India Honey Alliance (IHA), a collaboration of the entire honey value chain across the country, is conducting 'Hive to Home 3.0' - an informative and interactive webinar where the experts will share their insights on the various Government schemes, scientific and technical information and initiatives to promote beekeeping in India.

 

This is the third webinar from IHA which will focus on bee-keeping and related issues faced by beekeepers. The virtual session is scheduled on Friday, January 28, 2022, and is open to the general public by registering on the India Honey Alliance Website.

 

Deepak Jolly, secretary general for IHA, said, 'To achieve IHA’s vision of the ‘Golden revolution' in the country, there is a dire need for increased collaboration across the value chain. Beekeeping as an industry is not much talked about and it is time that we all work together towards developing and promoting beekeeping across the country. This webinar will again bring forth valuable insights from experts towards providing solutions for issues faced by the beekeepers, the initiatives taken by Government towards promoting beekeeping and the best practices that we can adapt for the larger benefit of the industry and the beekeepers.'

 

The webinar will feature talks by eminent experts such as Scientists, representatives from Government bodies, Industry experts, Beekeepers and NGOs/ welfare bodies. The speaker panel will include Pankaj Prasad, additional MD NAFED; Dr Naveen Patle, ED-NBB; Dr Lakshmi Rao, assistant director, CBRTI; Sitaram Gupta, founder Samridhh Bharat Abhiyan; Ajay Saini, bee-keeper and entrepreneur; and will be moderated by Vinit Singh, foremost Honey aggregator from Bharatpur.

 

Namrata Khanna, director, India Honey Alliance, said, 'Working closely with all the key stakeholders across the honey industry is extremely essential towards achieving our long term vision of making Indian honey the most preferred honey in the global and the domestic market. Beekeepers are the focal point for all developmental programmes envisaged by the India Honey Alliance and they play an instrumental role in shaping the future of the honey industry in India. While our first two webinars focused on 'The Journey of Honey', from collection to processing and the testing techniques and the benefits of honey for all of us, this one will specifically focus  on beekeepers and measures to promote beekeeping.'

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit in virtual format on 27 January 2022,  which was attended by Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Republic of Uzbekistan. This first India-Central Asia coincided with the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Central Asian countries.

 

During the Summit, Prime Minister Modi and the Central Asian Leaders discussed the next steps in taking India-Central Asia relations to new heights. In a historic decision, the Leaders agreed to institutionalize the Summit mechanism by deciding to hold it every 2 years. They also agreed on regular meetings of Foreign Ministers, Trade Ministers, Culture Ministers and Secretaries of the Security Council to prepare the groundwork for the Summit meetings. An India-Central Asia Secretariat in New Delhi would be set up to support the new mechanism.

 

The Leaders discussed far-reaching proposals to further cooperation in areas of trade and connectivity, development cooperation, defence and security and, in particular, on cultural and people to people contacts. These included a Round-Table on Energy and Connectivity; Joint Working Groups at senior official level on Afghanistan and use of Chabahar Port; showcasing of Buddhist exhibitions in Central Asian countries and commissioning of an India-Central Asia dictionary of common words, joint counter-terrorism exercises, visit of 100 member youth delegation annually from Central Asian countries to India and special courses for Central Asian diplomats.

 

Prime Minister Modi also discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan with the Central Asian leaders. The leaders reiterated their strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan with a truly representative and inclusive government. Prime Minister conveyed India’s continued commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

 

A comprehensive Joint Declaration was adopted by the leaders that enumerates their common vision for an enduring and comprehensive India-Central Asia partnership.  

Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) set a tender on Thursday to buy an unspecified amount of wheat from global suppliers for shipment from 5-15 March and/or 16-26 March.

 

Deadline for offers is Jan. 28 and payment is at sight, it said.

Sugar production in India, the world's second largest producing nation after Brazil, is estimated to increase by 2.90 per cent to 31.9 million tonnes in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year, according to the first estimate released by the trade body AISTA on Thursday. With estimated production of 31.9 million tonnes plus opening stock of 8.3 million tonnes with mills, the total availability of sugar in the country is expected to be 40.2 million tonnes in the current marketing year, slightly lower than the previous year, it said.

 

However, the supply of sugar in the country would be sufficient to meet the domestic consumption, which is estimated to be at 27 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year, it added.

 

Sugar marketing year runs from October to September.

 

In case of exports, the All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA) said the outbound shipments are estimated to be lower at 6 million tonnes in the current 2021-22 marketing year, as against 7.2 million tonnes in the previous year.

 

'The actual exports in 2021-22, would depend upon the level of domestic sugar prices vis-a-vis international sugar prices,' the trade body noted.

