India will continue to allow wheat export for countries which are in serious need, are friendly and have the letter of credit, said Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs & Food and Public Distribution, Commerce & Industry, and Textiles while speaking at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland.

 

Goyal highlighted that while 7%-8% rise in wheat production was expected this year, severe heat waves led to early harvest and loss of production. 'Given this situation, what we are producing is about enough for domestic consumption,' he added.

 

India was never a traditional player in the international wheat market and export of wheat only began about 2 years ago. Speaking at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland,  Goyal said that last year 7 LMT wheat was exported and majority was done within the last two months when the war between Russia-Ukraine developed.

 

'India wheat exports are less than 1% of world trade and our export regulation should not affect global markets. We continue to allow exports to vulnerable countries and neighbours,' he concluded.

The third ‘Global Organic Expo 2022’ concluded on Sunday at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute here in the National Capital under the theme of 'Profitability for Humanity'.

 

The three-day event drew over 30,000 traders and organic enthusiasts and made more than Rs 150 crore in revenue in just three days.

 

The Global Organic Expo stressed the importance of organic farming, which is important not only for human health but also for the overall health of the planet. It provided a forum for the Delhi’s business community, traders, government bodies, and chambers of commerce to collaborate and promote ‘ease of doing business’.

 

Mr Ved Prakash Mahawar, president of Shespro and former director (Onshore) of ONGC, said, 'The 3rd World Organic Expo-2022 provided a platform for different countries to showcase their expertise on organic products and the potential of organic food and market offer to the consumer and business community.'

 

'The goal of this expo is to promote India’s ancient farming system by utilising cutting-edge technologies and scientific methods to ensure farmers’ production, marketing, and income enhancement of high-quality products,' he added.

 

Organic product manufacturers from across India, including the North East Region (NER) and Himalayan states like Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, as well as women entrepreneurs, Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs), start-ups, and organic product exporters, all contributed significantly to the Expo’s success.

'India is capable to become a 100 percent organic farming nation by 2040. With political will and collective action, it would indeed be possible to transform India into an organic country,' said former Chief Minister of Sikkim Pawan Chamling while inaugurating the third ‘Global Organic Expo 2022’ at Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Pusa Road, New Delhi.

 

Under the theme ‘Profitability for Humanity’. During the inaugural session, Chamling reiterated Sikkim and its journey as the first organic state of India and also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for pushing the organic agenda on a national level and making it a national program.

 

'On 18 January 2016, Sikkim became the first 100 percent organic state in the world; duly acknowledged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first step we took was to pass a resolution on February 24, 2003, at the Sikkim Legislative Assembly to make Sikkim a fully organic state. Since agriculture is a state subject, we passed the historic resolution at the State Assembly. After 12 years of hard work and perseverance, we successfully transformed Sikkim into a fully organic state on 31 December 2015,' said Chamling.

 

Motivation speaker sister BK Shivani who was also present said, two-three decades ago, there was lesser content consumption. What we consume has a direct impact on our minds. Our emotional diet is what we watch, read and listen to. Earlier we used to consume content from parents, teachers, newspapers, and good books ~ less content, good quality, protected era as far as content consumption is concerned. Now with 24×7 television, social media, and digital platforms, even children are consuming content at every click and nobody is checking. 'One could practice meditation, yoga, read spiritual books. Content consumption of high vibration is good in the mornings; it is termed a good emotional diet… The last hour is equally important… We should try to sleep by 10 pm and disconnect from work, slow down the mind, two hours before sleeping, she suggested.

 

Manoj Mishra, director-global projects, iconex exhibitions private limited, also echoed that ‘Profitability for Humanity’ is the only aim of this expo as health is more important for the upcoming generations as people are eating adulterated food due to unawareness. With this exhibition, we want to aware the masses of the benefit of organic foods and promote farmers to do organic farming in the country.'

