In pursuant to the 12th India – USA TPF meeting held on 23 Nov, 2021 Department of Agriculture and farmer’s welfare (DAC&FW) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have signed a framework agreement for implementing the 2 Vs 2 Agri market access issues i.e inspection / oversight transfer for Indian mangoes & pomegranate and market access for pomegranate arils from India and market access for US cherries and U.S Alfalfa hay.

 

Mango and pomegranate exports will start from Jan – Feb 2022 and pomegranate aril exports from Apr 2022. Exports of Alfalfa hay and cherries from USA will begin in Apr 2022.

 

In addition, based on the ministerial discussions, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) also conveyed its readiness to provide market access for U.S pork and requested the U.S side to share a signed copy of final sanitary certificate for finalizing the same.

Several important MoUs were signed on Thursday with Al Maya Group, MATU Investments LLC, GL Employment Brokerage LLC & Noon to invest in J&K Expo-2020 Dubai. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who presided over the signing ceremony said this will further strengthen J&K-Dubai's trade, investment ties.

 

The summit has received a great response from the representatives of global companies, investors and business managers. Lieutenant Governor also held a meeting with Chairman of DP world, H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. DP World is set to build an inland port in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

Addressing the Investors Summit at Dubai, the Lt Governor highlighted the strong business scenario in Jammu & Kashmir.

 

Big business groups from UAE have shown interest in investing in J&K marking the beginning of a new and comprehensive partnership, the Lt Governor said.

 

'Relationship between India and UAE has matured enough over the years to become enduring ‘Global Partners’ in the 21st Century. These are those times in the journey of Jammu Kashmir where opportunities are in plenty', said the Lt Governor.

 

The Lt Governor said the UT of J&K now has a sage and conducive environment for the businesses to flourish, besides having a young population and a demographic dividend to its advantage.

 

'We are devising new paths, new policies, creating critical infrastructure and unlocking the business potential of Jammu Kashmir to strengthen our business ecosystem for the post-pandemic world and embarking on the journey of growth and development,' added the Lt Governor.

 

'J&K has the capability to provide opportunity to industries to compete, connect and collaborate with its readily available abundant resources. In the last 28 months, J&K has transformed from sleeping business destination to the land of opportunities and investment', the Lt Governor said.

 

Due to transparent policies, ease of doing business, we were able to clock investment proposal worth Rs 45000 crore and additional Rs 18300 crore in real estate sector, added the Lt Governor.

 

'Jammu Kashmir is rising. The best time to invest in J&K is ‘now’. Our performance shows the world has an opportunity to develop and grow with the enormous opportunities Jammu Kashmir offers at this exciting period of time', said the Lt Governor.

 

'I have set the high target of economic growth for Jammu Kashmir, which is the crown jewel of India. With the ageless culture visible in the layers of history and as a witness to co-existence of almost all major religions known to humankind, Jammu Kashmir has created an inclusive cultural ecosystem for the country' the Lt Governor further added.

 

This is the new Jammu Kashmir determined to reverse the trend of the past 7 decades by pushing the targets for economic growth. 'Our aim is very clear- deepen the trust with business firms, build the industrial base for the economy and strengthen social stability. And, the tireless effort is paying us the dividend,' the Lt Governor said.

 

'We are offering you a stake in the present and future of rich civilization, the land of curiosity for intellectuals, travelers, traders and historians,' the Lt Governor told the investors and business leaders.

 

The global pandemic made the world realize the hard way the virtues of globalization, inter-connected world. The paradigm shifts towards virtues of connecting and collaborating globally which the business enterprises are witnessing is also an opportunity to invest in unsaturated market, the Lt Governor said.

 

There is an advantage of first-mover because Jammu Kashmir is an unsaturated market and one can build a brand new business network and tap rapidly growing opportunities in the Union Territory. I assure you, the government will be a facilitator, partner, provider, collaborator and promoter at every step to ensure sustainable, balanced, progressive and competitive business environment for traditional core sectors and new-age technology driven sectors,' added the Lt Governor.

