India is looking forward to the next BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit, said Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday.

 

Shringla made these remarks at the Interaction with Bangladesh Delegation at the 10th India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue organized by the India Foundation.

 

Shringla said that India remains committed to building the momentum of regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC Framework. It can be an important vehicle for enhancing economic cooperation, development and connectivity in the region. We are looking forward to the next BIMSTEC Summit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

 

The summit will be hosted by Sri Lanka next month. BIMSTEC constitutes a unique link between South and South-East Asia with five Members from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka) and two from South-East Asia (Myanmar and Thailand).

 

'Bangladesh is commemorating 'Ekushey' or Language Day. 70 years ago on this day, the youth of the then East Pakistan made supreme sacrifices for the recognition and respect for their mother language. Now the whole world celebrates this day as International Mother Language Day. I pay my tributes to the language heroes who laid down their lives for a very noble cause,' Shringla said.

Shringla highlighted the relationship between India and Bangladesh and said 'we have been able to achieve some remarkable feats together in recent years.'

 

He said that 2021 was a milestone in their bilateral ties as both the President of India and Prime Minister paid a visit to Bangladesh to celebrate the 'Triveni' of the historic anniversaries of Bangladesh's independence, Victory Day and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar also paid a visit to Dhaka last year. 'These high-level engagements are reflective of the priority that both countries attach to this relationship. More importantly, they reflect the trust and confidence that we have in each other,' he said.

Talking about Bangladesh's growth, Shringla said, 'as Bangladesh commemorates 50 years of its independence, I am happy to note that its growth has proven its detractors wrong. Bangladesh has emerged as a role model for strong socio-economic growth. The growth of Bangladesh is not just in the interest of the people of Bangladesh, but equally, in the interest of the region and beyond. It is this spirit of interdependence and fraternal ties that drive our development cooperation with Bangladesh, which is the largest that we have with any country.'

 

Foreign Secretary stressed on working closely to strengthen border infrastructure to ensure smooth transit of goods and people while ensuring that illegal activities are kept under check. An example of this approach is our objective of establishing additional border haats.

 

Two-way trade in the recent past has witnessed a quantum jump with exports from Bangladesh, for the first time, expected to cross USD two billion this year. Early conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement is vital to enhancing this momentum in trade, Shringla said.

Another area that needs our concerted focus is connectivity. We have made some progress here but there is a need to make more effective and sustained efforts, Shringla added.

 

Bangladesh has historically been an important trade and transportation hub for our subcontinent. India and Bangladesh have signed an 'Agreement on the Use Chattogram and Mongla Ports for Transshipment of Goods to and from North East of India', read the MEA statment.

 

'Fully operationalizing this agreement will bring economic benefits to a range of stakeholders from both countries. While North East India will benefit from steady supply of goods, the transport and logistics sector in Bangladesh will gain considerably, bringing prosperity on both sides of the border,' the statement added.

 

India and Bangladesh have made remarkable progress in enhancing connectivity through the use of their inland waterways. In a significant development, on February 5, a cargo vessel carrying food grains sailed from Patna (Bihar) and will travel via the waterways of India and Bangladesh to reach Pandu (Assam) in early March, Shringla said.

 

Talking about PM Modi's 'Gati Shakti' initiative, Shringla said the initiative is upgrading connectivity in India with a multi-modal perspective. Movement of products from locations of production to places of value addition and consumption needs multiple modes of transportation.

'Our bilateral arrangements should reflect this paradigm to maintain the competitive advantage that our geographical proximity offers us. We can learn a lot from the regions and countries around the world that have used this model to reduce logistical costs and enhance competitiveness,' Shringla said.

Shringla further said that India and Bangladesh have cooperated closely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Shringla said that India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers which are part of our shared resources and responsibilities.

 

'The historic accord on Ganga water sharing has stood the test of time. We are now working on finalizing agreements for other rivers and exchanging best practices in the areas of river embankments, addressing salinity of rivers, etc.'

 

'India has used the power of technology as an enabler for people in a range of areas such as banking and financing and commerce and education. Our joint initiative to establish of IT parks in 12 districts of Bangladesh is a positive step in that direction. We look forward to having greater bilateral cooperation in this area,' Shringla said.

 

Shringla further said that in the last 10 years, our cooperation in the power and energy sectors has been mutually beneficial. 'We are working towards arrangements for ensuring sub-regional cooperation in the power sector. Some of our important projects, including the Maitri Power Project in Khulna and the India Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline project, are expected to get commissioned this year.'

 

Shringla highlighted that India has started rolling out the 1000 Subarna Jayanti Scholarships announced by Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Bangladesh last year. This will offer several opportunities to students from Bangladesh for studying in prestigious institutions in India. At the same time, we have a number of Indian nationals studying in Bangladesh.

