The Northeast fortnight was inaugurated recently at India Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai, by Imnatiba Jamir, Adviser, Industries and Commerce, Nagaland.

 

During the fortnight, the Northeastern States of Tripura, Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya, will showcase their culture, tourism potential as well as the business potential.

 

Talking about the sectors in Assam, Chandramohan Patowary, Minister of Industries & Commerce, Government of Assam said, 'Assam is known as India’s gateway to the Asean and Southeast Asian countries. In 2018, the Assam Global Investment Summit was held, and we were able to sign MoUs worth Rs79,000 crore, out of which Rs65,000 crore has materialised.'

 

'We also have various policies around Logistics, Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Ethanol, that are rapidly gaining popularity and leading to growth in the state. Assam tea is known globally, and we are producing 52 per cent of the country’s total production. We also have a Tea Park in Assam, which has ensured higher growth in the sector. From the connectivity perspective, Assam’s railway, national highway and waterways have also helped the state grow.'

 

Patowary further added, 'We have various state and national policies, including NEIDS (Northeast Industrial Development Scheme), that include incentivising the investors and we look forward to welcoming investment in the state, both from the Middle East and the Southeast Asian nations. Our policies have also enabled growth of trade with the UAE, including export of fruits, vegetables, ginger and turmeric.' He also elaborated on the growing focus on Electric Vehicles and the EV policy announced by Assam.

 

The Government of Assam also has a collaboration with IIM-Kolkata and TiE, that offer various incubator programs to catalyse the growth of startups from the state.

 

Talking about Nagaland and the opportunities in the state, Imnatiba Jamir during the inauguration said, 'We are delighted to be a part of Expo 2020 Dubai and are looking forward to showcase our state at this global platform. Our aim is to represent the Northeast as an up-and-coming region that offers unique business opportunities vis-à-vis the rest of India. At this world forum, our focus is to highlight the sectors that have massive potential such as tourism, agriculture, beekeeping, bamboo, and food processing.'

 

Talking about the business opportunities in Nagaland, Jamir added, 'There are several initiatives being taken by the government to attract investment. The recent changes in the land ownership provisions will attract investors and we are optimistic that many investment-friendly policies will be implemented in the state.'

 

 Jamir also said that the Northeast region is focusing on the growth of startups. There are various incubation centers and policies that enable them to avail the loan facilities with ease. The startup ecosystem in the region is at a nascent state, but with the right direction and reforms, has the potential to grow.

 

Imnatiba Jamir elaborated, 'We are showcasing the unique culture, food and attractions of Nagaland to the world at the Expo 2020 Dubai.'

 

He added, 'Nagaland offers huge opportunities for investors in various sectors. We see Expo 2020 as a big platform from where we can highlight our investment potential to global investors.'

 

Jamir concluded,' Nagaland is  home to 17 tribes with more than 100 spoken languages with diverse cultures. The promotion of different traditional wear, handcrafts and flora and fauna will play a big role in the growth of its tourism industry.'

 

The participating states also collectively hosted the session ‘Conference on Business Opportunities in the Northeast India’ yesterday highlighting the investment opportunities in the eight north-eastern states, the growing industries and start-up ecosystem in the region.

 

The eight northeastern states conducted over 70 G2B meetings during the day to explore areas for mutual collaboration in sectors like tourism, logistics, agriculture and Agri-commodities (tea & spices), manufacturing and food processing.

 

The Northeast fortnight will conclude on March 17, 2022.

 

Steel Week: The India Pavilion at Expo 2020, Dubai is all set to host ‘Steel Week’ from March 11, 2022. The weeklong event, culminating on March 17, 2022, will highlight the expertise of the Steel sector in India and showcase an array of opportunities as well as business potential in India’s steel sector.

 

Delegation of Ministry of Steel, Government of India, will be led by Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, Union Minister of Steel. Senior officials from the leading steel producers of India including SAIL, JSW, JSPL, Tata Steel, AM/NS India will accompany the delegation.