 

Dr. Bharat Pathak, National Convenor Ganga Vichar Manch, Namami Gange, said, 'there is a need to promote natural farming in the country, rainwater harvesting is necessary, and water conservation promotion is also necessary for natural farming. The Global Organic Expo reiterated the importance of organic farming, as it’s not just important for the health of the people but is also crucial for the health of the planet as a whole. This is the first time in Delhi that the business community, traders, government bodies, and chambers of commerce have come together at the Global Organic Expo – 2022 to facilitate ease of doing business.'

'On a commercial scale, a world all the way to Vietnam and the Philippines, from Haiphong to Hazira and from Manila to Mundra, will open up, creating an east-west lateral with sweeping consequences for the continent,' said external affairs minister

 

Greater land and sea connectivity between the northeastern states and neighbouring countries can build on India’s partnerships with Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) and Japan, and have a bearing on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

 

The starting point for such measures is improving connectivity between Bangladesh and the northeastern states, including through the revival of railway links snapped by the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the building up of road infrastructure and agreements on the movement of goods through ports in the neighbouring country, he said.

 

Jaishankar made the remarks while addressing the Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence (NADI) conclave in Guwahati. The audience included Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, diplomats and envoys from several Asean states and representatives of think tanks from regional countries.

 

Pointing to the advantages of land connectivity through Myanmar and sea connectivity through Bangladesh, he said: 'On a commercial scale, a world all the way to Vietnam and the Philippines, from Haiphong to Hazira and from Manila to Mundra, will open up, creating an east-west lateral with sweeping consequences for the continent.'

 

'It will not only build on the partnerships that we have with the Asean and Japan, but would actually make a difference to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that is now in the making,' he added. The countries in the region can 'overcome geography and rewrite near history' if they get policies and economics right, he noted.

 

India and a dozen other countries launched the IPEF, a US-led trade initiative meant to counter China’s aggressive expansion in the region, at a meeting in Tokyo on May 23. The framework seeks to integrate partner countries in the digital economy, supply chains, infrastructure projects and clean energy, and tax and anti-corruption measures.

 

The restoration of six historical cross-border railway links snapped in 1965 is a major step forward, Jaishankar said. Once the rail link between Shahabazpur in Bangladesh and Mahishasan in Assam is operational, it will be extended to the Kuluara-Shahbazpur rail line being modernised with an Indian line of credit (LoC). The Chilahati-Haldibari line will enhance Assam’s connectivity with Bangladesh, and a link from Akhaura in Bangladesh to Agartala in Tripura is being developed with an Indian grant.

 

Overland movement of goods occurs through 28 land customs stations and three integrated check posts, and negotiations are underway to operationalise the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) motor vehicle agreement to ensure seamless movement of cars.

 

Within Bangladesh, India is collaborating on several road projects, including improving the Ashuganj river port-Akhaura land port road under a LoC of more than $400 million. The road connecting Baruerhat to Ramgarh on the border, which will increase Tripura’s connectivity with Bangladesh, is being built under a LoC of $80.06 million.

 

Infrastructure projects on the India-Myanmar border serve economic, people-to-people and security imperatives, and the Kaladan multimodal transit transport project is the most significant of these. 'It is also one of the hardest, both because of topography and because of insurgency,' Jaishankar said.

 

As part of this project, efforts are on to make Sittwe Port operational at the earliest. 'But let me be frank about where we are. We have genuinely struggled with this very complex enterprise, but are more determined than ever to spare no effort in getting it done,' he said.

 

The third conclave, after the first two in Shillong and Dhaka, aims at closer cooperation with countries in India’s eastern borders and beyond and help forge strategic initiatives for energy and water security in the region.

 

'This is a timely and commendable initiative. The South Asian and Southeast Asian regions are endowed with ever-flowing and perennial rivers and water bodies,' said Bangladesh foreign minister Momen.

 

'Bangladesh hopes to be the land bridge between South and southeast Asia. Given our strategic geopolitical location, Bangladesh can be a link to connect India, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and other east and southeast Asian region,' he added.

