India’s coffee exports for financial year ending March, 2023 scaled a new high at $1.126 billion on increase in global prices. The exports for the year are higher by about a tenth in dollar value terms over the previous year’s $1.027 billion and surpassed the target of $1.088 billion fixed by the Commerce Ministry.

 

In fact, the Indian coffee exports have clocked over a billion dollars for the second consecutive year during 2022-23. The export growth in rupee value terms is higher at around 18 per cent at Rs.9033.38 crore as compared to previous year’s Rs.7655.50 crore.

 

This growth in exports is despite a 3.6 per cent decline in volumes at 3.98 lakh tonnes over the previous year’s 4.13 lakh tonnes, as per the Coffee Board of India’s data based on the permits issued.

 

Higher realisations

'The increase in exports is due to higher realisations,' said Coffee Board CEO and Secretary K G Jagadeesha. The per unit realisation for Indian coffees was higher by 22 per cent at Rs.2.26 lakh per tonne during 2022-23 as compared to Rs.1.84 lakh per tonne during the previous year.

 

'The International Coffee Organisation’s composite index price last year was very high compared to the last 10 years,' Jagadeesha said. The ICO indicator price for ‘Other Milds’ a category under which the Indian coffees are classified, went up from around 185 US cents per pound last year to 226 US cents per pound.

 

Growth in value

'Our growth in value terms is much faster than in quantity. In terms of quantity, we are lagging behind when compared to last year as our production is limited. If the prices remain same during 2023-24, then we may exceed the billion dollar mark again,' Jagadeesha said. While India may not face problems in exports of value added instant coffees, as we import and re-export after value-addition, the green coffee shipments are all dependent on natural factors such as weather. 'If there is a favourable weather, we will have a good crop and good exports,' he added.

 

India exports about two thirds of the 3.6 lakh tonnes of green coffees produced in the country.

 

Decline in volumes

Ramesh Rajah, President, Coffee Exporters Association, said the higher value due to the gain in the international market has made up for the decline in volumes. 'We were expecting a 5 per cent decline in volumes,' Rajah said adding that it would be hard to sustain the exports during 2023-24. 'There could be a marginal decline in quantity terms and five per cent dip in value terms during 2023-24 as the order books are only 60 per cent of the normal, particularly for the Arabicas, which is a bit of concern,' Rajah said.

 

Factors such as higher Indian prices, compared to the terminal prices in New York and London, and in Europe, the largest destination for Indian coffees, where consumers hit by a recession are looking are cheaper coffees, have resulted in lower order-books, Rajah added.

An amount of over Rs 3100 crore has been allocated to Jammu and Kashmir agriculture and allied sectors in order to increase farmer income, ensure food security and to accelerate the Union Territory’s economic growth, said an official release on Friday.

 

The announcement of the amount came days after the Parliament passed the ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation (No 2) Bill, 2023’ in the Union Budget.

 

'To create an enabling environment for transforming JandK agriculture and allied sectors in order to increase farmer income, ensure food security and accelerate UT’s economic growth, Rs 3156 crore has been allocated in Budget 2023-24,' said an official release from the Department of Information and Public Relation JK.

 

According to the release, a Holistic Agriculture Development plan (HADP) will be rolled out, with 29 proposed projects at an outlay of Rs 5012 crore over a period of the next five years.

 

Speaking on the initiative, an official said, 'The novel initiative will create additional job opportunities for 2,87,910 people in agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors besides 18,861 new business enterprises will be created over the period of next five years.'

 

'To empower the farmers to store their produce for better returns, the government will create 67000 Metric tons of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage capacity,' said the release.

 

As per the release, Jammu and Kashmir government is encouraging and aiding private players to set up cold storage (CA) facilities in order to reduce post-harvest losses by increasing the shelf life of various agriculture and horticulture products, as well as to address the issue of distressed crop sales by farmers.

 

The government has taken several concrete steps to increase agriculture and horticulture production, as well as to improve crop quality, with a special emphasis on post-harvesting management infrastructure, particularly in the private sector,' further read the release.

 

Highlighting the government’s initiative to promote beekeeping in the state, the release said, 'Jammu and Kashmir’s government has launched a Rs 46.65 crore for `Promotion of Beekeeping’ project to triple the honey production over the next five years.'

