India is in discussion with the 10-nation bloc ASEAN for initiating the review of the free-trade agreement in goods between the two regions to seek more market access for domestic products, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said the market access issues and trade barriers being faced in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries and China are being regularly taken up with individual countries through bilateral engagements.

 

'The Government of India is in discussion with ASEAN countries for initiating the review of ASEAN-India trade in goods agreement to seek more market access for Indian products,' she said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

 

In a separate reply, she said that to increase exports including apparel exports, India is actively negotiating regional trade agreements (RTAs)/ FTAs with a number of countries including the UAE, Australia, Canada, Israel and the UK.

 

'Ongoing FTA negotiations will also provide more favourable market access to products exported from India,' she said.

 

The minister said that textile and apparel export growth has been facing adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and higher import tariffs in key markets such as the European Union and the United Kingdom as compared to zero duty access in these countries to competing countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia.

 

Replying to a question on export dues, she said the government has released Rs 56,027 crore in order to clear pending export incentive dues to exporters. This is for various schemes - Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (Rs 33,010 crore, Service Exports from India Scheme ( Rs 10,002 crore), Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies ( Rs 5,286 crore), Rebate of State Levies (Rs 330 crore), and Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (Rs 2,568 crore) and other legacy schemes like Target Plus Scheme, Focus Product Scheme.

 

'It is estimated that such benefits would be disbursed to more than 45,000 exporters, out of which the majority would be in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) category,' Patel said.

 

Clearance of dues under these schemes is dependent on meeting the eligibility criteria by the applicant exporter, whose applications are scrutinised for any deficiency.

Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan is visiting India to advance negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) aimed at promoting economic ties between the countries, according to an official statement released by Canberra on Wednesday. Tehan will hold a meeting with his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal to further the ongoing negotiations on the India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), it said.

 

'Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan will travel to India today to advance negotiations on a free trade agreement and promote Australia as a premium destination for students and tourists,' the statement said.

 

The two sides have agreed to conclude a long-pending FTA, officially dubbed as CECA, by the end of 2022.

 

'Goyal and I have been in regular contact over the Christmas/New Year period because we are both committed to concluding an interim free trade agreement,' Tehan was quoted in the statement.

 

 

The statement said that the trade pact is a 'potential game-changer' in opening opportunities for both Australia and India and also an important piece of post-Covid economic recovery.

 

A free trade agreement with India would be a boon for Australian businesses, farmers and workers, creating new jobs and opportunities with one of the world's largest and fastest developing economies, Tehan said.

 

Tehan will also sign a memorandum of understanding on behalf of the Australian government with the Indian government to promote further travel and tourism between the countries.

 

The bilateral trade between the nations stood at $ 12.3 billion in 2020-21 as against $12.63 billion in 2019-20. Trade gap is in the favour of Australia.

 

India's main exports to Australia are refined petroleum, medicaments, railway vehicles including hover-trains, pearls and gems, jewellery, made up textile articles, while major imports are coal, copper ores and concentrates, gold, vegetables, wool and other animal hair, fruits and nuts, lentils and education related services.

 

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)/Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) has developed a clear roadmap for next 10 years harnessing the power of science and innovation for securing food and nutritional security of our people, farmers’ prosperity and to enhance natural resource base to promote inclusive growth and sustainable development of Indian agriculture sector. The focused areas of research and development include;  Genetic enhancement of plants/animals/fish for higher productivity under increased intensity of biotic and abiotic stresses, productivity enhancement through sustainable intensification, and mechanization of agriculture and food system, enhancing value, safety and income through food processing, development of energy efficient technologies and farming practices, education and human-resource development & developing and promoting innovations in technology transfer systems.

 

To ensure that the newer technologies like improved variety seeds of crops, new breeds/ strains of livestock and fish and the improved production and protection technologies reach the farmers and end users in shortest possible time, technology demonstrations at the farmers’ fields in close coordination with the concerned Central and state Government Departments and agencies are carried out. For this purpose, a network of 729 Krishi Vigyan Kendras has been created at district level in the country. Technology transfer also happens throughsystems using knowledge platforms like Portals, Mobile Apps and Web based communication networks. The capacity building of farmers, farmers groups and community – based Organisations like Farmers Producer Organisations, Self Help Groups etc. for acquiring knowledge and advisory for capacity building is also given focused attention. The rapid developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are used as facilitator for faster dissemination of information and technologies developed by the National Agricultural Research System.