 

The northeastern region provides the only land link between India and the Asean countries and they share historic, cultural, social and economic ties, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma pointed out.

 

'This conclave gives us a remarkable opportunity to articulate a collective vision for our shared prosperity,' he said. 'The deliberations here will promote collaboration for revitalising our riverine economy to facilitate faster economic growth in the region.'

 

In a video address, Thailand’s deputy Prime Minister and foreign affairs minister Don Pramudwinai said the conclave will facilitate a constructive dialogue among 'our partners in the Bay of Bengal region and pave way for stronger cooperation among governments and other stakeholders through sharing of information and insights'.

 

'The potential is immense, but at present the total percentage of India’s trade to southeast Asia through the northeast is less than 2% of the total trade with Asean. For investors from Singapore, this means the region has potential for great growth,' said Simon Wong, high commissioner of Singapore to India.

 

Singapore was already in talks with the Assam government to set up a skills university, establish a smart logistics centre and help in implementing the master-plan of Guwahati, the biggest city in the northeast, he added.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries and Jal Shakti inaugurated India’s 1st Plant Based Foods Summit supported by Ministry of Food Processing Industries Government of India (MOFPI), Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

 

The Summit was organized by the Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA) and Good Food Institute India (GFI India) as organizing partner, today at New Delhi by lighting the lamp. Dr Sudhanshu, Secretary - APEDA released the white position paper 'The Dawn of a Plant-Based Age - India to lead the way to world food security and nutrition' in the presence of Sanjay Sethi, Executive Director - PBFIA, Inoshi Sharma, Executive Director, Regulatory Compliance - FSSAI, Rachel Dreskin, CEO - Plant Based Foods Association, USA, Abhinav Singh, Head Food Processing & CIFTI –FICCI, Abhishek Sinha, Co-Founder & CEO GoodDot, and Ashu Phakey, Head (Frozen and Fresh Foods) - ITC.

 

Prahlad Singh Patel concluded the session with product tasting showcased by over 40 start-ups in the plant-based food industry such as Kerry, GoodDot, Blue Tribe Foods, Wakao Foods, OneGood to name a few. The summit also saw participation from ITC India Pvt. Ltd, Unilever, Symrise, Symega, Buhler India, Mother Dairy, Epigamia, Kerry and Roquette.

 

Dr Sudhanshu, Secretary - APEDA said, 'We are all aware that the plant food business is on its way to reaching a significant degree of growth and emphasis, as seen in recent years both internationally and in India. Food is a customer's choice; it is up to the consumer to decide what he wants to eat. Though awareness is crucial, since it influences the consumer's decision, and its choice determines the market's demand. Whether it's a domestic or foreign market, the decision determines the market's demand.

 

Our country is fortunate to generate everything needed in the food processing and agriculture industries, including labor, raw materials, and expertise. We have a food surplus in all commodities, which is the country's strength. Because of our strength, we have been able to develop a presence in the worldwide market, which has resulted in a significant alteration in the home market. Because of the abundance of raw materials and personnel, there is a huge potential for investment prospects.'

 

Sanjay Sethi, Executive Director - PBFIA said, 'We appreciate the guidance and support from Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, and look forward to the opportunity to lead this critical task force to advance the role plant-based foods can play in India and on a global scale. We are extremely overwhelmed with the tremendous response and success of India’s first plant-based food summit organized by PBFIA along with MoFPI, APEDA and GFI. Everyone wants to invest into our plant-based food business in India because they see how quickly it is growing in importance and value in the national and worldwide markets. There is a link between sustainability, nation, health, humanity, and animal welfare in the sector. We've got a lot of support just by suggesting such an industry, which has the advantage of being a huge draw. Plant-based eating has brought us closer to everyone's heart and connects us to a larger audience bringing us huge hopes of immense success in promoting an emotion.