 

'Monitoring and traceability will be done through Governance Innovation (GI) labs. 20 Custom Hiring centres (CHCs) will be also established to extend pollination facilities. Jammu and Kashmir will have a full-fledged centre of excellence for constancy, capacity building, and post-harvest management,' the release said.

 

Under the project, the value addition of honey is also being envisioned coupled with efficient growth of the bee sector using native honey bees.

 

Informing about investment in fish farming, the release said, 'To make fish farming a prosperous sector, the UT government has approved Rs 176 crore project to boost fish production.'

 

'The project involves importing genetically improved fish seed, upgrading existing hatcheries and fish rearing units, introducing species diversity in aquaculture through RandD, and commercializing trout and carp fish production using modern technologies such as Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) and Biofloc and is estimated to double trout and carp production over the next five years,' added the release.

 

Talking about the dairy sector, the release said, 'Dairy is the biggest component of livestock husbandry and plays a pivotal role in sustaining agriculture income and acts as a growth engine for agriculture, allied sectors in JandK.'

 

'The milk production is expected to reach 45 Lakh metric tons from 25 Lakh metric tons over the next five years and will be achieved through a range of measures, including the expansion of breeding coverage and increasing per-animal productivity,' added the release.

 

'One of the key elements of the dairy under the HADP project is to increase per-animal productivity from 2400 litres to 4300 litres, which is a significant increase. This will be achieved through various interventions, including the expansion of Artificial Insemination (AI) centres from 1389 to 2189,' added the release further.

The Centre has relaxed norms for procuring wheat in Madhya Pradesh with a rider that payment should be lower than the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs.2,125/quintal if the grain has a lustre loss of more than 10 per cent. No other State government has requested any relaxation in quality norms after unseasonal rains and hailstorms hit several parts of the wheat-growing States.

 

In a communication to the Principal Secretary (Food) in Madhya Pradesh, Viswajeet Haldar, a deputy commissioner in Food Ministry, said, 'In order to reduce the hardship of farmers and to avoid distress sale, it has been decided to procure wheat in Madhya Pradesh' with certain relaxations in Uniform Specifications during the 2023-24 marketing season (April-March).

 

The Ministry said there will be no 'value cut' for lustre loss of up to 10 per cent, and a flat 25 per cent reduction from 1 per cent of MSP on lustre loss10 to 80 per cent. Thus, for every quintal of wheat with more than 10 per cent lustre loss, the farmer in MP will receive Rs.5.31 lesser than the MSP.

 

Uniform specifications

According to the Uniform Specifications approved by the Food Ministry, wheat to be purchased should have natural size, shape, colour and lustre. It further said the grain should be sweet, clean, wholesome and free from obnoxious smells, discolouration, admixture of deleterious substances, including toxic weed seeds, and all other impurities, except to the extent provided separately.

 

For fair and average quality (FAQ) wheat, the maximum permissible limit for foreign matter is 0.75 per cent, other foodgrains 2 per cent, damaged grains 2 per cent, slightly damaged grains 4 per cent, shrivelled and broken grains 6 per cent, and moisture up to 12 per cent.

 

Meanwhile, official data shows wheat procurement in the State has touched 98,485 tonnes in three days since purchase under MSP started on March 28. On the other hand, arrivals between March 15 and March 30 stood at 7.81 lakh tonnes (lt). The average mandi prices are ruling between Rs.1,800/quintal and Rs.2,260/quintal, which traders attributed to higher than normal moisture.

 

The State aims to purchase 80 lt for the Central Pool this season. In the 2022-23 season, purchase dropped to 46.03 lt, against the target of 129 lt, whereas procurement was over 128 lt during 2021-22.

 

According to traders, a similar allowance for wheat procurement was made in 2002-03 by the Centre.

 

The European Commission (EC) has granted protected geographical indication (PGI) for India’s unique Kangra tea, which is grown in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district.

 

The EC notified granting PGI on March 22 and this will come into effect from April 11, 2023. 

 

The granting of PGI for Kangra tea comes at a time when the EC has been dragging its feet on granting a similar status to Basmati rice. India had filed for the GI tag in 2018 but the European Union (EU) wants India and Pakistan to hold talks so that the latter’s Basmati rice also gets due recognition. However, Islamabad is far off from meeting the requirements.