 

Shringla further stressed on the 'importance of nurturing and upholding the spirit of the 1971 liberation war, especially at a time when radical and anti-liberation forces try to destabilize our region for their own interests. In the spirit of celebrating our ties, forged in blood, the two countries jointly commemorated Maitri Diwas in 18 countries,' he added. (ANI)

 

Canadian lentil exports to India are expected to fall in 2022 despite the elimination of the import tariff, say analysts.

 

Gaurav Jain, director of AgPulse Analytica, estimates that India’s total lentil imports will fall to no more than 500,000 tonnes in 2022, down from 724,540 tonnes last year.

 

Canada accounted for 78 percent of last year’s import volumes but that market share is expected to decline in 2022 due to stiff competition from Australian product, he said.

 

 

India was Canada’s top lentil market in 2021 with $393 million of sales to that country, followed by Turkey at $340 million and United Arab Emirates at $240 million, according to Statistics Canada.

 

The forecast for a steep decline in exports to Canada’s top market is the result of a bumper crop in India.

 

India’s ministry of agriculture is forecasting 1.58 million tonnes of lentil production in its second advance estimate of the 2021-22 crop.

 

That is up 9.8 percent over last year and just shy of the all-time record of 1.62 million tonnes set in 2018.

 

Jain said there was no second advance estimate that year but the third estimate started with a number of 1.51 million tonnes.

 

'We expect the government is conservative this year as well. AgPulse yield model suggests a base number of 1.65 million tonnes this year, with a positive outlook,' he said in an email.

 

ementing a policy to encourage imports while farmers are harvesting a bumper crop of lentils makes no sense.

 

'I don’t get it,' he said.

 

'It’s a complete head scratcher.'

 

Penner agrees, but he said the policy change likely won’t result in a big influx of imported lentils due to Canada’s short crop in 2021.

 

It could, however, result in slightly improved grower bids in Western Canada because there is now an extra 11 percent to play with, he said.

 

Some have speculated that the elimination of the import tariff is an attempt by the government to keep food price inflation in check but Jain isn’t buying that argument.

 

'Lentils form a small portion of the Indian pulses palate and is considered a rich man’s dal,' he said.

 

'The decision has perplexed us as well.'

 

Another factor to keep an eye on in the lentil market is the drought gripping the Middle East.

 

U.S. Wheat Associates is reporting that Iran, Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt have all seen crop reductions, suggesting that higher wheat import volumes will be needed to meet domestic demand in those countries.

 

Penner said it is not clear whether the drought will impact Turkey’s red lentil production because the crop is grown in a tiny region of the country.

 

'It’s something certainly worth watching,' he said.

 

'I think Turkey will be in for good (import) volume again next year.'

 

Nobbs said Turkish importers don’t appear to be panicking.

 

'My gut says they’re not concerned about it because we can hardly get them to return our calls,' he said.

 

'They’re just not active.'

 

He said the Canadian grower is expecting 40 cents per pound for their lentils but the Turkish buyer is closer to 35 cents.

 

Nobbs said any old-crop lentil business to Turkey needs to be completed soon because the country will erect trade barriers starting in June when its domestic crop is harvested.

India and the US are in dialogue to look at ways, beyond a free trade agreement, to promote economic ties by providing better market access and enhanced engagement on investments, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday.

 

The Commerce and Industry Minister said that both countries are working on many things to further boost economic ties.

 

'The US has taken a decision not to do any other new free trade agreement (FTA). Now that is the call the US has taken, it’s not about whether they want to do a deal with India, they have taken a call at the macro level.

 

'However my counterpart and I are in dialogue to see how at least we can look at other ways beyond an FTA, better market access, more engagement on investments, and maybe identify products where we could support each other,' he said while addressing the 19th Annual Harvard India Conference.

 

Talking about India’s trade, the minister said the country’s merchandise exports would cross the USD 400 billion mark in this fiscal.

 

'Our imports are also all-time high and we welcome it' because through imports a country gets technology, capital equipment, and intermediate products which help in promoting domestic manufacture.

 

'So personally, we are not against imports. In fact when the imports grow up it encourages the private sector to invest, it actually sets in motion the investment cycle, that means there is a demand for goods and services,' Goyal added.

 

He said that India has increased customs duties on certain products to contain low-quality import of goods and to provide a level-playing field to domestic firms for promoting manufacturing. 'If one has to assess where duties have gone up. Mostly products where India has a competitive strength. We could actually produce in India if we have a level-playing field,' he said.

 

Talking about revamping of the commerce ministry, he said the ministry has engaged BCG for that. 'They are rewriting the entire commerce ministry….So we are rewriting the entire working of the ministry…The ministry is going to rewrite its rules of business in the coming few months,' Goyal said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar discussed the latest status of bilateral ties as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

 

Meeting on the fringes of the 58th security conference in Munich, the two top diplomats agreed on the enhancement of economic and trade cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi irrespective of the developments in Vienna.

