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11 Jan, 2022 News Image India-SouthKorea bilateraltrade talks on January 11

India and South Korea will hold a round of talks on bilateral trade led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his South Korean counterpart Han-koo Yeo on Tuesday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.

“The discussion will focus on addressing the large trade deficit, market access issues and nontariff barriers faced by Indian exporters. It will also feature investmentrelated issues,” said the statement.

The trade crossed $20 billion in 2018 forthe first time but business was hit in 2020 and thereafter because of the pandemic which affected both countries. The Government said the talks are expected to make India-South Korea trade relations “equitable and balanced”to the “mutual advantage”


 Source:  The Hindu
11 Jan, 2022 News Image Jordan issues new tender to buy 120,000 tonnes wheat, traders say.
Jordan's state grain buyer has issued an international tender to buy 120,000 tonnes of milling wheat which can be sourced from optional origins, European traders said on Friday.
 
The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender is Jan. 18.
 
A new tender had been expected after Jordan purchased 60,000 tonnes in its previous tender for 120,000 tonnes of wheat which closed on Jan. 5. 
 
Shipment in the new tender is sought in a series of possible combinations in 60,000 tonne consignments.
 
Possible shipment combinations are in 2022 between July 1-15, July 16-31, Aug. 1-15 and Aug. 16-31.

 Source:  zawya.com
11 Jan, 2022 News Image Investment in agri start-ups likely to total $ 1 billion in FY22.
Start-ups in agriculture technology in the country are likely to receive a record $1 billion this fiscal, taking total investment to $2.5 billion since 2012, according to industry estimates.
 
Participating at a conference on agri Start-ups, organised by industry chamber FICCI, Hemendra Mathur, chairman of its Task Force on Agri start-ups and venture partner at Bharat Innovation Fund said that the opportunity is immense in the sector and 'the total investment will touch $2.5 billion by end of this fiscal.'
 
He said Indian AgriTech is entering its third phase, which will be driven by increasing farmer adoption of new-age innovations and a significant degree of consolidation.
 
Third position
According to a report, prepared by PwC and was released on the occasion, global investment in AgriTech start-ups was $91.5 billion until Q1 2021 (since 2012) and the last two years (2019-2020) accounted for 51 per cent of investments. India is in third position after the US and China in terms of AgriTech funding, the report said adding investments were to the tune of $45 million till 2011.
 
In 2020, the total value of annual investment declined by 35 per cent to $409 million, as against $635 million in 2019. As many as 45 AgriTechs have raised funds in 2020 compared with 58 firms in 2019, the report said. It has also mentioned that investments worth $10 billion are expected in the next decade.
 
Speaking at the event Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said, 'The evolving technologies and agri innovations are to be mainstreamed and deployed in the fields.' He also said that there has to be efficiency, climate resilience and high productivity with quality and the country needs more and more players to be part of it.
 
Govt’s encouragement
 
Stressing that the government promoted e-NAM (electronic National Agriculture Market) has encouraged private sector to come up with several electronic market platforms, Neelkamal Darbari, Managing Director of Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) said that there will be another 1,000 mandis will be integrated under the portal after 1,000 already connected. She also said that the government is planning to create 'a platform of platforms' to link up all the portals available in the country for all activities related to the farming sector.
 
'This will also create greater synergy for the farmers to reduce the cost of operations and improve pricing for the product,' Darbari said.
 
Other participants in the event included TR Kesavan, Group President, TAFE, Vivek Chandra, CEO (global branded business) of LT Foods and Amit Mundawala, co-founder of Star Agribazaar Technology.

 Source:  thehindubusinessline
11 Jan, 2022 News Image UK trade minister to launch FTA talks in Delhi next week.
Britain's Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan will launch free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations during a visit to New Delhi starting on Wednesday, the UK government said on Sunday.
 
The Department for International Trade (DIT) said the schedule for the two-day visit to India will include bilateral talks between Trevelyan and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday, when they are expected to discuss a range of issues including green trade and the removal of market access barriers for both UK and Indian businesses.
 
Both ministers are then expected to confirm the launch of official negotiations on a new UK-India FTA.
 
'The UK and India are already close friends and trading partners, and building on that strong relationship is a priority for 2022,' said Trevelyan.
 
