6 billion in 2020-21, the data showed.

 

The share of GCC members in India's total imports rose to 18 per cent in 2021-22 from 15.5 per cent in 2020-21.

 

Bilateral trade has increased to USD 154.73 billion in 2021-22 from USD 87.4 billion in 2020-21.

 

These increasing figures assume significance as India is looking at negotiating a free trade agreement with the grouping.

 

The country has already implemented a comprehensive trade pact with the UAE on May 1, with an aim to boost bilateral trade to USD 100 billion in the coming years.

 

The GCC was established in May 1981. Its members are Saudi Arabia Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and UAE.

 

Mumbai-based exporter and founder chairman of Technocraft Industries India Sharad Kumar Saraf said that the GCC has emerged as a major trading partner for India and huge potential is there for increasing investments also between the two regions.

 

'The trade relation is bound to grow in the coming years. Reasons for the growth include anti-China sentiments, increasing quality of domestic goods and improvement in international trade. A quantum jump will come when the trade pact will be operationalised properly,' Saraf said.

 

Another industry expert said that the GCC's substantial oil and gas reserves are of fundamental importance for India's energy needs and India can support in meeting the GCC's food security requirements.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles said that the world will emulate the example of PM Gati Shakti in the coming years. Adding that PM Gati Shakti will be a game changer, the Minister suggested that people who want to set up industrial units utilise the initiative. He was addressing the Investors Round Table Conference organized by NICDC (National Industrial Corridor Development Programme) at Kochi today.

 

The Union Minister urged investors to make use of the natural advantages of the state of Kerala for establishing industries. He said that the Union government aimed at making business seamless and also affordable for the people. He said that the Prime Minister is very clear on this vision. Shri Piyush Goyal added that the government was spreading the message of good governance on the occasion of the completion of 8 years of Modi government.

 

Shri P. Rajeev, Industries Minister, Kerala government, while delivering his address said that the aim was to establish one lakh enterprises in the year.  He also requested the Union Minister to extend the Bangaluru-Kochi Industrial corridor to Thiruvananthapuram. Shri. Rajendra Ratnoo, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Santhosh Koshy Thomas, MD, KINFRA, Suman Billa, Principal Secretary, Government of Kerala, Abhishek Chowdary, Vice President, NICDC also spoke on the occasion.

Lucknow, June 7 (UNI) In a step towards strengthening the economic and trade relationship between Japan and Uttar Pradesh and considering the possible options for promoting exports from the state, a virtual conferencing was held between the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Embassy of India in Japan on Tuesday.

 

The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of India to Japan Sanjay Verma, Additional Chief Secretary, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Export Promotion (MSME), UP Dr Navneet Sehgal, OSD (States), Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi C. Rajasekhar and Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC), UP Arvind Kumar.

 

Discussions were held during the meeting to explore the possibilities of bilateral trade between UP and Japan in areas like handicrafts, food, electronics, apparel, carpet, leather and One District One Product from India to Japan.

 

ACS MSME Navneet Sehgal discussed the manufacturing potential of UP in all these sectors. He said that these sectors are in line with the market demand in Japan. The state government was dedicated to promoting the bilateral trade between UP and Japan.

 

Indian ambassador to Japan Sanjay Verma appreciated and welcomed the initiative of the UP government in this regard and assured full cooperation to it in its efforts to organise state-centric webinars and virtual buyer-seller meet. He also assured to extend full cooperation to UP in sending state delegations to Japan by the end of the year.

 

He suggested that the certification and quality norms should be strictly followed by our exporters while exporting to Japan.

 

Mentioning the recently organised Ground Breaking Ceremony @3.0, IIDC Arvind Kumar informed that the state government is determined to invite investments from different countries of the world to the state.

 

C. Rajasekhar stressed on the need to provide hand-holding support to MSMEs in their internationalisation journey and said that the Ministry of External Affairs would facilitate the UP government to promote exports through appropriate events like trade and investment based road shows and exhibitions.