 

The delegation will meet senior officials from Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi, to explore investment opportunities in Indian steel sector. Meetings with senior officials from Dubai Chamber of Commerce, UAE-based steel producers & steel user companies have been lined up to explore opportunities for collaboration of Indian steel companies and to showcase investment opportunities in India. A special session on the Rs6,322 crore Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Specialty Steel has been scheduled during the week. The delegation will also visit prominent country pavilions.

 

The India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is one of the biggest platforms that offers a golden opportunity to showcase India to the world and project the country as the next hub for growth and innovation. Nestled at the Al Forsan Park adjacent to the ‘Opportunity’ district of the Expo 2020 Dubai, India Pavilion is created on the theme of 'Openness. Opportunity. Growth.'

The Delhi High Court has directed FSSAI to ask food business operators (FBOs) to provide full details with respect to the ingredient and its source (veg or non-veg) on food products’ label. The High Court has also asked the Food Authority to issue a fresh notice regarding declaration of the info and about the ‘obligation’ on the food businesses for the same.

 

According to published reports, the Delhi High Court had ordered that the Food Authority should issue a fresh notice and make it widely publicised stating that the obligation placed on FBOs to disclose the vegetarian or non-vegetarian nature of the food.

 

The court has observed that the ‘non-discloser’ of the food item being veg or non-veg, affects the ‘fundamental rights’.

 

Earlier, on court’s direction FSSAI had issued a direction asking food businesses to declare on the label ‘correctly’ whether the food product is ‘Veg’ or ‘Non-Veg’, irrespective of the percentage of any ingredient in the food.

 

This came after the Delhi High Court pulled up the food regulator on a petition saying that food businesses hide info about ingredients source (plant or animal).

 

The court had observed that it should be fairly disclosed as to what is the plant source or animal source.

 

Meanwhile, the FSSAI has stated that the term 'ingredient' was defined under Section 3(y) of FSS Act 2006 which inter-alia includes food additives and issued a notice.

 

“It is clarified that the declaration regarding non-veg or veg food is mandatory irrespective of the percentage of any ingredient in the food,' read the direction by the FSSAI while adding,  “In view of the above regulatory provisions read with FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2020, every package of 'non-vegetarian' food having ingredients including additives, from animal sources but excluding milk or milk products, honey or beeswax or carnauba wax or shellac, shall bear a symbol and colour code to indicate that the product is non-vegetarian food.'

 

The court, however, was not satisfied with the notice.

India and Canada on Thursday will hold discussions on ways to strengthen economic ties and proposed free trade agreement between the two countries, the commerce ministry has said.

 

Canadian International Trade Minister will be visiting India from March 10-13 to hold the fifth India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI).

 

The meeting will be co-chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

 

'During the MDTI meeting, various bilateral trade and investment issues will be discussed in order to further strengthen the bilateral ties and economic partnership including India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA),' it said.

 

The bilateral trade stood at USD 5.7 billion (exports USD 3 billion and imports USD 2.7 billion) in 2020-21 as against USD 6.7 billion in 2019-20.

 

Major Indian exports to Canada include drugs and pharmaceutical products, iron & steel products, marine products, cotton fabrics and readymade garments and chemicals, while imports include pulses, fertilizers, coal and crude petroleum.

 

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been rewor

On the second day of the Krishi Vigyan Mela organized by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, thousands of farmers from all over the country took benefit of the Mela. The main theme of the fair is 'Self-reliant farmer with technical knowledge'. About 12000 farmers from across the country participated and more than 1100 quintals of Pusa seeds were purchased by the farmers. There were 4 technical sessions on the second day of the fair. In four technical sessions, farmers were informed about Smart agriculture; Natural Farming; Hydroponic and Aeroponic Agriculture for High Productivity; and Agriculture exports for prosperity. 

 

Seeds of three varieties of Basmati rice; Pusa Basmati 1847, Pusa Basmati 1885, Pusa Basmati 1886 are also being distributed to the farmers in the fair so that they can produce seeds of these new varieties themselves. Farmers showed interest in Live demonstration of new crop varieties, demonstration of protected cultivation of vegetables, flowers and in the exhibition and sale of agricultural implements developed by the institutions and private companies. Farmers were quite happy with the sale of improved varieties of seeds and saplings. Apart from this, display and sale of agricultural products and agrochemicals, display and sale of products developed by innovative farmers also attracted the crowd.

