The third advance estimates of production of major agricultural crops for the year 2021-22 have been released by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The production of Foodgrains in the country is estimated at record 314.51 million tonnes which is higher by 3.77 million tonnes than the production of foodgrain during 2020-21. The production during 2021-22 is higher by 23.80 million tonnes than the previous five years’ (2016-17 to 2020-21) average production of foodgrains. Record production is estimated of rice, maize, pulses, oilseeds, gram, rapeseed and mustard and sugarcane. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has said that, this record production of so many crops is the result of the farmer-friendly policies of the Central Government under the able leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi as well as tireless hard work of the farmers and the diligence of the scientists.

 

The assessment of production of different crops is based on the data received from States and validated with information available from other sources.The estimated production of various crops as per the 3rd Advance Estimates for 2021-22vis-à-vis the comparative estimates for the years 2007-08 onwards is enclosed.

 

As per 3rdAdvance Estimates, the estimated production of major crops during 2021-22 is as under:Foodgrains  314.51 million tonnes, Rice 129.66 million tonnes. (record), Wheat106.41  million tonnes, Nutri / Coarse Cereals 50.70 million tonnes, Maize33.18million tonnes. (record), Pulses27.75 million tonnes.(record), Tur4.35 million tonnes, Gram13.98 million tonnes.(record), Oilseeds 38.50 million tonnes. (record), Groundnut10.09 million tonnes, Soyabean13.83 million tonnes, Rapeseed and Mustard 11.75 million tonnes.(record), Sugarcane430.50 million tonnes(record), Cotton  31.54 million bales (each of 170 kg), Jute  & Mesta 10.22 million bales (each of 180 kg).

 

As per 3rdAdvance Estimates for 2021-22, total Foodgrains production in the country is estimated at record 314.51 million tonnes which is higher by 3.77 million tonnes than the production of foodgrain during 2020-21.Further, the production during 2021-22 is higher by 23.80 million tonnes than the previous five years’ (2016-17 to 2020-21) average production of foodgrains.

 

Total production of Rice during 2021-22is estimated at record 129.66 million tonnes. It is higher by 13.23 million tonnes than the last five years’ average production of 116.43 million tonnes.

 

Production of Wheatduring 2021-22is estimated at 106.41 million tonnes. It is higher by 2.53 million tonnes than the last five years’ average wheat production of 103.88 million tonnes.

 

Production of Nutri / Coarse Cereals estimated at 50.70 million tonnes, which is higher by 4.12 million tonnes than the last five years’ average production of 46.57 million tonnes.

 

Total Pulses production during 2021-22is estimated at record 27.75 million tonnes which is higher by 3.92 million tonnes than the last five years’ average production of 23.82 million tonnes.

 

Total Oilseeds production in the country during 2021-22is estimated at record38.50 million tonnes which is higherby 2.55 million tonnes than the production of 35.95 million tonnes during 2020-21. Further, the production of oilseeds during 2021-22 is higher by 5.81 million tonnes than the average oilseeds production.                                         

 

Total production of Sugarcane in the country during 2021-22is estimated at record430.50 million tonnes which is higher by 57.04 million tonnes than the average sugarcane production of 373.46 million tonnes.

 

Production of Cotton and Jute & Mestais estimated at 31.54 million bales (each of 170 kg) and10.22 million bales (each of 180 kg), respectively.

India is considering allowing traders to ship out some of their wheat sitting at ports after a sudden ban on exports of the grain prevented dealers from loading cargoes, trade and government sources said on Thursday.

 

New Delhi banned wheat exports on Saturday, as an intense heat wave hit output and domestic prices hit a record high.

 

The sudden ban on wheat exports trapped about 1.8 million tonnes of the grain at ports, potentially forcing traders to take heavy losses.

 

On Tuesday, the government allowed grain awaiting customs clearance to be shipped out. But traders are pressuring the government to further relax its ban.

 

The administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking into the demands of wheat traders, government sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

 

'We will verify the merit of the demand and no genuine trader will be harassed,' said one of the sources who did not wish to be identified in line with official rules.

