The Government, with its Digital India Programme initiative, has emphasized that computerization is the fuel for growth and helps the public machinery to efficiently and uniformly spread the outreach of various schemes run by the Government. The Department of F&PD strives to tap the benefits of automation in its various endeavours, especially following the principal that every ounce of foodgrains saved through scientific storage techniques should be considered as grain produced.

 

The Department of Food and Public Distribution under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution with its principal agency, FCI, has developed a roadmap to roll out Online Storage Management (OSM) in the country. The OSM envisages putting in place a single source of information for the food grains stored in the country for central pool through integrating State portals with the central portal.

 

The OSM will develop an ecosystem of storage management applications across the DCP States, each being capable of capturing the Minimum Storage Specifications (MSS).  These MSSs , which have been identified through intense and elaborate discussions with the concerned States and FCI are : capability to compute storage capacity , depict storage point-wise stock position (crop year-wise break up of stocks held , depiction of OB, issues and CB), stack-wise, truck-wise linkage (stack wise details of stock position , truck wise information ), quality parameters (infestation details , treatment details). This would help in route optimization for distribution as well.

 

In a meeting held on 21st Jan’22, under the Chairmanship of Secretary (Food), Govt. of India and attended by Food Secretaries of all DCP States, FCI made a presentation on the progress in the initiative. During the presentation, it was emphasized that the States shall build their respective portals in a collaborative mode, to ensure that the best practices can be imbibed and disseminated among the States.

 

In the meeting, the sixteen (16) States (viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal) have reassured of their commitment to develop/implement storage management applications with MSSs and integrate them with the central portal.

 

This exercise, expected to be completed by Mar’22, will improve efficiency and transparency in stocking, storage, movement and distribution of foodgrains. It will help in driving down costs of food storage and distribution by checking leakages in the entire process. It will also enable the Government with readily available information for both monitoring and fast-paced decision making to benefit the stakeholders, especially PDS consumer whose welfare is the priority of the government.

The negotiations between India and the UK to strike a free trade agreement (FTA), which was launched last week, will conclude quickly due to an 'absolute agreement' at the senior political level, the Mayor for the West Midlands region of England has said.

 

Andy Street, who is in charge of the West Midlands Combined Authority that covers some of England's major industrial hubs of Birmingham and Coventry, expects his region to hugely benefit from such an FTA.

 

The UK's Department for International Trade (DIT) confirmed on Thursday that the FTA talks kick-started virtually on Monday and the first round is expected to last two weeks.

 

Last week, UK International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan met her Indian counterpart Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi to formally flag off the negotiations. While their joint statement sets an end of the year timeline for conclusion of negotiations, there is much speculation that such discussions are likely to drag on much further.

 

'These things tend to be rather longer than one would wish,' Andy Street told PTI.

 

'But I think there's a critical ingredient here: there seems to me to be absolute agreement at the senior political level that this has got to happen as quickly as possible. It is surprising how that can unlock these deals more quickly than otherwise. So, I think this will go very, very quickly,' he said.

 

The mayor for the region that is dubbed the automotive capital of the UK, being home to the country's largest car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), believes the trade talks with India hold out great tariff-free promise for the West Midlands.

 

He said: 'The big picture is that within the overall UK-India relationship there's a real opportunity for the West Midlands to build a strong trading relationship. We've already got a very good relationship because our single biggest company, Jaguar Land Rover, is owned by Tata.

 

'So, there's an incredible Indian investment here and what we believe is that there'll be many, many more opportunities particularly in sectors where we are very strong - automotive, net zero - overlap perfectly with the Indian economy.'

 

With its automotive cluster, 50 per cent of the research and development (R&D) for the sector is done in and around Birmingham.

 

'This is the region that will gain most. We've seen JLR turning to electric and also electric taxis being built, there's electric motorcycles. So, this sector is becoming really, really strong here. Of course, the absence of tariffs with India will enable us to really work with the innovators,' said the Mayor.

 

According to official statistics, the West Midlands is second after London and the south east of England in terms of inward investments from India. Besides JLR, some of the other Indian companies located in the region include software services major Infosys and TVS Motors, which recently acquired Birmingham-based Norton Motorcycles.

