The recent Bournvita controversy has put the proposed norms in the spotlight amidst a larger health debate

 

The regulation proposes to rank food products from 0.5-5 stars based on their nutritional profile so that consumers can make informed decisions

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is in the process of examining thousands of responses from various stakeholders that it has received on the proposed health star ratings regulations on the front of the packet of packaged food products. The latest controversy over brand Bournvita has triggered a larger health debate on social media. It has also brought the spotlight on the proposed health star rating (HSR) regulations.

 

A senior FSSAI official said, “We have received more than 12,000 responses and comments from various stakeholders. These responses have been sent to a scientific panel, which is examining it.”

 

The food safety authority had first proposed these norms in 2018 for high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products. The regulation proposes to rank food products from 0.5-5 stars based on their nutritional profile. The food authority issued a draft on health star ratings in September, 2022 to seek stakeholders’ comments.

 

Divergent views

The draft regulations have evinced divergent views. Health activists and NGOs have been in favour of implementation of these norms with some asking for even more robust warning labels for HFSS products. On the other hand, many domestic food companies, especially MSMEs, have been stressing that the HSR in its current form will adversely impact India’s traditional and ethnic food sector.

 

“In countries such as Australia, health star ratings have been implemented in the voluntary format. In Chile, such regulations are mandatory. We will examine all aspects. We will have a detailed discussions with all stakeholders before any decisions are finalised,” the FSSAI official stated.  Once the regulations are finalised, they will be voluntary in nature for a period of four years, as per FSSAI’s proposal.

 

The District Environment Mission Team Rotary International District 3232 and Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute will jointly organise a seminar at the latter’s campus in Maduravoyal on Friday. A press release issued on Thursday said discussions on ‘Sustainable Agriculture and Talks on Sold Waste Management’, ‘People’s Participation in Environment Protection and Myths and Mists on Creating Green Wealth’ will be held on the occasion.

 

Wheat procurement in the current season was 11.14 million tonnes (mt) as of April 19, up by 12 per cent from 9.98 mt in the corresponding period last year as higher purchases were recorded in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The procurement in Punjab, the largest contributor to central pool stock, is lower so far, which may pick up after cover and plinth (CAP) storage has been allowed.

 

Nearly 12 lakh farmers have benefitted so far from the ongoing procurement season that started on April 1, with the expected outflow of ?23,663.63 crore at the minimum support price (MSP) of ?2,125/quintal.

 

As the harvesting started late this year due to unseasonal rains, farmers started bringing the crop only after it dried in the field, reducing moisture to normal, officials said. As Punjab has always seen arrivals improving after Baisakhi festival (April 14), this year, too, the daily arrivals which were 0.64 mt on April 16 increased to 0.72 mt on April 19. Millers said it would very soon go up to 1.5 mt per day.

Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKTPO) under the guidance of Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Prashant Goyal and under supervision of Managing Director JKTPO , Khalid Jahangir, organised the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) Awareness Drive for organic certification of Saffron, ODOP product of Kishtwar District in collaboration with Invest India (One District One Product) team, DPIIT, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry at District office complex here.

 

The workshop organised with the vision to provide training and certification to farmers who are already pursuing organic farming but don't have the necessary certification for their products authenticity.

 

This workshop is one of the initiatives of JKTPO for the promotion of ODOP products in Jammu and Kashmir which includes conduction of Buyer Seller meets, participation in national and international trade fairs/ exhibitions and capacity building programs. The drive will increase the export potential of saffron as organic certified products have huge international market.

 

National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) under Ministry of Commerce & Industries, Government of India involves accreditation of Certification Bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming and marketing etc.

 

The NPOP standards for production and accreditation system have been recognized by European Commission and Switzerland for unprocessed plant products as equivalent to their country standards.

 

With these recognitions, Indian organic products duly certified by the accredited certification bodies of India are accepted by the importing countries.

 

This was the second National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) Awareness Drive after Pulwama for organic certification of Saffron organized by JKTPO. The workshop was attended by more than 45 saffron producers of Kishtwar district, and more farmers will come under organic certification.

 

On this occasion, Saffron Development Officer, Kishtwar, said: 'there is a huge demand of Kishtwar saffron in India and abroad due to its unique aroma and flavour but farmers are not getting good prices due to less marketing linkages.

 

This organic certification of Saffron will boost the demand of saffron and will help to increase the income of farmers.'