 

The government could ask for export data for the past few months to ascertain that they are bona fide dealers.

 

The government is aware that many genuine exporters are stuck because of the sudden ban, said a New Delhi-based dealer with a global trading firm.

 

'The government is trying to give concessions in a way that genuine exporters are protected,' said the dealer who declined to be named in line with his company's policy.

 

The sudden ban has halted trading in many wholesale grain markets. Domestic wheat prices have dropped more than 4%.

 

Along with traders, transporters are also getting impatient, with their trucks waiting at ports to unload wheat.

 

'Piecemeal relaxations are not going to help and the government needs to resolve the issue in the next few days to avoid a chain of (payment) defaults,' said the New Delhi-based dealer.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s agriculture ministry clarified on Thursday (May 19) that Approved Permits (APs) are still required when importing rice. 

 

This came after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on Wednesday that APs will no longer be needed for import of foodstuffs.

 

He reportedly said that this would ensure adequate food supply in the country. Mr Ismail Sabri had said then that the agriculture ministry would release the details soon.

 

In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries wrote that APs are no longer needed for importing round cabbage, old coconuts, chicken and milk with immediate effect.

 

'However, the approved permits for the importation of rice are still in effect,' it stated.

 

The AP is an import quota approval system.

 

Import of rice into the country is done solely by Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas).

 

Bernas said on its website that it imports about 30 per cent to 40 per cent of Malaysia’s domestic rice demand, with the import volume covering the shortfall of demand after ensuring local rice production finds its way to the market.

 

It added that it imports special rice varieties that could not be produced locally such as basmati and fragrant rice.  

 

The ministry said that although APs were no longer required to bring in certain food commodities from overseas, importers still needed an Import Permit (IP) for biosecurity purposes at the country’s borders.

 

'This is to ensure biosecurity control and that the imported products are free from disease and pests as well as being produced in facilities approved by the government,' it said in the Thursday statement.

 

It said that with the abolishment of the APs, all companies were allowed to import all agro-food commodities subject to the import permits issued by the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis).

 

The ministry added that it would continue to play an important role in ensuring the viability of the food sector at every level, so that the people had an adequate supply of food that was safe and nutritious.

 

'The welfare of local food producers will also continue to be preserved,' it said.

 

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Malaysia imported RM55.5 billion (US$12.59 billion) of food products in 2020.

 

Food exports were valued at RM33.8 billion that year.

 

In 2020, Malaysia ranked 43rd out of 113 countries in the Global Food Security Index (GSFI).

Minister for Agriculture B.C. Patil on Thursday said that the State Government will soon start implementing an agri startup policy in Karnataka.

 

Speaking at the inauguration session of TechBharat 2022, a three-day conclave and exhibition that seeks to bring together stakeholders from the food technology and agriculture sectors at CFTRI in Mysuru, Mr. Patil said that the State Government has appointed a committee of experts to prepare a policy framework for agri startup in the State.

 

The Government will start implementing the policy after receiving the report from expert Committee, he said.

 

Former CEO of Infosys Kris Gopalakrishnan, who is presently Chairman of Axilor Ventures, suggested that farming activity can become more economically productive if farmers come together to form Farmer Producer Organisation and increase the scale of production. 'With scale, the cost of inputs can be brought down and the cost of machinery can be shared,' he said.

 

He also felt that introduction of technology was very important at different stages of agriculture like surveying of land, satellite imaging for crops, market linkages etc.

 

To bring in value addition, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that capital should be brought into the field of agriculture through sources like risk capital and philanthropy. Risk capital, he said was akin to investments made in start-ups, where the investors write off the debts of failed startup ventures.

 

He also emphasised the need for agriculture to focus on exports. 'The produce should be world class so that it can be exported across the world and the farmers can earn more on their produce,' he said.

 

Chairman of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Department of Commerce, M. Angamuthu said India did not only have a large arable area in comparison to the total land mass in the country, it was also among the top agricultural exporters in the world, particularly in cereal sector.

 

Rice, wheat, millets, maize and processed cereal products exported from India contributed to around 50 per cent of the global exports, he said adding that India accounted for almost 35 million metric tonne of trade in the cereal sector out of the total global trade of 50 to 55 million metric tonne.