 

More than 100 ICAR Institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and other institutes are showcasing advanced technologies through 225 stalls. On the first day, 12000-15000 farmers from different regions of the country participated in mela and learned about varieties and technologies developed by various divisions of New Delhi, as well as availed live exhibition, different agricultural models and farmer advisory services.

 

The major attractions of the fair are: Smart/Digital Agriculture, Agri Startups and Farmer Producer Organization (FPO), Organic and Natural Farming, Protected Farming/Hydroponic/Aeroponic/Vertical Farming, Advisory for promotion of Export of Agricultural Products. The fair is showcasing new varieties developed by the institute, while other innovative technologies of IARI, such as the solar powered 'Pusa-Farm Sun Fridge; Pusa Decomposer, Pusa Complete Bio-Fertilizer (unique liquid formulation providing Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium).  

 

On the second day of the Mela, the first session was on "Digital Smart Agriculture" which was presided over by Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management) ICAR. Dr. S. K. Chaudhary. In this session, Mr. Ashish Jangale, (Chairman, Precision Farming, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.) gave a talk on 'Automation and Artificial Intelligence for Smart Agriculture'. Mr. Abhishek Burman (CEO, General Aeronautics Pvt. Ltd.) spoke on 'Drone technology for better crop health' and Ms. Rashi Verma (Agsmartik Pvt. Ltd.) shared detailed information on the topic 'IOTs for Smart Irrigation'.

 

The second session was on "Protected, Vertical, Hydroponic and Aeroponic Agriculture for High Productivity and Income" which was presided over by DDG (Horticulture Science), ICAR,Dr. A.K. Singh. In this session Padmashree Dr. Brahma Singh, former OSD (Horticulture), Rashtrapati Bhavan and Dr. Pitam Chandra, Ex. Director General (Engineering), ICAR, also participated. In this session, Shri Shivendra Singh (CEO, Barton & Breeze, Gurugram) discussed 'Vertical Hydroponic Farming'. Along with this, two progressive farmers Mr. Gaurav Kumar and Mr. Ankit Sharma shared their experience on 'Protected Farming Enterprises and Business Model of Hydroponics Farming'.

 

The third session was on 'Promotion of Agriculture Exports for Prosperity' which was presided over by Dr. Tarun Bajaj, Director, APEDA. In this session, Mr. Nadeem Siddiqui (Exporter, Amroha, Uttar Pradesh) talked on the topic 'Export of Mango: Opportunities and Challenges' and Mr. Vipin Gupta (Chairman, Alpha Milk Foods, Karnal) gave his insights on 'Tapping the potential of dairy exports from India'.Shri Vinod Kaul (Executive Director, All India Rice Exporters Association) shared information on the topic 'Prospects in Export of Basmati Rice from India' and Dr. Ritesh Sharma (Basmati Export Development Foundation) discussed 'Challenges and Prospects in Basmati Export'.

 

The fourth session was on 'Organic and Natural Farming' which was chaired by Additional Commissioner (Agriculture Extension & INM), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Dr. Y.R. Meena. In this session, Mr. Ashok Kumar Yadav (Former Director, National Center for Organic Farming, Ghaziabad) shared his experience on 'Certification of Organic Farming through Participatory Guarantee System (PGS)' and Dr. Riba Abraham (Assistant General Manager, Organic Products, APEDA, New Delhi) discussed 'Third Party Certification in Organic Farming'. In this session, Padma Shri Bharat Bhushan Tyagi, Progressive Farmer, Bulandshahr (UP) and Shri Shyam Bihari Gupta, Progressive Farmer, Jhansi, (U.P.) shared their experiences with all the farmers and scientists.

Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan asserted that the farmers should adopt digital technology for faster growth in agriculture.

 

He was virtually addressing the 51st Convocation of the Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University held in Mahati Auditorium in Tirupati on Friday.

 

According to the release by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the state Governor and Chancellor of ANGRA University, presided over the 51st annual convocation of the university.

