More than 100 tons of Alphonso, Mallika, Banganapalli and Badami varieties of the Mango fruit that are grown in the state are being exported to countries like Bangladesh, US and a few other countries.

 

Decks are being cleared under the aegis of Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation to begin exports of mangoes for which a pack house has been established near Chintamani.

 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there were no exports of the fruit for the last two-three years.

 

This year, however, mangoes are getting ready to be exported to countries such as Singapore, UK, US, Bangladesh, Gulf and many others by the Corporation.

 

Besides, a pack house has been set up by the Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing & Export Corporation Limited (KAPPEC) in Pujanahalli to store tons of mangoes and export the fruit. The KAPPEC has already constituted a team of technical experts to oversee the packaging of mangoes in the pack house. The market is likely to get a good produce of the mangoes by the first or second week of May and exports are likely to commence soon, according to the KAPPEC officials.

 

C G Nagaraj, managing director of Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation, says 'We had sent a sample of 400 kilos of mangoes to France last month. Now, there is a demand for more than 100 tons of mangoes from other countries. The fruit will be lifted from the Maadikere pack house near Chintamani and exported. Badami, Mallika, Banganapalli and other varieties of mangoes are being exported.'

 

Lower mango yield

 

This year, the yield of mangoes has been considerably lower than expected due to the unseasonal rainfall received in some parts of mango growing areas due to which mango flowers have either fallen off or withered away.

 

Although a few fruit-bearing flowers have become fruits due to the sunlight some of them have also fallen off. The prices of mangoes are likely to go up this year as a result of lower yield, Nagaraj said.

 

Currently, mangoes are grown in 1.9 lac hectares of land in Karnataka. On average, the state produces 12-15 lac tons of the fruit. But, due to unseasonal rainfall, the yield this year is likely to fall to 7-8 lac tons. Mainly, there are three mango growing zones in the state. Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru and Ramanagara districts are identified as one zone where 75% of the mangoes that are exported are being grown. Belagavi, Dharwad, Hubballi are Haveri form the second zone which constitute 20% of the produce. Koppal, Bagalkot, Chitradurga, Ranebennur and Davanagere form the third zone where 5% of the mango crop is grown.

The love for mangoes in summers isn't just limited to Gujaratis and Indians but the Americans too! With increased demand from the US, exports of mangoes from Gujarat are expected to scale new heights and grow by at least 45%, suggest estimates by Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Limited (GAICL).

 

The sweet, succulent, tropical burst of flavours packed in Gujarat's mangoes are in high demand in the international market too.

 

For instance, Gujarat recorded direct exports of 445 metric tonne (MT) mangoes to the United Kingdom and Middle East in 2022-23, according to GAICL. However, an additional demand coming from the US with orders pouring in huge volumes has already led Gujarat's mango cultivators to export 65 MT to the USA alone. This accounts for a lion's share of 55% of the total mango exports from Gujarat at 114 MT so far, according to GAICL. Exports are expected to increase as the season progresses.

 

The United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) has approved the Gujarat Agro Radiation Processing Facility (GARPF) in July 2022. This gives Gujarat's mango farmers and exporters an added advantage with additional demand pouring from the US.

 

'With good demand, the exports are expected to surpass the 2021-22 level of 608 MT this year. By far we have already exported 65 MT and the new Cargo facility developed by GAICL near Ahmedabad will further give a boost to exports. Till date, Kesar and Alphonso mango varieties which are the pride of Gujarat were exported through Maharashtra,' said DH Shah, managing director, GAICL.

 

'Retail outlets in UK, Canada placing orders'

 

The Gujarat Agro Radiation Processing Facility (GARPF) will in fact, boost demand for Kesar varieties from Gir and Kutch regions of the state. 'This year exports are better than last year because crops are better and prices are almost the same as last year. There is good demand from the UK, Middle East and Canada as well. Retail outlets in these countries are placing good orders this year,' said Darshil Shah, an Ahmedabad based mango exporter.