 

'India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) enjoy strong bonds of friendship and historical ties which was further strengthened by the strenuous efforts of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,' the Lt Governor said.

 

Taking this forward, J&K Government is working with enhanced cooperation in various other sectors. For serving the common interests of peoples of both the countries and creating more opportunities for growth and progress, we are also collaborating in setting up small and medium enterprises, educational institutions, space technology, health and closely working in the horticulture sector, added the Lt Governor.

 

It is my firm belief that the industries will thrive in a progressive business regulatory environment which has now been established in J&K, said the Lt Governor.

 

On the occasion, the Lt Governor also expressed his gratitude to the Indian community living in UAE for playing a significant role in the economic development of UAE and immensely contributing to the growth of various sectors in India.

 

During his meeting with Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and discussed the investment opportunities in various sectors of J&K UT and potential areas of collaboration between the Government of J&K and DP World.

 

Dubai ports giant DP World is planning to build an inland port in Jammu and Kashmir as part of the firm commitment by the UAE to invest in J&K. The representatives of DP World would soon visit the 250 acre site earmarked for the inland port facility. The ambitious projects will be finalized soon.

 

The Lieutenant Governor also visited India Pavilion and took a guided tour during the participation of UT of Jammu and Kashmir in the UT floor of the pavilion.

 

Pertinently, the Lt Governor during his visit to Dubai is holding a series of meetings with potential investors for bringing investment in J&K, besides promoting J&K products at Gulf market.

India is keeping sensitive dairy and agriculture items out of the India-Australia free trade agreement (FTA) as it does not want to compromise the interest of its farmers. But it may give limited market access to a handful of farm items that are not produced in the country, a person close to the negotiations has said.

 

'India is not offering concessions for items that are essential for the livelihood of lakhs of dairy and agriculture farmers such as milk, butter, milk powder or wheat. This has been clearly communicated to Australia and there is no cause for apprehension for farmers,' the source said.

 

However, the possibility of giving market access, by reducing tariffs or other import restrictions, for a handful of agriculture items, that are neither produced nor consumed in great quantities in the country, can’t be ruled out in case the situation demands it, the source added.

 

Also read: India-UK FTA may include chapter on gender equality in trade

 

'Market access for products such as blue cheese or macadamia nuts, that have no production base or a wide consumer base in India, cannot hurt Indian farmers or dairy producers. Such items can be considered if the negotiations enter an intense give and take phase and there is a lot at stake for the country in terms of potential gains to be made,' the source explained.

 

In finishing touches

 

India and Australia are, at the moment, trying to give finishing touches to an interim free trade agreement that would lead to lower import duties and more market access for a limited number of items and sectors. It will subsequently be expanded into a full-fledged Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement covering most trade goods and encompassing several areas such as services, investments, government procurement and intellectual property.

 

Australian producers, too, have been urging their government to focus on market access for items that are not produced much in India.

 

The Australian Nut Industry Council, in a representation to the Australian government on the proposed CECA with India, pointed out that for all Australian tree nuts except walnuts, the production in India is close to zero, according to. 'Therefore, for almonds, macadamias, pistachios, pecans, and hazelnuts, the progress of the agreement could do so without any effects on local Indian producers. The tariff reductions by India on these nuts should be enough to allow effective entry into the Indian market,' it said.

 

According to Grain Trade Association of Australia, growth potential for Australian exports remains in commodities that India needs due to shortfalls in production including pulses, grains, horticulture and oilseeds. 'Opportunities also exist, or will emerge, for value-added products sought by the growing middle class. Despite this, India remains a difficult market, characterised by fluctuating import demand and sharp and sudden policy changes which make it a high-risk market for exporters,' it said in its submission and asked the government to seek reduction in both tariff and non-tariff barriers.

 

While India is interested in getting more market access for goods such as textiles, leather and gems & jewellery, it also has expectations of gaining greater opportunities for its workers and professionals through easier visa norms and mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

 

India’s exports to Australia in 2020-21 were valued at $4 billion, while imports from the country were at $8.5 billion. India was Australia’s seventh-largest trading partner and sixth-largest export market in 2020, driven by coal and international education, according to the Australian government.