'I will be using my visit to drive forward an ambitious trade agenda which represents the UK's Indo-Pacific tilt in action and shows how we are seizing global opportunities as an independent trading nation,' she said.
 
'This is just the start of a five-star year of UK trade, forging closer economic partnerships around the globe and negotiating deals that work for businesses, families and consumers in every part of the UK,' she added.
 
On Thursday, the UK minister will join Goyal to co-host the 15th UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) to review how businesses in both countries are benefiting from existing market access commitments under the UK-India Enhanced Trade Partnership agreed last May by Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi.
 
The DIT said the UK Trade Secretary is expected to meet several Cabinet ministers to discuss closer bilateral cooperation, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
 
'This highlights the ongoing wider strategic importance of the UK-India bilateral relationship which extends beyond trade,' the DIT said.
 
On Wednesday, Trevelyan will meet staff at the New Delhi site of British manufacturing firm JCB to talk about how manufacturing and engineering firms could hugely benefit from the UK-India trade deal. The company are dubbed a UK 'export success story', having been in India for over 40 years and employing over 5,000 people in country.
 
Later that day, the UK minister will also attend a Defence Industry roundtable hosted alongside Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar to promote future UK-India defence collaboration and strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
 
According to latest DIT figures, total trade in goods and services between the UK and India was GBP 23.3 billion in 2019, making India the UK's 15th largest trading partner. Indian investment in the UK supports 95,000 jobs across the country, with 15,000 new jobs created by Indian investment in the last three years.
 
A trade deal could help increase this further and will play a key role in our ambition to double trade with India by 2030, the UK government said.
 
It added: 'India is one of the world's biggest and fastest-growing economies and a bold new deal would put UK businesses at the front of the queue to export to India's growing middle class of a quarter of a billion consumers.
 
'India is set to become the world's third-biggest economy by 2050, with a bigger population than the US and EU combined.'

 Source:  economictimes
11 Jan, 2022 News Image Global food prices dip in December : FAO.
World food prices fell slightly in December as international prices for vegetable oils and sugar fell significantly from lofty levels, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported.
 
FAO Food Price Index averaged 133.7 points in December, a 0.9 per cent decline from November but still up 23.1 per cent from December 2020. The index tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities. Only the dairy sub-index posted a monthly rise in December.
 
For 2021 as a whole, averaging across the entire year, FAO Food Price Index averaged 125.7 points, as much as 28.1 per cent above the previous year.
 
Abdolreza Abbassian, senior economist, FAO, said, 'While normally high prices are expected to give way to increased production, the high cost of inputs, ongoing global pandemic and ever more uncertain climatic conditions leave little room for optimism about a return to more stable market conditions even in 2022.'
 
FAO Cereal Price Index decreased 0.6 per cent from November, as falling wheat export quotations amid improved supplies following southern hemisphere harvests more than offset firmer maize prices underpinned by strong demand and concerns over persistent dryness in Brazil. For the full year, however, FAO Cereal Price Index reached its highest annual level since 2012 and averaged 27.2 per cent higher than in 2020, with maize up 44.1 per cent, wheat up 31.3 per cent, but rice down by 4.0 per cent.
 
FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index declined 3.3 per cent in December, with weaker quotations for palm oil and sunflower oil reflecting subdued global import demand that may be linked to concerns over the impact of rising Covid-19 cases. For 2021 as a whole, FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index reached an all-time high, increasing 65.8 per cent from 2020.
 
FAO Sugar Price Index decreased by 3.1 per cent from November, reaching a five-month low, reflecting concerns over the possible impact of the Omicron Covid-19 variant on global demand as well as a weaker Brazilian Real and lower ethanol prices. For 2021 as a whole, the FAO Sugar Price Index rose 29.8 per cent from the previous year to its highest level since 2016.
 
FAO Meat Price Index was broadly stable in December but over 2021 as a whole, the FAO Meat Price Index was 12.7 per cent higher than in 2020.
 
FAO Dairy Price Index was the only sub-index to increase in December, rising 1.8 per cent from the previous month, as international quotations for butter and milk powders increased amid lower milk production in Western Europe and Oceania. Cheese prices declined marginally, reflecting a preference for Western Europe dairy producers. In 2021, FAO Dairy Price Index averaged 16.9 per cent higher than in 2020.