 

He said that there was scope for increasing exports in the field of agriculture and emphasised the need for tech-driven platforms to bridge the gap between institutions and startups.

 

TechBharat 2022, a flagship programme of IMS Foundation and Laghu Bharat Udyog Bharati that seeks to bring stakeholders from food technology and agriculture sector, was inaugurated by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Kailash Chaudhary. CFTRI Director Sridevi Singh was also present on the occasion

The summit aims to bring together the entire plant-based foods industry and key stakeholders on a common platform

 

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI), Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA) are organising the first Plant Based Foods Summit in New Delhi on May 26. The Good Food Institute India is the organising partner for the summit, a PBFIA statement said.

 

The summit aims to bring together the entire plant-based foods industry and key stakeholders such as government officials, the scientific community, related food industry, institutes, and NGOs on a common platform to discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by the sector.

 

Over 100 scientists and 100 entrepreneurs are expected to take part in the event, where a report on the sector 'The Dawn of a Plant-based Age: India to Lead the Way to World Food Security and Nutrition' will be unveiled by Food Processing Industries Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.

 

Sanjay Sethi, Executive Director, PBFIA, said, the Plant Based Foods Industry Association’s goal is to meet India’s protein requirements by creating a reliable system for plant-based foods businesses. The association will help build and support such initiatives with experts advise, infrastructure, and guidance from food scientists.

Indonesia, the world’s biggest supplier of palm oil, said on Thursday it will lift a ban on exports from Monday, likely helping India and other importers.

 

India annually imports around 13-13.5 million tonne of edible oils, of which around 8-8.5 million tonnes (around 63 per cent) is palm oil. Of this, 8-8.5 million tonnes of palm oil, 45-50 per cent comes from Indonesia and the rest from neighboring Malaysia.

 

The decision will go despite bulk cooking oil having not yet receded to the targeted 14,000 rupiahs per litre price, as the government considers the welfare of 17 million workers in the palm oil industry, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in a video statement, agencies reported.

 

Jokowi, as the president is known, said the supply of bulk cooking oil has now reached a level greater than what the domestic market needed.

 

'Average price of (bulk) cooking oil before the export ban in April was 19,800 rupiah per litre and after the ban the average price dropped to around 17,200 to 17,600 rupiah per litre,' he said.

 

Indonesia’s ban, imposed April 28, was one of the biggest acts of crop protectionism since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February and it stymied exports of sunflower oil and worsened a global shortage.

 

Palm oil is used in everything from food to soap to fuel, and the move by Indonesia threatened to push up costs even more across multiple supply chains at a time of rampant inflation.

 

'This should come as a big relief to India and there will surely be a price correction. But, how much is difficult to say because while the ban was in place we had started living without Indonesia and increased our sourcing of palm oil from neighbouring Malaysia and Thailand,' Atul Chaturvedi, President of Solvent Extractors Association (SEA) of India, told 'Business Standard'.

 

Chaturvedi said that prices will soften also because in summers usually demand for edible oil goes down as consumption of fried foods is less.

 

On a monthly basis, since April 2022, around 300,000-325,000 tonnes of palm oil that came from Indonesia completely stopped, which was fulfilled by Malaysia and Thailand.

 

This increased prices as before that a monthly supply of around 200,000-225,000 tonnes of sunflower oil from Ukraine was disrupted due to the war.

 

However, the saving grace was the adequate pipeline stocks of around 2.1 million tonnes of edible oils that India had before the ban.

 

Which, coupled with the 1.2 million tonnes in transit, meant that India had around three months’ consumption secured with it.

 

The country imports around 1.0-1.1 million tonnes of edible oils in various forms per month.

 

Meanwhile, agencies reported that lifting of the ban came after hundreds of farmers rallied to protest the move, saying their incomes have suffered because prices of their fresh fruit bunches plunged.

 

A survey this month showed the approval ratings for Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, hit the lowest in more than six years due to Indonesians’ growing discontentment over rising prices.