 

According to the AISTA's first estimate, the country's sugar production is expected to be at 31.9 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year, as against 31 million tonnes in the previous year.

 

Out of the total estimated sugar production for this year, mills in Uttar Pradesh -- the country's leading sugar producing state -- are estimated to produce 10.5 million tonnes of the sweetener in the 2021-22 marketing year, lower than 11.1 million tonnes in the previous year.

 

However, production in Maharashtra -- the country's second largest sugar producing state -- is estimated to be higher at 11.5 million tonnes, as against 10.7 million tonnes, while that of in Karnataka -- the country's third largest sugar producing state -- the production is expected to be 4.8 million tonnes, as against 4.7 million tonnes in the said period.

 

Sugar production is pegged to be slightly higher at 1.1 million tonnes in Gujarat, at 1 million tonnes in Tamil Nadu, and at 3 million tonnes in other states, the data showed.

 

'The above estimates of 31.9 million tonnes of sugar production excludes the diversion of sucrose for ethanol production,' AISTA said.

 

It is estimated that 3.1 million tonnes of sucrose would get diverted in the current marketing year for ethanol production from B-heavy molasses and sugarcane juice, it added.

 

AISTA also said the domestic sugar consumption is estimated to increase by 2 per cent to 27 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year, from 26.5 million tonnes in the previous year.

 

The first estimate has been arrived at after considering the estimated sugarcane production, sugar production, recovery rate and drawl rate achieved so far in the current marketing year, as well as likely diversion of sucrose for production of ethanol from B-heavy molasses, it said.

 

Sugarcane crushing is going on, AISTA said and added that it will come out with a second production estimate for the 2021-22 marketing year by February-end or early March.

 

Trade between India and South Africa has exceeded the USD 10 billion target set by the leaders of the two countries, Consul General Anju Ranjan announced at a reception here on Wednesday to celebrate India's 73rd Republic Day.

 

'India-South Africa trade has crossed the landmark. We have achieved the 100 per cent target and now it has increased from USD 10 billion to USD 11.6 billion,' Ranjan said.

 

This was despite the restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries, she added.

 

'We were able to organise many commercial activities despite the challenges of lockdowns, sometimes in India and sometimes in South Africa.

 

'We held many virtual exhibitions and buyer-seller meets in different sectors like ceramics, telecom, agriculture, printing and textiles during this period to improve bilateral trade between the two countries,' Ranjan said.

 

'In between, we were able to send delegations to India for physical buyer-seller meets and exhibitions for food processing and handicrafts,' the diplomat said as she highlighted that new ties were forged through visits to the various provinces of South Africa.

 

'Notwithstanding the pandemic, the improvement in trade relations between our two countries is a positive step. We aspire to do much more in the coming months in the areas of spices, IT, telecom, mining, pharma and textiles,' Ranjan said.

 

In his keynote address, High Commissioner Jaideep Sarkar lauded the Indian companies who were contributing to the economic development of South Africa.

 

'I am happy to say that over 150 Indian companies have invested more than USD 10 billion in South Africa, employing over 20,000 South African nationals. These companies bring critical skills, technology and entrepreneurship and create jobs, income and wealth for both India and South Africa,' he said.

 

Sarkar also congratulated the global Indian diaspora, which he said is now an influential community.

 

'We are equally proud of the Indian diaspora in South Africa, whose journey since 1860 is a story of struggle, sacrifice and hardship. Its contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle and later to building a free, democratic and multi-racial South Africa is well-recognised,' he said.

 

'India has always been an all-weather friend of South Africa and Indians and Africans have had historically close ties spanning centuries. We look to the diaspora to further expand, enhance and enrich these bonds in the years to come,' Sarkar added.

 

Maropene Ramokgopa, Special Adviser on International Relations to President Cyril Ramaphosa and a former Consul General in India, said the Red Fort Declaration signed by the late president Nelson Mandela and then Indian prime minister HD Deve Gowda in 1997 paved the way for the successful trade relations between the two countries.

 

'The Red Fort Declaration has really been able to assist us to be able to reach a lot of bilateral trade and also broad policies that we share today. If it was not for that declaration, I do not believe that we would have been able to be where we are today,' she said.

 

'India and South Africa have been working together to reshape the international agenda in many international groupings, from the corporate world to the G20,' Ramokgopa added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold the first ever India-Central Asia Summit on Thursday in a virtual format with the presidents of five countries, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The major areas of focus for the conference will be trade and connectivity, building development partnerships and enhancing cultural and people-to-people contacts and steps to take forward relations to newer heights.

