India under its G-20 presidency will push for resilient value chains, growth and prosperity, integration of MSMEs in global trade and logistics for trade in the upcoming first G-20 Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG).

 

The meeting will be held from March 28-30in Mumbai with participation from over 100 delegates from G-20 member countries, invitee countries, regional groupings and international organisations.

 

New Delhi has identified five priority issues—growth and prosperity, resilient global value chains, MSMEs, logistics, and WTO reform—under its G-20 presidency. Of these, it will focus on four in the first meeting.

 

Making trade work for growth and prosperity, and building resilient global value chains (GVCs) will be discussed with an emphasis on achieving shared outcomes for making growth inclusive and resilient, increasing the participation of developing countries and the Global South in GVCs, said commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal.

 

Issues related to the World Trade Organization, including a reform of dispute settlement and a robust appellate mechanism, will be discussed later.

 

During the meeting, the role of banks, financial institutions, development finance institutions and export credit agencies in closing the trade finance gap, and how digitalisation and fintech solutions can improve access to trade finance, will also be discussed.

 

Addressing the worrisome increase in trade barriers across goods and services, and smothering trade by focusing on trade facilitation are the prime concerns for India.

 

Discussions on digitising bills of lading, as most countries are yet to build digital infrastructure for their documentation, are also likely.

 

The TIWG will next meet in June in Kewadiya, Bengaluru in July, and then in Jaipur in August.

Out of all 766 districts across 36 States/ UTs, One District One Product (ODOP) has been approved for 713 districts of 35 States/ UTs under Centrally Sponsored 'Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme' implemented by Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI). The State of West Bengal has agreed to participate in the scheme in January 2023. The ODOPs are approved by the Ministry on the recommendations of States/ UTs. The ODOP for the districts of West Bengal along with newly formed districts across 7 States/ UTs has not been recommended by the respective States/ UTs.

 

GIS-ODOP digital map has been developed by the MoFPI. ODOP of 710 districts from 35 States and UTs have been indicated. Along with it, districts covering 216 Integrated Tribal Development Areas, 112 Aspirational districts and 35 districts with more than 40% SC population are indicated in the map.The ODOP-GIS is available at https://odop.mofpi.gov.in/odop/

 

MoFPI has approved 76 Incubation Centres across the country with an outlay of 205.95 crore under PMFME Scheme to provide support to existing / prospective entrepreneurs for capacity building, new / innovative product developments etc. across the value chain.

 

The generation of revenue has not been envisaged under PMFME Scheme.

 

The PMFME Scheme provides financial, technical and business support for setting up / upgradation of micro food processing enterprises in the country which inter-alia creates the scope for employment at local level including opportunities for youth. 

 

This information was given by Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among the BIMSTEC countries is at the final stage of formulation with trade being the core agenda when BIMSTEC was established, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) secretary general Tenzin Lekphell said in Kolkata. BIMSTEC is also creating an energy centre in Bangalore with focus on the potential of clean energy as well.

 

'Trade has been the core agenda since the time of establishment of BIMSTEC. Somehow it did not really give us the fruit which was expected during this course of time. Many experts have come together in the recent past, a lot of meetings took place, negotiations have been done and multilateral discussions took place among the seven member countries. Seven countries coming to consensus and doing negotiations takes time and it is a complex process. Everyone wants the FTA to happen in the region,' Tenzin told ET.

 

'FTA is at the final stages of completion. We are left with a few more details which need to be negotiated. During the 19th minstrel meeting recently, I have requested the trade ministers, trade & commerce secretaries to come together and then advise the working groups. A lot of work on different constituents of FTA has been done and it is actually entering in the final stages,' Tenzin told ET in an exclusive interaction.

 

Talking about the BIMSTEC Energy Centre coming up in Bangalore, Lekhphell said, 'This region has potential for clean energy, especially Bhutan and Nepal with huge potential of hydro-power. We have discussed the energy issue with renewed focus. A BIMSTEC Energy Centre is coming up in Bangalore and details about trading energy will come up with India as the lead country.'

 

Meanwhile, the BIMSTEC has also drafted the Maritime Transport Agreement which is likely to get approval in coming November from the member countries. 'We know the region has a huge potential in terms of waterways as there are so many rivers in the Bay of Bengal region,'Tenzin said, adding that the Maritime Agreement cooperation has been completed. 'In November this year, during the sixth BIMSTEC summit in Bankok, the Maritime Transport Agreement is likely to get the final approval from the seven member countries, after which it can be implemented,' Tenzin said.