 

Gujarat is expected to see record direct exports this year, according to exporters. 'The direct access to the US market has opened up newer avenues for exporters . The air freight rates have also come down from Rs 240 per kg to Rs 140 per kg in a year. If the government supports exporters by lowering the 18% GST rate on mango exports, overall demand in the international market may further grow.'

Daily wheat procurement has dropped to 0.2 million tonnes (mt) since Wednesday May 10 from about 0.5 mt on May 2 with arrivals of the grain declining at agricultural produce marketing committee (APMC) yards and procurement centres. Despite this development, the government hopes to procure around 27 mt of wheat this year, which is about 8.5 mt more than the annual demand under the food security law and other welfare schemes.

 

Though it (27 mt) is lower than estimated procurement (34.15 mt), it is much more than the requirement (18.4 mt), Food Corporation of India Chairman Ashok K Meena told businessline. He said, for the first time, there was no distress call from any quarter to ensure procurement as farmers this year were getting either minimum support price (MSP) or more.

 

'As much as 85 per cent of arrivals in Uttar Pradesh are purchased by the private sector, who are offering more than MSP. The arrivals will henceforth dwindle slowly as those who wanted to sell to the government have already done,' Meena said. 'It is a good situation that while farmers are getting good prices for their wheat, the government is also able to buy more than its requirement,' he said.

 

Up from 15-year low

Asked if the surplus leaves scope to make provision for open market sale scheme (OMSS), he said 'Of course, there will be some quantity for it.'

 

Wheat procurement in the on-going season has surged 42.8 per cent to 25.41 mt as of May 10 in the ongoing season (April-June) against 17.8 mt a year ago, according to the latest official data. The official purchases in the country dropped to a 15-year low of 18.79 mt in the 2022-23, prompting the government to ban export that still continues.

 

 

Also read: India argues at WTO in favour of its MSP scheme for foodgrain

 

Out of 28.7 mt targetted from three States — 13.2 mt in Punjab, 8 mt in MP, and 7.5 mt in Haryana — almost 87 per cent has been achieved, so far.

 

Punjab has shown a 26 per cent increase in purchases at 11.93 mt as of May 10 from the year-ago level of 9.47 mt, Haryana has reported a 53.3 per cent jump at 6.24 mt from 4.07 mt a year ago, and in Madhya Pradesh, wheat purchase is up by 67.7 per cent at 6.76 mt, from 4.03 mt.

 

Procurement in Uttar Pradesh, the largest wheat producer, reported a 16.9 per cent fall to 0.18 mt from 0.21 mt, official data show. But Rajasthan contributed 0.3 mt to the Central Pool stock so far, against only 758 tonnes in the year-ago period.

 

M.P. offers scope

Punjab, which had a share of over 70 per cent in total daily arrivals of wheat a week ago, has reported a 20 per cent share on May 10, whereas, on the same day, 55 per cent of total arrivals was reported from Madhya Pradesh. Since Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have little scope amid the private sector’s aggressive buying and near exhaustion of stocks in Punjab and Haryana, only MP offers some scope, experts said.

 

'Now you will see reduced procurement every day because maximum wheat, which could have come from the farmers of Punjab and Haryana has already been purchased by FCI and State agencies,' said Navneet Chitlangia, senior vice-president of the Roller Flour Millers Federation of India. As farmers are getting better prices than MSP in UP and Rajasthan, they are showing the least interest to sell their wheat to the government, he said.

 

'Mills in the Southern States are procuring wheat from MP. So, the government will end up at 27-28 mt this year,' Chitlangia said.

Under the National Horticulture Mission Scheme, farmers in the region will be financially supported to grow trees and expand their horticulture activities. The initiative aims to promote crop diversification and provide farmers with a self-sufficient environment while improving their income.

 

The announcement regarding the grant was made during a meeting of the District Management Mission Committee by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Varjeet Walia. The horticulture sector in Sangrur has been growing rapidly due to the government's ongoing efforts to encourage farmers to adopt this subsidiary occupation.