 

It is fitting for the white position paper 'The Dawn of a Plant-Based Age - India to lead the way to world food security and nutrition' launched at the first plant-based foods summit in India, where we took the first step in bringing this report to life by creating a network of organizations, food handlers, startups, scientists, and policymakers. Going forward, we will campaign for policy reforms to eliminate trade restrictions and unfair practices that restrict growth in the industry.'

 

The pivotal white position paper, sponsored and developed in partnership with PBFA, provides insights and an overview of the global plant-based foods market and potential opportunities, which will enable India to lead the way to global food security and nutrition. This PBFIA flagship publication aims to raise awareness among Indian policymakers about the need to support the nascent and expanding plant-based foods sector in India.

 

Backed by the support of Prahlad Singh Patel and the international community, PBFIA hopes to create a joint task force. United by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). To achieve crucial goals that will ensure India can capitalize on the exponential potential of the plant-based foods sector.

 

Key measures of the task force will be to strengthen attention on local manufacturing and export of value-added products. Support initiatives for regenerative agriculture to promote a sustainable food system and ease production via low-cost, efficient farming techniques. Assist startups on how to use government support and facilitate connections with investors. Establish attainable quality standards, and ascertain efforts to establish cold chain facilities and processing units.

 

As progress to expand the plant-based food sector in India grows, representatives from the PBFA and IPBFWG look forward to working alongside PBFIA, providing strategic support to bring about a sustainable future where plant-based foods are accessible to all.

 

The aim of this summit was to offer strategic opportunities to the players in the plant-based foods industry and facilitate a platform for networking that elicits conversations surrounding the market size, emerging technologies, existing concerns facing the industry, and contributions leaders in powerful positions can make. The summit facilitated the tasting of plant-based foods products during the conference time as well as in the afternoon Business-to-Business Meetings.

 

The keynote speakers for the day-long summit include Dr. Sudhanshu, Secretary APEDA; Inoshi Sharma ji, Executive Director SBCD and Regulatory Compliance FSSAI; Rachel Dreskin, CEO Plant-Based Foods Association, USA; Sanjay Sethi, Executive Director PBFIA; Dr. Chindi Vasudevappa, Vice-Chancellor, NIFTEM; Abhishek Sinha, Co-Founder & CEO GoodDot, Abhinav Singh, Head Food Processing & CIFT - FICCI, and Ashu Phakey, Head (Frozen & Fresh Foods) - ITC.

 

The topics addressed by keynote speakers included; MoFPI support for plant-based future, Regulatory, capacity-building, collaboration, and empowering strategies to ensure that our food is healthy for people and the environment, Opportunity for the plant-based ingredients from India, Learnings from global market of plant-based foods industry, India at the cusp of exponential growth in processed foods exports, The herculean task of a plant-based food startup

 

There were a couple of technical sessions: An opportunity to build brands - focus on plant-based food products development and quality standards with industry stalwarts such as V.K. Vidyarthi, General Manager - APEDA, Sunil K. Marwah, CEO- FICSI, Rijota Basu Deputy Director- Food and Agriculture Center CII, Palak Mehta, Founder Vegan First, Sonal, Founder &  CEO, WhiteCub, Nicole Rocque, Senior Innovation Specialist, GFI India, Amit Kher, National Manager at Buhler (I) Pvt. Ltd., Pranav- Ahimsa VC and Rohit Salgaonkar, Application Specialist – Roquette

 

The list of over 30 start-ups showcased at India’s First Plant-Based Food Summit included: Vegolution, WhiteCub, Urban Platter, Katharos Foods, Demolish Foods, Guilio Garden, Plantaway Foods, Plantmade, Evo Foods, GoodDot, Proeon Foods, Vezley, Only Earth, Epigamia, Kerry Ingredients, Greenest Foods, Alt Foods, Letz Vez, UptonNaturals, Bveg Foods, Blue Tribe Foods, Agrocorp, Go Green Organics, O’Pure Foods, Piperleaf Foods, Symrise, Promeat, Symega Foods, Wakao Foods, Vezlay, Mothers Kitchen, OneGood, Nomou, Moofit, Soyuz,  Soft Spots Food etc. This continued with a Business-to-Business meetings.

