Iranian state agency the Government Trading Corporation (GTC) is believed to have purchased around 240,000 tonnes of milling wheat in a tender which closed on Wednesday, European traders said on Thursday.

 

It was believed to have been bought in about four consignments of around or just over 60,000 tonnes.

 

The wheat was thought likely to be sourced from Russia and/or Germany.

 

Traders estimated purchase prices at between 360 euros to 364 euros ($412.96 to $417.54) a tonne c&f. But one trader said he believed two consignments were bought below 350 euros a tonne c&f.

 

Iran traditionally declines to buy wheat in U.S. dollars. The tender had sought shipment in February and March.

 

Iran needs to import around 8 million tonnes of wheat after its crop was damaged by the worst drought in 50 years, Reuters reported in October. But western sanctions on Iran continue to make payment difficult, traders said.

 

Iran was believed to have also purchased about 240,000 tonnes of wheat last week with about 740,000 tonnes also bought in December, traders said.

CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, accords importance to balanced nutrition through microbial food additives. In this regard  it is focussed on the benefits of  the consumption of safe microbial food, products from microbial fermentation, microbial metabolites nutrition fermented foods and their benefits, and mushroom production by zero-waste technology.

 

Going forward, food researchers would carry out ongoing research and technological advancements the world is witnessing in the area of malnutrition and food safety.

 

In sync with the Union government’s Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate 75 years of the country’s Independence, a webinar on ‘Balanced nutrition through microbial food additives’ had a panel of food scientists  working in microbiology from leading  universities and research institutes provide their perspective on the subject.

 

According to Dr Sridevi Annapurna Singh, Director, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru,  though we have a high crop production, it is not sufficient to meet the demands of the population. Food-grade microorganisms are a better alternative as they require less water and land than crops and have lowered ethical issues.   

 

Dr Prakash Halami, Head of the Microbiology and Fermentation Technology Department, CSIR-CFTRI, said that a balanced diet is key to healthy living. With urbanisation, the consumption of traditional fermented foods had reduced, resulting in lifestyle diseases in India. The inclusion of food-grade microorganisms in our diet can enrich the nutritional value of the food and can be a potential solution to many disorders, including malnutrition.

 

Dr Gayathri Devraja, Professor, Microbiology Department, Davangere University, emphasised use of Lactic acid bacteria to solve celiac disease because it enhances the epithelial barrier and destroy multiple epitopes on gliadin. Dr Sumana K, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, stressed how microorganisms are a rich source of dietary lipids, amino acids, ethanol, organic acids, hormones, enzymes and antibiotics. Dr Subrota Hati, Assistant Professor, Dairy Microbiology department, Kamdhenu University, Gujarat, spoke on antihypertensive and antioxidative compounds in camel and goat milk fermented with potential lactic cultures.

 

Dr Amit Kumar Rai, Scientist C, Institute of Bioresource and Sustainable Development, Imphal, spoke on bioactive peptides and their importance in fermented foods. Dr Rakshak K Acharya, Scientist, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, discussed the cost effective production of Shiitake mushroom using the waste generated in the industries.

 

Further, the webinar was focused on the ongoing research and technological advancements the world is witnessing concerning malnutrition and food safety. It also provided an opportunity for the young Indian scientists and students working in scientific labs and institutions to interact with the experts who delivered the lectures during the event.

 

Over 300 participants throughout the country participated.  MFT Department staff representatives Dr Praveena Bhatt, Dr Mohan A Dhale, Dr M V R K Sarma, Dr Swaroopa Rani, Dr Mahejibin Khan,  Punil Kumar H N and Dr Roopavathi C,  M R Krishna Prashanth, Aditi Goel, and Amruta Dinesan provided organisational assistance.

A state-run agricultural university in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur has developed new varieties of oats, wheat, rice and niger crop, which are suitable for production in other states as well, an official said on Saturday. The Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (JNKVV) has developed two varieties each of oats and wheat, one type of rice and three varieties of niger, which have been notified by the Centre as being suitable for production, the university's vice-chancellor Dr P K Bisen said.

 

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare had issued a gazette notification on January 3 in this regard, he said.

 

'Seeds of these new crop varieties will be made available to farmers shortly. This will ensure quality production of crops and generate more income,' Bisen said.