 

The Iranian foreign minister touched upon the great potential which exists for the all-out promotion of Tehran-New Delhi relations, saying Iran stands ready to implement projects already agreed by the two countries.

 

Amirabdollahian said he was pleased to see his Indian counterpart’s health was improving, saying he was planning to visit New Delhi at the earliest opportunity, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

 

The top Iranian diplomat expressed hope good agreements will be reached during that trip for the further enhancement of bilateral ties and consultations will be held on common issues of mutual interest at the regional level.

 

The Indian foreign minister, in turn, said New Delhi was determined to forge closer cooperation with Tehran in oil, industrial, agricultural and trade domains.

 

The foreign minister underscored India was ready to open a credit line for economic and trade cooperation.

 

In the meeting, the two foreign ministers also traded views on the latest situation in Afghanistan and stressed the common and close stances of Iran and India regarding the necessity of the formation of a broad-based government in Afghanistan represented by all political groups in the country.

The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has decided to engage private training partners for capacity building under the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme.

 

In this regard, a statement by MoFPI says that the training partners can be from 35 states and Union territories. The engagement of the private training partners will be done by the state nodal agency while the responsibilities of the training partners shall be to mobilise the trainees, create batches for training according to domain, products and so on and shall conduct training as per the batch approval by the state nodal agency.

 

PMFME is a Centrally-sponsored scheme for providing financial, technical and business support for upgradation of existing micro food processing enterprises with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore for a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 and two lakh units will be assisted with credit linked subsidy under the scheme.

 

The MoFPI statement reads, 'Capacity building is an important component of the PMFME scheme and encompasses a whole range of activities designed to empower the institutions, individuals, and groups. Under the scheme, it is envisaged to provide training to trainers (master trainers, district level trainers), district resource person, entrepreneurs, self-help groups, farmer producer organisations, cooperatives, workers and other stakeholders.'

 

The training activities were to be taken by various training partners, institutes of state government, NGOs and so on, designated by the state nodal agency while MoFPI will enlist the participation of private training partners as per norms.

The central government is willing to be your business partner if you launch a startup focused on digital solutions for agriculture, climate change, rural development, education and even health care delivery, as India aims a big boost to its already bustling startup ecosystem.

 

Ministries are gearing up to open themselves to business proposals from individuals, investors and firms where the state will hold limited equity partnerships, including the ministries of agriculture and electronics.

 

A reason why the Union government has decided to be an investor is to provide 'nascent-stage funding for newer entrants given India’s promising startup ecosystem and the potential they hold to transform the many sectors', an official said, requesting anonymity.

 

The government had a 'good idea and lots of data' on startups’ potential and the value they can add to the economy’s output by managing earlier initiatives such as Startup India, which had an outlay of over ?900 crore, the official said.

 

India has overtaken the UK to be the third highest country in number of unicorns after the US and China, which added 487 and 301 unicorns, respectively, in 2021. As of January 14, India has 83 unicorns, with a total valuation of $277.77 billion, according to the latest Economic Survey. A unicorn is a startup with a valuation of at least $1 billion.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed between India and the UAE will provide 10 lakh job opportunities to Indian youths and will increase the bilateral trade between the two nations by USD 100 billion.

 

'Both countries will be benefitted from it, be it trade, industry or the people. At least in India, around 10 lakh youths will get job opportunities and bilateral trade will increase by USD 100 billion. The kind of enthusiasm which can be seen in industries, I feel that we can export USD 100 billion through this deal,' said Goyal to ANI.

 

He said that the deal is likely to come into effect from the first week of May 2022, opening up a comprehensive array of gains for India in sectors like plastics, furniture, agricultural and food products.

 

'The deal will be ratified in 60 days or even less, after that it will be operationalized. The government has done its work, industry and business world now have to show their enthusiasm and initiative so that they can implement this deal. I think that Indian businessmen, industrialists and the MSME sector will get a big boost from it,' said the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry.

 

Emphasizing upon the relations between Prime Minister Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, he said, 'The relation between PM Modi and Crown Prince of UAE is very cordial, due to that CEPA agreement was signed in less time.'

 

The CEPA comes opportunely when the UAE which is India’s third-largest trade partner, is working with New Delhi to renew trade to a pre-pandemic level of USD 60 billion.

 

India-UAE Comprehensive Partnership Agreement deal was signed during the virtual summit meeting on Friday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (ANI)

The Tamil Nadu Cashew Processors and Exporters Association (TNCPEA) has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Panruti cashews. The MSME Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development’s Madurai Agri Business Incubation Forum acted as the facilitator for filing the tag.

 

According to the secretary of TNCPEA, M. Ramakrishnan, 'We have been pushing for the GI tag for Panruti cashews and the Tamil Nadu government was also keen to get the same for traditional unique produces from the district including Panruti jackfruit and cashews.'

