Israeli ambassador to India Naor Gilon dwelt on the evolving dynamics of the bilateral relationship between the two countries on the 30th anniversary of India-Israel diplomatic relations, at the 117 th Synergia Forum held in Bengaluru on February 21.

 

He said that the relations between Israel and Europe are always overshadowed by the historical persecution of Jews. However, in India, Jews have lived peacefully for over 2,000 years, often reaching the highest echelons of power.

 

While defence and agriculture have been cornerstones of Indo-Israel relations in the past, the future has potential for opportunities in other sectors as well.

 

'Innovation will remain a key export from Israel. With India de-hyphenating its relations with Israel and Palestine,” Mr. Gilon said, 'both countries can actively pursue political and economic ties.”

 

He addressed the changing tides in the Middle East, noting that the Abraham Accords have been a significant turning point.

 

As far as Iran’s nuclear capabilities are concerned, the ambassador remarked that while Iran may not use its weapons to ‘wipe out Israel’, they will leverage them to threaten neighbouring countries. The West does not have the resources the deal with Iran, and is therefore looking for an easy way out, he argued.

The Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) invites you to the Virtual Kick-off Event 'Supporting India’s Agriculture Sector against Post-Harvest Losses', on Tuesday, 8 March 2022 (at 16:00 – 17:30 IST).

 

The event launches an initiative organized by the IGCC that seeks to support farmers in India's innovative technology to prevent post-harvest losses along selected agricultural value chains.  

 

Post-harvest losses occur between harvest times and the selling of crops in the market and retail stores. Globally, the issue has far-reaching implications from economic, social, environmental, nutritional, and health concerns. 

 

Globally, close to one-third of the food production is lost or wasted annually. In India, on average 40% of food production is lost and wasted. In most countries, including in India, post-harvest losses have direct potential effects on national food security as it curtails the availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability of food supply and supports the goal of doubling Indian farmers’ income. 

 

The agriculture sector employs over 50% of the Indian workforce and contributes 20% to the country's GDP. The income and livelihood of millions of farmers, daily laborers, traders, millers, and sellers are dependent on the crops harvested. As food products’ quality and quantity decrease due to post-harvest losses, it creates a multiplier negative monetary impact on the income generation of everyone in the value chains. Around 65% of India’s population lives on less than EUR 1.50 a day. Prevention of post-harvest losses ensures enough food is available for poor households as well as elevates income levels above the poverty line. 

 

From an environmental perspective, the agriculture sector consumes 80% of India’s water consumption and 20% of India’s national consumption. Loss of 40% of crops annually due to post-harvest losses have a significant impact on the efficiency of India’s water and power consumption, thus reducing water scarcity and greenhouse emission. At the same time, post-harvest losses put greater pressure on cultivatable lands which can cause environmental destruction. The prevention of losses at the initial stages in food supply chains can increase the availability of food and raise farmers’ income without requiring additional land, investment, and resources.  

 

The virtual kick-off event 'Supporting India’s Agriculture Sector against Post-Harvest Losses' is organised within the framework of the 'Innovation platform and hybrid trade fair - Reducing post-harvest losses in India' Project assisted by the German Government, carried out by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. 

Faced with frequent changes in export-import and price spiral in onions due to even marginal shortfall, the Centre has been working on a plan to permanently become a surplus country in this edible bulb by expanding areas in 'non-traditional' growing States. Success of the plan will make domestic prices stable throughout the year, officials said.

 

The cultivation of onion was mainly confined to Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan, which were catering to the entire demand of the country as most other States are deficit. There has been a significant increase in area in Madhya Pradesh, nearly 50 per cent to 173.89 lakh hectares in just four years (between 2016 and 2019), an agriculture ministry official said.

 

'Soon, there will be consistent supply of onion throughout the year. It was realised that depending on one particular geographical area has certain risk as it has been found that any small damage to the crop can have a big impact in pushing up prices,' said AK Singh, deputy director general (horticulture) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

 

Crop diversification

 

Singh said when the idea to grow onion was spread among farmers in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh two years ago, they became ready to shift from from paddy and many farmers are happy that their income has gone up compared to previous years after the crop diversification. 'Now we are planning to encourage farmers in Ladakh to grow onion on a commercial scale,' Singh said.

 

However, there is varietal challenge for onion in Ladakh as currently farmers in that region grow long-duration varieties, during April-October which mature in six months, whereas in the plains it is four-month crops, said an agriculture scientist. Besides, the shelf life of crop in high altitude needs to be enhanced from the current one month, he said adding trials are being conducted and there should be at least three years of consistent productivity.

 

In India, onion is grown in three seasons – early-kharif (February-April in southern region, May-June in Maharashtra), late-kharif (August-September) and rabi (October-November). The crop is suitable in 13-24 degree Celsius temperature.

 

Self sufficiency

 

Officials said like the self sufficiency made in sugarcane, as India was earlier facing shortage in every fourth year, there is also a need to focus on onion. Though some experts have suggested for value addition like manufacturing onion flakes or powder, the consumer preference is currently for fresh onion and there has to be assured supply, the ministry official said.