 

No ‘statement of opposition’

In its notification, the EC said it was granting the PGI as it had not received any 'statement of opposition' and hence it 'should therefore be entered in the register'.

 

Grown since the mid-19th Century, Kangra tea is known for its unique flavour and taste. It is available as black and green teas. 

 

 According to the Tea Board, Kangra tea is grown at an elevation ranging from 900 to 1,400 metres above sea level with the annual rainfall being 270-350 cm.  

 

Unique characteristics

'For Kangra, the ‘Valley of Gods’, nothing less than the majestic Dhauladhar mountain range could have served as the backdrop. And to toast its beauty, there is nothing finer than Kangra tea,' the Board says about one of India’s finest teas.  

 

The climate, the characteristic terrain and soil conditions, and the coolness of the snow-clad mountains in the Kangra region all play a role in crafting a delightfully distinct cup of quality tea. 

 

'Particularly the first flush with an aroma and flavour has an unmistakable tinge of fruitiness,' the Board says. 

 

The history of Kangra tea dates back to 1849 when Dr Jameson, then superintendent of the Botanical Tea Gardens, pronounced the region ideal for tea cultivation. 

 

Being one of India’s smallest tea regions makes Kangra green and black teas all the more exclusive. 

 

'While the black tea has a sweet lingering after-taste, the green tea has a delicate woody aroma. The demand for Kangra tea has been increasing steadily and much of it is bought by natives and exported to Kabul and Central Asia via Peshawar,' it says. Kangra tea is a registered Geographical Indication (GI).

 

According to the Tea Board, Kangra tea is a little milder than Darjeeling tea in terms of flavour and has more body and liquor.

The Union Ministry of Agriculture has told Parliament that under the National Food Security Mission- Oilseeds (NFSM-OS), Government of India has been implementing some special programme on Rapeseed & Mustard for distribution of latest high yielding varieties seeds, distribution of Seed Mini kits of hybrid Mustard seeds, Rapid Soybean Seed Multiplication Plan (3S1Y) and a Special Project to increase area and production of Sunflower cultivation in the country through hybrid seed production and demonstration for three years from 2022-23 to 2024-25.

 

'In addition, Government has also approved an Annual Action Plan for area expansion of Sunflower in Paddy Fallows during 2022-23,' reads the statement put before the Parliament by the Agriculture Ministry.

 

The Ministry added that the scheme was aimed at reducing the import burden by increasing the production and productivity of oilseeds including Groundnut, Soybean, Rapeseed & Mustard, Sunflower, Safflower, Sesame, Niger, Linseed, Castor along with area expansion of Oil Palm & Tree Borne Oilseeds including Olive, Mahua, Kokum, Wild Apricot, Neem, Jojoba, Karanja, Simaroba, Tung, Cheura and Jatropha in the country.

 

The National Food Security Mission (NFSM)-Oilseeds is being implemented from the year 2017-18 in 28 States/UTs, and the scheme comprises of three sub-missions namely, NFSM-Oilseeds, NFSM-Oil Palm and NFSM-Tree Borne Oilseeds.

 

However, the government did not present any data on the production of the oilseeds and its impact on reducing the burden of import of oilseeds into India.

 

Meanwhile, when contacted, Shankar Thakkar, president of the All India Edible Oil Traders’ Confederation, has said that the Government’s scheme isn’t working on ground and a detailed plan focusing on accurate implementation was needed, if the government really wants to reduce the import burden of oilseeds.

 

'There are challenges for implementation of this plan. The agri land that is being used for the scheme has been traditionally used for a different crop. E.g., in Tamil Nadu or Telangana, farm lands where rice is produced traditionally, are being used for production of palm plants and it will impact rice production. Similarly, for other oilseeds, the government hasn’t given any data about how much production has happened over last few years,' he said.

 

Thakkar suggested that the government should make a balance in planning the scheme so that there will be no impact on production of other crop.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), on Thursday, revised its order allowing the use of regional common names on labels of curd packets amidst a row in Tamil Nadu over the Hindi term 'Dahi'.

 

In a statement on Thursday, FSSAI said that food business operators food can use the term 'curd' along with the prevalent regional common name in brackets on the label.

 

This statement comes after Tamil Nadu government raised objections to the food safety authority’s direction to use of term ' dahi' on curd packets. Aavin said it will not use the Hindi term 'dahi' for labelling. Karnataka Milk Federation and Kerala Milk Federation reportedly had also raised similar objections.