 

'We are very confident that we have got the strength that we can build on the back of that FTA. But it doesn't stop businesses developing before an FTA is done. We've got big aspirations at the moment with a number of Indian companies, Infosys being one, where we are expecting to do an investment deal well before we move to the formality of the FTA,' said Street.

 

As the force behind the creation of the West Midlands India Partnership (WMIP) last year to build on the strong Indian diaspora base of the region, the businessman-turned-politician flagged trade, tourism, business and academia as the areas with 'huge opportunities to do more'.

 

With a firm focus on the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for July-August in Birmingham, the region's Mayor expressed his excitement at playing host as a 'good part of the world' comes together with full stadiums and spectators in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The baton for the 2022 Games was in New Delhi to coincide with Trevelyan's visit to flag off the FTA talks.

 

'You think of 2022, for the West Midlands the high point will be the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on July 28. I would extend an invitation to India because it will very much tell the story of a part of the world that is very proud of its links with India and other Commonwealth countries,' said Street.

 

'We are looking forward to about a million visitors and about a billion people observing this on television, the biggest audience being in India. This is a perfect way to showcase to Indians, who understand the UK very well given the strength of the diaspora, how a region not always in the limelight has developed and what it offers. I hope it encourages more leisure visits and also business visits in the future,' he said.

The area under coarse or nutri cereals has declined by over one lakh hectares as on January 14 during the current rabi season. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, sowing of coarse cereal crops such as maize, barley, jowar, ragi and bajra has been completed on 47.82 lakh hectares (lh), compared with 48.91 lh during the same period a year ago. Normally the area under coarse cereals during the rabi season is 56.05 lh.   Data show that while farmers have shown preference for maize and barley this year, they are losing interest in other crops such as jowar, bajra and ragi. 

 

Sujay Rakshit, director of Ludhiana-based Indian Institute of Maize Research, told BusinessLine that maize production is good during rabi than kharif. 'The maximum coverage is in States such as Bihar, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Cultivation of maize is increasing rapidly in West Bengal and the yield is increasing in Bihar and West Bengal,' said Rakshit. He said more farmers are favouring maize over rice because rice needs excess water. Maize, on the other hand, needs just 3-4 rounds of irrigation.

 

?'The feed industry is importing from maize-growing States. For example, Punjab has been importing maize from Bihar and West Bengal. This season we expect good yield across maize-growing States,' Rakshit added.

 

A trade analyst said maize production will be good in Tamil Nadu too.

 

Weather play 

With prices in the mandis looking up, the area under maize will increase in States such as West Bengal, where it had increased in 2020 after jute prices dropped sharply.  Currently, quality kharif maize is arriving in southern India, say traders.

 

According to Suresh Singh Chauhan, General Manager, AMDD Foods Private Ltd, the area under maize in Bihar could have increased but for the untimely rains. 'Rains affected maize sowing to some extent, leading to farmers planting wheat,' he said.

 

?Mukesh Singh, Director of Mumbai-based MuBala Agro, said maize production could be affected this year as cold weather might impact the quality of the crop. 'The weather is colder than usual this year and it could affect the growth of the grain in the pod,' he said.

 

In Gujarat, the area under maize has been recorded at 88,715 hectares against the three-year average of 1.08 lh, down 18 per cent. Compared with last year, sowing is marginally lower, though crop prospects may be affected due to unseasonal rains.

 

In Maharashtra, about 2.75 lh are under maize cultivation.

 

Lack of good yield, returns

In Telangana, maize — generally grown in about ?1.75?lh — has been sown on?0.95?lh as of now. This is a tad lower than the as-on-date acreage of?1.12?lh last year.? Asked why farmers have not opted for millets and maize as they are desperately looking for good alternatives to paddy this season, S Malla Reddy, a leader of All-India Kisan Sabha, said millets did not offer good yield or returns. 'They get hardly 2-3 quintals an acre. It is not encouraging for them,' he said. He, however, feels that maize might gain a bit. 'There is still time for sowing,' he said. 

 

Other cereals

A huge drop in paddy area in the rabi season has not benefited coarse cereals in any way in Telangana. The three main crops of maize, jowar and bajra could, at the most, match the normal average acreage, going by the latest figures compiled by the State’s agriculture department. 