 

'Covid made us realize that pandemic is an important agenda and before the pandemic we were focussing more on trade connectivity, energy but there was not much discussion on health. Now the region has realized that health is an important agenda and in future if a situation arises, the region can come together on the issue,' Lekhphell said.

 

The BIMSTEC conference in Kolkata on Saturday was held following the 19th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting, which was held earlier this month in New Delhi, a year after the Fifth BIMSTEC Summit held in Colombo. On Saturday, Minister of State (MOS)-Ministry of External Affairs Rajkumar Ranajan Singh inaugurated the two-day BIMSTEC conference marking its 25th Anniversary.

The government has allowed export of multi-grain or fortified wheat flour ( atta) shipments under advance authorisation.

 

Subject to conditions

The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a latest notice amending the standard input output norms, said that exports of multigrain atta or fortified whole wheat atta are allowed subject to some conditions. It said the exported item shall contain at least 80 per cent of whole wheat flour and other ingredients being added such as soya flour, oat meal, fenugreek powder, vitamins will be domestically sourced.

 

The export of wheat and wheat products such as atta are currently prohibited to keep domestic prices under check, while the flour millers can import wheat for re-exports under the advance authorisation. The notice also said that the import entitlement under the advance authorisation for exports of multi grain atta or fortified whole wheat atta will be calculated in proportion to the percentage of whole wheat flour in the export item, that is for every 1 kg of whole wheat flour, import of 1.07 kg of wheat will be allowed.

 

The export description in the shipping bill will clearly indicate the percentage content of whole wheat flour and other ingredients being added, the notification said.

 

Trade sources said the DGFT’s latest move may benefit large exporters of wheat-based products.

 

Pramod Kumar S, President, Roller Flour Millers Federation of India, said the government should allow the export of chakki atta in consumer packs of 5 kg for the Indian diaspora globally as they are unable to get good atta in the world market. The export market for chakki atta is about 3-4 lakh tonnes.

 

The opening up of fortified atta exports could benefit the soya flour makers, said Rahul Chauhan of IGrain India.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation releases data on various parameters of manufacturing sector including number of registered units engaged in food processing through the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI). As per the latest available ASI estimates, the number of units engaged in food processing sector increased from 40,579 in 2018-19 to 41,484 in 2019-20.

 

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been mandated for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import and to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. FSSAI has specified the hygiene and quality standards for various food products including packaged food and non-perishable packaged food products produced by all food processing units in the country in their Regulations namely Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011; Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011; Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food) Regulations, 2016; Food Safety and Standards (Organic Food) Regulations 2017; Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, etc. The quality and hygiene standards prescribed in these Regulations are enforced by the Regional Directors of FSSAI along with Food Safety Commissioners of States/UTs.  In cases, where the samples are found to be non-conforming to the laid down provisions of FSS Act 2006, Rules and Regulations made thereunder, penal action is initiated against the defaulting Food Business Operators (FBOs) as per the provisions of FSS Act 2006, Rules and Regulations made thereunder.

 

Under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for food products being implemented by Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) since 2021-22, a component, with an outlay of Rs.800 Crore, for Millet Based Products was carved out in the current financial year to encourage the use of Millets in Ready to Cook/Ready to Eat (RTC/RTE) products and to incentivise these products for promoting their value addition and sales. A total of 30 applications (8 large entities and 22 SMEs) were approved under this segment. Under the PLI Scheme component for Millet Based Products, the packaged and branded RTC/RTE food products with more than 15% of millets by weight/volume in product composition, are eligible for claiming the incentives.

 

This information was given by Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

Notwithstanding the impact of Russia's war with Ukraine, the UK and India are heading towards an era of positive engagement in trade and business relations, with steps underway to promote mutual investments in both the nations, British Deputy High Commissioner in charge of Kerala and Karnataka Chandru Iyer said. Iyer who is also UK's Deputy Trade Commissioner for South Asia spoke in detail to PTI on Friday about the trade and investments between the UK and India and said there was potential to double the business by 2030.

 

He was in the state to take part in various official engagements, including a meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and also in connection with the port of call made by the British Royal Navy's frigate ship, HMS Lancaster, at Kochi.

 

Calling war a global phenomenon that affects all countries in more ways than one, the British Deputy High Commissioner hailed entrepreneurs for being enterprising and resilient in the face of adversity.

 

'If you look at the flow of business or the trade numbers between the UK and India for the period ending Q4 of last year, the number stood at 34 billion British pounds. For the same period ending the year before last, it was around 19 billion pounds. So it's been a big jump in trade and business,' Iyer said.