India’s non-alcoholic beverages market is expected to grow to Rs 1.47 trillion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7%, from around Rs 67,100 crore in 2019, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (Icrier) said in a detailed analysis.

 

Carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), ready-to-drink teas (RTDs), energy drinks, and sports drinks accounted for more than 60% of the global market. Carbonated beverages are the most popular among Indians, followed by bottled water and fruit beverages and juices.

 

The report also indicated that the non-alcoholic beverage sector shows enormous potential for developing job opportunities in the country. The total number of jobs produced in 2018-19 was around 691,491, according to the report. The study found that for every Rs 1 crore of output produced in the non-alcoholic beverage industry, 8.9 more jobs are created in the economy, both directly and indirectly.

 

The report reinstates that India has abundant raw material and labour availability, but the sector needs the right policy impetus to grow exponentially. Foreign investment inflows are currently around 1%, which is well below what is needed to reach $17 trillion by 2047.

 

The report recommends that the government should focus on enhancing farmers’ income by using fruit pulp/puree/juices and examine taxes on fruit-based beverages and juices. The report proposes reducing the tax on fruit pulp/puree-based goods from 12% to 5% to stimulate the expansion of the Indian juice/beverage business and farmers.

 

In addition, the report further recommends, that in the Union Budget of 2023-24, taxes should be designed in a way that it drives consumers to healthy consumption. There should be nutrition-based taxes, while suggesting that carbonated sugar-based drinks can have the highest GST slab of 28%, but those like carbonated fruit juices with no added sugar or mineral water should be in the lowest tax bracket.

 

Commenting on the report, Suman Bery, vice-chairman, NITI Aayog emphasised that the government and the industry should work together to encourage further innovation in the sector and reduce wastage in supply chain while enhancing farmers’ incomes.

 

Sudhanshu Pandey, secretary, ministry of consumer affairs, food & public distribution, said: 'It’s heartening to see many global and domestic companies, including start-ups investing in this sector. Further lowering of taxation will promote greater participation by the organised part of the industry. This will help realise the true potential of the sector.'

 

Jagadish Prasad Meena, secretary-general, Indian Beverage Association (IBA), said with increasing agricultural diversification and demand-side push factors, India has the potential to be the world leader in beverages processing through enabling policies and fiscal incentives.

 

According to Deepak Mishra, director and chief executive, Icrier, while India is the largest global producer of several raw materials used in the manufacturing of non-alcoholic beverages, around 25-30% of the fruits and vegetables grown in this country are still wasted in the supply chain. 'We are far behind other developing countries in exports of beverages. For example, in 2020, we were the 59th global exporter of fruit and vegetable juices, while Brazil ranked first. With the PLI scheme and other incentives, there is scope to enhance the domestic manufacturing capacity and exports.'

Fruit and vegetable consumption per capita has climbed 15% to 25% in recent years, especially in India, as has the import and demand for fresh produce, frozen, chopped, and packed products and beverages.

 

According to industry insiders, due to their nutritious value, the supply of F&B goods will continue to expand. As a result, to fulfill the rising demand, Indian growers have begun acquiring additional planting materials of fresh produce such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and other fruits and vegetables. Major firms and large farmers are investing in hi-tech greenhouses and hydroponic projects, which are providing value to India's horticulture sector in terms of commercialization.

 

4th Fresh India Show 2022 to be held on 3-4 June

The 4th Fresh India Show 2022 (FIS 2022) will be held in New Delhi on the 3rd and 4th of June 2022 at Aero City, New Delhi, and is organized by Media Today Group. FIS 2022 includes the Fresh India Global Conference, Exhibition, Networking Meet, and Awards. The purpose of this event is to strengthen the F&B industry in India while also connecting firms from across the world. It will enhance the way agribusinesses operate as well as global per capita supply, consumption, and demand.