 

This will be the first engagement of its kind between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders, the Ministry of External Affairs had said.

 

The summit is symbolic of the importance attached by the leaders of India and the Central Asian countries to a comprehensive and enduring India-Central Asia partnership. During the conference, the countries are expected to propose ways to increase trade between India and the region, which is only about $2 billion at present, most of which comes from energy imports from Kazakhstan. 

 

India extended a $1 billion Line of Credit (LOC) for development projects in the areas of energy, healthcare, connectivity, IT, and agriculture in 2020 and proposes to increase the number of educational opportunities for students from Central Asian countries.

 

The summit is being held a day after the Republic Day. The leaders of the five central Asian countries were likely to be the chief guests but India saw a rise in COVID-19 cases which led to curtailed Republic Day celebrations.

 

The first India-Central Asia Summit, the MEA had said, is a reflection of the country’s growing engagement with the Central Asian countries, which are a part of India’s “extended neighbourhood”.

 

PM Modi had paid a visit to all Central Asian countries in 2015. Subsequently, there have been exchanges at high levels at bilateral and multilateral forums.

 

Earlier this week all five Central Asian leaders also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a virtual conference to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations, where they discussed increasing trade between China and the region, which is more than $41 billion at present.

British companies are poised to gain from a 'first mover' advantage ahead of the US and European Union (EU) in India as a result of a free trade agreement (FTA), which has the potential to overshadow other major UK trade deals, a new UK think-tank analysis said on Wednesday.

 

The Resolution Foundation is examining the economic impact of the UK's new trade pivot towards the Indo-Pacific region following Brexit.

 

In 'A presage to India?', its latest report for 'The Economy2030 Inquiry' with the London School of Economics (LSE) funded by the Nuffield Foundation, it noted that the economic benefits of a trade deal with India could eventually be even bigger than the 'now defunct' trade deal with the US.

 

'UK firms exporting to India currently face far higher tariffs (19 per cent, on average) than they do to the US (2 per cent), so there is far more scope for trade liberalisation. Securing an FTA with India could also give UK firms a 'first mover' competitive advantage over exporting firms in the US and EU, which don't have preferential access to the Indian economy,' notes the Resolution Foundation.

 

'India is forecast to become the world's third largest import market by 2050, while its demand for business, telecommunications and computer services - sectors where UK export firms already perform well - is expected to treble over the course of the 2020s. UK business services exports currently under-perform in India relative to other Indo-Pacific regions - accounting for just 1.8 per cent of imports to India, compared to 3 per cent in China, and 4.2 per cent in Malaysia - so the potential for future growth is huge,' it notes.

 

The UK and India announced the launch of FTA negotiations earlier this month, with the first round of talks between officials kick-starting virtually last week.

 

The latest analysis finds that much of the focus around the UK's pivot towards the Indo-Pacific is around its ambition to become the first European nation to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) - an agreement that could cover eight per cent of current UK trade. However, as the UK already has free trade agreements (FTAs) with the majority of CPTPP members, with 95 per cent of CPTPP trade already covered by FTAs, a trade agreement with India could have a 'far bigger impact', the report says as India is a faster growing economy than the CPTPP bloc.

 

The think-tank also flags that while there are clear potential benefits of trade liberalisation with India, UK firms will also be exposed to 'far more uncertainty about competition from Indian exporters'.

 

The Indian economy has already developed a comparative advantage in exporting some business services, and is changing far more rapidly than more advanced economies, with eight sectors emerging as new comparative advantages for India - including pharmaceuticals and R&D - compared to just one in the US in the past 10 years, the analysis finds.

 

'Having raised trade barriers with Europe, and given up on a new US trade deal, the UK's trade strategy has now pivoted towards the Indo-Pacific region,' said Sophie Hale, Principal Economist at the Resolution Foundation.

 

'While much of the focus has concentrated on becoming the first European country to join the huge CPTPP region, the far bigger potential economic gains and risks lie in more trade with the huge, rapidly growing, but still relatively closed Indian economy. Trade liberalisation with India is expected to boost UK manufacturing in the short term, but could also benefit business services, where UK firms already enjoy a competitive advantage, and where demand is set to soar,' she said.

 

'But India is changing as well as growing, so any trade deal means accepting uncertainty about the competition that will face UK firms, as the price for access to a fast-expanding market,' she added.

 

A successful pivot towards a closer trade relationship with India rests on the idea that the UK can, in services, emulate the German goods success in exporting high value manufacturing to China, while avoiding a new 'India shock' - similar to the 'China shock' that hit US manufacturing - in which business services firms in the UK are undercut by Indian imports with lower labour costs, the think tank warns.