 

The Centre had banned export in September 2020 and lifted in January 2021 as part of various measures to check price rise. It had also imposed stock limit under the Essential Commodities Act in October 2020. In September 2019, too, export was banned for about six months.

 

During 2021-22 (April-December), India has exported 11.74 lakh tonnes (lt) of onions and imported 26,870 tonnes whereas exports were 15.89 lt and import 66,351 tonnes in 2020-21, official data show.

Tripura has decided to start work in mission mode over the next five years to promote the growth of pineapples and jackfruits for facilitating their export to foreign countries after their 'augmented' growth figures were still found behind expected numbers.

 

Tripura, which announced queen pineapple as the state fruit in 2018, has exported consignments of the fruit along with jackfruits, lemon and others to countries in the Middle East and Europe and many South-East Asian nations.

 

However, the fruits are not yet grown in sufficient quantities to satisfactorily popularise them in foreign destinations, the state government feels, owing to which the ambitious mission-mode project was decided to boost production figures.

 

'Tasty pineapple and jackfruits grown in our state are exported outside our state and country. The growth figures of these fruits have increased from before but there is a huge scope to popularise them worldwide. In absence of a mechanism for direct surveillance and control of the government, our objective of providing our fruits worldwide and earning foreign currency through this trade will not be fulfilled. So, we have decided to commence the Pineapple and Jackfruit Mission under Department of Industries and Commerce till 2027,' Minister for Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Sushanta Chowdhury told reporters on Tuesday evening after a meeting of the state cabinet.

 

The mission, which would start from April 1 this year, would continue till 2027. The project was conceptualised to start with Rs. 153 crore, out of which Rs. 10 crore would be provided from the state budget. The rest of the proposed fund would be sourced through convergence from the North East Centre (NEC), Ministry for Development of North East Region (DonER), Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM), Horticulture department funds and corporate social responsibility funds of different public and private enterprises.

 

In July last year, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) centre of Tripura designed a high-density weed resistant, climate-resilient pineapple cultivation technology to intensify pineapple cultivation in the state.

 

In the traditional cultivation practice, growers encounter a lot of weed and wild vegetation, moisture wastage, low growth and a host of other problems. The new cultivation protocol was said to ensure total weed suppression, soil moisture conservator, prevention of soil moisture evaporation, even during heatwaves.

 

The new cultivation protocol claimed to ensure bigger pineapple growth up to 1.5 kg for the Kew variety and 1.2-1.4 kg for Tripura’s very own ‘queen pineapple’. While Tripura’s pineapple growers are complaining of lack of market, especially due to low fruit size, the ICAR-devised system ensured a higher density of pineapple plants with 43,000 plants per hectare against 25,000 plants that can be grown per hectare in the traditional method.

Pointing out that the UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner with bilateral trade of $59 billion in FY 2019-20 and second-largest export destination, Ministry of Commerce & Industry Joint Secretary Srikar K Reddy on Wednesday said that is expected to achieve its export target of $400 billion by end of March. 

 

Addressing an interactive meeting organised by the Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the UAE, Srikar Reddy said that during 2019-20, India exported services worth $ 2,932.34 million to the UAE and while the import value was $6,086.40 million.

 

Of this, gold exports were valued at $ 3,008.76 million and other direct exports $ 3,518.96 million. India-UAE CEPA is a comprehensive agreement covering all aspects of bilateral economic cooperation.

 

Negotiations were held in physical and virtual mode and concluded in a record time of 88 days, he said. FTCCI president K Bhasker Reddy said the India-UAE CEPA is a landmark trade pact that will propel the two nations towards a magnificent, shared destiny.

India’s ties with France are based on a great sense of trust and it is a relationship that has been free from sudden shifts and surprises seen in other cases, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said.

 

In an address at a think-tank in Paris, Jaishankar said India and France intend to create better options for countries in the Indo-Pacific region and enable them to make sovereign and free choices as they should neither be subjected to domination nor caught in a binary power rivalry.

 

The external affairs minister said New Delhi is specifically looking forward to France as a key partner in the defence and industrial sectors and 'ambitious ideas' for collaborative defence ventures in India are being explored that will support common interests in the Indo Pacific as well.

 

He said India sees France as a trusted collaborator in countering security challenges from the seabed to space and from cyber to oceans. 'Through the tumult of our times, India’s relations with France have continued to move forward on a steady and clear course. It is a relationship that has been free from sudden shifts and surprises that we sometimes see in other cases,' Jaishankar said at the French Institute of International Relations on Tuesday.

 

'In India, there is a great sense of trust and confidence in the relationship. It is deeply institutionalised and benefits from a strong political consensus on its importance. I believe that we have seen the same here in France,' he said.

 

Delving into the finer aspects of the ties, Jaishankar said France has never hesitated to voice its own positions on key issues and its lack of dogmatism contributed to building a strong partnership with a rising power like India. 'We saw that, for example, when it came to a complex issue like accommodating India in the global nuclear order,' he said.