India hardly exports $30 billion worth of merchandise to China, though the latter imports $2 trillion worth of goods from across the globe, said Kong Xianhua, Consul General, Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China.

 

'We are keen to promote a balanced trade with India,' the Consul General said in a statement at an interactive session organized by MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai.

 

'Indian companies should look at the Chinese market seriously by creating awareness about their local brands in the Chinese market. I invite Indian entrepreneurs to visit China and identify potential buyers for their products,' Xianhua said with the objective of exploring the huge untapped export potential for India.

 

Stating that many Chinese entrepreneurs are interested to visit India to explore new trade and investment opportunities, Xianhua said, 'I intend to facilitate bilateral exchange of trade and business delegation to promote two-way trade and investment. I also propose to organize an India-China Entrepreneur Summit in Mumbai to strengthen two-way investment.'

 

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, MVIRDC WTC Mumbai pointed out, 'Economic cooperation plays an important role in strengthening bilateral ties between India and China. India’s trade with China grew from a meager $2 billion 15 years ago to more than $150 billion. But the major cause of concern is that the official trade deficit with China is $100 billion and if we include the unofficial imports, then the total deficit runs to more than $150 billion as a lot of Chinese goods is routed to India through Hong Kong, Dubai, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and other Asian countries. In order to promote bilateral trade and reduce this deficit, both the countries need to explore actionable steps to facilitate Indian exports to China,'

 

Speaking about the role of WTC Mumbai in promoting balanced bilateral trade, Kalantri said, 'WTC Mumbai can work with the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai to bring a delegation of Chinese buyers and organize a buyer-seller meet to promote Indian exports to the Chinese market. WTC Mumbai can also recommend visas for genuine Chinese investors looking for investment opportunities in India. WTC Mumbai will also work closely with the Chinese Consulate in Mumbai to process Chinese visas for Indian businessmen. WTC Mumbai can collaborate with China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) of China to promote bilateral trade and investment. We can also collaborate with the two largest Chinese banks, viz. ICBC and Bank of China to promote their investment in Indian projects. WTC Mumbai also suggests both governments explore trade settlement mechanisms in local currency to promote bilateral trade.'

Renewing its ties with India, the popular International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) signed a five-year plan in Varanasi on Wednesday.

 

Between 2023 and 2028, the Philippines-headquartered IRRI and ICAR will work to establish a framework to develop market-oriented rice varieties with higher genetic gains, develop climate-resilient rice systems, and towards bettering rice health and nutrition.

 

The work plan was signed between Dr. Jean Balié, (IRRI director general) and Dr. Himanshu Pathak (ICAR chief) revitalising the non-profit’s 60-year-old collaboration with India. The signing event was held in the backdrop of the G20 MACS conference that concluded in the city on Wednesday.

 

'While IRRI and India’s collaboration has evolved over the years, so have the needs, expectations, and the environment of doing business in relation to what is happening in India and globally. IRRI...has been a staunch supporter of research and development to address the continuously changing challenges of the agri-food system,' said Dr Balié said on the occasion.

 

Most delegates condemn war in Ukraine

 

Most representatives from G20 member states who attended the G20 MACS in Varanasi on Wednesday, opposed and condemned the Russian aggression on Ukraine since February last year, a senior official said.

 

The chair’s summary and outcome document released on the occasion read: '...Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed that it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks. There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions.'

 

'Paragraphs 3 and 4 of this document, as taken from the G20 Bali Leaders’ Declaration (15-16 November 2022), were agreed to by all member countries except Russia and China,' it added.

Export of oilmeals from India witnessed a 103.33 per cent growth in terms of value and 82.58 per cent growth in terms of tonnage during 2022-23.

 

Data available with the Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA) of India showed that India exported 43.36 lakh tonnes (lt) of oilmeals valued Rs.11,401.30 crore during 2022-23 against 23.74 lt valued Rs.5,607.09 crore in 2021-22.

 

BV Mehta, Executive Director of SEA of India, said the export earnings went up by up by 103 per cent due to sharp increase in export of soyabean meal and rapeseed meal.

 

India exported 10.22 lt of soyabean meal valued at Rs.4,725 crore in 2022-23 against 3.72 lt valued at Rs.2,206 crore in 2021-22.

 

He said the fall in local soyabean price to the level of Rs.4,500 a quintal from the highest level of Rs.7,640 in April 2022, encouraged larger crushing and better price parity. This made export of soyabean meal attractive in the last six months.