 

This information was given by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

Rice exporters are heaving a sigh of relief as the shortage of rail rakes is getting resolved slowly, but they are now up against the huge backlogs that built up due to the non-availability of the rakes. 

 

'The issue of rail rakes is much better now. But it has created a huge backlog in moving rice from Chhattisgarh to Andhra Pradesh. At least half a million tonnes (mt) conservatively could be pending,' said Nitin Gupta, Vice-President, Olam Agro India Ltd. 

 

'Things are a little bit better now but we now face problems of container availability,' said Vidya Sagar VR, Director, Bulk Logix.

 

'The availability of rail rakes has improved. The situation is better than what it was a week or a month ago,' said BV Krishna Rao, President, The Rice Exporters Association (TREA). 

 

Still bitter for sugar shippers

 

The shortage of rail rakes for exporters of agricultural products such as rice and sugar led to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) stepping in to find a solution. It followed up on the issue continuously with the Railway Ministry after the issue was brought to its notice. 

 

Sugar exporters say the problem of rakes shortage continues. 'Sugar mills in Maharashtra and Karnataka are facing the problem of railway wagons as sugar for export is mainly getting lifted from these States only,' said Praful Vithalani, President, All India Sugar Traders Association in a statement on Monday. 

 

High freight rates

 

'We are in constant touch with the Railway Ministry and others stakeholders. The situation is improving and we are hoping for the best,' said M Angamuthu, APEDA Chairman.

 

The shortage resulted in rice exports slowing down a tad, though TREA’s Rao is confident that shipments during the current fiscal will be 16-17 mt of non-basmati rice, besides four mt of basmati. 

 

Exports of non-basmati rice increased to 12.53 mt valued at $4.48 billion during the April-December period of the current fiscal compared with 8.25 mt valued at $3.07 billion during the same period a year ago. 

 

'The container problem continues to affect exports. We have come to accept high freight rates as part of our challenges. Now with crude prices rising, freight rates are likely to rule firm,' said Rao. 

 

Container availability issue

'The container availability is now an issue. With volumes building up, ocean freight is heading higher,' said Bulk Logix’s Sagar. For example, a ship with 7,000 20-foot equivalent unit containers collects $175,000 as the daily charge between the Far East and Europe.

 

'It will take time for the backlog to clear, but the situation is expected to become normal soon,' said Olam India’s Gupta.

 

Competitive offerings 

 

Though breakbulk ships can be an option, there are some drawbacks to it, he said. 

 

'It takes one month to fill up a ship with 50,00 tonnes capacity. Then, it will be between one month and 45 days before the consignment is delivered. It has to call at different ports and it could take up to 90 days for delivery. Breakbulk rates are also increasing,' Sagar said. 

 

India’s rice exports have increased sharply since 2020-21 fiscal as neighbouring countries have found it more competitive. In addition, India gained from the drought that affected rice production in Thailand.

 

According to the International Grains Council, India’s 25 per cent broken white rice was quoted at $345 a tonne last weekend, while Thailand’s five per cent broken ruled at $414 and Vietnam’s five per cent broken at $388 a tonne. 

 

Rice prices are down 13 per cent year-on-year for Indian exporters, while for Vietnam and Thailand they are lower by nearly 25 per cent. 

 

A surge in corn prices resulted in China turning to India for broken rice. New Delhi faced no competition in the broken rice segment as the commodity was priced at around $300 a tonne.

 

Record output

 

Record rice production of 118.87 mt in 2019-20 and 122.27 mt last season (July-June) have helped the record shipments. During the current season, kharif rice production has been estimated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare at a new high of 107.04 mt. 

 

Record inventories with the Food Corporation of India also encouraged exports. As on April 1, 2020, FCI had 32.23 mt of rice, and 34.50 mt of paddy which is equal to 23.11 mt of rice. In April last year, the stocks dropped to 29.11 mt of rice and 31.06 mt of paddy (20.8 mt rice). As on January 1, FCI had 22.15 mt of rice and 47.36 mt of paddy (31.72 mt of rice). 

 

The stocks are against a mandatory requirement for the FCI to have 5.61 mt of operational stock and a strategic reserve of 3 mt of rice as on January 1. 

Tanzania is set to begin exporting avocado to India, as the country seeks to strengthen bilateral trade ties and enable farmers to get higher returns for their produce.

