Barkat was speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry's India Israel Business Forum in Delhi. He is bringing a delegation of Israeli businessmen to India for a series of talks with business and government figures. Barkat stated that the Israel-India FTA will be discussed with Indian ministers later on Monday.

 

'The FTA should cover a wide range of topics, including Agrotech and health care. India's economy is growing to become the world's third largest. What I see here is a huge mutual opportunity, and we're here to take advantage of it,' Barkat explained.

 

'Take a look at the chip industry; Israel is very strong in this industry and has a lot to offer. We should take a serious look at how to co-develop ideas; there are a lot of joint ventures here,' he said, emphasizing the need of pushing for semiconductors, which are included in almost every modern electrical product.

 

'We are going to focus on issues and business clusters in which Israel has a competitive advantage, one of which I found that there is interest here, which we call desert technologies to improve quality of life in deserts, managing water, creating water, saving water, creating energy from the sun from the wind in a distributed way, and that tailors to deserts food production agrotech creating food from the sea using hydroponics.'

Four international airports in Kerala shipped a total of 14,898.305 ton of various products from January to March this year. This included fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, meat, eggs, and coconut.

 

In March alone, 5,265.503 ton of products were exported through the Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Kannur airports. Exports of unprocessed food products and vegetables have increased since the Covid lockdowns. The lion's share of exports from Kerala going to Gulf countries, as well as the UK, Ireland, and the US, among other markets.

 

Approximately 39 percent of the state's airport exports go through Kochi International Airport (CIAL), with 5,807.947 ton of products exported through CIAL from January to March. Exports via CIAL increased by 24.2 percent in March compared to January. In contrast, Thiruvananthapuram airport shipped 3,520.11 ton, Kozhikode airport shipped 3,645.88 ton, and Kannur airport shipped 975.80 ton of products.

 

Exporters complain of space constraints at airports other than Kochi. The ban on non-scheduled foreign cargo flights at Kerala airports, along with the lack of cold storage facilities in and around the airports adversely affect exports. Exports are carried out on passenger flights in limited quantities, which forces exporters to depend on airports in Bengaluru and Chennai.

 

Fruits and vegetables make up 85 percent of Kerala's four airport exports, with 12,795.075 tons shipped during January-March. Additionally, 66.135 tons of eggs and 529.139 tons of fish products were exported during this period. There was a considerable increase in egg exports during this time, with most going to Gulf countries, particularly Oman.

 

The United States becoming India's largest trading partner is a testament to the strengthening of bilateral ties between the two democracies, a prominent Indian American Congressman has said, underlining that the partnership increases both the prosperity and security of the two nations and the broader world.

These remarks were made by Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on Tuesday in response to recent news that the US has emerged as India's biggest trading partner in 2022-23 on account of increasing economic ties between the two countries.

 

According to the provisional data of India's Commerce Ministry, the bilateral trade between India and the US has increased by 7.65 per cent to USD 128.55 billion in 2022-23 as against USD 119.5 billion in 2021-22. It was USD 80.51 billion in 2020-21.

The rapid growth of trade between the United States and India is a testament to the ties between our democracies growing stronger as our partnership increases both the prosperity and the security of our nations and the broader world, Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, said.

 

Even as the United States has become India's largest trading partner, it is essential that we continue to recognise the enormous potential for further growth to strengthen both of our economies and create American jobs, Krishnamoorthi said.

America is one of the few countries with which India has a trade surplus. In 2022-23, India had a trade surplus of USD 28 billion with the US.

Millets make a debut at the Konkan fruit fest this year — the year that celebrates this grain — with a fruit and millet dish competition.

 

Participants can get any homemade product that has at least one millet and fruit, or nut as the key ingredient. The dish has to be prepared by the contestant and have a portion size of 200ml or 250gm.

 

Even the fancy dress contest this year will permit participants to dress in the millet theme.

 

The Konkan Fruit Fest will be held from April 21 to 23 from 10am to 8pm at the Francisco Luis Gomes garden, Campal, Panaji.