 

While the area under most other rabi crops has surged, coarse or nutri cereals — particularly sorghum (jowar) and maize — have reported a dip in Gujarat.

 

'Prices weren’t attractive for jowar and maize last year. And there were alternative crops such as wheat and chana, which prompted many farmers to shift away from nutri cereals,' said Ramesh Bhoraniya, a farmer from Rajkot district. 'More unseasonal rains are expected later this week in north and central Gujarat districts. Hence, there could be some impact on the maize crop,' said a district agriculture officer in central Gujarat. 

 

Cereals including bajra (pearl millet) and ragi (finger millet) saw higher cultivation at a combined 9,509 hectares, up 6 per cent from the average of 8,987 hectares, in the western State. Gujarat’s sorghum cultivation was recorded at 14,255 hectares as of January 17, 2022, against the three-year average of 24,494 hectares, showing a drop of 42 per cent. 

 

Of the over 56 lakh hectares under rabi, coarse or nutri cereals account for over 22 lh in Maharashtra. This season, 13.51 lh in the State are under jowar. Other cereals make up 0.11 lakh hectares.

 

Jowar area down

In Karnataka, jowar acreage is lower compared with last year, as farmers continue to shift to other remunerative crops such as pulses. Jowar acreage as on January 13 stood at 7.31 lh, compared with 7.64 lh in the same period a year ago. Also, the acreage is lower than the target of 8.35 lh set by the State government. Over the past five years, jowar acreage in Karnataka has declined 27 per cent, from 10.05 lh in 2017-18 to 7.31 lh this year. 

 

'Farmers are opting out of jowar due to the lack of economic viability and are shifting to other remunerative crops such as bengal gram,' said Hanumanagouda Belagurki, Chairman, Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission (KAPC). Also, the lack of mechanisation for jowar, especially for harvesting, is another factor against it. 

 

In a recent report, KAPC had asked the Karnataka Government to increase jowar procurement to five lakh tonnes for distribution through ration shops. Belagurki said distributing nutri cereals such as jowar will not only help address food security but also nutritional security. 

 

Andhra Pradesh seems to be lagging in sowing coarse cereals — 1.51 lh against 2.38 lh last year. In a normal year, the State grows coarse cereals in 3.19 lh, including 1.90 lh of maize and 1.14 lh of jowar. 

 

(With inputs from KV Kurmanath, Hyderabad; Rutam Vora, Ahmedabad; Vishwanath Kulkarni, Bengaluru; Prabhudatta Mishra, New Delhi; and Subramani Ra Mancombu, Chennai)

 

This is the fourth report of the five-part series on rabi crops outlook

South-East Asian countries, particularly Vietnam and Malaysia, continue to buy Indian corn (maize) in a big way as the commodity’s prices have declined from the highs seen in July 2021.

 

'Vietnam and Malaysia are buying Indian corn in good volume but we are not getting any good margin as prices have declined,' said M Madan Prakash, President of Agri Commodities Exporters Association (ACEA). 

 

Recently, his firm, Rajathi Group, shipped out 500 tonnes of corn to Vietnam at $303 (?22,500) a tonne cost and freight Ho Chi Minh after sourcing it from Maharashtra at ?17,500. 

 

Rupee gains over dollar

 

'Vietnam has turned a huge buyer of Indian corn to feed chickens. The firming of the rupee has also affected the margins for exporters,' said S Chandrasekaran, a New Delhi-based trade analyst.

 

Over the past month, the Indian rupee has gained 1.7 per cent over the US dollar. On Thursday, the Indian rupee was 74.4 to the dollar. 

 

On Wednesday, corn futures on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) bounced back over $6 per bushel-mark as Brazil reported its crop lower than the estimates made in December. March corn futures ended at $6.11 a bushel (?17,850 a tonne). 

 

In July 2021, corn futures had topped $6.6 a bushel before declining to below $6 after China lower its estimate for consumption this season. 

 

Price hurdles in Bangladesh

 

'Exports of corn at higher prices are not possible. Right now, we are fulfilling the old deals we signed,' said Bimal Bengani, Managing Director of Kolkata-based trading house Bengani Food Products Pvt Ltd. 