 

Smallholder farmers in the northern Kilimanjaro region and from the southern highlands are set to benefit from the deal.

 

Traditionally, about 80 percent of the avocados grown in the East African country are consumed locally, but agricultural economists say exports will help develop the sector.

 

In 2003, India imposed an import embargo on avocados imported from Africa due to concerns that the fruits might be infested with dangerous pests.

 

However, India's health authorities have now allowed the entry of the highly nutritious fruit from Tanzania following lengthy negotiations, Agriculture Deputy Minister Anthony Mavunde said.

 

The country has been missing out on earning from avocado and the Indian market would open up Tanzania to earn more foreign exchange, he said.

 

Tanzania's current avocado export destinations include China, the USA, and South Africa, which only recently granted Tanzanian avocados access to its market.

 

Jacqueline Mkindi, the group CEO of the Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA), said, “Tanzanian stakeholders plus growers will immensely benefit from this opportunity as the overseas market will help improve their livelihoods by providing a reliable market for their produce.”

 

As a champion of horticulture in the country, TAHA played a central role in supporting the government to persuade the Indian government to open up its market to Tanzania.

India's exports grew by 28.51 per cent to USD 8.67 billion during February 1-7 on account of healthy growth in sectors such as petroleum, engineering and gems and jewellery, according to the preliminary data of the commerce ministry. The exports during the first week of this month rose by about 31 per cent.

 

According to the data, USD 8.67 billion per week is almost 20 per cent more than the weekly run rate of USD 7 billion clocked this year.

 

The country's exports rose by 23.69 per cent to USD 34.06 billion in January.

 

Cumulatively, exports during April-January 2021-22 rose by 46.53 per cent to USD 335.44 billion as against USD 228.9 billion in the same period last year.

In view of increasing demand of organic agricultural product,  Government  has been promoting Organic farming as a chemical free farming   through dedicated schemes namely Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) since 2015-16. Both the schemes provide support to organic farmers from organic production to certification and marketing including post-harvest management like processing, packaging etc. The details of area and farmers brought under organic  farming  in various States including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan under PKVY Scheme is given at Annexure-I.

 

Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP) has been introduced as a sub scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) since 2020-21 for the promotion of traditional indigenous practices including Natural Farming (NF). The scheme mainly emphasizes on exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs and promotes on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching, use of cow dung-urine formulations and plant based preparations. Until now, under natural farming an area of 4.09 lakh ha area has been covered and a total fund of Rs. 4980.99 lakh has been released in 8 States across the country.

 

Government has initiated programme to provide financial assistance to individual farmers with 8.0 or more hectare land @ 2700/ha for 3 years for Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification through Regional Council or National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) certification.

 

Organic Farming enhances soil fertility and crop productivity. The research studies under ICAR-All India Network Programme on Organic Farming indicate that comparable yield or slightly higher yield to that of conventional management can be obtained in kharif and summer crops in 2 to 3 years, while in rabi crops the yield stabilizes after 5 years.

 

The use of on-farm organic inputs and adoption of Integrated Organic Farming System (IOFS) model minimizes the use of external inputs to a great extent.

 

Under PKVY & MOVCDNER schemes farmers are provided financial assistance  of Rs 31000/ ha / 3 years  and Rs 32500/ ha/ 3years respectively for organic inputs such as seeds, bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides, organic manure, compost/ vermi-compost, botanical extracts etc.  In addition to above, support is also provided for group/ Farmers Producers Organization (FPO) formation, training, certification, value addition and marketing of  organic produce.  Under BPKP, financial assistance of Rs. 12200/ha for 3 years is provided for cluster formation, capacity building and continuous handholding by trained personnel, certification and residue analysis.

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said rice import duty may be brought down to 10 per cent in need to prevent the price volatility in the market.

 

The existing import duty on rice is nearly 62.5 per cent.

 

'Rice prices have been rising continually even though the country has produced a record volume of rice, imported a handsome amount of rice and also has 2.0 million tonnes of food in stock,' he told a view-exchange meeting titled ‘Illegal hoarding and initiative to prevent it’ at the Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner’s office on Monday.

 

'We are monitoring the situation at the field level to find out the reasons for this,' he said, adding that accurate information from the field level would be very useful in adopting an action plan on controlling the market volatility.