 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, in a tweet on Wednesday, said, 'The unabashed insistence of Hindi Imposition has come to the extent of directing us to label even a curd packet in Hindi, relegating Tamil & Kannada in our own states. Such brazen disregard to our mother tongues will make sure those responsible are banished from the South forever (sic).'

 

The food safety authority, on Thursday, said, 'As many representations were received recently on the omission of the term 'curd, from the Standards of Fermented Milk Products, it has been decided that FBOs may use the term 'Curd' along with any other designation (prevalent regional common name) in brackets on the label.'

 

'Accordingly, Curd can also be labelled as per the following examples- 'Curd (Dahi)' ,Curd (Mosaru)', Curd (Zaamut daud)', 'Curd (Thayir)' or 'Curd (Perugu)',' it added.

 

The food safety regulator had notified provisions for the omission of the term 'curd' from the Standards of Fermented Milk products in January and only the term 'dahi' was mentioned.

 

'General Standard for Milk and Milk Products’ under the ‘Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 clearly lay down guidelines for use of dairy term(s)in the nomenclature of dairy products (milk, milk product or a composite milk product) and related prohibitions for such use in non-dairy products. Accordingly, when term 'curd' was written along with 'Dahi' in the said regulation, it was restricting its used for non dairy products,' the FSSAI added in its statement.

Amid a diplomatic row following protests by secessionist groups near the Indian mission in London, Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said talks on a Free Trade Agreement with the UK are continuing. Talks are 'going on very well' with the UK, Goyal said, adding, 'trade stands on its own legs'.

 

The Union minister, however, made it clear that India will take into consideration a respect for her sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will not tolerate any interference in her Indian affairs.

 

India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned the senior-most British diplomat in New Delhi on a Sunday evening recently, over reports of some Khalistani elements pulling down the Indian flag at the Indian high commission in London during a protest. India has also responded by proposing or undertaking several actions, like reducing security at the British mission and constructing a public toilet there.

 

When asked about the impact of the ongoing events on the trade agreement, Goyal seemed to suggest that negotiations continue.

 

'I can assure you that talks are going on very well with the UK, Canada, with the EU countries, we are also in dialogue with Israel,' he told reporters here.

 

Goyal said there was no deadline to have an FTA with the UK, but a former PM of the country has announced an aspiration to conclude before Diwali of 2022.

 

'...we are back at the negotiating table, both sides are discussing at the official level,' he said.

 

Goyal said there is a high interest for FTAs with India shown by many countries, and discussions are on at a 'frenzied pace' with many countries, and quipped that he is not left with bandwidth to discuss such agreements.

 

Meanwhile, Goyal also said that talks are also on with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), following a request from four ministers of the grouping to meet the Indian commerce and industries minister.

 

'They have assured me that they will be coming with very attractive proposals in terms of opening up services and a deeper understanding of India's own concerns around our patent laws and the need to protect our domestic industry,' Goyal said.

 

On a query on rupee trade with partners, and if the same is being pushed with G-20 countries during the ongoing meetings of the grouping's trade and investment group in the financial capital, Goyal said this subject is more of a bilateral subject which is anchored by the RBI and the Ministry of Finance.

 

He added that many countries have evinced interest in having such an arrangement with India.

 

Goyal attended a dinner meeting with the 100 delegates attending the G-20 meeting in the financial capital on Wednesday evening, and is also addressing the delegates at the closing event later on Thursday.

 

Meanwhile, when asked about Parliament passing important bills sans any discussions and the treasury benches taking to protests at a time when the government is responsible for running the Houses, Goyal shot back saying the Opposition is using the platform to cast baseless and wild allegations against those in the government under the influence of forces inimical to India's interests.

 

'Sometimes in life, propriety, self respect and the nation's interest overrides everything else. And this is one such occasion when we cannot allow the nation's independence, our sovereignty, our respect to be tarnished by any individual especially on foreign soil,' he said.

 

The commerce minister also said that the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be ready by the end of the year and work is on at a scorching pace.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday announced that the government agencies will buy 3 lakh tonnes of onion once the winter harvest starts coming in. Goyal, who handles the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public distribution portfolio, said that last year, the overall buying of the rabi harvest stood at 2.5 lakh tonnes.