 

Corn exporters are facing price hurdles particularly in Bangladesh, which had bought a good volume from India. 'With Bangladesh, we are now facing problem of costs,' said Mukesh Singh, Director of Mumbai-based MuBala Agro.

 

'Rates have dropped in Bangladesh, though it is continuing to buy from India,' said Bimal Bengani. Exports to Bangladesh were earlier struck at $300-320 a tonne free-on-board. Shipments to Dhaka are mainly done by road. 

 

According to Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) data, India exported 22.46 lakh tonnes (lt) of other cereals, mainly maize, during the April-November period of the current fiscal compared with 30.26 lt during the entire 2020-21 fiscal. 

 

A comparison of corn shipments in the first half shows that they are up nearly seven lt. 

 

Domestic prices gain

 

Country-wise, Bangladesh is the No. 1 importer of Indian corn at 8.79 lt during April-November this fiscal, followed by Vietnam, which purchased 6.63 lakh tonnes and Nepal, which imported 4.03 lt. 

 

'Since there is not much parity, we export only to keep our buyers in good humour,' said ACEA’s Prakash.

 

MuBala’s Singh said exporters are nowing having to pay a higher price for corn in the domestic market. 'Earlier, we used to get at ?14,000-15,000 a tonne, but now prices have increased to ?17,000-18,000,' he said. 

 

The quality of maize from southern States and Maharashtra is, however, good, say exporters. 

 

Last month, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University said in a price advisory that going by an analysis of past 16 'historical prices', corn prices could rule at ?17,000-18,000 in January 2022. 

 

'Bangladesh is getting wheat at a more competitive rate, affecting corn,' said Singh, adding that Indian exporters have now begun testing the market in the Gulf. 

 

Other options

 

'Our corn is now going to Dubai too. I sent two containers and the quality required in that market is at par with what Vietnam wants or slightly lower,' he said. 

 

Chandrasekaran said countries such as Vietnam had the option to look at broken rice if corn prices were to gain. Over the past two years, Vietnam and China have been buying Indian rice to fulfill their feed demand.

 

Broken rice is available around $300 a tonne from India and it has made up over 90 per cent of total non-Basmati rice exports to China in 2021.

 

With rabi corn production expected to be good, domestic prices could ease a bit. 

 

India’s corn exports hit a six-year high last fiscal after over 35 lt were shipped out during 2014-15. 

Turkey's state grain board TMO has started making provisional purchases of wheat in an international tender which closed on Tuesday with about 175,000 tonnes initially bought, traders said.

 

The tender seeks 335,000 tonnes and more purchases are expected later on Tuesday.

 

The tonnages purchased in TMO’s tenders are provisional and still subject to final confirmation in coming days. Purchases can be reduced or cancelled completely.

 

Red milling wheat of 12.5% and 13.5% protein content is sought in a series of consignments to several Turkish ports.

 

Both imports and wheat already in warehouses in Turkey can be offered in the tender. Traders said some export houses have been shipping Russian wheat into Turkey in advance of sales to escape repeated increases in Russia's export taxes.

 

Traders reported these provisional purchases with port of unloading/delivery, tonnes sold, protein content, seller, price in dollars a tonne c&f and if to be delivered from a warehouse in Turkey: Port Tonnes Protein Seller Price If warehouse Iskenderun 25,000 12.5% Altin Ates $345.70 warehouse Iskenderun 25,000 12.5% Viterra $345.80 warehouse Mersin 50,000 12.5% Tiryaki $351.40 warehouse Izmir 25,000 12.5% Yayla $350.15 warehouse Izmir 25,000 12.5% Sierentz $345.15 Derince 25,000 12.5% Erser $344.30

 

The tender continues an active period of grain importing by Turkey to cool local prices and secure domestic supplies in the face of a serious reduction in the country’s cereals crop after drought, traders said.

 

In its last reported wheat tender on Dec. 21, the TMO bought about 320,000 tonnes at the lowest price of $354.90 a tonne c&f. 

The country's exports of agricultural products, including marine and plantation goods, increased 23.21 per cent to USD 31.05 billion in April-November 2021 and is expected to cross USD 50 billion for the 'first time' this fiscal, the commerce ministry said on Thursday.

 

The ministry has taken several steps during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to push the exports.