 

Dr. Nirwant Singh, deputy director of the horticulture department, explained that the department has directed officials to encourage the cultivation of guava, kinnow, strawberry, peach, flowers, net house, plastic mulching, low tunnel, poly house, high-quality vegetables, beekeeping, mushroom production units, mushroom spawn lab, hybrid seeds and seed infrastructure unit, onion storage, and vermicompost, among other things.

 

According to Singh, any farmer in the region can apply for financial support under the National Horticulture Mission Scheme by contacting the department's block or district office. The scheme aims to promote horticulture activities in the region and support farmers in improving their income.

 

Notably, the Malerkotla district was formed a few years ago from the undivided Sangrur district. The announcement of the Rs 4.07 crore allocation highlights the government's commitment to promote horticulture in both districts.

 

The government's efforts to promote crop diversification and support farmers in expanding their horticulture activities through financial assistance under the National Horticulture Mission Scheme is expected to improve the income of farmers and promote the growth of the sector.

The finance ministry has exempted imports of crude soya bean and sunflower oils from basic customs duty and agriculture infrastructure and development cess till June 30, subject to certain conditions. The duty exemption is applicable only for importers holding TRQ (Tariff Rate Quota) licence for 2022-23 fiscal.

 

Under TRQ, a certain volume of imports are allowed at relatively low tariffs. Once the volume limit is reached, a higher tariff applies to additional imports. TRQ is allotted to importers by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

 

Through a notification, the finance ministry allowed imports of crude soya bean oil and crude sunflower oil at zero basic customs duty and zero AIDC for TRQ licence holders for FY23 up to the June 30, 2023.

 

 

'This notification shall come into force on the 11th day of May, 2023, and nothing contained in this notification shall apply after the 30th of June, 2023,' the ministry said.

Nearly 252 Lac Metric Ton (MT) procurement of wheat has been done till 9th May, 2023 during ongoing Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2023-24. This figure is 75 Lakh MT higher than the corresponding date during RMS 2022-23.

 

The current procurement (of 252 LMT) has already surpassed the total procurement of 188 Lac MT wheat during entire RMS 2022-23. Food Corporation of India along with other State Agencies are engaged in the Procurement operations and the procurement is continuing smoothly in all the procuring States across the country.

 

About 20 Lakh farmers have already been benefitted so far from the ongoing wheat procurement operations, with payment of more than Rs. 47,000 crores (at MSP) directly credited to their Bank Accounts. More farmers are yet to be benefitted since the procurement is continuing; and on daily average, more than 2 Lakh MT wheat is still being procured. Major contribution in the procurement has come from three wheat procuring states of Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh with procurement of 118.68 LMT, 62.18 LMT and 66.50 LMT respectively.

 

One of the major factors, contributing the progressive procurement this year, is the relaxation in quality specifications of wheat being procured, extended by Govt. of India. This has been granted in view of untimely rains leading to luster loss. This will reduce the hardship of farmers and check any distress sale.

 

The Government of India has also allowed all the states to open procurement centres at villages/ panchayat level and to carry out the procurement through Co-operative Societies/ Gram Panchayats/ Arhatias etc. also, in addition to already existing designated procurement centres, for better outreach.

 

The rice procurement is also progressing smoothly. A quantity of 366 LMT of rice has been procured till 09.05.2023 during kharif crop of KMS 2022-23 with another 140 LMT yet to be procured. Further, a quantity of 106 LMT rice has been estimated to be procured during the Rabi crop of KMS 2022-23.

 

The combined stock position of wheat and rice in the Central Pool, has reached 580 LMT (Wheat 310 LMT and Rice 270 LMT) which puts the country in a comfortable position to meet its requirements of food grains. With the ongoing procurement of wheat and rice, the food grains stock levels are on rise in Government granaries ensuring Food Security to entire nation.

Rajasthan’s exports surged 36% from around Rs 49,000 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 72,000 crore in 2021-22, but the state’s contribution to the country’s share improved negligibly from 2.28% to 2.29%. Its position in the pecking order among the states improved by two notches, from 13th to 11th.

