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21 Aug, 2023 News Image

Rice sowing area stood at 360.79 lakh hectares.

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has released progress of area coverage under kharif crops as on 18th August 2023.

Area: In lakh hectare

S. No.	Crop	Area Sown
S. No.	Crop	2023	2022
1	Rice	360.79	345.79
2	Pulses	114.93	126.52
a	Arhar	40.92	43.72
b	Urd bean	30.19	35.62
c	Moong bean	30.39	33.07
d	Kulthi	0.25	0.22
e	Other pulses	13.18	13.89
3	Shri Anna cum Coarse cereals	176.39	173.60
a	Jowar	13.75	14.83
b	Bajra	69.70	68.94
c	Ragi	7.04	5.98
pib.gov.in
21 Aug, 2023 After UN body, 3 nations ask India to resume rice exports. Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, key diplomatic partners of India, have appealed to New Delhi to resume rice exports to their nations following India’s decision to suspend non-basmati shipments to check prices. Singapore has requested around 110,000 tonnes of rice from India. In June, Indonesia announced plans to import 1 million tonnes (mt) of rice from India to protect against disruptions caused by the El Nino weather pattern. The Philippines also relies on India for rice supplies. Recently, the UN World Food Programme sought 200,000 tonnes of Indian rice for its humanitarian operations amid what it called 'catastrophic levels' of global food insecurity, triggered by the covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war, two people aware of the development said. Bangladesh is also in talks with India for supplies of some agricultural commodities, including rice. Amid a surge in retail inflation to a 15-month high, India has taken various measures, including export curbs, to control escalating food prices. In his Independence Day speech to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to bring down inflation as he readies to fight general elections, due by May, for a third term in office. Queries mailed to the Singapore high commission in New Delhi, the embassies of Indonesia and the Philippines, and India’s department of food and public distribution remained unanswered. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) recently announced that it was in talks with India for the resumption of rice exports. 'SFA is working closely with importers to increase the import of different varieties of rice from various sources. Singapore is also in close contact with the Indian authorities to seek exemption from the ban,' read a press release from the agency. 'We diversify and import rice from over 30 countries. In 2022, India accounted for approximately 40% of Singapore’s rice imports. Only the import of non-basmati rice is affected by the ban. The import of non-basmati rice from India makes up approximately 17% of Singapore’s rice import,' it added. India is the world’s biggest rice exporter, accounting for about 40% of the global rice trade. The 20 July-move to curb exports of non-basmati white rice has put pressure on rice prices in global markets. Neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh and Nepal, are heavily dependent on Indian rice, while some African countries are purchasers of broken rice. 'To ensure adequate availability of non-basmati white rice in the Indian market and to allay the rise in prices in the domestic market, the government of India has amended the export policy of the above variety from ‘free with export duty of 20%’ to ‘prohibited’ with immediate effect,' the government announced in July. 'But there is no change in the export policy of non-basmati rice (parboiled rice) and basmati rice, which form the bulk of rice exports. This will ensure that the farmers continue to get the benefit of remunerative prices in the international market,' read a press release by the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution. Food and beverages inflation, as measured by the Consumer Food Price Index, which accounts for 45.86% of the overall consumer price basket (CPI), rose to 10.57% in July against 4.63% (revised) in the preceding month. In the case of cereals and products, retail inflation quickened to 13.04% in July from 12.65% in June. Economists predict that the food price surge is likely to persist for the next few weeks, which will likely keep the CPI inflation elevated till the third quarter of the current fiscal and expect the headline CPI inflation to stay above the 6.5% mark in August, before cooling off in September. Source: livemint.com
21 Aug, 2023 India, Asean decision on review of free trade agreement in goods expected tomorrow. A decision on a long pending issue of initiating a review of the existing free trade agreement on goods between India and the 10-nation Asean bloc may be taken up during a meeting in Indonesia on Monday, an official said. The issue will come up for discussion and decision during the India-Asean economic ministers meeting on Monday. The meeting is being held on the sidelines of the ongoing meeting of the Economic ministers of ASEAN. An Indian delegation is already there for the deliberations. India has asked for the review of the agreement with an aim to eliminate barriers and misuse of the ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement, which came into effect on January 1, 2010. 