 

Honey farmers will also debut at the event, with this year’s edition hosting the best honey competition for the first time. Participants have to present home-produced honey in a 100ml glass jar. The quantity of honey should not be more than 50gm. On the label, participants must mention the location from which the honey was collected. Only two types, Apis cerena indica and Trigona spp, will be accepted in the contest.

 

The spotlight will also be on the tender jack fruit (TJF), identified under One District, One Product of PM-FME program for North Goa.

 

'The Konkan Fruit Fest seeks to give it a boost,' said founding member of the Botanical Society of Goa, Miguel Braganca. 'One multi product fruit processing unit has been set up at Pale-Velguem for the same under the CSR of Goa Shipyard Ltd,' he added.

 

Berries like jamun, kanttam (Indian cherry), churna, amboram (mulberry), charam (charoli), and kokum (garcinia) will also be in focus, along with other summer fruits like the bull’s heart (anona).

The proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between Israel and India should be as wide as possible to enable more and more trade as it brings people together, Israel's Minister of Economy and Industry M K Nir Barkat said on Tuesday. The minister said he will hold discussions with the Indian side regarding an FTA between the two countries, negotiations for which have been going on for over a decade.

 

'As a government to government I am going to be proposing to your ministers to naturally expand the free trade agreement, focus on business development in a smart way, share knowledge and experience as much as possible,' Barkat said at a CII event during his visit here.

 

He said both sides will have to focus on complementary areas for the proposed free trade deal where India and Israel hold a competitive advantage.

 

'It (FTA) should be as wide as possible to enable more and more trade as free trade brings the people together,' Barkat said.

 

He added that Isreal has a lot to offer in sectors like agrotech, healthtech and foodtech and it translates into a lot of trade from both directions. 'So from my perspective, we are coming as open as possible,' the minister said.

 

The minister also wished that India and Israel double trade every two years. Replying to media queries on the event's sidelines, Barkat described the idea of I2U2 grouping of India, Israel, UAE and the US as 'really smart'.

 

'I think that the more time will flow you will see that the relationship and the bonding has a lot to offer because the UAE and Israel are small but well positioned. The American and the Indian economies are large and very complementary,' he said.

 

On alternate plans in the context of Chinese supply chain constraints and Russian sanctions, he said, geopolitical challenges in the world enable more creativity and more development. The minister said he sees a huge mutual opportunity in India, adding, 'We are here to exploit it'.

The Indian government, on Tuesday, said it estimates maize output to increase by 10 million tonnes (mt) over the next five years if the growing demand for ethanol production and poultry industry has to be met.

 

Inaugurating India Maize Summit, organised by FICCI, Union Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja stressed the need to cut down losses in the entire value chain of maize in a systematic manner.

 

'Currently, maize production is in the range of 33-34 mt. We need a quantity jump in maize to 44-45 mt in the next five years in order to meet the rising demand for ethanol and the poultry industry,' Ahuja said. As the potential is high to achieve the target, making better seed availability, providing storage and marketing linkages, public and private partnerships should be the focus when agriculture is threatened by climate change impact, he said.

 

As per the second advance estimates, maize production in 2022-23 crop year (July-June) is estimated at a record 34.61 mt against 33.73 mt the previous year. But, a YES Bank-FICCI report released on the occasion said the production will likely fall (from the current level) to 34.21 mt in 2026 and marginally improve to 37.02 mt in 2031.

 

Support for value chain

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar said the State government is ready to support private players that are keen to invest in the value chain of maize, especially ethanol. 'If companies are keen to invest in the maize value chain, we are ready to support as this will empower our farmers,' he said.

 

The sugar sector, in the last season, contributed over 80 per cent of ethanol supplied to oil marketing companies (OMCs) under the ethanol-blending programme, while the remaining 20 per cent came from grain-based plants. Many grain-based plants use rice as their feedstock as it is cheaper than maize. The government provides rice for ethanol at subsidised rate of Rs.20/kg.

