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21 Apr, 2022 News Image UK PM Boris Johnson to begin two-day India visit to 'deepen strategic ties'.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to arrive in India on Thursday for a two-day visit to deepen the long-term partnership for peace and prosperity with a fellow leading democracy.
 
Ahead of Johnson's two-day visit, Downing Street has stressed that the UK would not look to 'lecture' India over its neutral stance in the United Nations or its decision to hike Russian oil imports, reported ANI.
 
The UK has been trying to persuade India to reduce its reliance on Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Addressing the House of Commons for his weekly Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs), Johnson said the trip to Ahmedabad and New Delhi will build on India being invited as a guest country for the G7 Summit hosted by the UK in Cornwall in June last year.
 
'I will be travelling to India to deepen the strategic trade, defence and people-to-people ties between our two countries, building on India's involvement in the Carbis Bay G7 summit,' Johnson told members of Parliament. It will be Johnson's first major trip to India as Prime Minister after previous visits were postponed due to Covid.
 
Johnson will begin his India visit from Ahmedabad in Gujarat by meeting with leading business group leaders and discussing the UK and India's thriving commercial, trade and people links. This will be the first time a UK Prime Minister will visit Gujarat, India's fifth-largest state and the ancestral home of around half of the British-Indian population in the UK.
 
On Friday morning, Johnson will attend a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan and later a wreath-laying at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi. The UK Prime Minister will then travel to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Modi on April 22 where the leaders will hold in-depth talks on the UK and India's strategic defence, diplomatic and economic partnership, aimed at bolstering close partnership and stepping up security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
 
UK Prime Minister will also hold talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar. On the same afternoon, the two sides will issue a press statement at around 1 pm at Hyderabad House.
 
According to the British High Commission statement, Johnson will use the visit to drive progress in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations launched earlier this year as a deal with India is predicted to boost UK's total trade by up to 28 billion pounds annually by 2035 and increase incomes across the UK by up to 3 billion pounds.
 
Last year, Johnson and PM Modi agreed on a UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, announcing more than 530 million pounds in investment into the UK and committing to a deeper bilateral relationship across trade, health, climate, defence and security, and connecting our people.
 
India was also identified as a priority relationship for the UK in the 2021 Integrated Review and was invited by the UK as a guest to last year's G7 in Carbis Bay.

 Source:  zeenews.india.com
21 Apr, 2022 News Image Russia's Ryazan region seeks higher trade relations with India.
The governor of Russia's most industrialised state of Ryazan met with Indian entrepreneurs including from the pharma, entertainment, water treatment and tourism industry seeking investment and to boost trade.
 
Promoting his region Nikolay Lyubimov also assured the entrepreneurs that the Ryazan region will ensure free and fair business transactions with Indian partners.
 
According to latest data, bilateral trade between India and Russia stands at around $13.6 billion, which Moscow is aiming to double in a year or two.
 
'The economic sanctions are an opportunity to start new businesses,' Lyubimov told ET. 'From Ryazan region, we have begun a world tour starting with India as we are keen to increase trades with select countries.'
 
'Earlier too we were planning it, but now we are ramping it up to make good for dollar trades,' he said.
 
The delegation from Ryazan met executives in Mumbai for the first time after global economic sanctions on Moscow. It will proceed to Malaysia and China later.
 
'This is our first international business trip after the pandemic,' Lyubimov said.
 
Pharmaceutical, tourism, films, medical equipment, agriculture, water treatment and construction are the areas earmarked for potential trade relations, which could well be an alternative for dollar-backed trades.
 
Oil remains a key trading discussion. However, that is being delegated at a different level involving government officials from both the countries.
 
"We are interested in boosting our trades with India and Indian entities,' said the governor, who was appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in September 2017.
 
The Russian representatives held a flurry of business meetings at Indian Merchants’ Chamber. They also met Vijay Kalantri, chairman of World Trade Centre, Mumbai.
 
'We aim to at least double our trade volumes with Indian companies,' said Lyubimov, adding that Russian entities can get into joint ventures while tying up with Indian companies for both exports and imports.
 
Hindi films, which are popular across the world, also came up for business discussions. The scenic beauty of Ryazan holds great potential for film shooting by Indian producers.
 
'We received encouraging responses from Indian entrepreneurs, who also have suggested innovative proposals,' he said.
 
The Ryazan region, about three hours away from Moscow, is billed as a key centre for European trades. The destination holds potential for industrial activities.
 