'The agenda will come up for discussion and decision tomorrow during the India-Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) economic ministers meeting,' the official said. Members of the Asean include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In general, such review exercise includes matters like implementation issues, rules of origin; verification process and release of consignments; customs procedures; further liberalisation of trade in goods; and sharing and exchange of trade data. India on several platforms has asked for a review of the agreement. A trade expert said that the trade arrangement has to be reciprocal, mutually beneficial and should balance the aspirations of all the partners. 'Once the decision on the launch of the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITGA) review is taken, formal negotiations for the review will start,' the official said, adding that 'AITGA review has been under consideration for a number of years. Joint committee on review has been constituted. Joint committee has done two meetings virtually so far on the issue'. The AITGA entered into force on January 1, 2010, which created one of the world's largest free trade areas. This was followed up by the ASEAN-India Trade in Services Agreement and another pact on investments both of which were implemented in 2015. Recently, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had stated that the India-Asean trade agreement is the 'most ill-conceived' one. Trade experts said that the review demand is there because India's exports to Asean have been affected due to non-reciprocity in FTA concessions, non-tariff barriers, import regulations and quotas. Concerns have also been raised about the routing of goods from third countries in India through Asean members by taking the duty advantages of the agreement. Asean has a much deeper economic engagement with China through the Asean China Trade and Goods Agreement. During 2010-11, India's exports to ASEAN increased to USD 25.7 billion from USD 18.11 billion in 2009-10. However, imports in 2010-11 rose to USD 30.6 billion from USD 25.8 billion in 2009-10. Similarly, during 2022-23, India's exports to ASEAN increased to USD 44 billion from USD 42.32 billion in 2021-22. However, imports jumped to USD 87.57 billion in 2022-23 as against USD 68 billion in 2021-22. The trade deficit has widened to USD 43.57 billion in the last fiscal from USD 25.76 billion in 2021-22. It was just USD 5 billion in 2010-11. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
21 Aug, 2023 India s trade policy is working great for Vietnam. The printed circuit board assembly, the camera module, the touch-screen display and the glass cover. Together, they account for three-fourths of the bill-of-materials cost of a smartphone. Vietnam, the world’s second-biggest exporter of handsets after China, sources these and most other components at zero tariffs from free-trade partners. But India, which has few such accords of its own but is still keen to emulate the manufacturing powerhouse in its neighborhood, has customs duties as high as 22%. The result? Making mobile phones in the world’s most-populous nation now comes embedded with a cost disadvantage of 4%, says the 2023 edition of a comparative study of tariffs by India Cellular & Electronics Association, an industry body. This extra burden is something India has deliberately imposed on assemblers even as it began remunerating them for its many existing cost disabilities, especially poor infrastructure and red tape. The so-called production-linked incentives, or PLI, promise to pay firms as much as 4% to 6% of their incremental sales for five years. One way to think about this is that India is first damaging its competitiveness, and then compensating firms to set up factories in the country. Another perspective is that the handouts are being 'supported through indirect revenue from increased indirect taxes from the same sector,' as the ICEA report says. Policymakers are convinced that their strategy is a masterstroke. The PLI program, which kicked in for mobile phones in October 2020, is being touted as a success. Annual production has surged more than 60% to $42 billion. Of this, $11 billion is exported, compared with virtually nothing when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. From being a net importer, India has become a net exporter of handheld devices. Elsewhere in Asia, the contest is about semiconductors, the high-value heart of communication, transportation, artificial intelligence, and a lot else besides. From Thailand to Singapore and Malaysia, several countries are now in the fray to shift the locus of front-end chip manufacturing from East to Southeast and South Asia. India is trying to step on that ladder via packaging and testing. While those plans are yet to bear fruit, cheap labor has already made the nation an upcoming rival to Vietnam in a low-value-added activity like assembling electronics parts. The pandemic and President Xi Jinping’s souring relations with the West have changed the thinking of multinationals. A Foxconn Technology Group plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is preparing to deliver iPhone 15s only weeks after they start shipping from factories in China, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. The likes of Apple Inc. are reluctant to rely too heavily on the People's Republic to feed global demand. Their quest for a China+1 strategy has presented India with a once-in-a-generation chance to storm the supply chain. Vietnam’s phone exports last year were six times the South Asian nation’s thanks to Samsung Electronics Co. It is this gap that New Delhi wants to close. However, conflating correlation with causation could jeopardize this goal. Just