 Source:  fnbnews
11 Jan, 2022 News Image Iraq extends deadline in restricted tender to buy wheat: traders.
Iraq’s state grains buyer has extended the deadline for validity of price offers in tender to buy a nominal 50,000 tonnes of milling wheat in which only a limited number of trading companies were asked to participate, European traders said on Monday.
 
The tender has been restricted to about eight trading houses in the United States and Canada, traders said. 
 
The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender was Jan. 3 but Iraq has asked tender participants to extend the validity of their offers until Jan. 13, traders said.
 
No purchase has yet been reported, they said. The wheat can be sourced optionally from the United States, Canada or Australia, traders said.
 
Volumes in Iraq's tenders are nominal and the country has in the past frequently bought more than the tonnage originally requested.

 Source:  zawya.com
11 Jan, 2022 News Image India s dairy exports may grow significantly next decade: Report.
India may see dairy exports growing significantly in the next decade. A latest research report by an independent consulting player Wazir Advisors stated that India is uniquely positioned to capitalise on the emerging opportunities in dairy products in the international markets.
 
Large international markets such as the US, Canada, and New Zealand are witnessing a stagnation in dairy production, while the consumption is likely to grow - thus, there is an increased export opportunity, noted the report for December 2021. Further, Japan, the Russian Federation, Mexico, West Asia, and North Africa will continue to be important net importers.
 
Quoting the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook for 2021-30, it says India along with Pakistan will contribute over 30 per cent to the global production in 2030.
 
‘Unique position’
World’s largest milk producer, India’s produced all time high 198.4 million tonnes of milk in 2019-20 with per capita milk availability further increasing to 407 grams per day. 'Overall, India finds itself in a unique position for the next 10 years with both production and market estimated to grow. This augurs well for all participants in the value chain, especially since major growth will come from value-added products,' the report said.
 
The global per capita consumption of fresh dairy products is projected to increase by 1 per cent per annum over the next decade. The EU is currently the largest market for processed dairy products followed by the US. The trend is likely to continue over the next decade, the report noted.
 
But the share of value-added dairy products is about 30-35 per cent of the total milk and milk products’ markets, which the government wants to take to 40 per cent by 2025. Rabobank in its 2021 report has estimated 15 per cent annual growth rate for value-added products, which include segments such as cheese, fermented milk, butter, cream, condensed milk and whey, among others.
 
As per the Wazir Advisors’ report, ice creams command the largest share in value terms in the value-added segment, followed by yogurt, baby food, and cheese. Margins are high in products such as whey products, ice cream and UHT milk with 20 per cent or more, cheese and yogurt have at least 15 per cent margins followed by flavoured milk and butter milk with minimum 12 per cent margin. Quoting a Crisil data, the report says that price margin for liquid milk is about 3-5 per cent.
 
For India, the domestic consumption of fresh and processed dairy products would dominate, thereby limiting the opportunity for international trade. But it noted that the rate of increase in India’s share in international trade will depend upon how quickly India is able to address challenges related to productivity and efficiency.
 
In the post-pandemic market, the consumption pattern for dairy products in India has changed for higher household and retail segment consumption. Packaged dairy products are more in demand now, the sale through e-commerce and digital apps is growing, also the household sales has increased at the cost of institutional sales.
 
'While in the past, the organised dairy market was dominated by dairy cooperatives, the private sector has gained prominence over the last few years. Today, the share of milk handled by the private sector has exceeded that of the cooperative sector,' the report noted pointing at the growing organised private sector interests in the traditionally unorganised or cooperative-dominated dairy space.

 Source:  thehindubusinessline
11 Jan, 2022 News Image Tomar & Reddy review progress of various schemes of agriculture sector.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), G. Kishan Reddy, co-chaired a meeting to review the progress of various schemes of Government of India in the Agriculture sector in states of the North Eastern Region (NER), virtually from Vignan Bhavan, New Delhi.
 
Union Minister of State for DoNER, B L Verma, Ministers for Agriculture of all the 8 North Eastern States attended the meeting. Agriculture secretaries from the NER States along with senior officials of both the ministries and their organisations were present in the meeting.
 