Industrial production is the main economic sector in the Ryazan region, accounting for about 30% of the regional GDP. Oil refining, machinery, metal processing, electricity, chemicals, construction as well as food and the manufacturing of consumer goods and ferrous and non-ferrous metals are developing in the region.

 Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
21 Apr, 2022 News Image India's Non-basmati rice exports grow by 109% since 2013-14 to USD 6115 million.
India’s non-basmati rice exports witnessed an astounding growth of 109 % from USD 2925 million in FY 2013-14 to USD 6115 million in FY 2021-22.
 
As per DGCIS data, India exported rice to over 150 countries across the globe in 2021-22. India exported more than USD one million to 76 countries out of the 150 countries reported in 2021-22, It indicates the diversification of India's rice export over the years. 
 
Highlighting the historic achievement in a tweet, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal has said that Modi government’s policies helped farmers to get access to the global markets and also ensure food security.
 
According to the DGCIS data, India had exported non-basmati rice worth USD 2015 million in 2019-20, which rose to USD 4799 million in 2020-21 and USD 6115 million in 2021-22.
 
Registering a growth of 27% in 2021-22, export of non-basmati rice was the top forex earner among all agri-commodities, at USD 6115 million.
 
'In collaboration with our foreign missions, we have coordinated development of logistics as well as focus on production of quality produce, which has boosted India’s rice exports prospects,' Dr M. Angamuthu, Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), said.
 
West African country Benin is one of the major importers of non-basmati rice from India. Other destination countries are Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Cote D’ Ivoire, Togo, Senegal, Guinea, Vietnam, Djibouti, Madagascar, Cameroon Somalia,  Malaysia, Liberia U.A.E.  etc.
 
In 2020-21, India shipped non-basmati rice to nine countries - Timor-Leste, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Eswatini, Myanmar and Nicaragua, where exports were carried out for the first time or earlier the shipment was smaller in volume.
 
India’s thrust on expanding port handling infrastructure, development of value chain involving key stakeholders along with efforts to explore new opportunities in countries or markets for rice exports in the last couple of years have led to a huge spike in rice exports.
 
Notwithstanding logistical challenges posed by COVID19 pandemic, India continues to expand its rice exports footprint in the African, Asian and European Union markets, thus having the largest share in global rice trade. The robust global demand also helped India’s growth in rice exports.
 
The major rice producing states are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam, and Haryana.
 
As per Second Advance Estimates for 2021-22, the total production of Rice during 2021-22 is estimated at record 127.93 million tonnes, which is higher by 11.49 million tonnes than the last five years’ average production of 116.44 million tonnes.
 
However, as per second Advance Estimates for 2021-22, total food grains production in the country is estimated at record 316.06 million tonnes which is higher by 5.32 million tonnes than the production of food grain during 2020-21. Further, the production during 2021-22 is higher by 25.35 million tonnes than the previous five years’ (2016-17 to 2020-21) average production of food grains.
 
Notably, India is the world’s second-largest rice producer after China. The record exports would enable the rice producers to reduce their stocks and would also benefit the farmers as the increased demand for Indian Rice is likely to improve their realizations. The significant rise in agri-exports is also seen as a testimony of the government’s commitment to increase farmers’ income by boosting exports of agricultural and processed food products of the country.

 Source:  pib.gov.in
21 Apr, 2022 News Image Foodgrains production target at 163.15 million tonnes for kharif 2022.
The Centre has set a production target of 163.15 million tonnes (mt) during kharif season of 2022-23 crop year (July-June) and assured that there will not be any problem of availability of fertilisers when the sowing begins from June with the arrival of south-west monsoon.
 
The foodgrains target for next year includes 112 tonnes of rice, 40.60 mt of nutri/coarse cereals and 10.55 mt of pulses. Besides, the government also aims for producing 26.89 mt of oilsseds. The country is estimated to have produced record 153.54 mt, exceeding the target of 150.58 mt in 2021-22 on the back of a favourable monsoon with good spatial distribution across the country.
 
Addressing the annual kharif conference on Tuesday, Agriculture Commissioner AK Singh said the government has kept a target keeping in mind its aim to replace old rice varieties with the latest ones in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which can help increase the production of rice, currently at record 128 mt (kharif and rabi).
 
More production of oilseeds is possible if yield gaps are addressed, he said, and asked Karnataka to increase the area under sunflower, which has declined to 2.26 lakh hectare in 2020-21 from 26.68 lakh hectare in 1993-94.
 