because an apparent change in the country’s fortunes has occurred despite a lurch toward protectionism, government ministers are angrily dismissing critics who dare to question the wisdom of the tariff-subsidy combo. The official view is that as long as exporters can claim back the duties on imported components, they won’t grumble about India’s cost disadvantage against Vietnam — not when they’re being paid generous PLI incentives. Following up on this thinking, the Modi government in 2018 announced a 'calibrated departure' from more than two decades of greater trade openness, and raised import duties on mobile phones to 20% from 15%. That project has continued unabated. In 2020, the duty on printed circuit board assembly and display was raised by 11 percentage points. This year’s government budget cut the duty on camera lenses to zero. That hasn’t made much difference. As the ICEA study shows, the accumulated increase from three years of changes still works out to nearly 5.6% of the bill of materials, or 3.6% of a phone’s total cost. Add the impact from the rupee’s 11% slide against the dollar since the start of last year — double the decline in the Vietnamese dong — and Indian-made phones would be uncompetitive by more than 4%, the ICEA says. This cost may not be showing up in export performance because it is being borne by India’s 1.4 billion consumers. Costlier imports are hurting local demand amid high inflation. Component manufacturers have no incentive to become globally competitive if they can hawk whatever they make in their home market at an inflated price, shielded by tariffs. Exporters, meanwhile, have every reason to keep importing components — and claim duty drawbacks. Self-reliance, the slogan under which the program is being sold to the public, may be an illusion. Raghuram Rajan, a University of Chicago economist and a former governor of the Indian central bank, has shown that after adding major parts that go into phones, the country may have become a bigger net importer than before. The PLI incentives are on incremental production, but the tariffs are on total costs. When the handouts eventually end, the elevated duties would bite. India’s own history is littered with cautionary tales of excessive state control. Erecting protectionist walls didn’t work in the past. High tariffs and a newly imposed license requirement on imported computers, laptops and tablets — a measure that smacks of bureaucratic desperation, as my colleague Tim Culpan has written — may not help make India the next factory to the world even now. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
21 Aug, 2023 India plans to hold FTA talks with UK, EU, Canada on sidelines of G20 meet: trade secy. India plans to hold bilateral talks on free trade agreements with the United Kingdom, the European Union and Canada on the sidelines of a G20 meeting next week, a top trade official said on Friday. The trade ministers are likely to discuss trade and World Trade Organisation reforms during their meeting next week, trade secretary Sunil Barthwal told reporters. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
21 Aug, 2023 G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting to begin in Jaipur from August 24, 2023. The G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting TIMM will be held in Jaipur on 24th and 25th August, 2023. The meeting will be preceded by the 4th and last Trade and Investment Working Group TIWG meeting under India’s G20 Presidency which will take place on August 21 and 22, 2023 in Jaipur. The first three TIWG meetings were held in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kevadia respectively. Both the meetings will be attended by more than 300 delegates, including trade ministers/secretaries and heads of delegations from G20 member countries, invitee countries, regional groupings and international organisations. The deliberations will focus on building consensus on global trade and investment-related issues, along with accomplishing action-oriented proposals put forward by the Indian Presidency. During the 1st and 2nd TIWG meetings, five Priority Issues PIs, namely Trade for Growth and Prosperity, Resilient Trade and Global Value Chains GVCs, Integrating Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises MSMEs in World Trade, Logistics for Trade and World Trade Organisation WTO Reforms were extensively discussed among the G20 member/invitee countries. In addition, Knowledge Partners made presentations during these meetings, outlining each of the subjects and outcomes emerging from them. Based on the opinions/suggestions expressed by the G20 member/invite countries in these discussions, Indian Presidency has formulated action-oriented concrete proposals on each of the priority issues reflected in the Ministerial Statement and its annexures. Amidst the global headwinds that international trade growth is facing, it is opportune for the G20 to reaffirm that the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core, is indispensable for advancing our shared objectives of inclusive growth, innovation, job creation and sustainable development. Technology has profoundly impacted the way cross-border trade is undertaken. Paperless trading system will further reduce transaction costs, make smaller shipments more cost effective, and will enable internationalization of operations at a lower cost, ensuring trade competitiveness in a rapidly digitalizing world and in G20 this issue has been taken up prominently. It