 

Indicating that illegal hoardings are leading to a rice price rise in the market, he called on food officials, district administrations, and traders, to come up with information about them so that the government can take action against them.

 

The food minister also asked food officials to verify rice mill stocks on a weekly basis and to check out information on rice grinding and supply on a regular basis.

 

Those representing millers at the views exchange meeting said no rice price rises have taken place at the mill gates for the last three months though the production and transportation costs of rice notably increased in recent months.

 

'Prices of rice have not increased at the mill gates for the last three months,' said Nirad Baran Saha, a Naogaon-based miller who is among those representing the region’s millers at the meeting. He added that rice prices have increased at the consumers' end as it reaches them after exchanging four to five hands.

 

Another rice millers’ representative Belal Hossain said hundreds of people started rice trading during the pandemic. They have been hoarding rice and paddy in large volumes creating an artificial shortage in the market.

 

He called on the government to strictly monitor the activities of such traders to prevent a further rise in rice prices.

 

Lawmaker Md Ain Uddin, Food Secretary Dr Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum, Director General of Food Directorate Md Sakhawat Hossain also spoke at the views exchange meeting organised by Rajshahi Divisional and District Administration with Divisional commissioner GSM Zafarullah in the chair.

In a historic achievement, Jammu & Kashmir became the first Union Territory to be onboarded the National Single Window System (NSWS). This marks a major leap in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in the Union Territory.

 

Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha launched the J&K Single Window Clearance System integrated with NSWS yesterday in the presence of Shri Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, Govt of J&K, Ms. Sumita Dawra, Additional Secretary, DPIIT, Shri Ranjan Thakur, Principal Secretary Industries & Commerce, Govt of J&K.

 

NSWS is linked with India Industrial Land Bank (IILB) which hosts 45 industrial parks of J&K. This will help Investors to discover available land parcels in J&K.

 

The NSWS, a 2020 budgetary announcement of the Government of India, is a digital platform that serves as a guide for investors to identify and to apply for approvals as per their business requirements. The platform was soft launched in September 2021 by the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Textiles and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal. 

 

NSWS will eliminate the need for investors to visit multiple platforms/offices to gather information and obtain clearances from different stakeholders.

 

Twenty Ministries / Departments have been integrated on NSWS including Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare amongst others. Currently 142 central approvals can be applied through the NSWS portal.

 

14 States/UTs onboarded on NSWS include Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

 

The Know Your Approval (KYA) module on NSWS guides investors to identify approvals required for their business based on a dynamic intuitive questionnaire. Currently, the module hosts more than 3,000 approvals across Centre & States.

 

As on date, the portal has 16,800 visitors, out of which 7,500 KYA journeys have been serviced. More than 1,250 investors are registered on the portal.

 

The NSWS platform can be accessed at www.nsws.gov.in.

 

India's exports of millets are expected to increase significantly in the coming years on account of rising demand in the global markets, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday. Currently, India is the fifth largest exporter of millets in the world, it added.

 

In 2020-21, India exported millets worth $26.97 million against $28.5 million in 2019-20.

 

Major exporters of millets are the US, Russia, Ukraine, India, China, Netherlands, France, Poland and Argentina. Global exports of millets in 2020 stood at $466.284 million.

 

The top three importers of millets from India in 2020-21 were Nepal ($6.09 million), the UAE ($4.84 million) and Saudi Arabia ($3.84 million).

 

The other destinations included Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, UK, Yemen, Oman and Algeria.

 

'With demand for nutria-cereals rising steadily globally, the Department of Commerce expects millet exports to increase exponentially in the coming years as Indian exporters find new markets abroad,' it said.

 

The ministry is working towards facilitating shipments of millets by domestic exporters and helping them make inroads into new markets, it added.

 

India is the world leader in the production of millets with a share of around 41 per cent of total global production in 2020. India produces around 12 million tonnes of millets annually, according to data by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

 

The various kinds of millets include sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), little millet (kutki), small millet (samai), foxtail millet (kangni), proso millet (barri), barnyard millet (jhangora), kodo millet (kodra), two pseudo millets (buckwheat and kuttu), and Ameranthus (chulai), among others.

 

'To give impetus to the export of potential products as well as to remove the bottlenecks in the supply chain of nutria-cereals, APEDA has created the Nutri Cereals Export Promotion Forum which also included millet exports. It has also organized a sensitization programme for millet start-ups to familiarize them about export opportunities,' the ministry said.