 

These measures include an extension of validity of various certifications/ accreditations beyond their dates of expiry; setting up of control rooms to resolve problems; issuance of online certificates for exports; and facilitating opening up of more testing laboratories.

 

Due to these initiatives, it said, India was able to meet the global demand, which has provided momentum to agriculture exports.

 

'With the present level of growth, India's agriculture exports are likely to cross USD 50 billion for the first time, which is the highest ever in history,' it said.

 

The ministry said that rice exports are likely to touch 21-22 million tonnes this year.

 

Exports of non-basmati rice, wheat, sugar, and other cereals too have recorded healthy growth so far.

 

An increase in exports of these products has benefitted farmers in states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra, it added.

 

Further, it said that exports of marine products are likely to cross USD 8 billion this fiscal for the 'first time'.

 

'Spice exports are also likely to touch record levels of around USD 4.8 billion. Despite facing tremendous supply-side issues, coffee exports have registered a healthy growth of around 35 per cent, which has improved realisations for coffee growers in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu,' it added.

 

Measures taken by the ministry have helped in pushing exports from unexplored areas, it said, adding exports have taken place from clusters like Varanasi (fresh vegetables, mangoes), Ananthpur (banana), and Solapur (pomegranate).

After achieving enormous progress in their overall relations, the US and India must now set bold goals to take their ties to a new level and achieve the ambitious target of USD 500 billion in bilateral trade, Atul Keshap, the new president of the influential US India Business Council (USIBC) has said.

 

'I think it's vitally important that we show that democracies can deliver; that the United States and India can be a driver of global growth, and a model for prosperity and development in the 21st century,' Keshap told PTI in an interview.

 

Keshap, a veteran American diplomat, has served in various capacities during his illustrious career with the US State Department. These included the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.

 

Last year he served as the Charge d'affaires of the United States mission to India, during which he helped shape the India US relationship in the first year of the Biden Administration.

 

'I feel it's vitally critically important that we show that open societies powered by free enterprise can be relevant for their people and can help power the world out of this pandemic. I tend to agree entirely with President (Joe) Biden and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi that the US India Partnership is a force for global good, and it's going to have a huge impact on economic growth on reducing poverty on global security and dealing with all of the challenges of our time,' he said.

 

'So, upon deeper reflection,' the 50-year-old former diplomat noted, he decided that USIBC is the place where he can put the most effort into helping people of the two countries. US Chamber's president Suzanne Clark in her speech last week drove home the point that democracies need to be ambitious, and they need to think boldly.

 

'We need to move forward on the global trade agenda. We need to ensure the prosperity of the future, especially after this pandemic,' he said. During the interview, he referred to the vision of Biden, which he set as the vice president, about potentially having USD 500 billion in trade in goods and services between the United States and India.

 

'That's a very ambitious number and I believe in it. It is a great idea to try to have ambitious targets and to be ambitious. If we in our democracies are not ambitious, then we are only at a standstill. So, we should always be improving,' he said.

 

Keshap said, last year, he was most impressed by the reaction by American business and the USIBC membership, wherein hundreds of companies rushed aid and oxygen supplies and ventilators to India in its moment of need.

 

'We never forgot back in America that when we needed help early in the pandemic, India came to our aid. And when India needed help we did our utmost to bring aid to India,' he said.

 

'That's what friends do. We have to work together. If democracies don't work together, it's going to be a much darker future for all of humanity. This is something I profoundly believe in. I'm optimistic. I'm ambitious. The Chamber is optimistic and ambitious. The member companies of USIBC are fully dedicated to seeing greater growth in trade and economic relations between the United States and India. I want to put my energy, my entrepreneurial spirit, my spirit of service and devotion to this relationship to work,' he asserted.

 

In his new role, Keshap said he wants to help meet that USD500 billion bilateral trade goal.

 

'This is where the government and the private sector have to work together hand in hand. They have to build an argument that people of our free countries can believe in. Ours are democracies. We have to obey the will of the people: 1.7 billion Americans and Indians working together,' he said.

 

'So, we have to articulate the vision and the ambition, and we have to articulate the benefits and we have to convince all of our stakeholders that there is value in lowering trade barriers. There is value in creating strong standards. There's value in creating positive ecosystems. There is value in dealing with small technical issues that might be creating a blockage to greater prosperity between our countries,' Keshap said.