 

While the data does not capture indirect exports like manufacturers from the state supplying to exporters based out of Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and other places, the state government feels that there is lot of room to improve the situation. Launching the drive ‘Be Exporters’ and creating Rajasthan Exports Promotion Council (REPC) and identifying potential products are some of the initiatives undertaken in past 18 months.

 

Now, REPC has joined hands with the Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industry (FORTI) to expand the export basket. FORTI is taking a business delegation of 150 entrepreneurs to Kenya that has huge export potential.

 

Rajiv Arora, chairman of REPC and Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation, said, 'Finding new markets is an important way to boost exports. When FORTI approached us for strategic support, we agreed immediately. East African countries including Kenya offer many opportunities for our businessmen in the state. This will be a win-win situation for all – FORTI, REPC and the people of the state.'

 

He said the state industries department has issued import-export codes to 10,000 entrepreneurs though the ‘be exporters’ drive. 'We have helped the manufacturers understand the processes to become exporters and now it is our duty to help them find new markets. That’s why we have joined hands with FORTI,' added Arora.

 

Speaking on the delegation which is scheduled to be in Kenya for Indo-East Africa Expo from July 5-7, 2023, Suresh Agarwal, president of FORTI, said, 'Keyna depends on imports of 70% of what they need. It’s a very friendly country and a lot of Rajasthanis are there. For businessmen in Rajasthan, it is a great opportunity.'

 

He said the visit of the delegation has been planned in a way they can explore various business and trade opportunities in Kenya and other East African countries there.

Food Safety Works, a leading Food Safety consulting company with a robust footing of 12 plus years of consulting experience and conceived the India Food Safety Conclave. This is an effort towards building an ecosystem around ensuring better food safety in the country.

 

The conclave to be held on June 23 at the Hotel Royal Orchid, Airport Road, Domlur, Bengaluru.  There will be  industry participants, academicians, regulators and service providers meeting to discuss the issues, challenges, learnings and the future direction.

 

 With the goal of connecting all these dots for safer food and a safer future for India, the first edition of this conclave will be taking place in Bengaluru. This conclave will serve as an exclusive platform for practitioners, solution providers, government representatives, academicians, and thought leaders from organisations like FSSAI, CFTRI, and others in the food safety domain.

 

The conclave will be held under the mentorship of Dr Lalitha Gowda, retired chief scientist CSIR, Mysuru, Dr Shashikant Kunigal from CFTRI, Mysore and ex Corporate Head, Britannia) and Dr Balkumar Marthi from Delaware, ex Unilever and present dean for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at GITAM). The  inaugural address will be delivered by Dr Sridevi Annapurna Singh (director, CFTRI, Mysuru).

 

The one-day conclave will include a range of live discussions covering Food Safety Management Systems - Stepping Stone to a Good Food Safety Culture, Innovations in Packaging - Approaches to Improved Food Safety, Testing, validation, and verification  besides Food Regulations and Labelling.

 

The organisers expect  around 125 plus delegates attending the conclave. They will the opportunity to build a network. Food Safety Works has planned extensive outreach to about 1 lakh  plus food professionals through its network. This programme is open to all and interested participants can register themselves at https://conclave.foodsafetyworks.com/ or by contacting Food Safety Works directly, said the organisers.

 

Union MSME minister Narayan Rane on Wednesday urged the global and domestic industries to continue to invest in India, which is on its path to become the third largest economy. He made the remarks at 'GIC 23 Intergovernmental Connect' organised by Inventivepreneur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in association with the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) here.

 

'From 10 largest in 2014, India today is 5th largest economy. Only Japan and Germany are ahead of us. We will become the 3rd largest by 2030 as envisioned by our prime minister,' he said addressing around 200 delegates from across the globe at the event.

 

The minister further said that immense business opportunities are available in various sectors in India and promised full support to investors looking to invest in the country.