 

The new varieties were tested over a period of three years in various agro-climatic conditions in specific crop-growing areas of various states, said Dr G K Koutu, director of research services at the JNKVV.

 

These new crops possess a combination of several desirable traits such as high-grain yield, resistance to diseases, good grain quality and short duration harvest, he said.

 

Of the two new varieties of oats, JO 05-304 is suitable for production in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, while JO 10-506 can be produced in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern region of Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Manipur, he said.

 

The new varieties of wheat - MP 1323 and MP 1358 and rice JR 10 - can be grown in specific areas of Madhya Pradesh, he said.

 

Three varieties of niger (ramtil) - JNS 521, JNS 2015-9 and JNS 2016-1115 - are suitable for irrigated and non-irrigated areas of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Dr Koutu added.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacted with Startups today via video conferencing. The Startups gave presentations to the Prime Minister on six themes viz. Growing from Roots; Nudging the DNA; From Local to Global; Technology of Future; Building Champions in Manufacturing; and Sustainable Development. More than 150 startups were divided into six working groups for the purpose of these presentations. For each theme, there were presentations by two Startup representatives, who spoke on behalf of all the startups selected for that particular theme.

 

During their presentation, the startup representatives  thanked the Prime Minister for the opportunity to provide such a platform to share their ideas, and praised his vision and support to the startup ecosystem. They shared ideas and inputs on a variety of sectors and areas including robust data collection mechanism in agriculture; making India preferred agri business hub; boosting healthcare through use of technology; tackling issue of mental health; promoting travel and tourism through innovations like virtual tours; ed-tech and job identification; space sector; connecting offline retail market with digital commerce; increasing manufacturing efficiency; defence exports; promoting green sustainable products and sustainable means of transport, among others.

 

Union Ministers Shri Piyush Goyal, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Shri Ashwini Vaisnaw, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Shri Parshottam Rupala, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras, Dr Jitendra Singh, Shri Som Parkash were among those present on the occasion.

 

Speaking after the presentations, the Prime Minister said that organization of this Start Up India Innovation week is all the more important in this year of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav as the role of the Start Ups will be critical when Indian freedom reaches its centenary year. 'I congratulate all the start-ups of the country, all the innovative youth, who are raising the flag of India in the world of start-ups. For this culture of start-ups to reach the far-flung parts of the country, it has been decided to celebrate January 16 as National Start-up Day', the Prime Minister announced.

 

Recalling the concept of the current  decade as the ‘techade’ of India, the Prime Minister listed three important aspects of the massive changes that the government is making in this decade to strengthen the innovation, entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem. First, to liberate entrepreneurship and innovation from the web of government processes, bureaucratic silos. Second, creating an institutional mechanism to promote innovation. And third, handholding of young innovators and young enterprises. He listed programmes like Startup India and Standup India as part of the efforts. Measures like removing problems of ‘angel tax’, simplification of tax procedure, arranging for government funding, allowing self certification of 9 labour and 3 environment laws and removal of more than 25 thousand compliances have taken the process further. Startup runway on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) platform is facilitating the provision of startup services to the government.

 

The Prime Minister said the Government’s effort is to institutionalize innovation in the country by creating attraction for innovation among students since childhood. More than 9000 Atal Tinkering Labs are giving children a chance to innovate in schools and work on new ideas. He added that whether it is new drone rules, or new space policy, the priority of the government is to provide opportunities for innovation to as many youth as possible. Our government has simplified the rules related to IPR registration too, he added.

 

The Prime Minister noted the exponential rise in the indicators of innovation. He said that in the year 2013-14, 4000 patents were approved, last year, more than 28 thousand patents were granted. In the year 2013-14, where about 70000 trademarks were registered, in 2020-21 more than 2.5 lakh trademarks have been registered. In the year 2013-14, where only 4000 copyrights were granted, last year their number has crossed 16000. The Prime Minister pointed out that India’s campaign for innovation has resulted in improvement of India’s ranking in Global innovation index where India stood at 81 rank but now India stands at 46 rank in the index.

 

Shri Modi informed that startups of India are working with 55 separate industries and the number of startups has increased from less than 500 five years ago to more than 60 thousand today. The Prime Minister said 'Our Start-ups are changing the rules of the game. That's why I believe Start-ups are going to be the backbone of new India.' The Prime Minister noted that last year, 42 unicorns came up in the country. These companies worth thousands of crores of rupees are the hallmark of self-reliant and self-confident India. 'Today India is rapidly moving towards hitting the century of the unicorns. I believe the golden era of India's start-ups is starting now', he added.