is also critical for the G20 to remove bottlenecks that impede integration of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in international trade. Since MSMEs are vital for job creation and boosting GDP, it is apt for G20 to address three critical dimensions of inadequate access to business and trade-related information, finance and markets that hinder participation of MSMEs in global trade. Further, as 70% of the world trade manifest through Global Value Chains (GVCs), it is imperative for the G20 TIWG to deliberate on developing mapping framework that could make GVCs resilient towards future shocks. The G20 TIWG has also embraced the priority on WTO Reform to build consensus among countries for standing together to support the ongoing reform process and work constructively to achieve meaningful outcomes at the upcoming Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13). The interventions and suggestions made by the member countries on each of the Priority Issues immensely assisted the Presidency in preparing draft text for the Ministerial Statement and its annexes. The deliberations during the TIWG meetings have led to a good level of refinement in the drafts, and clearly reflect the commitment of G20 TIWG to make global trade inclusive. It is expected that TIMM will pave way for trusted collaboration amongst G20 members to accelerate global trade and investment. It aims to co-develop tools that could leverage existing opportunities to make growth inclusive and transparent for all, resonating with Indian Presidency’s G20 theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Knowing the importance of the interlinkage of the five proposed Priority Issues, Indian Presidency had also organized Side Event Seminars on Trade Finance, Trade and Technology, and Trade Infrastructure in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ekta Nagar respectively. The aim of these seminars was to bring together the stakeholders across all layers of governance and brainstorm on collective actions that are needed to build a robust global trade ecosystem. During TIMM, an experience zone to showcase the wide variety of Indian tea, coffee, spices and millets will be set up for the delegates, and an exhibition on Jaipur Experience will be on display to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Pink City. Source: pib.gov.in
21 Aug, 2023 Centre imposes 40% duty on onion exports till December 31 to control rising prices. The government on Saturday imposed an export duty of 40% on onions with immediate effect to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market. This export duty is valid till December 31, 2023. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
21 Aug, 2023 FSSAI asks FBOs to use pre-printed pkg materials by Dec 31. The FSSAI has set a final deadline for food businesses to utilise the pre-printed packaging materials and asked them to use any such material by December 31, 2023. 'It has been decided to grant a final one-time permission up to 31.12.2023 to the FBOs seeking permission to use such non-complying pre-printed packaging materials (PPMs),' reads the order issued by the FSSAI after Food Business Operators (FBOs) sought time to use pre-printed packaging materials which are non-complying with the FSS (Labelling & Display) Regulations, 2020, and its amendments. The FSSAI has also revised the fee for any food business applying for permission to use the pre-printed packaging materials, which is Rs 30,000 plus GST for the Central licensees and Rs 12,000 plus GST for state licensees, to be paid through the e-payment portal of the FSSAI. Meanwhile according to the FSSAI, the application(s) seeking permission to use pre-printed packaging material(s) due to (i) change in address, (ii) change in company name or (iii) change in licence number shall be processed under the extant instructions issued vide orders issued on November 23, 2016, and the fee shall be applicable as per order issued on November 14, 2017. Under these notifications, the food businesses were allowed to use the pre-printed packaging materials for a period of six months after submitting a fee of Rs 6,000. Source: fnbnews.com
18 Aug, 2023 More than 75 nations participates in the first-ever global Summit on Traditional Medicine. The first World Health Organization Global Summit on Traditional Medicine was inaugurated today at Gandhinagar, Gujarat alongside the G20 health ministerial meet. Director-General of WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the Union Minister of Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya were invited to light the ceremonial lamp to the accompaniment of auspicious hymns dedicated to Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda. Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel, Union MoS for Ayush Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai, and senior delegates of WHO were also present on this occassion On his inaugural address Dr Tedros Adhanom said, 'Traditional Medicine is as old as humanity itself. However, it is not a thing of the past. It has a growing relevance in communities and cultures even today.' Commending the Indian Government's Ayushman Bharat Initiative, he praised the country's medical system. Dr Tedros also noted the seamless integration of traditional medicine into primary healthcare in rural areas. Addressing the gathering, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said that the outcome of the historic WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit will help to propose recommendations for a dedicated forum within future G20 presidencies. He reminded the gathering that the integrative approach of the government of India is resulting in the establishment of dedicated Ayush Departments in all AIIMS. He said that it all has happened just because Hon’ble Prime Minster Shri Narendra Modi ji had a clear vision about the efficacy of Ayush and he strongly supported the efforts to give allround boost to the Ministry of Ayush for the benefit of masses of India and the world. On this occasion, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, highlighted the significant contributions of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel in nation-building. He emphasized that with the WHO GCTM leading the way towards a more prominent role of traditional medicine in mainstream healthcare, India is well-positioned to become a knowledge hub and unlock the full potential of TM. The pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries are both showing significant interest in traditional medicine and more than 170 countries around the world are utilizing it. The summit provides an ideal platform for international collaboration and the exchange of ideas to promote best practices in the sector, he concluded. Speaking next, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel shared how the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi believed that traditional medicine could play an effective role in dealing with a crisis like the covid pandemic. Following this thought, he began connecting other countries of the world with the mission of Traditional Medicine. His initiative has now emerged as the world's first Traditional Medicine Global Summit. Many visitors were drawn to the experiential Ayush Exhibition Zone which took place alongside an exhibition of traditional medicine systems from WHO’s six regions. The theme of the exhibition was ‘Ayush for Planetary Health and Well-being’ and is envisioned with showcasing the achievements of the Ministry of Ayush in areas of Education, Healthcare, Research and Public health. The Zone welcomed visitors with a display of medicinal plants including those used in Ayurveda. The ministry's pursuit of sustainable Ayush manufacturing and zero-waste was highlighted through an impressive pavilion. The exhibition featured their recycling practices and interactive kiosks, which allowed visitors to access comprehensive information about Ayush, including the location of all Ayush hospitals and a digital library with research papers related to the field. A virtual reality experience of Ayush Healthcare services was available. The mythical wish-fulfilling tree, the Kalpavriksha was the highpoint of the Ayush Exhibition Zone. In addition, visitors could engage in an immersive experience, featuring an AI-based Ayurveda Pulse diagnosis, body constitution analysis, and even a live Yoga demonstration. Source: pib.gov.in
18 Aug, 2023 Under new export policy, Kashmiri saffron to be exported to over 60 countries. The Kashmiri saffron is famous across the world and Jammu and Kashmir is the second largest producer. Now, the state government aims to further boost saffron production with its new export policy. The government has shortlisted 60 countries where the demand for Kashmiri saffron is huge. Saffron, also known as red gold, is one of the most expensive spices in the world. Currently, saffron is cultivated on only 4,000 hectares of land. Experts say that Kashmiri saffron is one of the best in quality and with the implementation of the new export policy, it has the potential to beat the Iranian saffron. The Department of Agriculture says that within the next two months, the new export policy would be implemented and will provide a big boost for the saffron growers of the valley. 'The saffron from Kashmir Valley is famous. One of the reasons why is it considered the best in quality is because of the favourable climatic conditions it is grown in. While we have been working on increasing the production of saffron, we are also focussing on the export policy, wherein we shortlisted countries where we can sell our produce. Dubai, America and Israel are one of the largest buyers of Kashmir saffron,' said Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal, Director, the Department of Agriculture, Kashmir. Saffron is used in cosmetics, food, and medicines, and is also used for rituals. After the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, symbolising its exclusivity in the international market, the prices for Kashmiri saffron have grown tremendously. Earlier, it used to sell for 60,000 rupees, whereas now it fetches around Rs 2,50,000. Since the last decade, the area under the saffron cultivation has shrunk from 5,000 hectares to 4000. And around 90 per cent of the cultivation comes from the Pampore area of Pulwama district. Under the new export policy, the government has identified other districts where the land is suitable for saffron farming. 'The data does show that the saffron cultivation area has shrunk, but what we are doing is slowly expanding in the other areas. We want to secure the heritage crop and make sure to increase the space and identify those areas which have the best climatic conditions for the cultivation of saffron,' Iqbal said. The government hopes that with the new export policy, more people take up saffron cultivation. Source: wionews.com
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