 

Jaishankar said France was also an important influence in the development of India’s strategic thinking, especially its nuclear force posture. 'Indeed, the very concept of credible minimum deterrence was derived from the learnings of French experience. Not just that, after the 1998 nuclear tests, France was the first nuclear power to show an understanding of our strategic compulsions,' he said.

 

He also said that French support played an important role in India getting an exemption from the Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008 to resume international cooperation in civil nuclear energy.

 

Referring to the Indo-Pacific region, Jaishankar said developments there and ensuing regional order will have a direct impact across the world, including in Europe. 'What is at stake is the credibility of a rules-based order and the efficacy of the international system. India is at the strategic centre of this region; France represents its two bookends with a vast EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zones),' he said.

 

The external affairs minister said India sees France as a resident power in the Indo Pacific region which is vital for its peace and stability. 'We both seek a free, open and inclusive region. And, we both have multiple, inter-linked partnerships with a positive agenda to address the challenges and advance stability and security in the region,' he said.

 

Describing France as an 'important bridge' for India to the European Union, Jaishankar said a key expectation today is French support for the launch of negotiations between India and the EU on trade and investments.

 

He said there are two areas of national interest for India where India is looking forward to France as a key partner. 'One is in the realm of defence and security. We see France as a trusted collaborator in countering security challenges from the seabed to space, from cyber to oceans,' he said.

Jaishankar said France is also among the foremost countries as India seeks to build industrial self-reliance in the defence sector, with a sense of urgency and priority.

 

'In this, we draw inspiration from the national self-sufficiency France has itself built. Naturally, given the history of our defence partnership, we are exploring ambitious ideas for collaborative ventures in India. This will support our common interests in the Indo Pacific region as well,' he said

 

'The other area is the transformation of our industrial sector. Like France, India, too, saw the erosion of its industrial base, and like France, we are determined to restore it, especially with emphasis on the industries of the future. The Indian economy is experiencing a strong rebound, with a growth of 9.2 per cent,' he added.

 

Jaishankar said the political comfort and trust in the relationship added to the attractiveness of India for French businesses.

 

'The agenda of our partnership is truly extensive. So, whether it is India’s own national transformation agenda, or the future of the Indo-Pacific region and its maritime commons, the advancement of plurilateralism or the reform of multilateralism, or indeed addressing global challenges, we count on France as amongst our most important partners,' he said.

India and Bangladesh are expected to roll out the process of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to deepen trade and economic ties during the visit of a high-level team from Bangladesh from March 1-4, 2022 after a Joint Study Group (JSG) for examining the feasibility of the CEPA submitted its recommendations.

 

The JSG comprising negotiators and trade experts from both sides are likely to start discussions on Wednesday towards finalizing a report which will examine the prospects of the treaty and prepare recommendations over the next few days, a source close to the development told ANI.

The CEPA with Bangladesh is one of the agreements that India is prioritizing. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bangladesh visit in March 2021, the two sides had agreed to enhance trade and the joint statement underscored the need for the removal of non-tariff barriers, need for predictability of trade policies, regulations and procedures.

 

There is a strong economic reason for India to prioritize the CEPA given the fast-growing trade relationship. In November 2021, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had said India was looking to advance a CEPA with Bangladesh.

 

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has recently observed that the two-way trade has witnessed a quantum jump with exports from Bangladesh, for the first time, expected to cross USD 2 billion this year.

The Gujarat government on Wednesday informed that it will request the Centre to increase the procurement of gram (chana) from the State following an anticipated bumper crop in the growing region.

 

At a State Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday in Gandhinagar, it was decided to approach the Centre to support additional procurement of chana during the current season.

 

The Gujarat government's spokesperson and minister, Jitu Vaghani, informed that the State has already started Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement process for cotton, mustard, castor, chana and other pulses.

 

'Chana farmers need not worry; the State is making the required arrangements,' the minister said.

 

Notably, the State government's second advance estimates for 2021-22 projected chana output at around 24.90 lakh tonnes during the 2022 rabi season. This was about 14.37 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, showed the final advance estimates for that year.

 

The sharp surge in chana output is attributed to the increased yield and significant rise in the acreage for the pulse. The area under chana had gone up to 11.32 lakh hectare in the year under review as against 8.16 lakh hectares recorded in the previous season. The yield, as per the State estimates, is expected to be around 2.49 tonnes per hectare, up from 1.761 tonnes in the previous season.

CAIRO, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) set a tender on Wednesday to buy an unspecified amount of wheat from global suppliers for shipment from April 11-21.

 

Deadline for offers is Feb. 24 and payment is at sight, it said.

India’s new comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with the UAE will come strengthen exports of fruits and vegetables, groundnut, dairy products and assorted processed food items to the Middle Eastern country. Removal or reduction of tariffs under the pact, which will take effect from May, could allow these exporters to gain an edge over other competitors.

 

The UAE is India’s second-largest export destination for agriculture commodities after Bangladesh. In 2020-21, India’s agricultural product exports to the UAE stood at $1,926 million and in the first three quarters of 2021-22, the exports to the country crossed $1,865 million. Currently, most exports of agricultural products to the UAE are subject to a 5% duty.