On the fertilisers front, Fertiliser Secretary RK Chaturvedi said, 'We have made both short and long-term arrangements with global suppliers for import of fertilisers. There will not be any shortage of fertilisers during the kharif season.'
 
The fertiliser availability has been pegged at 485.59 lt, including 104.72 lt of imported fertiliser and 254.79 lt of domestically manufactured soil nutrients, over and above the requirement of 354.34 lt, he said. Availability of urea is estimated to be at 256.22 lt in kharif season, higher than the requirement of 179 lt while availability of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) is likely to be 81.42 lt, against the requirement of 58.82 lt.
 
In the case of Muriate of Potash (MoP), for which India is fully dependent on imports, the secretary said availability would be 29.03 lt against the need for 19.81 lt. Chaturvedi did not clarify how that could be possible as the country had imported less last fiscal and prices are already very high.
 
The availability of NPK fertiliser is pegged at 77.87 lt over 63.71 lt requirement, while the availability of Single Superphosphate (SSP) is estimated at 41 lt against 33 lt that is required, Chaturvedi added.
 
According to Chaturvedi, the country is estimated to import about 104.72 lt of fertilisers—which includes 40 lt of urea, 29 lt of DAP, 23.18 lt of MoP and 13.22 lt of SSP—to meet the demand during the upcoming kharif season.
 
A long-term agreement has been signed with Oman India Fertiliser Company SAOC (OMIFCO) for the import of 10 lt of urea every year for three years. A monthly supply of 90,000 tonnes has started from February, he said.
 
In his address, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar asked State governments to chalk out strategies to boost seed production and reduce farmers’ dependency on private players.
 
Tomar said States have a bigger role in curbing the sale of fake seeds and pesticides, which he felt is key to further boost agri-exports, which touched $50 billion in 2021-22 fiscal.

 Source:  thehindubusinessline.com
21 Apr, 2022 News Image Bumper Output, Easier Access To Trading Nations Led To Surge In Agricultural Exports In 2021-22.
India's agricultural exports reached Bradmanesque proportions in 2021-22 as they crossed $50 billion mark as rice, wheat, pulses, cereals, fruits & vegetables as well as meat supplies to other countries rose significantly during the fiscal.
 
Experts have attributed booming exports to the fact that India mainly trades with countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, which are closer and therefore easier to trade with.
 
In addition to this, the fact that there has been a bumper harvest of the abovementioned commodities in the past two years, has also given the leeway to raise exports.
 
Also due to affordable prices of these commodities, Indian exports have picked up as demand is huge, market watchers opine.
 
As government started distributed food under its Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana to the poor after the onset of Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, demand for key commodities like wheat and rice got muted, leading to fall in their prices.
 
This gave the government the opportunity to export them to nations where demand was high.
 
Subsequently India's export of all these commodities has seen a huge jump year-on-year basis.
 
 According to Commerce Ministry data, rice export was the major forex earner at $9,654 million during 2021-22, as it grew 9.35 per cent from corresponding fiscal's $8,829 million.
 
Wheat exports too touched an all-time high of $2,118 million in 2021-22, growing by a huge 273 per cent from 2020-21 when it was $567 million.
 
Cereals' exports saw a growth of 53 per cent at $1,083 million in 2021-22 over corresponding period's $705 million.
 
Export of pulses reported a growth of 34 per cent touching $358 million in 2021-22 from $265 million in 2020-21.
 
Dairy products saw a steep growth of 96 per cent as they stood at $634 million in 2021-22 against $323 million in 2020-21.
 
Export of poultry products rose to $71 million in 2021-22 from $58 million in the previous fiscal.
 
Sheep and goat meat export was up by 34 per cent at $60 million in 2021-22 from $44 million in the previous year.

 Source:  ndtv.com
20 Apr, 2022 News Image Government sets foodgrain output target at record 328 million tonnes for 2022-23 crop year.
The government has set the foodgrain production target at a record level of 328 million tonnes for the 2022-23 crop year on the back of good monsoon rains. The target is 3.8 per cent higher compared to previous year's output.
 
As per the second advance estimate of the agriculture ministry, foodgrains production is estimated to be a record of 316.06 million tonne in ongoing 2021-22 crop year ending June.
 
The target for the 2022-23 crop year (July-June) was set at the National Conference for Kharif Campaign 2022 which was held on Tuesday to review the progress of the rabi (winter) season and plan for the Kharif (summer) crops.
 