 

When Keshap, first as a US diplomat, started working on India US relationship the bilateral trade was USD20 billion, which increased exponentially to USD147 billion in 2019.

 

'So, we're on the way. That is because of positive, friendly, mutually respectful work between bureaucrats, politicians, technical experts, corporate officials to try to make sure that that number continues to grow,' he said.

 

Keshap articulated that the two countries need to be ambitious now. 'This is a dangerous moment in world affairs,' he said. There are all kinds of stresses and challenges during the pandemic, including economic stress, challenges from other countries and other systems.

 

'I think it is incumbent upon the United States in India to build the strongest possible relationship for our own safety and wellbeing. That is profoundly linked to the economic and commercial and investment relationship. The more we can talk to each other as friends to build a robust Indo Pacific supply chain that weaves us more closely together, the happier I'll be,' Keshap said.

 

The more than a dozen non-stop flights between India and the United States, he said: 'is the symbol of how much growth we've had and how close are countries are getting. What I want to do is put even more energy into seeing that expand. I have a very very ambitious vision of what the US in India can achieve together.'

 

Total bilateral trade between India and the US stood at USD 80.5 billion in 2020-21 as against USD 88.9 billion in 2019-20. India's exports to the US stood at USD 51.62 billion in 2020-21 as against USD 53 billion in 2019-20. India's imports from the US stood at USD 28.9 billion in 2020-21 as against USD 35.9 billion in 2019-20, according to commerce ministry data.

In line with the SPS Agreement, a new World Trade Organization (WTO), publication on easing trade bottlenecks recommends land-locked developing countries (LLDCs), actively participate in the standard-setting processes  – under the Codex Alimentarius, the Organisation for Animal Health and the International Plant Protection Convention – to ensure that WTO sanitary and phytosanitary standards meet their needs.

 

The WTO SPS Agreement sets out the basic rules for food safety and animal and plant health standards. SPS measures are technical in nature and countries are often unable to undertake their own risk assessments to establish an appropriate level of protection due to a lack of resources. Implementation and fulfilling the requirements of importing countries can be equally costly especially when requirements differ across borders including ‘in transit' countries.

 

The publication indicates maximum residue levels (MRLs), of pesticides as one example where LLDCs have raised concerns, mostly regarding pesticide regulation measures, for products such as bananas, grapes, mangoes, oilseeds and rice, at the WTO. Different maximum reside levels are sometimes applied in the import and transit market creating a particular compliance challenge for LLDCs.

 

Countries that participate actively in Codex can make a valuable contribution to the standard setting process including establishing pesticide MRLs.

 

Gracia Brisco from the Codex Secretariat, said, 'The Codex Alimentarius Commission, through the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues, provides a forum for Codex Members, both developed and developing countries, to discuss and harmonise maximum residue limits for pesticides in food and feed to protect public health and facilitate trade flow.'

 

The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has extended the deadline for submission of comments on draft regulations for Genetically- Modified food products after various organisations raised objections.

 

According to a spokesperson for FSSAI, the deadline has been extended to February 5, 2022, for receiving comments on the proposed draft of the approval of Genetically-Modified food products, which was closing on January 15.

 

A spokesperson of the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, an organisation affiliated to the RSS, has objected to the approval of the Genetically-Modified food products and asked for a detailed study into their impact before producing them commercially. He said that the safety of such products has not been proven yet.

 

Similarly other such groups have demanded a wider consultation on the subject and asked the FSSAI to publish the draft in other Indian languages, as well.

 

In November last year, FSSAI had issued the draft on regulation to govern Genetically-Modified food products called the Food Safety and Standards (Genetically Modified or Engineered Foods) Regulations, 2021, applicable to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs) or Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) intended for direct use as food or for processing, and food or processed food containing Genetically-Modified ingredients produced from but not containing LMOs or GEOs or GMOs.

 

The draft was issued after an inter-ministerial consultation in which various ministries including health, agriculture, environment and industry bodies participated.

With 6% increase in the area under cultivation between 2019-20 and 2020-21, banana is turning out to be a sought-after crop for farmers across Tamil Nadu. For two financial years in a row, the state has achieved yields of close to 40 lakh tonnes.