 

Currently, the country has the total capacity to produce 1,082 crore litres of ethanol per annum, out of which 723 crore litres (67 per cent) are installed by sugar mills and others to be produced from molasses and 359 crore litres (33 per cent) from grain-based plants. Some sugar mills have dual-feed ethanol plants, which allow them to shift to grains in case there is lower availability of sugarcane.

 

Sattar said Maharashtra has the second highest number of sugar mills in the country after UP, and maize can be used for ethanol making in the State as this would enhance the income of the farmers, he said. Further, he said private companies are welcome to set up warehouses in Maharashtra as maize growers would be benefitted by keeping their stocks to sell at the appropriate time when prices improve.

The second day of G20 MACS (Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists) witnessed deliberations on 'digital agriculture and sustainable agri value chain' and 'public-private partnership in agricultural research' between delegations of India and France, in Varanasi on Tuesday.

 

According to an official communiqué, one of the sessions discussed India’s Millets and Other Ancient Grains International Research Initiative (MAHARISHI) initiative. Representatives from the G20 countries and international organisations supported the initiative by stating that international research cooperation was pivotal for the promotion and adoption of millets.

 

Dr Himanshu Pathak, secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, and Philippe Mauguin, chair and CEO of France’s INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment) led their respective delegations in the bilateral meeting between India and France.

 

Both countries expressed keen interest in cooperation in the areas of climate change, crop diversification, soil and water conservation, natural farming, and biofortified crops.

 

The discussion on 'digital agriculture' was led by Dr. Pathak.

 

Earlier, in a bilateral meeting with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Dr Pathak emphasised that the extension service through Krishi Vigyan Kendras to farmers would be a key area for cooperation.

 

FAO’s Dr. Ishmahane Elouafi (chief scientist) and Dr Selvaraju Ramasamy (senior agriculture officer) recognized India’s strength in the seed sector.

 

The delegates also visited Saranath to witness a light and sound show in the evening. About 80 foreign delegates from G20 member states, international organizations and special Invitees are participating in the meeting.

 

Public-private alliance can strengthen agri sector: Expert

 

'Public-private partnerships have emerged as an effective way to address the challenges in agriculture. These partnerships can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of research and development by combining the strengths and resources of both the sectors,' observed Dr Jean Balié, the director general, of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines.

 

Dr Balie was speaking at a session during the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) in Varanasi on the second day of the three-day event on Tuesday. The meeting discussed the conditions, gaps, best practices, and opportunities for effective public-private partnerships in agricultural research and development.

 

Dr Balié drew the guests’ attention to IRRI’s efforts and experiences in generating innovations and accelerating impact.

 

'Private sector involvement can provide the necessary funding and expertise to develop, commercialise, and scale new technologies and innovations. Moreover, partnerships can promote knowledge sharing and capacity building, thus enhancing the overall productivity and sustainability of the agricultural sector,' he added.

 

IRRI works toward finding solutions for the world’s biggest challenges and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

South Korea’s state-backed Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. has issued an international tender to purchase an estimated 43,500 tonnes of rice, European traders said on Monday.

 

It should be sourced from Thailand and Vietnam, they said.

 

The tender seeks non-glutinous brown long grain rice and short grain rice in a series of consignments for arrival in South Korea in 2023 between July 1 and Sept. 30, they said.

 

The deadline for submissions of price offers in the tender is April 25.

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Russian Deputy PM Denis Manturov on Tuesday explored measures to push increase trade turnover which recorded unprecedented growth and touched 45 billion USD.

 

'Trade turnover between Russia & India exceeded 35 bn USD,' stated Russian Deputy PM & Minister of Industry & Trade, Co-Chairman of Indo-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical & Cultural Cooperation during his meeting with Jaishankar here on Tuesday. According to Jaishankar for the period April, 2022 - February, 2023, the trade is actually about USD 45 billion and the expectation is that this will continue to grow.

 

During the meeting the two sides discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, finance, industry, energy sector, including nuclear power, agriculture, transport, healthcare, education & culture.