British trade minister Anne-MarieTrevelyan will visit India this week to hold talks to try to deepen trade and economic ties as part of London's push in the Indo-Pacific region, her department said on Sunday.

 

As part of a two-day visit to New Delhi, Trevelyan will hold bilateral talks with Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Thursday on green trade, the removal of market access barriers and other issues.

 

They are also expected to confirm the launch of official negotiations on a new UK-India free trade deal, the trade department said in a statement.

 

'The UK and India are already close friends and trading partners, and building on that strong relationship is a priority for 2022,' Trevelyan said in the statement.

 

'I will be using my visit to drive forward an ambitious trade agenda which represents the UK's Indo-Pacific tilt inaction and shows how we are seizing global opportunities as an independent trading nation.'

In an effort to share the experiences in modern agricultural technologies, Indian National Academy of Engineering is working to understand implementation challenges, identify solutions, and recommend future strategies.

 

The effort is to bring to the fore the advantages of precision agriculture, artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI-ML) agriculture, farm mechanisation and secondary agriculture.

 

Successes and failures of agricultural technologies and the issues in its implementation come to the fore. It is imperative for the agri sector which covers farm lands, processing units and start-ups to devise strategies for effective implementation of  technologies.

 

Via an online workshop which ropes in the agriculture and horticulture experts  the Academy is hosting the event on January 10 with academics, scientists, industry practitioners, entrepreneurs, agriculturists, and administrators working in agricultural technologies.

 

The agriculture sector contributes to 16% of India’s GDP employing almost 50% of the total work-force. Despite significant improvement in food grain production, there are several challenges to address to make agriculture a sustainable and remunerative sector in the future.

 

Climate and global warming issues make farming unpredictable. Technology plays a key role in farming and agricultural practices. Digital technology and data analysis tools have brought in innovations in agricultural practices in improving crop yields and helping increase the income of the farming community, said the Academy.

 

Speaking to F&B News, Dr G Senthil Kumaran, Principal Scientist, IIHR, Bangalore, and moderator of the event for farm mechanisation said the need of the  hour is to maximise technology.  Practices like precision agriculture which is now a well established in farming management to optimise inputs and maximise crop yields. Similarly AI-ML provide real-time data to increase agricultural efficiencies, and reduce food production costs. Farm Mechanisation has been a game changer and secondary agriculture which agro-based manufacturing garners considerable benefits.  This would also be the only way to attract the cream of young qualified talent into agriculture.

 

Dr S Ayappan, Chairman, Karnataka Science and Technology Academy, Bengaluru, and Former Director General, ICAR, will inaugurate the session. Prof. VK Atre, Chairman INAE, Bangalore Chapter, Indian National Academy of Engineering, along with SR Umashankar, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka will be present.

 

The guest of honour are Prof. S Rajendra Prasad, Vice-Chancellor, UAS GKVK, Bangalore; Prof. BN Srinivasa Murthy, Director, ICAR-IIHR, Bangalore; Prof. Navakanta Bhat, Dean, Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences, IISc, Bangalore; and Prof. Indranil Manna.

 

The speakers are Prof. Chindi Vasudevappa, Vice Chancellor, NIFTEM, Kundli, Haryana; Dr. C.R. Mehta, Director, ICAR- CIAE, Bhopal; Prof. M.S. Sheshshayee, UAS; Prof. Y. Narahari, IISc; and S Sivakumar, Group Head, Agri and IT Businesses, ITC.

 

Moderators of the event are Prof. Jaywant Arakeri, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, IISc; Dr. G. Senthil Kumaran Principal Scientist, IIHR, Bangalore; Dr. C.T. Ramachandra, Associate Professor, UAS, Bangalore; and Ravi Trivedi, Officer on Special Duty, Agriculture, Indian Administrative Fellowship, Government of Karnataka.