 

For the record, India is the world’s largest producer of bananas, accounting for more than 25% of the global yield and the country exported bananas worth Rs660 crore in 2019-20. Tamil Nadu is the fourth largest banana producing state in the country.

 

In the past five years, there has been 32% increase in banana production in the state. Tamil Nadu exports the fruit to South Korea, Europe and South Africa, mainly from Theni region as it produces the best quality banana in the state.

 

Even as there is an increase in area under cultivation across Tamil Nadu, from 92,413 hectares to 97,644 hectares, it is a matter of concern for farmers and the horticultural department that the productivity per hectare has dropped from 43. 1 tonnes to 40. 8 tonnes and the overall production has remained the same at close to 40 lakh tonnes. Excessive rain and damage to the crop in many regions, especially the central districts, is to be blamed for the fall in production.

 

Theni district, however, presents a different picture. AddiS Tamilvendan said, though the area under cultivation in Theni is less than some other districts, it is the highest in terms of productivity and has been chosen for the scheme of the central government. Branding of Theni banana is in the pipeline, he said.

 

Theni district has been witnessing fluctuation in the crop coverage over the past five years, Deputy director of horticulture M Pandi said, while the crop was cultivated only in 5,525 hectares in Theni in 2016-2017, it went up to 6,122 hectares in 2020-2021, generating a yield of 4. 2 lakh metric tonnes. Impact farming, where farmers follow their peers, and use of technology enhanced production, he said.

 

K Srinivasan, former deputy director, said some farmers in Theni are making profits of nearly Rs2. 5 lakh per acre. A bunch weighs 40kg to 45kg in Theni region, he said, adding that productivity in Theni is among the highest across the globe.

 

However, it is Erode that is among the largest producers of banana in the state. The crop is cultivated in 15,272 hectares in the district and generates a yield of 5. 6 lakh metric tonnes per annum. Tuticorin, Coimbatore and Trichy districts also have sizeable banana plantations. Neypoovan, Nendran, Poovan, Rasthali and Karpooravalli are the main varieties cultivated by farmers in Trichy.

 

Officials in the horticulture department said crop cover- age in Trichy region has dropped by 1,197. 5 acres during the current financial year. 'Continuous downpour during the northeast monsoon is the main reason for the reduction in crop coverage in Trichy,' said C Vimala, deputy director of horticulture, Trichy.

 

Alwarthirunagari, Srivaikuntam and Karungulam blocks in Tuticorin district have covered 8,345 hectares under banana cultivation till December. It is expected to touch 8,800 hectares in the next three months, said district collector K Senthil Raj. 'We are motivating farmers to opt for banana cultivation as the 10-month cash crop is highly remunerative compared to paddy cultivation,' he said.

 

President of the Banana Prodistrict, A R Narayanasamy said many farmers have turned to banana cultivation after trying their hand at vegetables, because banana is a low-maintenance crop when compared to others. 'Cost of cultivation is more or less the same, but work load is much lower compared to other crops. Fertigation (supply of fertilizers through drip lines) has reduced cost of labour too,' he said.

 

Excessive production pulling down the price of the commodity in the market is a matter of concern at times, he said. Farmers are in the process of forming farmer producer companies to get better benefits.

 

'A uniform price throughout the year will be most beneficial,' he said. Granaine or G-9, and red banana are Theni’s star varieties. The production of G-9 increased by 14% and red bananas by 61% last year. However, the production of the common variety called Nadu has dipped by 25%.

P Patchaimal, chairman of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Theni, said all varieties of bananas are now being used for value addition, especially for the production of banana powder in baby food. It is exported and sold in the domestic market too, he said.

 

The National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), established in Trichy in 1993, has been working on crop improvement, production and post-harvest management. The institute is playing a vital role in identifying farmers, entrepreneurs, FPOs and other stakeholders in banana production and related enterprises.

 

The research centre had played a role in increasing the national crop coverage by 7. 5%, production by 6. 8% and productivity by 17. 2% in the past five years. Today, banana cultivation and related businesses contribute about Rs10 lakh crore turnover in India. The Centre has been supplying quality and virusfree planting material to banana growers. It has supplied 600 million tissue culture banana plants to farmers since 2007, said S Uma, director of NRCB.