Addressing the North Eastern States, Tomar assured that Government of India will do everything in its capacity to ensure that the income of the farmers of the NER region is doubled. He said, "Our door is always open. I request all State Governments to come up with a proposal if you find any difficulty in any schemes related to the agriculture sector."
 
Tomar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi put special emphasis on the development of the North Eastern Region. Speaking on the opportunities in the oil palm sector, Tomar said that ICAR suggested that 9 lakh hectare land in the North East is suitable for oil palm production. Due to the oil palm production farmers of the North Eastern region will be hugely benefitted, employment will be generated and import of oil palm can be reduced. Thus North East has a major role to play to make India self-reliant in edible oil.
 
The Minister said there are some horticulture and medicinal crops only produced in North Eastern State. There is a very big export opportunity for such crops. He said that Agriculture and Commerce Ministry are working together to tap such opportunities and to solve the logistic problems faced by the North Eastern States.
 
He also requested State Government to focus on Natural Farming. He said that the Prime Minister’s vision to minimise the dependence of farmers on purchased inputs through zero budget natural farming that reduces the cost of agriculture by relying on traditional field-based technologies which leads to improved soil health through natural farming should be fulfilled. He also congratulated Sikkim and the other North States for their achievements in organic farming.
 
G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Tourism, and Culture while addressing the states suggested that a task force be formed with representatives from Agriculture Ministry, DoNER and State governments to ensure that the schemes of Agriculture Ministry are saturated for the North Eastern region and the schemes can be customised to address the unique nature and the nuances encountered in the North East region.
 
The minister said that there is huge scope for employment generation in agriculture and tourism industries. He said that the Prime Minister has underscored the vision to develop the North East as the hub of organic farming. Further, there is tremendous potential for the development of horticulture as a major contributor to the region’s economic prosperity.  Be it Pineapple, Oranges, Kiwi, or spices such as turmeric, ginger, cardamom.
 
North Eastern States are gaining popularity in the market which needs to be taken to a global level now. He said that there is a need to focus on strengthening the agricultural and horticultural produce value chains. He said that post-harvest management also needs to be improved by involving FPOs, SHGs and the private sector. This is a crucial step in doubling our farmers’ income. There should be greater coordination with the Union Agriculture Ministry, line ministries and among all North Eastern States.

 Source:  fnbnews
11 Jan, 2022 News Image About 20K MT of agri-produce exported from eastern UP region.
After the intervention of APEDA, Varanasi region has recorded exemplary changes in the export scenario and registered many first-of-its-kind achievements in a very short span of time.
 
Regional in charge and assistant general manager of APEDA, Dr. CB Singh said that about 20,000 metric tons (MT) of agri-produce has been exported from eastern UP region in the last six months. 'Out of these shipments, about 5,000 MT fresh fruits and vegetables and 15,000 MT of cereals have been exported to Vietnam, Gulf nations, Nepal and Bangladesh by all modes of transportation. Varanasi and nearby areas witnessed an export of around 12 MT, 22 MT and 45 MT in the months of October, November, December respectively in 2021,' he added.
 
As Varanasi is a territory based in the plains of river Ganga, it has rich nutritional composition of soil with ample amount of fertility which leads to production of good quality agri-produce. Varanasi region also has reputed institutions of central and international level such as Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
 
Singh said, 'Currently, the Varanasi region has a number of exporters and exports of agricultural products are being undertaken through air route due to establishment of robust quarantine as well as custom clearance facilitation centre at Lal Bahadur Shastri International (LBSI) Airport.'
 
He added, 'APEDA has organised more than 30 capacity building programmes in the entire Varanasi region followed by eight international buyer-seller meets, which has provided a platform to the exporters to market their food products in the global marketplace.'
 
To monitor product and production, a project of AI tech is also being considered for approval. APEDA is also planning to take member farmer producer organization to different successful territories for unveiling the agri-supply chain and market linkage.
 
According to him, the government is also considering replicating the Varanasi model in the Gorakhpur region as the geography, demography and few other parameters are common in both the places. The newly established international airport in Kushinagar may play a vital role in triggering the export. The DDU Gorakhpur University, Indian Institute of Seed Science, Mau are the institutions actively working towards promotion of agri-activities in the region.
 