 

Soybean oil, a substitute of palm, fell as much as 1.6% after Indonesia’s announcement. Palm oil futures earlier closed 1% lower in Kuala Lumpur.

 

The Indonesia's Palm Oil Association appreciated the government's decision to lift the export ban from May 23, as storage tanks were reaching full capacity, secretary general Eddy Martono said.

Export of sugar in current sugar season 2021-22 is 15 times of export as compared to export in sugar season 2017-18. The major importing countries are Indonesia, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Malaysia and African Countries.

 

In sugar seasons 2017-18, 2018-19 & 2019-20, about 6.2 LMT, 38 LMT & 59.60 LMT of sugar was exported. In sugar season 2020-21 against target of 60 LMT about 70 LMT have been exported. About Rs 14,456 Cr released to sugar mills in past 5 years to facilitate export of sugar & Rs. 2000 cr as carrying cost for maintaining buffer stock. Since, the international prices of sugar are in uptrend & stable, so, contracts for export of about 90 LMT have been signed to export sugar in current sugar season 2021-22 & that too without announcement of any export subsidy; out of which 75 LMT have been exported till 18.05.2022.

 

In order to find a permanent solution to address the problem of excess sugar, Government is encouraging sugar mills to divert excess sugarcane to ethanol. With the vision to boost agricultural economy, to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuel, to save foreign exchange on account of crude oil import bill & to reduce the air pollution, Government has fixed target of 10% blending of fuel grade ethanol with petrol by 2022 & 20% blending by 2025.

 

Till year 2014, ethanol distillation capacity of molasses-based distilleries was only about 215 cr litres. However, in past 8 years due to the policy changes made by the Government, the capacity of molasses-based distilleries has been increased to 569 cr litres. Capacity of grain-based distilleries which was 206 cr ltrs in 2014 has increased to 298 cr ltrs. Thus, the total ethanol production capacities have increased from 421 cr ltrs to 867 cr ltrs in just 8 years.

 

Supply of ethanol to OMCs was only 38 crore litres with blending levels of only 1.53 % in ethanol supply year (ESY) 2013-14.  Production of fuel grade ethanol and its supply to OMCs has increased by 8 times from 2013-14 to 2020-21. In ethanol supply year 2020-21 (December - November), about 302.30 cr ltrs of ethanol has been supplied to OMCs thereby, achieving 8.1% blending levels, which is historically highest.

 

In the current ESY 2021-22, about 186 cr ltrs ethanol have been blended with petrol till 08.05.2022 thereby achieving 9.90% blending. It is expected that in current ethanol supply year 2021-22, we will be achieving 10% blending target. 

 

With a view to support sugar sector and in the interest of sugarcane farmers, the Government has also allowed production of ethanol from B-Heavy Molasses, sugarcane juice, sugar syrup and sugar. Government has been fixing remunerative ex-mill price of ethanol derived from C-heavy & B-heavy molasses & ethanol derived from sugarcane juice/ sugar/ sugar syrup for ethanol season to encourage mills to divert excess sugarcane to ethanol.

 

In sugar seasons 2018-19 , 2019-20 & 2020-21 about 3.37, 9.26 & 22 LMT of sugar was diverted to ethanol. In sugar season 2021-22, it is likely that about 35 LMT of excess sugar would be diverted to ethanol.  By 2025, it is targeted to divert more than 60 LMT of excess sugar to ethanol, which would solve the problem of high inventories of sugar, improve liquidity of mills thereby help in timely payment of cane dues of farmers. 

 

Since, 2014 more than Rs. 64,000 cr revenue has been generated by sugar mills & distilleries from sale of ethanol to OMCs which has helped in making timely payment of dues of farmers.

 

In sugar season 2013-14, Fair & Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane was at Rs. 210/ qtl at 9.5 % recovery. With a view to increase the income of sugarcane farmers, Government has increased FRP of sugarcane from time to time in past 8 years & has revised it to Rs. 290/ qtl for sugar season 2021-22 at 10% recovery (which translates to Rs. 275.50 / qtl at 9.5 % recovery), which is 31% higher than the FRP of sugar season 2013-14. In sugar season 2020-21, sugarcane of worth Rs. 93,000 cr was purchased by mills. In the sugar season 2021-22, sugarcane of worth Rs. 1,10,000 crore is likely to be purchased by sugar mills which is at all time high level & is the second highest next to the procurement of paddy crop at Minimum Support Price.