 

After meeting the Chief Minister two days ago and expressing interest in collaboration with the Kerala government in the education sector, Iyer met tech entrepreneurs from Thiruvananthapuram and its neighbouring regions. He also held business discussions in Kochi.

 

'The interest in UK is so high that people want to come there and set up their business and use that as their global headquarters... This means that countries are doing more business together. The aspirations have the potential to double the trade and investment numbers by 2030,' Iyer said.

 

Detailing plans to attract Indian investment in the UK, Iyer said his team was working across India to identify companies with potential and was holding discussions, understanding their aspirations and connecting them with the right people in the UK.

 

'We as a team are catalysts, we are enablers. All our services are free, comprehensive, confidential and bespoke,' he said.

 

Iyer, who has roots in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli, spent most of his life in Nagpur working in the private sector before shifting to the UK and landing the diplomatic job.

 

'I spent most of my life in Nagpur, which is a tier-two city. I am a believer in the potential of tier 2 and tier 3 cities. So one of my objectives is to do a lot of outreach visits to tier two and tier three cities as well. We have a lot of inquiries from Thrissur, Calicut and Kottayam. So the potential is there,' he said.

 

Talking about Indian students who opted for the UK for higher studies and were finding it difficult to land a part-time job, Iyer said employment was at an all time low in the UK but opportunities were coming up.

 

'We live in very uncertain times. Who would have expected the war or who would have expected the inflation or a Silicon Valley Bank going down? Eventualities do happen. When students go there, they need to be a bit more circumspect and also look out for how things pan out for them,' he said.

 

He said there was a huge demand for STEM professionals in the UK, and Indian students had a lot of opportunities in technical businesses and the banking sector as well.

 

When asked about the collaboration with the state government in the education sector, the British diplomat said he was keen to work with Kerala on student exchange and co-branded courses.

 

'British universities can come here and tie up with the digital university or Kerala university or CUSAT,' he said, adding that they were looking at engaging in collaborative activities in certain areas.

 

'We had a very good meeting with the officials about certain key areas like biomarine, AI and architecture. We will identify concerned British universities to connect them with the state government,' Iyer said.

 

He said his team was committed to the State and was planning to do a major event in Kerala before the year-end as part of the birthday celebrations of King Charles III.

The Government has approved the export of 3.5 lakh tonnes (lt) of broken rice to Gambia and Senegal as a special consideration as shipments of this variety were banned on September 8, 2022.

 

According to a communication sent by the Finance Ministry (seen by businessline) to Chief Commissioners of Customs in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Vizag, Nagpur, and Mumbai, the Commerce Ministry has allowed export of 1 lakh tonnes of broken rice to Gambia and 2.5 lakh tonnes to Senegal.

 

In addition, the Ministry has allowed shipments of 9,990 tonnes of broken rice to Djibouti, Ethiopia. The shipment will be done by Chennai-based Ruby Overseas.

 

In the case of Gambia, of the total quantity approved for exports, the Centre has cleared requests to export broken rice from Royal Mirage Consultant (5,000 tonnes), Sarala Food Pvt Ltd (12,500 tonnes), and Laxmi Group of Industries Pvt Ltd (2,000 tonnes).

 

Trade irked

For Senegal, the Ministry has cleared 1,12,500 tonnes of the total 2.5 lakh tonnes with Sarala Foods, Sri Chitra Exports, Manasa Quality Enterprises Ltd, Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt Ltd, and CLRK Industries Pvt Ltd getting to ship out 22,500 tonnes each. 

 

A section of the trade is irked over the permission for exports of broken rice, wondering why the Centre was permitting the shipments to these countries when it is not allowed to other destinations. 

 

'What is the obligation the Government has towards the countries? Why relax a blanket ban imposed on food security grounds?' a Delhi-based trader asked.

 

However, a trade analyst said exports to Gambia, Senegal, and Djibouti have been approved by the Commerce Ministry following a request from the Ministry of External Affairs.

 

Permits for strategic reasons

'The exports are being allowed for strategic reasons and since the External Affairs Ministry is involved,' the analyst, who did not wish to be identified, said.

 

Pointing out to the Centre’s notifications while banning wheat exports and curbing rice shipments, the analyst said India is clear that it will meet the food needs of 'vulnerable countries'. 

 

'The External Affairs Ministry would have taken various reasons into consideration before approaching the Commerce Ministry,' he said. 

 

The Centre banned exports of broken rice and imposed 20 per cent duty on shipments of white and brown rice after the kharif paddy production was affected by deficient monsoon in key rice-growing regions in the eastern parts. 