 

'Panruti cashews are unique in nature because of the taste and quality. GI tagging of Panruti cashews would not only provide a fillip to the industry but would also enhance the secondary economic activities in the region and safeguard the interests of farmers and cashew exporters from the region,' he said.

 

According to the application, though Panruti cashews are slightly small, they have a unique value in the market. Colloquially known as the ‘goldmine’ of Cuddalore, it has a huge demand across India and the world.

 

Out of the total 1,42,000 hectares under cashew cultivation in the State, Panruti accounts for about 35,000 hectares. The region has around 32 export-oriented units besides 250 processing units and 500 cottage industries. The cashew cultivation and processing units are located in 376 villages in the taluks of Cuddalore, Panruti, Vriddachalam, and Kurunjipadi in the district. Panruti cashew is mainly cultivated in laterite, red and coastal sands.

 

The cashew apples from Panruti are also uniquely distinctive. The apple is round-shaped and bright red in colour. The average fruit weight is 42.80 gm while the nuts are of medium size with an average weight of 6.63 gm and kernel weight of 1.7 g. The shelling percentage was 28.5 with a grade W 320 kernel count.

 

According to an international study, out of six cashew varieties selected from different parts of India, the Panruti variety showed significant results in high raw protein content of 23.0g/100g. The moisture content of the Panruti cashew is also low when compared to other varieties according to a study published in the Food Science and Nutrition Journal, Mr. Ramakrishnan added.

Despite the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, India’s organic export has increased by 51 % in the fiscal year 2020-21 as compared to the fiscal year 2019-20, claimed the Union Ministry for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare here on Monday.

 

Not only this, India is now ranked amongst the top ten exporting countries in agriculture, and the overall exports have been growing at an extremely significant rate, the Ministry said. 'Despite the pandemic challenges, we were able to achieve this feat and it strengthens India’s positioning as an exporter globally,' said Joint Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry Priya Ranjan while addressing a seminar ‘Indian Organic and Horticulture Sector—moving up the value chain’ at Dubai Expo 2020 on Monday.

 

'To ensure the quality of our organic produce, we need to have a robust system of Certification, and the Government of India has anchored two systems of certification for Organic products,' Sahu said while emphasizing to make appropriate phytosanitary protocols for better acceptability of Indian Organic and Horticulture Products. 'We envisage targeting 10% export share in the global fruits and vegetable market by 2030', he added.

As part of India’s efforts to showcase the country’s investment-friendly policies and growth opportunities in agriculture and allied sectors at EXPO2020 Dubai, Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, invited the Startups and FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations) to submit their proposals to the ministry, and assured them that they would be considered for providing equity grants, management costs, and other available support measures.

 

Dr. Likhi was speaking at the inauguration of ‘Food, Agriculture and livelihood’ fortnight at the India Pavilion in EXPO2020 Dubai. Ms. Shubha Thakur, Joint Secretary (Crops & Oil Seeds), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Mr. T R Kesavan Group President (Corporate Relations & Alliances) Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE), Mr. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, Partner, KPMG, among other officials from the ministry also attended the event.

 

The ‘Food, Agriculture and Livelihood’ fortnight (February 17th – March 2nd) will comprise various sessions which will be presided over by representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Cooperation. In addition, an array of activities has been planned during the fortnight under the key themes of millets, food processing, horticulture, dairy, fisheries, and organic farming and the vast investment opportunities these sectors offer.

 

Dr. Likhi said, 'The primary purpose of our participation at Expo2020 is to benefit the small and marginal farmers who need economies of scale, collectivisation, and more forums to come together, create synergies connect with markets both domestic and international.'

 

Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ms. Shubha Thakur, said, 'Indian farmers produce food that not only sustains India but also provides food security to the world.' On the theme for the first week of the fortnight, that is, millets, she said, 'Millets is an important area for us, and we would like to utilise this global platform to learn about the health and nutritional aspects of millets and bring back the glory of millets.'

 

India produces all the nine commonly known millets and is the largest producer and second-largest exporter of millets globally. The U.N. General Assembly recently adopted a resolution sponsored by India and supported by more than 70 countries, declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

 

During the launch of the ‘Millet’ theme as part of the ‘Food, Agriculture and Livelihood’ fortnight at the sector floor at the India Pavilion, the delegation led by Dr Likhi unveiled the Millet Book comprising nutritious and delightful recipes made using millets. The delegation also launched the first ‘Millet food festival’, during which the visitors will get to relish the healthy and nutritious delicacies prepared using the millets.

 

Agriculture and Allied Sector is the backbone of the Indian economy and accounts for about 19% of the total exports. As per the second advance estimate released by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare on Wednesday, record foodgrains production of 316.06 million tonnes is estimated for the 2021-22 crop year (July-June).