 

Prior to 2014, there was always delay in payment of cane dues of farmers & maximum percentage of cane arrears were carried forward to subsequent seasons; but due to constructive policies of the present Govt., the fundamentals & liquidity of sugar mills have improved due to which now timely payment of cane dues are being made by sugar mills to sugar cane farmers. About 99% of cane dues upto sugar seasons 2019-20 have been cleared. Even for the sugar season 2020-21, out of total cane dues payable of Rs. 92938 cr, about Rs. 92549 cr have been paid & only Rs. 389 cr are pending as on 17.05.2022; thus 99.50% cane dues have been cleared. For the current sugar season 2021-22, out of total cane dues payable of Rs. 1,06,849 cr, about Rs. 89,553 cr have been paid & only Rs. 17,296 cr are pending as on 17.05.2022; thus 84% of cane dues have been paid. The domestic ex-mill prices of sugar are also now stable & are in the range of Rs. 32 -35/ kg which would enable sugar mills to make timely payment of cane dues to farmers in current sugar season 2021-22. The average retail price of sugar in the country is about Rs. 41.50/ kg & is likely to remain in the range of Rs. 40-43/ kg in coming months which is not a cause of worry.

 

To increase production of fuel grade ethanol, Govt. is also encouraging distilleries to produce ethanol from maize & rice available with FCI. Government has fixed remunerative price of ethanol from maize & FCI rice.

 

To achieve blending targets, Government is encouraging sugar mills and distilleries to enhance their distillation capacities for which Government is facilitating them to avail loans from banks for which interest subvention @ 6% or 50% of the interest charged by the banks whichever is lower is being borne by Government.  This will bring an investment of about Rs. 41,000 crores. DFPD has also opened a window for 6 months w.e.f 22.04.2022 for inviting applications from Project Proponents for enhancement of their existing ethanol distillation capacity or to set up new distillery for producing 1st Generation (1G) ethanol from feed stocks such as cereals (rice, wheat, barley, corn & sorghum), sugarcane (including sugar, sugar syrup, sugarcane juice, B-heavy molasses, C-heavy molasses), sugar beet etc.

 

As a result of these measures, it is likely that ethanol distillation capacities in the country would be doubled by 2025, which would ensure achievement of 20 % blending target. It will address the problem of surplus sugar & ensure timely payment of cane dues of farmers.

 

Due to various steps taken by the Government in past few years, fundamentals of sugar mills have improved & sugar industry has become self-sustainable which has resulted in top line & bottom line growth of the sugar companies, which is reflected from the share prices of the listed companies which have increased 4 to 5 times in past couple of years.

 

Impact on country’s economy due to 20% blending by 2025.

 

It would benefit maize & paddy farmers, would addresses surplus grain problem; about 165 lakh tons of grains will be utilized.

 

Diversion of 60 lakh tons of surplus sugar would address the problem of surplus sugar, checks depressed sale of sugar, improves liquidity of sugar mills and will ensure timely payment of cane dues of farmers           

 

It will bring new investment opportunities as about Rs. 41,000 crore would be invested to set up new distilleries in rural areas & would result in job creation in villages.   

 

Would improve air quality, reduces Carbon Monoxide emission by 30-50% & Hydrocarbon by 20%.

 

Would save foreign exchange of more than Rs. 40,000 cr on account of crude oil import bill and would reduce dependence on imported fossil fuel thereby would help in achieving the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat in petroleum sector.

 

In normal Sugar Season (October- September), production of sugar is around 340-350 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) as against the domestic consumption of 270-280 LMT which results in huge carry over stock of sugar with mills. Due to excess availability of sugar in the country, the ex-mill prices of sugar remain subdued & even fell around Rs. 24-26 / kg which was even below the cost of production of sugar resulting in cash loss to sugar mills resulting in cash loss to sugar mills. This excess stock of 70 LMT also leads to blockage of funds & affects the liquidity of sugar mills resulting in accumulation of cane price arrears.