Panelists for Precision Agriculture are Dr. V. C. Patil, UAS, Dharwad; Dr. Rabi Sahoo IARI, New Delhi; Dr. Kesavan Subaharan ICAR-NBAIR, Bangalore; Dr. Prasanna Bhat, Bayer Crop Science; and Prof. K. R. Sreenivas, JNCASR, Bangalore.

 

For Farm Mechanization panelists are Prof. M. Veerangouda, Registrar, UAS, Raichur; S.V. Raju, chairman, Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association, India; N. Unnikrishnan, Superintending Engineer, Agricultural Engineering Dept., Tamilnadu; Manesh Jain, CEO, Flo Mobility, Bangalore; A. Rammohan, Executive Vice President and Business Head, TAFE.

 

Experts addressing  Secondary Agriculture include Dr. V. Palanimuthu Special Officer, CoAE, UAS,GKVK Bangalore; Dr. Ashwani Pareek, Executive Director, NABI, Mohali; Anil Naik, Innovative Food Consultant, Tumkur; and Prasanna Gudi, Assistant Manager, R & D, Coffee Processing & Quality HPRI, Sakleshpur.

 

Those addressing AI-ML agriculture would include Subrat Panda, CTO, AgNext; Aadith Moorthy CEO, Boomitra; and Dr. Nipun Mehrotra, founder, The Agri Collaboratory.

Mizoram Governor Kambhapati Hari Babu has underscored the need to set up an organisation to promote agricultural organic exports from Andhra Pradesh.

 

There is a need to study and identify the district wise export potential. The farmers, more particularly organic farmers, have to realise the export potential, he said.

 

Mr. Hari Babu inaugurated 4th Vijayawada Organic Mela-2022, rythu sammelanam, here on Friday.

 

Later, addressing the gathering, Mr. Hari Babu said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was emphasising on promoting districts as export hubs. The officials had to identify potential export sectors and fix the logistics bottlenecks while taking up district-specific approach. Andhra Pradesh could take lead in agri and organic exports in the country, he said.

 

Andhra Pradesh had already been leading in cultivation, yield and export of many agricultural products. The farmers from the State had proved their mettle wherever they went. They could take lead in organic farming as well and set an example to other States. Bringing down the expenditure on pesticides would automatically bring down the cost of cultivation, he said.

 

Except for oilseeds, India was ahead of many other countries in agriculture production. The country had registered a good growth rate of more than 4% despite COVID pandemic. It was solely due to the agriculture sector and farmers. If there were a growth of 1% in the agriculture sector, the overall growth rate would be 10 %, he said.

 

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (CAMPA) Chiranjeevi Chowdary, who earlier served as Horticulture Commissioner, stressed on the need for research in organic farming. Universities and research stations could make use of the plots of organic farmers to study and come up with plans and suggestions to make organic farming more profitable, he said.

 

Horticulture Commissioner P. Sredhar emphasised on the need for cutting down expenditure on fertilizers and chemicals. Andhra Pradesh was lagging behind other States with regard to organic farming. States like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra were ahead of AP. The government was extending a benefit of '10,000 per hectare to promote organic farming, he said.

 

Government Adviser P. Vijay Kumar, Food Processing Society CEO Sridhar Reddy, Vijaya Dairy Chairman Chalasani Anjaneyulu, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh State executive member Jalagam Kumara Swamy, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pranta prachark Bharat Kumar, Gou Aadharita Prakruti Vyavasayadarula Sangham State president Bhupatiraju Ramakrishna Raju, mela president Muthavarapu Muralikrishna and others spoke.

The government on Saturday said that exports of mango and pomegranate from India to the US will start from January-February to boost the country's outbound shipments of agri-products.

 

The commerce and industry ministry also said that exports of pomegranate aril to the US and imports of Alfalfa hay and cherries from America would also begin from April this year.

 

India has not exported mangoes to the US for the last two years as inspectors from American agencies, who used to visit India to certify the produce, couldn’t travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They have not visited India in the summers of 2020 and 2021.