APEDA has also approved three projects for comprehensive grain and nutritional quality profiling of non-Basmati rice, value added products from rice and rice-based food systems. An APEDA-funded project for integrated IT solutions to enhance Agri export in Varanasi Region is under process.
 
The export of the first trial shipment of 14 MT green chilly was facilitated by APEDA from Varanasi to Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port in December 2019.
 
For the first time, from Varanasi 3 MT fresh vegetables was exported to London, 3 MT fresh mangoes to Dubai, 1.2 MT fresh mangoes to London, 520 MT regional rice to Qatar and 80 MT regional rice to Australia during the Covid pandemic in 2020, after APEDA’s intervention.
 
Meanwhile, Trisagar Farmer Producer Company Ltd, which is based in Sant Ravidas Nagar district, has started sending shipments on a daily basis to the international market after the intervention of APEDA. In another success story, Ghazipur district-based Shivansh Krishak Producer Company Ltd with a base of 1,500 progressive farmers has managed to get a decent realisation for its commodities after exporting a good volume of agri-produce.
 
Similarly, Varanasi-based FPO Jaya Seed Farmer Producer Company Ltd, which grows mangoes in around 50 acres, is getting higher price as compared to average price of the market after the intervention of APEDA. Prior to the initiative taken by APEDA, the FPC used to sell mangoes at an average price of Rs 25/kg, but in recent season they have sold it at Rs 50/kg to a Netherlands-based company named Super Plum having few outlets in Bangalore and Mumbai.

 Source:  timesofindia
10 Jan, 2022 News Image India exports pineapple worth USD 2.68 million in 2020-21.
Thiruvananthpuram, Jan 8 (UNI) India exported fresh and dried pineapple worth USD 2.68 million during 2020-21 in which around 44 per cent share is from Kerala.
 
Flagging off of the first consignment of GI Tagged 'Vazhakulam Pineapple' from Vazhakulam, Ernakulam, to Dubai and Sharjah, UAE, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Chairman Dr. M Angamuthu said the major export destinations are UAE, Qatar, Maldives, Nepal, France etc.
 
'Pineapple produced in the Vazhakulam area of Kerala received GI tag in 2009 due to its delicious taste,unique aroma and flavour,'he added.
 
Vazhakulam area is ideally suited for the production of pineapple for table purpose.
 
The Flesh is golden yellow and crisp & is a good source of carotene, vitamins minerals and energy.
 
GI Vazhakulam Pineapple of 2.5 metric tonnes having a shelf life of 14-20 days is exported to both Dubai & Sharjah together.
 
The average weight of fruit is approximately 1300 -1600 grams.This initiative taken by APEDA will promote GI farmers of Vazhakulam. They may get better income and more promotion of their product in global market Geographical Indication tagging of the agricultural products has increased its prestige & trust worthiness among consumers in international market.
 
GI tag as a marketing tool helps to fetch premium price in exports. APEDA has taken initiative to promote GI tagged products from India which will ultimately lead to the rise in exports.
 
Pineapple is a commercial fruit crop of India which is primarily used as fresh fruit, juice concentrate& in canning.It is rich in calcium, potassium, minerals & Vitamins and is low in fat & cholesterol. Bromelain in pineapples have significant medicinal & culinary benefits.
 
GI tagged Pineapple is exported from Vazhakulam by Fair Tradelinks & Fair Exports India Pvt. Ltd to Dubai & Sharjah respectively. Fair Tradelinks is a newly registered exporter of APEDA who intimated APEDA for facilitation of export of GI products from India to the middle-eastern countries and beyond.
 
Fair Exports India Pvt. Ltd. belonging to the Lulu Group Internationalis a leading exporter registered under APEDA.
 
Kaushal Foodstuff Trading LLC is an importing firm established by Indians in Dubai. It imports Indian fruits, vegetables, processed product like Maida, Jaggery, spices, and sugar etc.
 
Ms. Aarathi LR IES, MD, SHM & Special officer, WTO cell, Govt of Kerala, Dr. Maya, Principal scientist, Pineapple Research station, Vazhakulam, KAU, Representatives from Fair Exports India Pvt Limited, Kerala; Fair Tradelinks, Kerala and Kaushal Foodstuff Trading LLC, Dubai, GIPineapple farmers along with other officials of APEDA took part in the flag off ceremony held on Friday.

 Source:  uniindia.com