 

With a view to prevent cash loss to sugar mills caused due to subdued sugar prices, Government in June, 2018 has introduced the concept of Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar & fixed MSP of sugar at Rs. 29/ kg which was revised to Rs. 31/ kg w.e.f 14.02.2019.

 

Further, to liquidate excess stocks and to improve the liquidity position of sugar mills enabling them to make timely payment of cane dues of farmers, the Government has taken various short term interventions from time to time in past 8 years viz. provided assistance to sugar mills to offset the cost of cane, extended financial assistance to sugar mills for maintenance of buffer stocks, extended financial assistance to sugar mills to facilitate export of sugar, extended soft loans to sugar mills, etc.

The US and several other countries on Thursday urged members of the UN to keep their 'food and agricultural markets' open and 'to avoid unjustified restrictive measures, such as export bans on food or fertilizer'.

 

In a statement issued the after ministerial meeting 'Roadmap for Global Food Security-Call to Action', they called on all UN Member States to work together to mitigate the mid-term and long-term impact of recent shocks to global agriculture and food systems.

 

'We must collectively mitigate fertilizer shortages and the subsequent threat to food production, increase investments in agricultural capacity and resilience, buffer those in vulnerable situations from impacts to their food security, nutrition and well-being, and sustain high-level global political engagement on these critical issues,' the statement said.

 

The 'Global Food Security-Call to Action' Ministerial was chaired by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with a focus on strengthening global food security, nutrition, and resilience.

 

The seven-point 'actions' in the statement called for UN Member States with available resources to make new, additive financial donations to key humanitarian organizations providing immediate life-saving humanitarian assistance.

 

'All UN Member States to keep their food and agricultural markets open and to avoid unjustified restrictive measures, such as export bans on food or fertilizer, which increase market volatility and threaten food security and nutrition at a global scale, especially among those in vulnerable situations already experiencing increased poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, and call on all members to ensure safe maritime transportation in the Black Sea,' the statement said.

 

The statement noted with with grave concern that the newly-released 2022 Global Report on Food Crises indicates that the number of people facing acute food insecurity greatly increased from 135 million in 2019 to 193 million in 2021 in the 53 countries most in need of assistance, and that nearly 40 million people across 36 countries experienced emergency levels of acute food insecurity, just one step away from famine.

 

'Driven by conflicts, extreme climate-related events, such as historic multi-season droughts and floods; economic shocks, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on livelihoods, incomes, and food prices; and a multitude of other threats to human, animal and crop health, the food security outlook for 2022 and beyond is grim,' the statement said.

 

'This is compounded by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which is further exacerbating this already dire situation,' it added.

 

Other 'actions' measures proposed in the statement included a request to countries with available resources to temporarily increase fertilizer production, increase efforts to support the sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems as well as requests to all countries to increase their investments in research to develop and implement science-based and climate-resilient agricultural innovations.

 

'We note the many commitments made today in response to this Roadmap for Global Food Security-Call to Action and urge the mobilization of additional resources to implement this roadmap on an urgent basis,' the statement said.

 

The countries which have endorsed the statement include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Norway, the UK, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

 

India, represented at the conference by MoS Muraleedharan, did not endorse the statement which was released by the US Department of State.

 

During his speech at the Ministerial, Muraleedharan expressed his concern over global food insecurity and noted that according to a report by Global Report on Food Crises, 139 million people had suffered across the world from conflict-induced acute food insecurity. He stated that this situation is a severe issue and it can't be neglected.

 

Muraleedharan, who on Thursday also participated at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate on 'Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Conflict and Food Security', said that the Indian government took the measure to impose restriction on export of wheat as it 'recognized the sudden spike in global prices of wheat which put our food security and those of our neighbours and other vulnerable countries at risk.'

India will likely push for 'special carve-outs' in the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules in its ministerial meeting starting June 12 to allow a country to ship out grains from its official reserves under exceptional circumstances to help address a global food shortage, sources told FE.