 

The Prime Minister underlined the role of empowerment by entrepreneurship in addressing the problems of development and regional-gender disparities. He mentioned that today, there is at least one startup in each of the 625 districts of the country and more than half of the startups are from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. These are converting ideas from ordinary poor families into businesses and lakhs of young Indians are getting employment.

 

Shri Narendra Modi singled out India’s diversity as a key strength and keystone of India’s global identity. He said that Indian unicorns and startups are the messenger of this diversity. The Prime Minister said start-ups from India can easily reach other countries of the world. So 'don't just keep your dreams local, make them global. Remember this mantra- let's Innovate for India, innovate from India', he exhorted the innovators.

 

The Prime Minister suggested many areas where the startup ecosystem can play a major role. He said that extra space on the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan can be used for EV charging infrastructure. Similarly, areas like defence manufacturing, chip manufacturing offer many possibilities. He dwelled on the drone sector and said that many investors have been investing in drone startups after the new drone policy. Army, Navy and Air Force have given 500 crore rupee worth orders to drone startups. In urban planning, the Prime Minister touched upon ‘walk to work concepts’,  integrated industrial estates and smart mobility as potential areas.

 

The Prime Minister remarked that the millennials today are the cornerstone of both the prosperity of their families and the self-reliance of the nation. ‘From rural economy to Industry 4.0, both our needs and our potential are limitless. Investment on research and development related to future technology is the priority of the government today', he said.

 

Referring to the future prospects, the Prime Minister said that as of now only half of our population is online, therefore future possibilities are immense and he appealed to the start- ups to move towards villages also. 'Whether it is mobile internet, broadband connectivity or physical connectivity, aspirations of villages are rising and rural and semi-urban areas are waiting for a new wave of expansion', he said.

 

The Prime Minister told the startups that this is a new era of innovation i.e. ideas, industry and investment and their labor, enterprise, wealth creation and job creation should be for India. 'I am standing with you, the government is with you and the entire country is standing with you', he concluded.

UK's Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan has said that both India and Britain want to bring together a free trade agreement (FTA), aimed at boosting economic ties, which is mutually beneficial for both the countries.

 

She also expressed hope that both sides would conclude the negotiations for the trade pact by end of the year or early 2023.

 

The UK minister and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on January 13, formally launched negotiations for the proposed FTA, which is expected to help double bilateral trade to over USD 100 billion by 2030 and boost economic ties between the two countries.

 

The two sides are hoping that the negotiations would conclude by the end of this year. Both sides are looking to conclude an interim agreement by Easter.

 

'We want to bring together an FTA which is mutually beneficial for both the countries... We look forward to bringing together an exciting, vibrant and broad FTA...,' Trevelyan told PTI.

 

On setting up an ambitious deadline to conclude the talks, she said that there are positive views from both sides 'that we can do that, so we will throw all our energy and weight behind it'.

 

When asked about key concerns being raised by UK businesses in India, the minister said that there are tariff barriers which British businesses are keen to see reduced.

 

Digital trade is also an important area which is raised by many businesses, she added.

 

Further the minister said that promoting investments from both the sides would also be an integral part of this trade deal.

 

Already investments are flowing in both the countries, but there are many more opportunities for the business community of India and UK, she said.

 

The UK minister has stated that both the countries have a 'golden opportunity' to forge a new economic partnership as India's economy is set to grow rapidly.

 

According to Goyal, the pact will help in boosting Indian exports from several sectors such as leather, textile, jewellery and processed agri products.

 

India will also seek special arrangements for the movement of its people.

 

India's exports to the UK stood at USD 8.15 billion in 2020-21, while imports aggregated at USD 4.95 billion. India's main exports to the UK include ready-made garments and textiles, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, petroleum products, transport equipment, spices, pharmaceuticals and marine products.

 

Imports from Britain include precious and semi-precious stones, ores and metal scraps, engineering goods, chemicals and machinery.

 

In the services sector, the UK is the largest market in Europe for Indian IT services.