 

In the kharif season, rice production was estimated lower at 108.07 million tonnes (mt) in 2022 compared with 111 mt in 2021. But rabi output has made up for the loss with the Ministry of Agriculture estimating it at 22.76 mt against 18.47 mt a year ago.

 

For the current crop year to June, the Ministry of Agriculture has estimated rice production at a record 130.84 million tonnes against 129.47 million tonnes in the last crop year.

The estimates for procurement of wheat are finalised by Government of India in consultation with State Governments and Food Corporation of India (FCI) before the commencement of marketing season based upon estimated production, marketable surplus and agricultural crop pattern. Government of India has fixed an estimate of 341.50 Lakh Metric Tonnes wheat procurement under central pool for Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2023-24.

 

The steps taken by Government of India for food security are as under: 

 

There exists a transparent & uniform Policy for procurement of foodgrains at Minimum Support Price (MSP) by Government agencies across the country. As per policy, the offered quantity within the stipulated procurement period & conforming to the specifications prescribed by Government of India, are purchased at MSP by the Government agencies.

MSP is announced well before the sowing season, so as to enable the farmers to take empowered decision on cultivation of crop.

Govt. of India is increasing MSP of foodgrains year on year thereby making agricultural production remunerative to farmers.

Farmers are made aware of the quality specifications and purchase system etc. to facilitate the farmers to bring their produce conforming to the specifications.

Sufficient numbers of procurement centres are opened by procuring agencies including FCI, keeping in view the procurement potential and geographical spread of the State concerned. Large number of temporary purchase centres in addition to the existing Mandis and depots/ godowns are also established at key points for the convenience of the farmers.

“One Nation, One MSP through DBT' implemented across the country from RMS 2021-22 onwards. Payment of MSP has been ensured directly into farmers' account. DBT eliminated fictitious farmers and reduced the diversion and duplication of payment as payment is being made directly to farmer's bank account. DBT of MSP has brought in responsibility, transparency and probity.

FCI and most of the State Governments have developed their own Online Procurement System which ushers in transparency and convenience to the farmers through proper registration and monitoring of actual procurement. Through e-procurement module deployed by procuring Agencies, farmers get latest/updated information regarding MSP declared, nearest purchase center, date of procurement etc. This not only has reduced the waiting period for delivery of stock by the farmers but also enables the farmer to deliver stock as per his convenience in the nearest mandi.

Food Corporation of India provides foodgrains to the State Governments for its Distribution under various Schemes as per allocation made by Government of India in order to provide Food Security to the Nation.   

The Government is implementing the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) which provides for coverage upto 75% of rural population and upto 50% of urban population for receiving free foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), thus covering about two-thirds of the total population which at Census 2011 comes to 81.35 crore.  Coverage under the Act is substantially high to ensure that all the vulnerable and needy sections of the society get its benefit. The Act is being implemented in all the States/UTs and against the intended coverage of 81.35 crore, 80.11 crore person are presently covered under the Act.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India participated in the International Food & Drink Exhibition (IFE) held in London. The three day Exhibition that concluded on March 22, 2023 was aimed at promoting the export of agricultural products in the international market of London.

 

APEDA has facilitated the participation of Indian exporters, who showcased their varied range of food products in all categories at the IFE event. Large number of visitors showed keen interest in around 50 millet (Shree Anna) based products displayed at APEDA pavilion. At the IFE 2023 event, APEDA has displayed and distributed the finest quality of GI- tagged Alphonso mango, wine from the lush grape vineyards and the millet-based value added products.

 

With India celebrating the International Year of Millets 2023, APEDA is actively focusing on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of promoting Millets (Shree Anna) in international markets by organizing promotional events in foreign destinations and participating in global food exhibitions.

 

Commenting on India’s participation at the IFE, APEDA Chairman Dr. M. Angamuthu said, 'This huge market can be made more pragmatic by way of quarantine relaxations, importation benefits and further opening the market.' He also said, 'The base work is going on where we are expecting India–UK FTA negotiations that will not only pave the way for Indian products in large quantities, but also bring the cost of Indian products down relatively in days to come,' adding that the Indian High Commission at London has been very supportive and is working towards the betterment of the trade ties between the two countries.

 

The International Food & Drink Exhibition (IFE) is one of the most prestigious food promotion events of the United Kingdom. At the event, over 25,000 participants from across the world have come together face-to-face to sample new products and explore new export opportunities through International Buyer Seller meets as well as B2B meetings. The IFE is one of the well-established platforms to create brand awareness and generate new business opportunities in the United Kingdom, which is a big market for ethnic Indian food products, including fresh fruits and vegetables, processed food and Indian rice, etc.