 

While delivering the convocation address, Biswa said, 'To keep pace with the growing demands on food security, technology development and adoption should be at a faster rate and the Indian agriculture needs to adopt digital technologies that have the potential to offer out of the box solutions and ideas.'

 

He further added that the farmers can reap more economic benefits with smart technologies and smart decisions.

 

The Chancellor advised the students and the faculty to visit the agricultural fields and interact with the farmers to know their difficulties. He also asked the students to conduct more and more research in an organic farming area and aware the farmers of the benefits of organic farming and also encourage farmers to adopt it.

 

The Chancellor further said, 'Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University has shown good progress in the application of novel agricultural technologies such as Drone Technology, Geo-Spatial Technology, Nano-Technology in offering sustainable solutions.'

 

He appreciated the efforts of the University faculty in advocating precision farming and sustainable agriculture for establishing an exclusive Centre for ‘A.P. Sensors & Smart Applications Research in Agriculture’ (APSARA) in Lam, Guntur and their research on several agriculture-related applications.

 

The Chancellor congratulated Ashok Dalwai, Chief Executive Officer, National Rain-fed Area Authority (NRAA), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India and Chairman of the empowered body, for doubling farmers’ incomes.

 

The Chancellor also congratulated the winners of several awards and distinctions for their zeal and perseverance in acquiring knowledge and for achieving excellence in their chosen field. (ANI)

 

This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

Agriculture and horticulture from across the Assam displayed a wide range of their products to importers from Sri Lanka, Dubai, Bangladesh, Oman, Netherlands, Singapore, Greece

 

Zulfikar, Director LULU group of Hypermarket declared that due to positive approach of Assam Government and APEDA, it is decided to start trials of sourcing Ginger from Assam, the group declared that they will be starting trials of 150 MTs ginger sourced from Assam within next fortnight. Upon the successful trials, long term agreements will be finalised taking support from APEDA and state of Assam

 

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority(APEDA) organised one-day International Buyer Seller Meet (IBSM) on March 10, 2022 in Guwahati.

 

The objective of the IBSM was to promote the exports of the potential agricultural and processed food products from the Assam and other North-eastern states, and provide market linkage to the producers.

 

Assam’s agriculture minister, Atul Bora mentioned about the vast potential of North East Products in International market . He congratulated APEDA and Agriculture Department of Government of Assam for well organised Buyers sellers meet

 

At the IBSM, exhibitors from across the state displayed a wide range of their agricultural products. Importers present were from Sri Lanka, Dubai, Bangladesh, Oman, Netherlands, Singapore, Greece,. The products on display included fresh fruits, vegetables, processed food products, black rice & red rice, pulses, maize, biscuits, cookies and bakery products, honey, dairy products and processed meat. Besides Organic tea, coffee, spices.

 

During the event Agriculture Produce commissioner Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani , spoke about the conducive policy measures being undertaken to promote products of Assam in the international market. He also shared the Agriculture Department of Assam is ready to support trade and tie ups of FPOs with all exporters and importers present in the Buyer sellers meet.

 

Chairman Apeda, Dr M. Angamuthu, emphasised on the potential of high quality Agriculture and horticultural products. He shared that during recent times Apeda has continuously tapping the export prospects of Horticulture products in international market with buyers. With this IBSM, it is expected that markets like Oman, Netherlands, Sri lanka , Greece, UAE, Bangladesh will source the vast untapped potential of North eastern products.

Paddy procurement is progressing smoothly in Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2021-22 at MSP from farmers, as was done in previous years.

 

A quantity of 725.93 LMT of paddy has been procured in KMS 2021-22 up to March 6, 2022, in the procuring states/UTs of Chandigarh, Gujarat, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Telangana, Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, NEF (Tripura), Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

 

Till now about 102.29 lakh farmers have been benefitted with MSP value of Rs 1,42,282.68 crore. 

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Thursday met Franck Riester, French Minister for Foreign Trade in New Delhi and reviewed ways of boosting trade and investment ties between France and India.

 

Taking to Twitter, French Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain said that both the ministers also discussed cooperation on reforming world trade and reshaping supply chains post COVID-19 pandemic.