 

Commerce Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam has said the total trade of goods and services between India and the UK is about USD 50 billion (USD 35 billion services and USD 15 billion goods) and it would cross USD 100 billion in ten years' time.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) celebrated its 58th Foundation Day here today besides, celebrating the same throughout the country. On this occasion Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles and Commerce & Industry with his colleagues, Hon’ble MoS Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Hon’ble MoS Ms. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti addressed all the staffs and officers of FCI spread across the country through video conferencing.

 

Hon’ble Minister, Sh. Goyal congratulated the entire FCI family on the occasion and said that FCI was founded on this very auspicious day in 1965 at an auspicious place i.e. the city of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.

Underlining the fact that FCI is the main central agency for execution of food policies of the government. Sh. Goyal said that FCI has come a long way in realizing the dream of India being a self-sufficient nation.

 

Praising, the way FCI has carried out the world’s largest food supply chain system especially during the pandemic to ensure seamless supply of foodgrains under the 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anya Yojana', Hon’ble Minister has said that FCI has not only become an important organization but also one of the most valuable organisations having stood in testing times.

 

'Today, FCI procures nearly 1,300 LMT of wheat & paddy annually against nearly 13 LMT procured during 1965. Similarly, distribution across the  country      has          increased  from about 18LMT in 1965 to nearly 600 LMT. Even the storage capacity from 6 LMT in 1965 has increased to over 800 LMT now,' Shri Goyal said highlighting the journey of FCI while addressing the video conference.

 

He said that the statistics reflects how FCI has taken responsibility but also indicates that there’s scope of bettering the transparency. He directed to prepare a layout on how to strengthen better delivery to the people of the nation. 'Our Vision and Mission should be Quality,' he said.

 

Adding on, he gave 5 Sutras to better FCI’s progress:  

 

'1- Change the public perception of FCI from being inefficient & corrupt to dynamic, inclusive & honest.

 

2.      Focus on integrating end-to-end tech solutions right from   procurement   to   delivery   to   achieve   operational  efficiency  &  leakage  free,   distribution   -  reduce   PDS   response   time, beneficiary tracking etc.

 

3.      Establish a grievance redressal mechanism to react rapidly to farmer/Farmer Producer Organisation in distress. Reaching out to farmers through 'Jan Jagrukta' programmes at grass-root level to spread awareness.

 

4.      Plan for modern infrastructure & logistics. Upgrade warehouses to international standards. Improve storage capacity for the growing need- Power backup, CCTV, robust network facility.

 

5.      Global best practices to make India a ‘Food hub’.' Shri Goyal said.

 

He said that it’s important that emphasis should be on improving India’s rating in the Global Hunger index. This could be achieved by adding more nutritional value in people’s diet.

 

He directed FCI to simplify          the processes, free the         organization from discretionary power, make a robust testing mechanism of foodgrains, review sampling techniques & revise as per international standards.

 

Shri Goyal said, 'We keep talking about the green revolution - I & II. But as Honourable Prime Minister said, the goal should be 'Evergreen revolution' - Food security is not enough, focus should be on 'Nutritional Security'.'

 

On this occasion, addressing the gathering Hon’ble MoS, Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that FCI has done a remarkable job by observing its foundation day by way of plantation drive across the country showing its concern for environmental issues.

 

Hon’ble MoS Ms. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti applauded the remarkable job of FCI during the recent pandemic times by ensuring sufficient supply of food grains in every part of the country especially to vulnerable sections of the society under Pradhan Mantri’s visionary schemes of PMGKAY.

 

On this occasion Sh. Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary (Food) also addressed the officers and officials of FCI and applauded the transformation efforts being made by FCI, especially the recent initiatives to ensure transparency and enhanced efficiency which includes introduction of HRMS of Employees, Bill Tracking System, Depot Online System, Enhancement of capacity by increasing Stack sizes, Asset Monetization, Age Testing of Rice and Direct Benefit Transfer of MSP to farmers account.

 

Welcoming Hon’ble Ministers and other dignitaries Sh. Atish Chandra, CMD, FCI said that FCI is blessed to have continuous support of the government under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister to carry out its activities.

The country's exports in December 2021 surged 38.91 per cent on an annual basis to USD 37.81 billion, the highest-ever monthly figure, due to healthy performance by sectors such as engineering, textiles and chemicals, even as the trade deficit widened to USD 21.68 billion during the month, government data showed on Friday.