 

Positive trends

South-East Asia is the major consumer of Indian soyabean meal where India has a logistic advantage and also can supply in small lots.

 

Mehta said the rupee depreciation is also pushing the overall export. This helped India to revive the export of soyabean meal in new crop since November 22.

 

Export of rapeseed meal increased to 22.96 lt valued Rs.5,188 crore in 2022-23 against 8.66 lt valued Rs.2,035 crore in 2021-22. India’s rapeseed meal export broke the earlier highest record export of 12.48 lt in 2011-12.

 

He said currently India is the most competitive supplier of rapeseed meal to South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and other Far-East countries. The better realisation from rapeseed (mustard) oil and the export of rapeseed meal not only supported the domestic price of mustard seed but also encouraged higher coverage under the mustard crop during the last rabi season.

 

Major importers

South Korea imported 9.14 lt of oilmeals from India during 2022-23 (compared with 6.43 lt in 2021-22). This included 6.15 lt of rapeseed meal, 2.58 lt of castor seed meal, and 39,928 tonnes of soyabean meal.

 

India exported 10.29 lt (6.09 lt) of oilmeals to Vietnam during 2022-23. This included 4.01 lt of rice bran extraction, 2.89 lt of rapeseed meal, 3.32 lt of soyabean meal and 5,877 tonnes of groundnut meal.

 

Thailand imported 7.80 lt of oilmeals from India during 2022-23 (1.51 lt in 2021-22). This included 7.05 lt of rapeseed meal, 58,067 tonnes of soyabean meal, 4,038 tonnes of groundnut meal, 11,208 tonnes of rice bran extraction, and 954 tonnes of castorseed meal.

Along with the famous white Brinjal of Ramnagar, the famous Langda mango has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. As per the latest list of GI & Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) 11 items from Uttar Pradesh have been given the tag. During the COVID-19 period, GI applications were filed for 20 UP based products in collaboration with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

 

Out of this, 11 could manage to get the prestigious GI tag which included seven products that come under the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme of UP government and four food items from the Varanasi region.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar today launched the SATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory) Portal and Mobile App, a Centralized Online System for seed traceability, authentication and inventory designed to deal with the challenges of seed production, quality seed identification and seed certification. It has been developed by the NIC in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on the theme of ‘Uttam Beej – Samriddh Kisan’. On this occasion, Shri Tomar said that the Government of India is constantly trying to overcome the challenges and difficulties faced by Agriculture sector through various schemes and programmes. SATHI portal is an important step in this direction. When its use starts right to the grassroot level, it will prove to be a revolutionary step in the field of agriculture.

 

Chief guest Union Minister Shri Tomar said that Agriculture is of great importance to India. This importance has increased in the changing scenario. Earlier, we had only the aim of fulfilling our needs in agriculture, but at present the expectations of the world are also increasing from India. In such a situation, it is our responsibility to help feed the world while dealing with all the challenges of agriculture, climate change etc. Shri Tomar said that seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation play a major role in agriculture. Inferior quality or spurious seeds affect the growth of agriculture. This causes loss to the farmers, it also affects the agricultural production of the country. It has been said from time to time that we should devise such a system so that the market of spurious seeds is checked and quality seeds reach the farmers, for this the SATHI portal has been launched today. In this era of climate change, new types of pests are affecting the crops, on which agricultural scientists should focus their research to eradicate the menace. If we are able to save this loss, then we can save 20 percent of the entire agricultural production.

 

Union Minister Shri Tomar said that the first phase of SATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic) portal has just been launched. He directed the officials to ensure that the second phase does not take long. Efforts should be made to increase awareness so that the farmers get full benefit from it. There will be a QR code under this system, through which the seeds can be traced. Training should be imparted through Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Krishi Vigyan Kendras and State Governments. He urged all the states to join the Seed Traceability System.

 

SATHI portal will ensure quality assurance system, identify the source of seed in the seed production chain. The system will consist of integrated 7 verticals of the seed chain - Research Organisation, Seed Certification, Seed Licensing, Seed Catalogue, Dealer to Farmer Sales, Farmer Registration and Seed DBT. Seeds with valid certification can only be sold by valid licensed dealers to centrally registered farmers who will receive subsidy through DBT directly into their pre-validated bank accounts.