 
Addressing the conference, Agriculture Commissioner A K Singh said the forecast of normal monsoon this year augurs well for the sowing of kharif crops like rice.
 
'We have kept the target of a record 328 million tonnes of foodgrains for the 2022-23 crop year,' he said.
 
Of the total foodgrains production, a production target of 163.15 million tonnes has been set for the kharif season and 164.85 million tonnes for the rabi season.
 
For the kharif season, rice production target has been kept at 112 million tonnes, maize at 23.10 million tonnes, pulses at 10.55 million tonnes, and oilseeds at 26.89 million tonnes.
 
Barring soyabean, Singh said there was surplus seed availability to meet the requirement of the upcoming kharif season. Even fertiliser availability is sufficient to meet the requirement of the season, he added.
 
However, he noted that state governments need to address high yield gaps in oilseeds, falling acreage in sunflower and shortage of soyabean seeds for sowing.

 Source:  /economictimes.indiatimes.com
20 Apr, 2022 News Image Top Wheat Importer Approves Indian Wheat, India In Trade Talks With Other Nations.
Egypt, the world's top wheat importer, has approved India as a supplier to fill a significant void in the North African country's food stocks caused by the Ukraine conflict, officials said on Friday, a move that will open up a lucrative market for Indian farmers while also deepening agricultural ties between the two countries.
 
 
In the midst of a worldwide scarcity precipitated by the conflict, India has stepped up attempts to export wheat supplies from its huge domestic reserves.
 
India, the world's second-largest wheat producer, is in talks with 'a number of nations, including Egypt, Turkey, China, Bosnia, Sudan, Nigeria, Iran, and others' about starting wheat exports, according to an official who requested anonymity. New farm export potential are expected to boost India's export revenues, which are expected to reach a record $418 billion (Rs 31.4 lakh crore) in 2021-22. Analysts predict domestic grain prices to grow as a result of exports, resulting in greater prices for farmers.
 
Egypt authorised Indian wheat types after a visiting delegation from that nation travelled Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Maharashtra to assess quality, storage, and other export factors. Egypt has traditionally depended on inexpensive Ukrainian and Russian wheat imports to fulfil local need. Together, the two warring nations account for up to 30% of world wheat exports and roughly 80% of Egypt's imports.

 Source:  krishijagran.com
20 Apr, 2022 News Image Potential and gaps in food processing in northeast.

The Central Government has given a big push to food processing sector in the country to reduce food wastage. North-eastern States failing to submit adequate number of proposals despite special concessions for the region is baffling. Various studies indicate that about 40% of perishable food is wasted in the country for dearth of adequate food processing units, cold chain and storage despite significant growth in the sector. The Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology at Ludhiana has estimated the harvest and post-harvest losses of major agricultural produces in India at Rs. 92651 crores. The estimate also indicates at the potential of growth in food processing sector in the country, provided allocated fund under various schemes is judiciously utilised. A recent report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing has brought to light that with regard to all the plan Schemes, especially the Food storage and Warehousing and North-Eastern Areas, there has been consistently negative variation for the years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively, as compared to the previous years. The committee points out that the receipt of inadequate proposals from the region is a recurring problem appearing year after year and accuses the Ministry of Food Processing Industries of remaining only as a mute spectator. The parliamentary panel finds the argument of the Ministry that receipt of inadequate proposals is the reason behind negative variation in the region "unacceptable" and held the view that the Ministry should have taken corrective steps to overcome the problem at the planning stage. The committee's recommendation for tangible steps to solve this problem during current financial year puts the onus on the Ministry to undertake focussed initiatives for the region.Various concessions available to projects in northeast region for under plan schemes include-higher rate of grants at the rate of 50% on eligible project cost for NER region against 35% in general areas; longer duration allowed for project completion time andlower requirement of promoter's capital - only 10% against 20% required for other regions. The increase in the allocation for the region from Rs. 121.12 crore in 2021-22 to Rs. 180 crore for 2022-23, is on account of higher budget allocations under two key schemes- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) and the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprise (PMFME). The PMKSY, is a comprehensive package aimed at creation of modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlet and reducing wastage of agricultural produce, increasing the level of processing and enhancing the export of the processed foods. A key component of PMKSY is creation of Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure. The report states that the Saumitra Chaudhuri Committee constituted by the erstwhile Planning Commission in 2012 estimated the country's cold storage requirement at 61 million tonnes. A study undertaken by the National Centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD), an autonomous body under the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, on All India Cold Chain Infrastructure Capacity (Assessment of Status and Gap) in 2015, estimated the existing cold storage capacity at 32 million tonnes and the requirement at 35 million tonnes. Progress made is significant but bridging the gap continues to be challenging task. The study also highlighted that against requirement of 70,000 integrated pack houses the existing capacity is only 250 pack houses, and against existing 10,000 Reefer Trucks, the requirement is 62,000 such trucks. While the country requires 9000 ripening chambers, it has only 800 chambers to meet the cold chain requirement. About the requirement of northeast region, the least said is better given the poor track record of failure to submit proposals despite higher incentives. Under the One District One Product (ODOP) approach of the PMFME, one product is identified in each district which is either a perishable agro-produce or cereals-based product and the Ministry supports micro units processing the product with funding pattern of 35% for common infrastructure and 50% for branding and marketing. The Ministry has signed MoU with the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) for providing marketing and branding support for the products identified under the Scheme. The parliamentary panel has pointed out that only seven ODOP brands have been launched by NAFED so far which speaks volume about the pace of implementation of the PMFME scheme under which an ambitious target of providing credit linked subsidy to two lakh micro food processing units across the country with an approved outlay of Rs 10,000 crores. These central sector schemes have brought huge opportunities for agricultural and horticultural producers, entrepreneurs in northeast region which enjoys advantage of farming practice being organic by default. The region identifying gaps in scheme implementation and adopting innovative approach can ensure the desired change.