 

Imports in December 2021 also increased 38.55 per cent to USD 59.48 billion, on account of an increase in petroleum and crude oil imports, which soared 67.89 per cent to USD 16.16 billion.

 

Gold imports expanded by 5.43 per cent to USD 4.72 billion.

 

During April-December 2021-22, exports rose 49.66 per cent to USD 301.38 billion.

 

Imports during the period surged 68.91 per cent to USD 443.82 billion, leaving a trade deficit of USD 142.44 billion, the data showed. The trade deficit in December 2020 was USD 15.72 billion.

 

 

'Merchandise exports in December 2021 were USD 37.81 billion, as compared to USD 27.22 billion in December 2020, exhibiting a positive growth of 38.91 per cent. As compared to December 2019, exports in December 2021 exhibited a positive growth of 39.47 per cent,' the commerce ministry said in a statement.

 

In December 2021, exports of engineering goods grew 38.41 per cent to USD 9.8 billion, followed by petroleum products (151 per cent to USD 5.88 billion), gems and jewellery (16.4 per cent to about USD 3 billion), chemicals (26.86 per cent to USD 2.66 billion) and ready-made garments of all textiles (22.63 per cent to USD 1.46 billion).

 

The data also stated that the estimated value of services export for December 2021 was USD 20.07 billion, an increase of 5.26 per cent over the same month of 2020. The imports also rose by 15.76 per cent to USD 12.87 billion.

 

'The estimated value of services export for April-December 2021 is USD 177.68 billion, exhibiting a positive growth of 18.39 per cent vis-a-vis April-December 2020 (USD 150.09 billion).

 

'The estimated value of services imports for April-December 2021 is USD 103.30 billion exhibiting a positive growth of 21.52 per cent vis-à-vis April-December 2020 (USD 85 billion),' it added.

 

Commenting on the numbers, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President A Sakthivel said that looking at the current trend, India will achieve the USD 400-billion merchandise exports target for the fiscal.

India is gaining share in manufacturing exports and share of global merchandise exports is now at an all-time high, Credit Suisse said in a report.

 

Gains in commodities may not last, but momentum should persist in electronics (large market size, opportunities for share gains, policy support) and specialty chemicals (a decade of steady growth has brought scale to firms).

 

In textiles, exports are growing after a decade-long stagnation, currently mostly in upstream yarn/fabric, but order-books for apparel are strengthening too.

 

The opportunity in autos is as much local (strong demand growth gives scale), as potential share gains as global industry disrupts (new OEMs, business models and supply chains), the report said.

 

India's manufacturing share of GDP has been declining steadily since 2012, partly due to a stagnation in exports of manufactured goods. As exports pick up again, either due to the impact of PLI schemes or otherwise, they could boost GDP by 2.4 per cent in five years. The boost to jobs would be concentrated in electronics and apparel.

 

Electronics hold much promise, not only on the large size (30 per cent of global goods exports), but also opportunities for share gains, given geopolitical shifts and China's shrinking industrial labour force. Helped by policy support, a critical mass appears to be building, with local and global firms investing in capacities in India (even those not gaining from PLI schemes).

 

In chemicals,while India lacks sustainable advantage in bulks, its share of global exports of specialty chemicals has risen steadily (these are now 10 per cent plus of India's exports). Through steady growth, and in some cases China ceding share, the industry has now gained critical mass.

 

India has seen gains in electronics, chemicals, autos, apparel, the report said. India runs a structural deficit in sectors dependent on resource availability, like oil, gas, coal and gold (together around a fifth of global exports); the share in agriculture is higher than average given structural advantages, but its share of manufactured goods exports is lower.

 

Within manufactured goods, pre-Covid-19 Indias' share was above average in jewellery (though it has low value-add) and textiles, and below average in electronics.

 

Since 2015, metals have grown the fastest, but these may not sustain (global commodity cycles). Growth in electronics and machinery has been well above average though chemicals and textiles (incl apparel) have contributed the most in absolute terms given their size.

 

While electrical and equipment together account for $600 bn of global exports annually, India's opportunity would be primarily in labour-intensive segments initially; scale could eventually drive upstream integration.

 

To broaden these share gains and to consolidate them, we need to see evidence of Indian groups investing in the value chain (like Tata Electronics, which has already invested $1 bn in its Hosur facility and plans to hire 40,000 workers), as well as foreign technology companies setting up operations in India. Elsewhere, in consumer electronics like air-conditioners, import substitution has driven significant growth in manufacturing, Credit Suisse said.