 

Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Manoj Ahuja, Joint Secretary (Seed) Shri Pankaj Yadav and other officers were present in the programme, while key officials of the States and ICAR joined through video conference.

The Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) of G20 nations on 'Sustainable Agriculture and Food System for Healthy People and Planet' concluded successfully at Varanasi today.

 

General (Dr.) V K Singh (Retd.), Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Road Transport and Highways inaugurated meeting on 17th April 2023.

 

About 80 delegates from G20 Member States; Invited Guest Countries, International Organizations participated in the meeting.

 

Dr.Himanshu Pathak, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR) chaired the meeting for three days (17-19 April 2023).

 

The discussions were focused on Innovations and Technological Interventions for Agri-Food Systems Transformation, Frontiers in Science and Technology for Achieving Food Security & Nutrition, Biofortification in Food Crops for Enhancing Nutritional Value, Tropical Seaweed Farming for nutrition and blue growth, Millets And otHer Ancient Grains International Research Initiative (MAHARISHI), One Health as an Integrated and Unifying Approach: Partnerships and strategies for coordinated action, Transboundary Pests and Diseases: R&D Priorities for resilient agri-food systems, Climate Resilient Technologies and Innovations for sustainable agri-food systems, Nature-Positive Agriculture: Science and Innovations for building resilient agri-food system, Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI): Reducing GHS emissions and increasing crop yields.

 

Digital Agriculture and Traceability, Digital Technological Solutions for reducing Food Loss and Waste, Agri-tech Startup Ecosystem, Pluralistic Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (EAS): partnerships for improving lab to land and outreach, Smallholder and Family Farming: G20- Global South Cooperation forAgri-R&D, Public-private Agri-R&D for Public Goods: Experience in Generating and Accelerating Innovations.

 

The meeting adopted chair summary cum outcome document focussing on major area of cooperation in agricultural research and development for food security and nutrition, digital agriculture, resilient agri food systems and public private partnership in agricultural R&D.  MACS 2023 also supported launching of MAHARISHI which inter-alia will include.

 

Establish mechanisms to connect researchers and institutions working on identified grain crops to enhance the dissemination of research findings, and identify research gaps and needs.

Establish web platforms to connect researchers, exchange data, share communication products and thematic briefs to encourage research and information sharing.

Organize capacity-building activities and international workshops and conferences.

Performance identification and recognition to scientists

MAHARISHI secretariat shall be housed at Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad with technical support from ICRISAT, One CGIAR Centres and other International organisations.

 

On the sidelines of G20 MACS, bilateral meetings were held with France, United Kingdom, Argentina and Germany for future collaboration in agriculture research.

 

The bilateral meeting was also held with Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy . In the meeting Dr. Pathak emphasized that the FAO and ICAR may develop collaborations for strengthening extension service through KVKs.Dr. Ishmahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist, FAO also expressed keen interest in extending cooperation in extension service. Dr. Selvaraju Ramasamy, Senior Agriculture Officer, FAO also joined the meeting.

 

Indo-German bilateral meeting discussed to address the challenges of Food Loss and Waste Prevention targeting SAARC Region.

 

The Government made arrangements to give a taste of the unique experience of India’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage to the foreign delegates arriving at Varanasi. The state government and district administration made a very exhaustive and grand arrangements for providing the basic amenities for the movement of delegates as well as showcasing the cultural heritage and local folks to the delegates arrived at Varanasi from developed and developing countries across the world.

 

During the course of the meeting, the delegates were taken on a cruise ride to witness the scintillating view of Ganga Aarti followed by a Welcome dinner and cultural program is organized at Taj Ganges. The delegates were also taken to Sarnath. They were given a guided tour of ASI Museum and Buddha Stupa and also witnessed the Light and Sound show. Subsequently, the Cultural Performance for delegates were arranged at the serene surroundings of the Buddha Theme Park.

 

The Delegates visited Trade Facilitation Centre on 19th April 2023 and had a glimpse of textile history of the city along with live demonstrations of the local artisans making their products. A small exhibition of leading institutions of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State Agriculture Department, IRRI-SARC including other organisations such as NDDB, APEDA was also organized at TFC. The delegates were shown live preparations of millets dishes at the venue. Thereafter, Farewell Dinner and cultural performances was organized.

 

The MACS Chair Dr. Himanshu Pathak thanked all the delegates for their participation & contribution and handed over the MACS Presidency to Brazil.