 

Manturov also met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman whom he knows since her days as Defence and Commerce Minister. The Russian Deputy PM also met Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and the two focussed on collaboration in shipbuilding, metallurgy and railways. Russia is assisting India to create 120 Bande Bharat trains.

 

Earlier on Monday Manturov and Jaishankar met with representatives of the Russian and Indian businesses at a closed door business Forum.

 

The business forum participants had discussed issues of further enhancement of the Russian-Indian practical cooperation, including within the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC).

 

He also spoke about the measures taken to strengthen Russia's technological sovereignty.

 

Indian business representatives got acquainted with a new measure of support — a cluster investment platform, which can be applied in joint projects. It provides soft loans for the development and manufacturing of priority products, subsidies for pilot batches, preferences for insurance premiums and income tax.

 

Manturov noted that there is no goal to completely replace everything. 'We will rely on trusted foreign partners. We will make every effort to expand our cooperation ties. To exchange competence and experience in the most promising technological areas,' he stressed.

 

During the Forum on Monday, Jaishankar noted, 'I would like our Russian friends to appreciate that you can see there are big changes which are going on. There is a "Make in India" initiative which is aimed at promoting greater manufacturing capacities. And we are determined to make India a major global manufacturing hub. …And I think it should be of interest definitely to our Russian friends,' Jaishankar said, adding, 'I also want to specially emphasize the opportunities for joint projects in the "Make in India – Make for the World' format. And Russia is known for its technology strengths; and India today is focussing on production scaling and product distribution. So, even our traditional areas infact could benefit from this, but clearly there are third country market implications here, which our companies should be looking at.'

 

He went on to add, 'Our partnership today is a subject of attention and comment, not because it has changed, but because it has not. Indeed, it has been among the steadiest of the major relationships of the world in the contemporary era. But that by itself is not enough. We share a commitment to a multi-polar world. And that also means a multi-polar Asia. Russia is today looking much more towards Asia, a reassessment from its traditional focus. For India, this could mean a broadening out of our engagement that was overly reliant on the triad of military, nuclear and space cooperation. For Russia also, it presents a broader set of options.'

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of UN has recognized India’s strength in the seed sector which it would be useful to other countries, said a statement from the union agriculture ministry.

 

Earlier in the morning, a bilateral meeting was conducted with FAO. Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR), Himanshu Pathak, who is also the MACS Chair, led the discussions and emphasized that the extension service through KVK to farmers would be a very important area of cooperation. 

 

FAO representatives also expressed keen interest in extending cooperation in extension service. 

 

'Ishmahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist, FAO, and Selvaraju Ramasamy, Senior Agriculture Officer, FAO participated in the meeting. They recognized India’s strength in the seed sector, which will be very useful to other countries,' the ministry said.

 

Later in the evening the delegates visited the archaeological site and ASI Museum at Sarnath and witnessed the light and sound show.

 

The three-day G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) with the theme, 'Sustainable Agriculture and Food System for Healthy People and Planet' is underway at Varanasi. The Meeting was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and Road Transport and Highways, General (Dr.) V K Singh (Retd) yesterday.

 

A session was conducted to discuss India’s initiative on Millets and Other Ancient Grains International Research Initiative (MAHARISHI). The representatives of G20 Nations, invited countries and International Organisations supported the MAHARISHI Initiative and expressed that millets being climate a smart crop and super health food, the International Research cooperation is pivotal for its promotion and adoption.

 

Himanshu Pathak and Philippe Mauguin, Chair & CEO, INRAE - National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (France) led their respective delegation in the bilateral meeting between India and France.

 

Both countries expressed keen interest in cooperation in the areas of climate change, crop diversification, soil & water conservation, natural farming and biofortified crops.

 

Last evening the delegates experienced Ganga Arati on a river cruise through the Ganges followed by an exhilarating cultural programme.

 

About 80 foreign delegates from the G20 member states, invited guest countries, international organizations and special invitees by India are participating in the three day meeting.

 

On the concluding day on 19 April, 2023 discussion on MACS Communique will continue.