 

'In pursuant to the 12th India-USA trade policy forum meeting held on November 23, 2021, the Department of Agriculture and farmer's welfare and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have signed a framework agreement for implementing the 2 Vs 2 agri-market access issues,” the ministry said. 

 

This access framework includes inspection and oversight transfer for Indian mangoes, pomegranate and pomegranate arils, and market access for US cherries and Alfalfa hay in India.

 

Mango and pomegranate exports will start from January-February 2022 and pomegranate aril from April 2022,' the ministry said.

 

Moreover, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has conveyed its readiness to provide market access for US pork, according to the ministry.

The commerce ministry's arm APEDA on Friday said it has identified potential districts of Uttar Pradesh to be covered under the Varanasi Agri-Export Hub (VAEH) for promotion of exports from that region.

 

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has taken initiatives to promote exports from the Purvanchal region of the state through development of VAEH, an official statement said.

 

The Purvanchal division of the state covers districts of Varanasi, Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Basti, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Chandauli and Sant Ravidas Nagar.

 

It added that 20,000 tonne of agri-produce have been exported from Purvanchal region in the last six months.

 

'Out of these shipments, about 5,000 tonne of fresh fruits and vegetables and 15,000 tonne of cereals have been exported to Vietnam, Gulf nations, Nepal and Bangladesh by all modes of transportation,' it said.

India on Friday reaffirmed commitment to its comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

 

There has been an upward trajectory in strategic ties between India and Vietnam in the backdrop of rising Chinese military assertiveness in the South China Sea region.

 

'On 50th Anniversary of our diplomatic relations, reaffirm our commitment to the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,'External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted.

 

'Will continue to work for the Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People laid down by our Prime Ministers,' he said.

 

In December 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual summit with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc during which both sides vowed to boost overall defence and security cooperation including in the maritime sphere.

 

Vietnam, an important country of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea region.

 

India has oil exploration projects in the Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea.

 

China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons. However, several ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei, have counterclaims.

 

Relations between the two countries were elevated to the level of ‘strategic partnership’ during the visit of Vietnam’s then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to India in July 2007.

 

In 2016, during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Vietnam, bilateral relations were further elevated to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’.

 

The trade ties between the two sides are also on an upswing.

 

India’s investments in Vietnam are estimated at around USD 1.9 billion including investments routed through third countries.

 

According to Vietnam’s Foreign Investment Agency, India has 299 valid projects with total invested capital of USD 909.5 million as of April 2021.

 

Till 2020, Vietnam had investments in six projects in India with total estimated capital of USD 28.55 million, primarily in the areas of pharmaceuticals, information technology and chemicals. PTI MPB RCJ

After the extension of the deadline to register vineyards for grape export, around 7,381 more farmers have registered their vineyards spread across 4,500 hectares.

 

Earlier, the deadline for registration was November 30, and only 25,571 farmers had registered their vineyards spread on 15,600 hectares. Considering the poor response, the state agricultural department extended the deadline for registration to December 31. As a result, more farmers have registered their vineyards over the past month.

 

So far, a total of 32,952 farmers have registered 20,100 hectare of vineyards for the current grape harvest season 2021-22 (December-April).

 

However, there is still a drop in the number of registrations for this grape season when compared to the previous season (2020-21).

 

Last year, around 37,090 farmers had registered their vineyards on 22,790 hectares. This year, registration has been reduced by 11%. As many as 32,952 grape farmers have registered their vineyards on 20,447 hectares so far.

 

Manik Patil, the director of Grape Exporters’ Association of India (GEAI), said the grape exporters have been facing problems for the past two years.

 

While the freight charges have doubled from $4,000 to $8,000 per container, the cost of packaging materials has also increased by 30%. Therefore, most of the farmers have refrained from registering their vineyards for the export considering that they will not get adequate rates from the traders due to the rise in freight and other charges.

 

This resulted in a poor response from the grape farmers initially. But some farmers, who had decided not to register their vineyards earlier, did register after the extension of the deadline to December 31, 2021.

 

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development authority has made registration of vineyards mandatory for the grape-growers since 2004 to promote export quality grapes production.