 

'Ministers @franckriester & @PiyushGoyal today met in Delhi to review ways of boosting France and India`s trade and investment relations. They also discussed cooperation on reforming world trade & reshaping supply chains post pandemic,' Lenain tweeted.

 

Riester is on a two-day India visit from March 10-11.

 

He is also scheduled to visit Bengaluru. In Bengaluru, Riester will visit Dassault Systemes, a 3DEXPERIENCE company that provides businesses and people with collaborative 3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations.He will also visit the Indian company CENTUM Electronics, which has offices in France, providing precision microelectronics that are critical for applications in many sectors, including aerospace and defence. 

 

New Delhi: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Thursday met Franck Riester, French Minister for Foreign Trade in New Delhi and reviewed ways of boosting trade and investment ties between France and India.

 

Taking to Twitter, French Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain said that both the ministers also discussed cooperation on reforming world trade and reshaping supply chains post COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

'Ministers @franckriester & @PiyushGoyal today met in Delhi to review ways of boosting France and India`s trade and investment relations. They also discussed cooperation on reforming world trade & reshaping supply chains post pandemic,' Lenain tweeted.

 

Riester is on a two-day India visit from March 10-11.

 

He is also scheduled to visit Bengaluru. In Bengaluru, Riester will visit Dassault Systemes, a 3DEXPERIENCE company that provides businesses and people with collaborative 3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations.He will also visit the Indian company CENTUM Electronics, which has offices in France, providing precision microelectronics that are critical for applications in many sectors, including aerospace and defence.  Also Read: Post Office Scheme: Invest in THIS plan to get guaranteed monthly income

 

Riester will wind up his tour with meeting representatives from French and Indian tech ecosystems, brought together by the French Tech in Bangalore, which creates global connections for innovation. Also Read: Ebixcash IPO: Company files draft paper with SEBI for Rs 6000 crore

The following is a snapshot of global export markets for grains, oilseeds and edible oils as reported by government and private sources, as of the close of business on Thursday:

 

WHEAT SALE: Algeria's state grains agency OAIC purchased about 600,000 tonnes to 700,000 tonnes of optional-origin milling wheat in a tender, with French supplies expected to make up a large share, European traders said in assessments on Thursday.

 

WHEAT, SOYOIL SALE: Iranian state agency the Government Trading Corporation (GTC) is believed to have purchased around 240,000 tonnes of milling wheat expected to be sourced from Europe and 60,000 tonnes of soyoil expected to be sourced from South America in tenders which closed on Wednesday, European traders said on Thursday.

 

WHEAT TENDER: Tunisia's state grains agency has issued another international tender to buy about 125,000 tonnes of soft wheat and 100,000 tonnes of animal feed barley as prices hover around 14-year highs, traders said on Thursday. The tender closes on Friday, they said.

 

WHEAT TENDER: Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is seeking to buy a total of 163,276 tonnes of food-quality wheat from the United States, Canada and Australia in regular tenders that will close on Friday.

 

WHEAT TENDER: Jordan's state grain buyer has issued an international tender to buy 120,000 tonnes of milling wheat which can be sourced from optional origins, European traders said on Thursday. The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender is March 16.

 

PENDING TENDERS:

 

FEED GRAIN TENDER: Iranian state-owned animal feed importer SLAL has issued an international tender to purchase up to 60,000 tonnes of animal feed barley, 60,000 tonnes of feed corn and 60,000 tonnes of soymeal, European traders said. The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender is believed to be March 9, they said.

 

WHEAT TENDER: The Taiwan Flour Millers' Association has issued an international tender to purchase 50,000 tonnes of grade 1 milling wheat to be sourced from the United States, European traders said. The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender is March 11.

 

BARLEY TENDER: Jordan's state grains buyer issued an international tender to purchase 120,000 tonnes of animal feed barley, European traders said. The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender is March 15.

 

WHEAT TENDER: Bangladesh's state grains buyer issued an international tender to purchase 50,000 tonnes of milling wheat, traders said. The deadline for submission of price offers is March 16.

