India- GCC Buyers Sellers Meet on Food and Beverages is being held at Dubai today, showcasing Indian products to the wider market of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Organized with the goal of facilitating fruitful collaborations, with thirty-eight Indian Companies and 140 importers from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the event is expected to attract prominent buyers and sellers from both regions. With a focus on the dynamic F&B industry, this meet offers a prime opportunity for Indian exporters to showcase their diverse range of products and establish valuable business connections. The event is being organized by the Trade Promotion Council of India.

 

The event holds immense importance against the backdrop of the robust trade relationship between India and the GCC countries, with the trade volume recently crossing noteworthy milestones. The annual India-GCC Buyers Sellers Meet plays a pivotal role in further strengthening these ties and creating a conducive environment for increased trade activity.

 

One of the key factors that contribute to the event’s success is the presence of Dubai, a recognized hub for re-export. The strategic location of Dubai provides an ideal setting for facilitating trade flows and attracting global participants. With its well-established infrastructure and efficient distribution networks, Dubai serves as a gateway for Indian exporters to reach a wider market within the GCC region.

 

Furthermore, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the GCC countries acts as a catalyst for fostering economic cooperation and facilitating trade. This agreement streamlines trade procedures, reduces barriers, and encourages mutual investments, thereby creating a favorable environment for businesses to thrive.

 

At the India-GCC Buyers Sellers Meet, participants can expect a showcase of innovative food and beverage products from India. From traditional delicacies to health-conscious offerings and cutting-edge creations, the event will present a diverse range of options for buyers to explore and source. This platform enables exhibitors to engage in fruitful discussions

India and the US have informed the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the mutual resolution all the six trade disputes, in line with the commitment they made last month.

 

In five separate notifications to the WTO on Tuesday, they asked the multilateral trade watchdog to terminate these disputes. The US and India had initiated three disputes each.

 

The notification for the mutually agreed solution to the dispute on retaliatory duties on certain products imported from Washington, was made on Monday.

 

The disputes include the US’ countervailing measures on certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from India which New Delhi won. India also won the dispute on the US’ measures relating to the renewable energy sector. However, it lost the dispute on its

measures related to solar cells and solar modules and its export related schemes such as SEZ, EOU and MEIS schemes.

 

Panel report on two cases-US’ duties on steel, aluminium products, and India’s retaliatory duties on US almonds, lentils, etc-are expected by year end.

 

The two sides, had last month, agreed to end six disputes at the WTO after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden.

India’s 440 GI-tagged products (Geographical Indication) will be exhibited at the second edition of the GI Fair India which would be held in Greater Noida this week. GI tag is given to products having distinct qualities and tradition linked to their place of origin.

 

The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) said that the five day fair opens for overseas buyers, domestic trade and consumers on July 20 at India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida.

 

'Here one can see and source India’s best nurtured treasures, traditions and rarities. Curated with an ambition to take these to the world markets, this show offers buyers, an opportunity to carve their niche too,' said R K Verma, Executive Director, EPCH.

 

The fair will also feature Blue Pottery, Sanganeri hand block printing and Bikaneri bhujia of Rajasthan; Gulabi Meenakari, Banaras brocade and Lucknow Chikan craft from Uttar Pradesh to tezpat, aipan art and Munsyari razma from Uttarakhand, Kangra tea, Chamba Rumal and Kullu Shawls from Himachal Pradesh to Allepy green cardamom, Vedic era mirror and navara rice from Kerala amongst many others.

 

'India boasts of many such rarities of which 440+ are registered GI Tagged products and GI Fair India, brings together the largest congregation of products and authorized producers from this list,' said Rakesh Kumar, chairman IEML.

 

Around 400 exhibitors will participate in the fair from July 20-24.

 

The exhibitors at the fair will share backgrounds and stories about their products, crafts and hand skills.

India GI Fair aims to connect these invaluable native products, aptly called Legal Local, to connoisseurs and clientele in India as well as the global market, according to the council.

 

The fair will also include theme areas highlighting GI clusters & hubs, Live demonstration of GI products, Knowledge seminar on Introduction to Export Business, and Unlocking Packaging Convenience for Export Target Markets.

Traders associated with oilseed export business said that oilseed exporters are currently getting good orders from South East Asia, Latin America and Africa and the export of oilseeds is expected to increase by 10 to 15 per cent in the current financial year.