 

The country will see various industrial parks across various locations and the investors can explore business opportunities in this area, he said.

 

He also said the industry must identify areas where imports are happening and start producing such products to check inbound shipments.

 

ICCI Vice Chairman Rishabh Malhotra said the foreign delegates included industry professionals and diplomats from countries like Spain, Belarus, Mexico and Africa, among others.

 

The participants are from various industries like FMCG, automotive, logistics, power, solar, and telecom.

 

As directed by the minister 'we will guide them (investors) on various business-friendly policies being offered by the government of India and that of various other countries.'

Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, Government of India invited the Canadian businesspersons to participate in the journey of growth of the Indian economy which is aimed to bring prosperity for the man and woman at the bottom of the pyramid during the Round Table of Indian and Canadian CEOs in Toronto, Canada yesterday. He said that India is focusing not only on high-quality standards in goods and services but also on high-quality delivery of goods and services. The Minister said that this focus on high quality is attractive for Canadian business persons and their investments.

 

Sh. Goyal said that the growth in Canada will be driven by the use of significant pools of capital, innovation, new technologies, and Research and Development (R&D) in big markets achieving economies of scale and making products affordable. The Minister said that Canadian businesses can prosper in the safe and conducive business environment of the Indian economy.

 

Sh. Goyal praised Hon'ble Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Government of Canada for her leadership and involvement in taking the Canada-India partnership to the next level. He appreciated the pace of negotiations for the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA), as a transitional step towards the re-launched India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations. The Minister lauded the work being done by negotiating teams of both countries and their focus on big outcomes from the Agreement in the future.

 

The Minister said that there is a huge potential in the Canada-India partnership as they are amongst the fastest growing large economies and will continue to be in the coming years. Sh. Piyush Goyal said that the macroeconomic fundamentals of India is at its peak under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi and India is not an oil based economy, it can prosper despite emerging challenges across the world. Sh. Goyal said that inflation has been under control in India over the last 9 years of the government under the leadership of the Prime Minister. He highlighted the huge foreign exchange reserves of India and the significant rise in overall exports of India from around US$ 500 Billion two years ago to US$ 770 Billion in FY 2022-23. He mentioned the target of achieving the overall exports target of US$ 2 Trillion by 2030 and said that is an ambitious target but is achievable given the rapid growth of the economy.

 

Sh. Piyush Goyal said that the two economies complement each other and there is not much of conflict between them. He said that there is certainly some competition but no conflict of interest between the two economies. The Minister said that Canada is focusing on natural resources given its huge reserves and investments. He also said that in comparison to the Manufacturing sector, Canada is more interested in the Services sector. He said that every country has certain specific strengths and for India the investable surplus is the pool of management and technical talent and skills. Sh. Goyal emphasized the importance of the young demography of India and the production of the highest number of ‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics’ (STEM) graduates today anywhere in the world.

 

Sh. Goyal said that this century is an important one for India as it is expected to have the world’s youngest population for the next 30 to 40 years resulting in a significant portion of the population in the working age. He mentioned that dual degrees, mutual recognition of our educational qualification throughout professional bodies, etc. were discussed in the meetings with Ms. Mary Ng. Sh. Goyal also said that the setting up of campuses in each other’s country was also deliberated upon so that youth of both countries can contribute to economic development.

 

Sh. Goyal mentioned that the Indian rupee as a currency has also been relatively stable over the last nine years of the government and said that a strong Indian rupee is beneficial for the economy, countrymen and the exporters as well. He said that India has never defaulted on its international obligations and India’s debt-to-GDP ratio is relatively amongst the lowest in the developing world and certainly far lower than the USA, Japan and many other rich countries.

 

The Minister said that India offers a stable business environment with decisive and popular leadership. He said that the Prime Minister has been recognised internationally as a leader who is contributing significantly to face the challenges of the world and the G20 Presidency reflects his vision. He said that the theme of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' underlines the initiatives and efforts of India at the global level to encourage sustainable development and preserve Earth as a better planet for the future generations.