 Source:  sentinelassam.com
20 Apr, 2022 News Image Wheat export: Madhya Pradesh stays one jump ahead of Punjab, Haryana.
The surge in wheat export from India owing to the Ukraine crisis has once again demonstrated how farmers in states that have flexible marketing frameworks and low taxes benefit more from an emerging situation.
 
The bulk of the wheat exported from India, trade and industry sources say, is being sourced at rates significantly higher than the state-mandated price of Rs 2,015 per quintal in Madhya Pradesh (MP), Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Gujarat — states which have low mandi taxes compared to Punjab and Haryana.

 Source:  business-standard.com
20 Apr, 2022 News Image Lebanon finalising importing 50,000 tons of wheat from India.
Lebanon, which was largely dependent on Ukraine for wheat imports, has been struggling to procure wheat since the outbreak of the conflict following the Russian invasion. It is facing a food security crisis at present.
 
The government of Lebanon has been in touch with India and is in the process of finalising the procurement of 50,000 tonnes of wheat from India, which will last them one month.
 
'Traditionally wheat imports were in the hands of the private sector in Lebanon. However, now the government has decided to purchase it on its own. We have shared all the relevant information that they needed from our end as we are in a position to provide wheat (as there is stock),’’ Indian Ambassador to Lebanon, Dr Suhel Ajaz Khan told TNIE.
 
Lebanon is also reeling under an acute economic crisis since 2019, so paying for the wheat is a challenge for them. Nearly 75 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line and buying even a loaf of bread is also becoming increasingly difficult for them. The government has been subsidising the cost of wheat.
 
'The kind of soft wheat that we produce in India, matches the requirement in Lebanon. Once they finalise it from their end, we will facilitate them to take it forward,’’ Dr Khan added.
 
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Minister of Economy and Trade, Amin Salam has said that while they are in the process of finalising wheat import from India, they are also hopeful of having more collaborations with India.
 
'India is our friend. The Indian Ambassador in Beirut has addressed all our queries regarding wheat and we are hoping to fortify our trade ties in sectors like technology and agriculture,’’ said Amin Salam, while addressing members of the Indian Consulate in Beirut recently.
 
Salam went further to add that India was an ally and they would like to have economic and geopolitical ties with them. Meanwhile, due to the economic crisis, Lebanon’s wheat importers (there are 12) haven’t placed any new orders globally. 
 
Years of financial mismanagement, rampant corruption, and the pandemic have taken a toll on Lebanon’s economy and now the country faces food insecurity.
 
Nearly 75 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. The Beirut Blast in August 2020 (that happened due to a shipment of ammonium nitrate catching fire killing 200 people), led to the destruction of wheat silos which stored 100,000 tonnes of grain.
 
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), food prices in Lebanon have increased by 1000 per cent in two years. This hyperinflation and food shortage has been compounded by the fuel crises.

 Source:  newindianexpress.com