National Bee Board (NBB) organized a National Conference on Beekeeping Sector in collaboration with National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) & National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) on 24.01.2022. More than 600 participants from Government as well as the private sector, State Agricultural Universities (SAUs)/ Central Agricultural Universities (CAUs), Beekeepers and other stakeholders involved in beekeeping occupation, etc. attended the conference.

 

During the conference Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India spoke on National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM), a central sector scheme launched by Govt. of India for overall promotion & development of scientific beekeeping in the country. The implementation of NBHM will be proven a huge step in achieving the “Sweet Revolution” in the country.

 

Shri Likhi expressed that NBHM will help in filling gaps in infrastructural facilities for honey and linking marginal beekeepers in an organized way for dealing with adulteration in honey. NBB has launched Madhukranti Portal for traceability of honey & other beehive products viz.; bee pollen, bee wax, bee venom, propolis, etc. NBHM has the aim to create a network of honey testing labs covering all parts of the country and for this 100 FPOs of beekeepers will be proved as the center. He suggested including honey FPO beekeeping society/ cooperative/ firms for better sustainability in the honey sector.

 

Dr N. K. Patle, Additional Commissioner (Horti.) and Executive Director (NBB) emphasized on implementation of the NBHM scheme effectively all over the country and to provide factual benefits to beekeepers and other stakeholders associated with beekeeping occupation. To increase the income of beekeepers, it is advisable that along with the production of honey, other beehive products viz.; royal jelly, bee pollen, bee wax, bee venom, propolis, etc. should also be produced.

 

Dr Balraj Singh, Coordinator, AICRP on Honey Bee & Pollinator, ICAR, New Delhi, mentioned that currently there are 25 AICRP centres in the country, which are actively involved in research in beekeeping/ pollination. ICAR is on the way to creating Pollinator Gardens under AICRP centres across India. The first such type of Pollinator Garden has been established at Govind Bhallabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand.

 

Dr Arjun Singh Saini, Director General (Horticulture) spoke on the status and strategy for implementation of the Madhukranti Portal in Haryana. He informed that about 816 beekeepers with 1,29,652 honeybee colonies are registered on Madhukranti Portal from Haryana State.

 

Shri Pankaj Prasad, Additional Managing Director and Shri Unnikrishnan, General Manager from NAFED informed that NAFED is creating 65 clusters/ Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs) of beekeepers/ Honey Processors. These 65 FPOs will be part of the honey corridor linking northwest to north-eastern regions. NAFED is aiming at bringing all these 65 FPOs associated with honey production for creating requisite infrastructure under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission. Shri Ashish Tiwari, Head, Organic & Specialty (ISAP), informed that 5 FPOs have already been formed/registered allotted by NAFED.

 

Shri Abhijit Bhattacharya, NDDB stated that NDDB has an approach of creating Honey FPOs in the line of Dairy Cooperatives for getting the benefit of infrastructural facilities available with Dairy Cooperatives/ Milk Unions.

 

Mrs Seema Bhatnagar, General Manager, TRIFED informed that TRIFED is already involved in promoting beekeeping in tribal parts of the country and procuring wild honey and has also exported to various countries honey worth Rs. 115 lakhs during 2020-21.

 

A brief process of registration on the Madhukranti Portal was also demonstrated to participants/ beekeepers of this conference by Shri Jai Prakash, Senior Manager, Indian Bank. Registration with Madhukranti Portal will help the beekeepers during the migration of bee colonies and also to get insurance.

 

The questions of the participants were addressed during the Conference.

India’s wheat exports are likely to rise to a record high of between 6.5 million tonnes (mt) and seven mt this fiscal on the back of good demand for countries in South Asia and South-East Asia regions. 

 

'We have exported 4.5 mt of wheat by December. We are exporting 5-6 lakh tonnes of wheat every month and this leaves a possibility of additional shipments of 1.5-2 mt. Exports could be 6.5-7 mt,' said Nitin Gupta, Vice-President, Rice and Grains, Olam Agro India Ltd. 

 

According to the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, wheat exports during the April-November period of the current fiscal were 4.11 mt, valued at Rs8,547.58 crore. Compared with this, total wheat exports last fiscal were only 2.08 mt, valued at Rs4,033.81 crore.

 

In 2012-13, India exported 6.51 mt of wheat, earning Rs10,529 crore, while in 2013-14, it shipped out 5.57 mt of grain, fetching Rs9,277.65 crore. Earlier this month, the US Department of Agriculture raised its estimates of India’s wheat exports this fiscal to 6.5 mt 'due to strong export demand combined with competitive Indian wheat prices in neighbouring markets'.