 

Textile and apparel exports from India have picked up over the past year, as after a period when lockdowns hurt demand for new clothes, global apparel markets have rebounded. However, while rolling 12M exports have broken through the $35 bn level they were stuck at for much of the last decade, growth, at least until Nov-2021, was in upstream yarn and fabric, and downstream apparel exports were lower than the prior peak in May-2019.

 

This could just be a time lag in demand flowing through a value-chain, and preliminary data for Dec-2021 shows a meaningful pick-up in apparel exports. However, there can be another factor as well: India lacks the treaty advantages that Bangladesh and Vietnam possess. Further, the US ban on Xinjiang cotton effective Dec-2021 could help upstream businesses in India going forward, the report said.

 

It is unlikely that China will cede its entire market share in apparel (ready-made garments, or RMG), but trends of the past decade are likely to persist.

 

While nearly all of China's share in cotton apparel was taken by Bangladesh and Cambodia and that in man-made fibres by Vietnam, current industry feedback suggests that volumes are also beginning to shift to India.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Minister of State Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that “Purple Revolution” is Jammu & Kashmir’s contribution to 'Start-ups India', an initiative that was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016 and today we are observing the first National Start-up Day.

 

Briefing about the Aroma Mission launched by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology through the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), which has led to the well-known “Purple Revolution” in India , the Minister informed that the CSIR had, to begin with introduced high-value essential oil bearing lavender crop through its Jammu based laboratory, Indian Institute of Integrative Medicines (IIIM) for cultivation in districts Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri and later also in the other districts including Ramban, Pulwama, etc. In a brief span of time, aroma/lavender cultivation has become a popular option in farming for agricultural Start-up, he said.

 

Sharing a lesser known fact, Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that a youth called Bharat Bhushan hailing from remote village Khillani in district Doda has become a role model success story. Bhushan started lavender cultivation in just about 0.1 hectare of land with the support of CSIR-IIIM but as profits started showing, he converted a larger area of maize plantation around his house also into lavender plantation. Today, he has 20 others working on his lavender fields and Nursery while around 500 farmers from his district have also followed him by switching over from maize to perennial flowering lavender plant, he said.

 

Dr Jitendra Singh said, unfortunately it was never reported in the local media that IIIM Jammu was helping the Start-ups in aroma and lavender farming to sell their produce. Prominent companies like Mumbai based Ajmal Biotech Private Limited, Aditi International and NavnaitriGamika, etc., are the primary buyers.

 

In commemoration of AzadikaAmritMahotsav, Dr Jitendra Singh announced that CSIR has launched Phase-II of Aroma Mission after the completion of Phase-I. In addition to IIIM, CSIR-IHBT, CSIR-CIMAP, CSIR-NBRI and CSIR-NEIST are also now participating in the Aroma Mission,

 

Pertinent to mention that Aroma Mission is attracting Start-ups and agriculturists from across the country, and during Phase-I CSIR helped cultivation on 6000 hectares of land and covered 46 Aspirational districts across the country. More than 44,000 persons have been trained and several crores of farmers' revenue generated. In the second Phase of Aroma Mission, it is proposed to engage over 45,000 skilled human resources with the aim of benefitting more than 75,000 farming families across the country.

Iranian state agency the Government Trading Corporation (GTC) is believed to have purchased around 240,000 tonnes of milling wheat in a tender which closed on Wednesday, European traders said on Thursday.

 

It was believed to have been bought in about four consignments of around or just over 60,000 tonnes.

 

The wheat was thought likely to be sourced from Russia and/or Germany.

 

Traders estimated purchase prices at between 360 euros to 364 euros ($412.96 to $417.54) a tonne c&f. But one trader said he believed two consignments were bought below 350 euros a tonne c&f.

 

Iran traditionally declines to buy wheat in U.S. dollars. The tender had sought shipment in February and March.

 

Iran needs to import around 8 million tonnes of wheat after its crop was damaged by the worst drought in 50 years, Reuters reported in October. But western sanctions on Iran continue to make payment difficult, traders said.

 

Iran was believed to have also purchased about 240,000 tonnes of wheat last week with about 740,000 tonnes also bought in December, traders said.