 

At present, WTO rules make it difficult for a country to export grains from official granaries if these have been procured from producers at a fixed price (minimum support price, in India’s case), instead of market rates.

 

India has already impressed on the WTO to permit it to ship out grains from official stocks to countries that are facing a shortage caused by the conflict between larger producers Russia and Ukraine. Even as the WTO is weighing that request, India will pitch for a rather long-term arrangement, and not a quick-fix, under the multilateral body on this matter.

 

Although India banned wheat exports on May 13 to curb a spurt in the grain’s prices at home, it has kept open the window for government-to-government deals to supply to the countries that are facing a shortage, including neighbours like Bangladesh and Nepal.

 

'A special carve-out is needed, as there should be a permanent rule under the WTO to enable a country which can supply from its official stocks to a grain-deficit country under extraordinary circumstances. It shouldn’t be a one-time relaxation for India or any other member,' said a source.

 

India’s wheat production is now estimated to drop from the February projection of 111.3 million tonne in the year through June to 106.4 million tonne. However, trade sources said output could crash to just 95 million tonne. Still, the government will have the necessary space to cater for the requirement of the 'needy nations', an official said.

 

The demand for a 'carve-out' will be in addition to New Delhi’s proposal for a permanent solution to the issue of public procurement for food security, which is expected to top the agenda of India and the rest of the so-called G-33 (a coalition of developing nations) at the next WTO ministerial.

 

India’s key procurement programmes are protected from penal provisions under a peace clause secured at the WTO’s Bali ministerial in 2013 (its permanent status was affirmed in late 2014). But some countries started making fresh demands on safeguards and transparency obligations after New Delhi invoked the peace clause for its rice procurement in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

 

On April 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he had offered, during his talks with US President Joe Biden, to supply India’s food stocks from official inventory to the world if the WTO rules permitted.

 

Subsequently, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was looking 'positively' at resolving the issue that is hampering Indian government’s bid to ship out grains.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India is celebrating World Bee Day on 20th May, 2022 at Tent City -II, Ekta Nagar, Narmada, Gujarat. The World Bee Day celebration would be graced by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The MoA&FW is observing this significant day to promote beekeeping for the benefit of small farmers of the country under the guidance of Hon'ble Prime Minister. The Union Agriculture Minister will also inaugurate Honey Testing Lab & Processing Units to be setup in J&K in Pulwama, Bandipura and Jammu, Tumkur in Karnataka, Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Pune in Maharashtra & Uttarakhand in virtual mode from Gujarat.

 

The UN General Assembly declared 20th May as World Bee Day in order to create awareness on the pivotal role of bees and other pollinators in keeping people and the planet healthy. Union Agriculture Minister will be Chief Guest at this event. Shri Kailash Choudhary and Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Ministers of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Agriculture Minister, Govt. of Gujarat, Sushri Mateja Vodeb, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, Sushri  Konda Reddy Chavva, FAO representative in India, senior officers of MoA&FW, GOI and Government of Gujarat & all related stakeholders associated with honey production will participate in the programme.

 

During this celebration, many stalls will be set up by Beekeepers, Processors and different stakeholders of beekeeping sector in the Exhibition to showcase the diverse varieties of honey bee and different products in beekeeping sector. A stall will also be set up by the Indian Bank, the implementing agency for ‘Madhukranti’ Portal for the live Registration of Beekeepers on the Portal during this event. 

 

Technical sessions on 'Production Technology and Research & Development of Scientific Beekeeping- Experience Sharing and Challenges' and 'Marketing Challenges and Solutions (Domestic/ Global) & Discussion' will also be held to upgrade the scientific knowledge of beekeeping among farmers/beekeepers.

 

The programme is aimed at promoting and popularizing beekeeping nation-wide. National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) of the Govt. of India under AatmaNirbhar Bharat is implemented through the National Bee Board for overall promotion of scientific beekeeping & entrepreneurship among small & marginal farmers, infrastructure development for postharvest management and support for research & development and to achieve the goal of 'Sweet Revolution'.