 

Oilseeds exports have increased by more than 20 per cent to $1.33 billion (Rs 10,900 crore) in the financial year 2022-23.

 

Shankar Thakkar, national president of the All India Edible Oil Traders Federation and general secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAT), said 'Mainly groundnut, sesame, soyabean, Raida and sunflower seeds are exported. Also the area under oilseeds cultivation increased this year. This will increase production and with the increase in production, exports will also increase.'

 

At the national level, the share of Madhya Pradesh in the total cultivated area of oilseeds is 34.64 per cent. Maharashtra has 22 per cent, Gujarat 13.53 per cent, Rajasthan 11.43 per cent, Karnataka 5.04 per cent, Andhra Pradesh 5.02 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 2.66 per cent, Telangana 1.74 per cent and Tamil Nadu 1.21 per cent while India exports oilseeds to Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, the Philippines and European Union wherein groundnut and sesame account for 80 to 85 per cent of the total exports of oilseeds.

 

Shankar Thakkar said that on the one hand, the government is importing substandard oilseeds and edible oils on a large scale and, on the other hand, it is getting the nutritious and healthy oilseeds produced in the country exported abroad, which should be stopped.

India expects two more rounds of negotiations for the conclusion of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) by the end of the year.

 

While the legal scrubbing of the Supply Chain Agreement - which was finalised in May - is on, discussions are moving fast on the clean economy and fair economy pillars, said people aware of the matter.

 

The fourth round of IPEF negotiations took place from July 9-15 in South Korea. India is yet to take a call on joining the trade pillar of the IPEF.

 

'There are two more rounds to go before it gets concluded. Discussions are on for pillars 3 and 4,' said one of the persons, who did not wish to be identified.

 

Pillar 3 in the IPEF relates to a clean economy while Pillar 4 deals with a fair economy.

 

Gujarat has achieved significant recognition in the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) for 2021-22. The state ranked first in the export performance pillar and second in the policy pillar. With merchandise exports totalling over $126 billion (Rs 10,33,694 crore approx.) in FY 2021-22, Gujarat led India in this aspect, accounting for 30% of the country's total merchandise exports. Notably, Gujarat doubled its export value compared to the previous year, which stood at $63 billion (Rs 5,16,847 crore approx.) in FY 2020-21. Overall, Gujarat achieved a score of 73.22, placing it in the fourth position when considering all pillars.

 

The EPI is a comprehensive framework used to assess the export preparedness of states and union territories. It evaluates four key pillars: policy, business ecosystem, export ecosystem, and export performance. The evaluation for EPI 2022 was conducted for FY 2021-22 and was announced by the Niti Aayog on July 17, 2023.

 

Merchandise exports contribute 35% to Gujarat's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) — the highest percentage among all states. Additionally, Gujarat experienced the highest increase in the number of exporters, with 4,234 new exporters in FY 2021-22, surpassing all other states and UTs. According to the EPI 2022 report, Gujarat has four districts among the top 10 in India and eight districts among the top 25 in terms of exports — the highest among all states. Notably, Jamnagar, Surat, Bharuch, and Ahmedabad, the top four districts in Gujarat, contribute more than one-fifth of India's total merchandise exports. Jamnagar alone accounts for the largest share, 12.18% of India's total merchandise exports, which is equivalent to the combined contribution of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Haryana. 

In a significant step towards promoting the use of millets and healthy eating practices among the armed forces and ensure availability of safe and nutritious food, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya here recently. Both ministers also unveiled a book titled ‘Healthy Recipes for Defence’ to promote the consumption of Shree Anna (millets) and its health benefits.

 

The MoU was signed by Lt. Gen. Preet Mohindera Singh, Director-General (Supplies and Transport) on behalf of Ministry of Defence (MoD) and G Kamala Vardhana Rao, CEO, FSSAI. It aims to create awareness about the nutritional benefits of diet diversity and millet-based food products among the personnel. The MoU will also pave the way for the introduction of millet-based menus in mess, canteens and other food outlets under the MoD.

 

This collaboration will also ensure training of food handlers & chefs of mess, canteens of the Armed Forces and other food outlets on food safety and hygiene as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. It signifies a shared commitment to the health and well-being of the Armed Forces to enable them to remain strong & resilient in their service to the nation. The MoU will also encourage the families of the Armed Forces and the community at large to adopt nutritious diets, make healthy food choices and maintain food safety.