 

'India is exporting to Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bangladesh in the region. Indian wheat is currently priced at $300-305,' said Olam India’s Gupta. Wheat export prices had touched $320 in December, but Australians offering wheat whose quality had been affected at a lower price proved to be a disincentive.

 

According to the International Grains Council (IGC), Argentina is currently quoting $304 a tonne for upstream river delivery of its wheat, while France is quoting $324 for its Grade I wheat. US’ soft red winter wheat is ruling at $347 and hard red winter wheat at $397 a tonne. The IGC wheat sub-index is up 28 per cent year-on-year at 295. 

 

'The advantage India enjoys is that Australia is oversold until March and any country in the region wanting to buy during this period will have to look at India only,' said Gupta. 

 

Russia-Ukraine standoff

 

'Even otherwise, Australia has logistics problems since it is not on the mainstream navigation route of ships. Ships have to deviate from the mainline to go to Australia,' said S Chandrasekaran, a New Delhi-based trade analyst

 

In the case of India, if ships carry wheat to Africa or South-East Asia, they can return carrying minerals or coal or any such commodity, which is not the case with Australia, he said. 

 

This is one reason why India could quickly achieve record wheat exports this fiscal, while any intensification of the Russia-Ukraine conflict could also help Indian wheat exports. 

 

'But you have to keep in mind that shipping charges will also rise in the region in the event of any conflict,' Chandrasekharan said. 

 

'Such a conflict will definitely help India, which is in a sweet spot with regard to wheat exports,' said Olam India’s Gupta. 

 

Production prospects

 

Another advantage that India will enjoy after March is that the new wheat crop will hit the market. 'No other country’s wheat will arrive before the end of the first half of this calendar year. So, India will be the only source for wheat till then,' Gupta said. 

 

The USDA said India’s wheat exports will be helped by a record wheat crop of 109.5 mt this season (July 2021-June 2022). According to the fourth advance estimate of the Ministry of Agriculture, wheat production last season was estimated at 109.52 mt. 

 

'India’s wheat crop is good with the current winter weather helping production further. Wheat production could be 105-108 mt,' Gupta said. 

 

The crop estimate comes despite the area under wheat dropping this year to 340.82 lakh hectares (lh) from 345.14 lh a year ago.

 

The record exports will leave India’s ending wheat stocks lower at 23 million tonnes, the USDA said. FCI data showed that as of January 1, wheat stocks were down at 33.01 mt compared with 34.29 mt a year ago. On April 1 last year, wheat stocks with FCI were 27.3 mt. 

 

Besides exports, free distribution of 5 kg wheat until March this year to the people below the poverty line to overcome any difficulty they face on account of the Covid pandemic has also resulted in the stocks dropping. The foodgrain is distributed under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. 

Backed by rains this month which helped ongoing sowing operation and served the standing crops well in most states, the overall acreage of rabi (winter sown) crops is all set to create a new record in what may eventually lead to bumper output of foodgrains for a second successive pandemic-hit year.

 

Though the acreage of wheat this season continues to be marginally less than its sown area in the corresponding period last year, the higher acreage of oilseeds and pulses may help in setting the new record. Acreage data of agriculture ministry as on last Friday showed the total sown area under rabi crop at 680 lakh hectares compared to 672 lakh hectares during corresponding period last year — an increase of over 1%. It, however, reported an increase of nearly 9% compared to normal sown area (625 lakh hectares) of rabi crops during corresponding period. The normal sown area is calculated as an average of last five years’ acreage.

 

The high acreage this year indicates the possibility of higher output of foodgrains in the 2021-22 crop year compared to previous year’s production. Although the acreage of wheat was around 4 lakh hectares less as on last Friday, pulses’ sown areas showed an increase of over 1 lakh hectares and acreage of oilseeds showed an increase of over 18 lakh hectares (23%) compared to its sown areas during corresponding period in 2019-20.

 

'Substantial increase in acreage of oilseeds is attributed to farmers’ choice in its favour which is influenced by higher hike in MSP of mustard and rapeseed. Higher sown area along with favourable weather conditions including a wet spell at appropriate time will help farmers in getting higher output in 2021-22,' said an official in agriculture ministry.

 

The ministry has already estimated higher production of kharif (summer sown) crops, including record output of paddy in 2021-22, indicating how this along with high rabi crops’ output will make the current year more productive than the previous one.

 

Total production of kharif crops in India is estimated at record 150 million tonnes (MT) which is over 12 MT higher than the average production of previous five years (2015-16 to 2019-20). As far as paddy is concerned, its output during 2021-22 is estimated at 107 MT which is over 9 MT higher than its average output of the past five years.