India will export a record 10 million tonnes (mt) of wheat during the current fiscal, but its rice shipments could be lower this calendar year and corn (maize) sales abroad might also dip during the season to September, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said. 

 

In the 'Grain: World Markets and Trade' report brought out by its Foreign Agricultural Service, the USDA said India’s wheat exports this fiscal would be 10 mt against last fiscal’s 3.58 mt. In the case of rice, exports would be 20.5 mt against 21.19 mt last calendar year. .

 

Corn shipments would be lower for the current marketing season (October 2021-September 2022) at 2.8 mt against 3.67 mt last season. However, the USDA has raised the export estimates for rice and corn by 0.5 mt and 0.3 mt, respectively, in the current outlook compared with last month in view of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that has stalled shipments from the Black Sea region. 

 

‘Demand accelerating’

 

The USDA said it had raised its wheat exports forecast for India by 3.0 mt in view of demand accelerating after the Russian troops entered Ukraine. 'In the new marketing year 2022-23 beginning in April, fresh supplies will be available in addition to the exceptionally large stocks in the country,' it said. 

 

While New Delhi tended to supply wheat to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh besides West Asia, India would find buyers across Africa and other parts of the Gulf region. The transit time to West Asia will be longer compared to Black Sea exporters 'but India is well-positioned to step in as a low-cost supplier,' the USDA said. 

 

Apr-Jan growth 387 per cent

 

Between July 2021 and January 2022, India exported 5.2 mt, primarily to Bangladesh. Exports since October have averaged over 0.9 mt a month and India is expected to maintain this pace, the report said. 

 

A Commerce Ministry statement on Monday said the value of wheat exports had grown 387 per cent during the April-January period of the current fiscal to $1.74 billion against $358 million in the year-ago period. 

 

Data from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) showed that during April-December of the current fiscal the volume of wheat shipments had increased to 5.04 mt against 1.07 mt in the year-ago period. 

 

‘Attractive’ pricing

 

'Notwithstanding the conflict in Ukraine, tightening global supplies and high prices from major exporters have made Indian wheat competitive for the first time in several years. After five consecutive record crops and rising government wheat inventories, India has ample exportable supplies,' it said.

 

The US agency said Indian wheat export prices averaged an 'attractive $312/tonne' in January and enjoyed the advantage of low freight rates to markets in West and South Asia. 

 

Currently, while Indian wheat export prices are hovering around $350, prices of the grain from the US, Argentina and Europe are all quoted above $425. Interestingly, the last time when India shipped a record volume of wheat Russia and Ukraine faced supply shortage as their crop was hit by drought.

 

US also benefits

According to ING Think, the economic and financial analysis wing of Dutch multinational financial services firm ING, Russia and Ukraine would have been the top and third-largest exporters of wheat this year. 

 

The Russian-Ukraine standoff has also benefited the US as its bidding prices for its wheat have increased sharply between $160 and $190 a tonne. The USDA said it had raised its projections for Indian rice exports by 0.5 mt this month in view of 'very large crop, high stocks and competitive prices'. It pegged India’s production at 129 mt compared with 124.37 mt last year.

 

Record rice, corn output

 

According to the Union Ministry for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, rice production this crop year to June is estimated at a record high of 127.93 mt. As of February 1, the Food Corporation of India had 26.33 mt of rice and 49.26 mt of paddy (31.35 mt of rice) compared with 24.36 mt of rice and 34.5 mt of paddy (22 mt of rice) in the year-ago period.  

 

On Monday, the Commerce Ministry said rice exports during the first 10 months of the fiscal fetched $7.7 billion (up 13 per cent). APEDA data for April-December showed rice exports were 12.53 mt against 8.25 mt a year-ago.

 

India’s record corn crop has also led to the USDA raising its projection of the cereal’s export to 2.8 mt from 2.5 mt a month ago for the current season to September. The US agency has projected India’s corn crop this crop year to June at 32.5 mt compared with 31.65 last crop year. 

 

The Agriculture Ministry has estimated the cereal’s production at 32.42 mt. APEDA April-December statistics showed export of other cereals, which includes corn as the major item, increased to 2.74 mt valued at $747 million against 1.97 mt valued at $434 million.