 

APEDA is exporting quality food products to around 250 countries across the globe, including the United Kingdom. In the fiscal year 2021-22, India has achieved a huge export target of USD 25 billion of APEDA products, which has surpassed all previous records. The APEDA is vying to meet the export target of USD 30 Billion for the year 2022-23.The United Kingdom is a favoured destination for the export of Indian agricultural products as APEDA has exported various agricultural products worth USD 421 Million in the year 2021-22 to the United Kingdom. APEDA is all set to surpass its previous export target to the UK in the current fiscal year as APEDA has recorded the export to the tune of USD 302 Million (April-December 2022).

 

The main agricultural food products exported to different countries, including the United Kingdom, are basmati rice, buffalo meat, non-basmati rice, coarse grains, maize, groundnut, wheat, cereal preparation, processed vegetables, fresh fruits & vegetables, alcoholic beverages, coarse grains, etc. India has exported around 13000 MT of Indian grapes, 4000 MT of mangoes, 5000 MT of onion, 2500 MT of millets, etc to 1310 Million MT of basmati rice, etc. to the United Kingdom.

 

APEDA recently organized the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference at New Delhi to stimulate the exports of millets from India and provide market linkage to the producers, Around 100 Indian millet exhibitors from different parts of the country and around 100 international buyers from various countries like the USA, UAE, Kuwait, Germany, Vietnam, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Bhutan, Italy and Malaysia participated in the conference.

 

To boost consumption of value-added products based on millets, APEDA, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad and respective state Agricultural universities, has incubated more than 200 start-ups to develop a range of millet based value-added products.

'Innovation, outreach, and marketing that is targeted at the youth hold the key to making millets the super food of the future', experts from across the world and members of the industry said at the two-day Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the A.P. Shinde Symposium Hall, NASC Complex here recently.

 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) held a symposium with technical sessions on promotion and awareness of millets on the sidelines of Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

The plenary session of the concluding day of the two-day conference began with a special address by Dr D Ian Givens, director, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health (IFHN), University of Reading, UK. Dr Givens emphasised on millets as sustainable solution to curtail micronutrient deficiency.

 

Continuing deliberations on the importance of reviving the cultivation and consumption of millets, the first session of Day-2 and the fourth session of the Conference was focused on 'Research, Innovations and Sustainability'. The session was moderated by Lav Agarwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Setting the context for the session, Agarwal said that awareness, innovations, robust market integration and supply chain should be the area of focus to promote the consumption of millets. He said that 'shift in food habits and increase in a sedentary lifestyle had added a dual burden of diseases.'

 

There was an active participation from the delegates attending the sessions and some very interesting questions were taken up by the panelists. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, CEO, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, gave an overview of the conference and ideas for way ahead. In his concluding remarks, he quoted the Say’s Law of Market which tells – 'Supply automatically produces demand'. He added that millets should now be included in daily food items like bread, biscuits, noodles and chocolates. Rao said that year 2023 is being celebrated as International Year of Millets, but the campaign should not stop here, it should continue from year to year.

 

Stakeholders in the technical sessions noted that wild varieties of millets are very resistant but need to be studied well. They shared that millets are in high demand and different packaging solutions are being researched upon to increase the shelf life of millets. Other experts added that greater awareness on health at different levels need to be created. They stressed on the need of more research on yield management and increment. For enriching soil fertility, intercropping with millets was suggested. It was also pointed out that marketing is crucial for the promotion of millets and millennial consumers need to be targeted.

 

During the thematic session on 'Innovations and New Product Development - Industry’s Perspective', experts from industry shared their views on the resurgence of millets through attractive products which are also accepted by consumers. It was highlighted that continuous work needs to be done in this domain to enhance the outreach of millet-based foods and their sustenance in the market of competitive packaged food products.

 

The second day of the conference came to a close with the final session on 'Millets: Prophylactic and Therapeutic Benefits'. This session was moderated by Justice D Seshadri Naidu, former judge, Bombay High Court, with focus on consumer behaviour, right method of consumption with innovation across the whole value chain. Dr M Srinivas, director, AIIMS, Delhi, mentioned that phytonutrients present in millets can be very helpful with therapeutic benefits. Other stakeholders emphasised that creativity combined with tradition may lead to healthier and tastier millet-based foods, it was noted that diet moderation is important to make the millets part of the food plate and that traditional recipes need to be revamped so that millets could be the choice of new generation. It was also pointed out that by-products of millets could be important for doubling the farmers’ income.

 

Experts and representatives from various academic institutions, governments, public health facilities, development partners, industry were present at the event.