 

'I have already ordered an increased onion purchase from Rabi harvest from 2.5 lakh tonnes last year to 3 lakh tonnes this year to ensure that farmers get a fair price,' Goyal told reporters here.

 

He added that the National Cooperative Consumers Federation and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) have also been instructed to pick up 'late kharif' harvest stocks, but are not finding the produce in the markets now.

 

Growers in Maharashtra have been protesting after a steep fall in onion prices over the last month. Marketplaces, including the largest one in Nashik district's Lasalgaon, have been shut down and onions have also been dumped by farmers.

 

Farmers claim they are getting very low rates for the harvest, which is a fraction of the input costs and have been demanding the state agencies to step in, given the wide-ranging stress.

 

They blame the monsoon season for lasting longer, higher prices commanded by 'late kharif' in the last two seasons, which led many to plant the particular variety with lower shelf life and impact on exports as major producers like Bangladesh have started growing their own onion.

 

Earlier this month, the Maharashtra government agreed to give a compensation of Rs 300 per quintal to onion farmers amid the crash of prices.

 

Rabi onion crops harvested during April-June accounts for 65 per cent of India's onion production and meet the consumers' demand till the kharif crop is harvested in October-November.

 

The overall onion production is estimated to have risen to 31.70 million tonnes in 2021-22 from 26.64 million tonnes in the previous year, and the Centre procured 2.50 lakh tonnes of it.

The Government has been monitoring export performance including that of agricultural and processed food products in the current financial year i.e. 2022-23 vis a vis 2021-22. No targets have been fixed yet for export for the year 2023-24. During the current financial year (Apr. 2022 – January 2023), the agricultural exports have amounted to USD 43.37 billion, registering an increase of 6.04% over the exports of USD 40.90 billion during the corresponding period of the previous financial year i.e. April 2021 to January 2022. During the financial year 2021-22, India’s agricultural export touched the highest ever level of USD 50.21 billion.

 

Rise in agricultural exports improves realisations for farmers and has a positive impact on their income. In order to ensure that the farmers benefit from exports, the Government has launched a Farmer Connect Portal for providing a platform for Farmer Producer Organisations/Companies (FPOs/FPCs) and cooperatives to directly interact with exporters.

 

The Government has taken several steps at State and District level to promote agriculture exports. State specific Action Plans have been prepared and State Level Monitoring Committees (SLMCs), Nodal Agencies for agricultural exports and Cluster Level Committees have been formed in a number of States. The Government is utilising the District as Export Hub (DEH) initiative to achieve the objectives of Agriculture Export Policy (AEP). Under the DEH initiative, products including agricultural and processed food products with export potential have been identified in all 733 districts across the country. State Export Strategy has been prepared in 28 States/UTs.

 

The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is constantly engaged in export promotion activities for agricultural & processed food products and has played an important role. APEDA implements the ‘Agriculture & Processed Food Products Export Promotion Scheme’. Various developmental activities are undertaken and assistance to exporters is provided under different components of the scheme viz. Infrastructure Development, Market Development and Quality Development. 

 

APEDA has also been collaborating with the Indian Missions abroad for participating in various international trade fairs and exhibitions, organising virtual trade fairs, buyer-seller meets and export promotion of GI products. APEDA has also facilitated trial shipments for new products with export potential and for new destinations. To address the issue of stakeholders’ participation in the decision-making process for export promotion activities, the Department of Commerce has established Export Promotion Forums (EPFs) for individual products under the aegis of the APEDA. The EPFs have representation from trade/industry, line ministries/departments, regulatory agencies, research institutes, state governments etc. In all 9 EPFs have been formed for rice, banana, grapes, mango, onion, dairy products, nutri-cereals, pomegranate and floriculture respectively. APEDA has also played an important role in opening up of new markets for agricultural products in the recent past such as Canada, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Portugal, Indonesia, Iran etc. APEDA has been organising capacity building/training programs in the Agri-export  clusters and States in association with the State Departments,      State Agriculture Universities, and Krishi Vikas Kendras for farmers, farmer-producer organizations (FPOs) and exporters in order to provide export-market linkage to the farmer groups and to facilitate entrepreneurs in becoming prospective exporters. APEDA has also made efforts to establish synergy with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to ensure optimum utilization of resources for development of agriculture exports.

 

This information has been given by the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.