 

The book ‘Healthy Recipes for Defence’, developed by FSSAI, includes a range of millet-based dishes. It will serve as a valuable resource for different canteens and food outlets under the MoD. Given the challenging terrains and varied climatic conditions faced by the defence personnel, the significance of variety in diet assumes great importance. Millets are known for their nutritional value and can contribute to a well-balanced and diverse diet.

 

Chief of Defence Staff & Secretary, Department of Military Affairs General Anil Chauhan, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, CEO FSSAI G Kamala Vardhana Rao and other senior officials of MoD and MoHFW were present on the occasion.

The government on Monday simplified norms for exporters to avail benefits of an advance authorisation scheme under which free imports of input materials are allowed.

 

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) implements this scheme under the Foreign Trade Policy.

 

The eligibility of inputs is determined by sector-specific norms committees based on input-output norms.

 

To make the norms fixation process more efficient, the DGFT said that it has created a user-friendly and searchable database of ad-hoc norms fixed in the previous years.

 

These norms can be used by any exporter without approaching the norms committee, it added.

 

The database is hosted on the DGFT website (https://dgft.gov.in) and allows users to search using export or import item descriptions, technical characteristics, or Indian tariff classification codes.

 

'This trade facilitation measure simplifies the advance authorisation and norms fixation process, resulting in shorter turnaround times for exporters, improved ease of doing business, and reduced compliance burden,' it added.

 

Explaining the process, the directorate stated that to access the database, an exporter or public can visit the DGFT website and if an ad-hoc norm matches the item description, the applicant can apply for the scheme under the 'No-Norm Repeat' basis.

 

This option, it said, allows users to obtain an advance authorisation without approaching the committee again, reducing the workload and enabling faster processing.

 

The commerce ministry is taking a series of measures to promote ease of doing business for exporters, which are hit by global demand slowdown and war between Russia and Ukraine.

 

India's exports contracted by 22 per cent, the steepest decline in the last three years, to USD 32.97 billion in June on account of global demand slowdown, especially in the Western markets like the US and Europe.

Trichy district administration has set a target of 580 hectares of organic cultivation under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) for 2023-2024.

According to the government manual, PKVY aims at supporting and promoting organic farming, in turn resulting in improvement of soil health. The objective is to produce agricultural products free of chemicals and pesticides residues by adopting eco-friendly, low-cost technologies. The key thrust areas of PKVY include promoting organic farming among rural youth, farmers, consumers and traders. It also aims to disseminate latest technologies in organic farming, utilize services of experts from public agricultural research system in India, and organize a minimum of one cluster demonstration in a village.

Taking it forward, the district administration and the agriculture department have planned to implement the scheme on 580 hectares including 400 hectares for groups and 180 hectares for individuals, said district collector M Pradeep Kumar.

Under the scheme, 20 farmers in a village or two to three nearby villages will form a cluster and get involved effectively in organic farming.

 

The scheme provides a subsidy of Rs 50,000 a hectare in three instalments including Rs 16,500 for the first year, 17,000 for the second year and Rs 16,500 for the third year.

Not only new farmers but also those already involved in organic farming can get Rs 6,000 subsidy per hectare for three years. Interested farmers can login to http://tnagrisnet.tn.gov.in or Uzhavan mobile application for registration, or contact the assistant director of agriculture department.

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the contribution of agriculture and allied sectors to the country's GDP can be further enhanced by strengthening marketing, for which Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) are the key. Addressing a conclave here, the minister said agriculture can become a profitable business if modern technology and marketing methods are adopted. Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and FPOs can help in this endeavour.

 

Shah said FPOs formed by PACS are more capable to provide benefits to farmers compared to FPOs set up by individuals, companies and partnerships.

 

He also asked existing FPOs to have an agreement with PACS.

 

Shah noted that agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries sectors are the backbone of the Indian economy. The growth in these sectors will not only help in increasing GDP but also create job opportunities.

 

Shah highlighted the initiatives taken by the Narendra Modi government in the last nine years in the agriculture sector to boost farmers' income.

 

He said the budget for the agriculture sector in 2023-24 is Rs 1.15 lakh crore against around Rs 22,000 crore in 2013-14.

 

Shah said the MSP has been increased significantly and strengthened procurement operations.

 

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister of State for Cooperation BL Verma also attended the event.