India is fast-tracking negotiations for proposed free trade agreements with certain developed countries like the UK as well as with the European Union, and maybe by this year end, the government would be able to give a final shape to few of these pacts, minister of state for commerce and industry Anupriya Patel said on Friday. She also expressed hope that the trade pact with Australia would be operationalised 'very soon'.

 

India has already implemented a trade agreement with the UAE, and 'we are fast-tracking our FTAs (Free Trade Agreements) with lot of other developed countries like the UK, and the EU... and maybe by this year end, we would be able to give a final shape to few of these,' she said while launching the Indian Business Portal of exporters' body FIEO.

 

The minister added that these agreements will create better opportunities for domestic businesses.

 

The portal is a B2B digital marketplace to empower SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) exporters, artisans and farmers to identify new markets for their products and grow their sales globally.

 

The minister said that the portal will address issues like digitising exporters, supporting MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and encouraging greater exports of products made in India.

 

It is witnessed during the pandemic that online platforms such as e-commerce have shown immense potential in supporting millions of businesses to sustain themselves, she said.

 

Speaking at the function, Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Director General of Foreign Trade, said that tech-enabled governance will play a key role in determining India's growth and competitiveness.

 

A Sakthivel, president, FIEO (Federation of Indian Export Organisations), said that the platform will empower SME exporters to identify new markets for their products and grow their sales with new buyers.

 

Khalid Khan, vice president, FIEO, said that the portal would act as an international trade hub for Indian exporters and foreign buyers.

 

'The portal focuses on empowering MSMEs to leverage e-commerce and drive Indian exports to help us address the prime minister's vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and 'vocal for local',' Khan said.

There was no shortage of wheat in India, but the Centre has imposed a ban on its export to check 'rampant' overseas sales of the grain, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said. Speaking to reporters after attending a function here on Thursday, Tomar said it was the government's duty to maintain a balance in the market.

 

'For us, the nation's interest comes first. And that is why there was no shortage of wheat in the country. It is the government's duty to maintain a balance in the market. Hence, we have imposed a ban to check rampant export of the food grain. We have to meet the country's demand,' the minister said.

 

On May 14, India, the world's second biggest producer of the cereal, announced a ban on wheat exports as a part of measures to control rising domestic prices amid concerns of output being hit by scorching heatwave.

 

India's wheat exports stood at an all-time high of 7 million tonnes, valuing USD 2.05 billion, in 2021-22 on better demand of Indian wheat from overseas. Of the total wheat exports, around 50 per cent went to Bangladesh.

 

'Our neighbouring countries depend on us. Many countries in the world need foodgrains, and they are looking at India. We have a responsibility to our neighbouring countries,' he said.

 

'To discharge all these responsibilities, we have taken the decision (to ban export) by checking our account (stock),' the minister said, responding to a query on the Congress's allegation that overseas shipment of wheat was stopped without any planning.

The third ‘Global Organic Expo 2022’ concluded on Sunday at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute here in the National Capital under the theme of 'Profitability for Humanity'.

 

The three-day event drew over 30,000 traders and organic enthusiasts and made more than Rs 150 crore in revenue in just three days.

 

The Global Organic Expo stressed the importance of organic farming, which is important not only for human health but also for the overall health of the planet. It provided a forum for the Delhi’s business community, traders, government bodies, and chambers of commerce to collaborate and promote ‘ease of doing business’.

 

Mr Ved Prakash Mahawar, president of Shespro and former director (Onshore) of ONGC, said, 'The 3rd World Organic Expo-2022 provided a platform for different countries to showcase their expertise on organic products and the potential of organic food and market offer to the consumer and business community.'

 

'The goal of this expo is to promote India’s ancient farming system by utilising cutting-edge technologies and scientific methods to ensure farmers’ production, marketing, and income enhancement of high-quality products,' he added.

 

Organic product manufacturers from across India, including the North East Region (NER) and Himalayan states like Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, as well as women entrepreneurs, Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs), start-ups, and organic product exporters, all contributed significantly to the Expo’s success.