Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to gift a new Integrated Pack House to the farmers of east Uttar Pradesh during his proposed visit to Varanasi on March 24. The facility, to be the third such one in the state, will be used for the storage and packaging of vegetables and fruits, and to boost agricultural exports from the region.

 

The pack house was built on a 4461 sq.ft area in Karakhiyaon at Rs.15.78 crore. It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment with the aim to ramp up the supply of banarasi langda mango, cauliflower, green chilli and tomato, which are grown in abundance in east UP, to Japan, Australia, Korea and Europe.

 

Single-window clearance has been put in place for faster documentation. Farmers will be trained to ensure that their produce match international standards. After Saharanpur and Lucknow, this will be the third integrated pack house in the state and the first in the Purvanchal region, said an official.

 

Dr CB Singh, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) deputy general manager, said only good quality and disease-free fruits would be stored at the pack house, and added that even the equipment used in the facility were made in India.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has directed NAFED, it’s Nodal Organization to contribute and promote the 'International Year of the Millet' 2023 on a global scale.

 

Under the guidance of Shri Tomar, NAFED has entered into a MoU with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to extend its support to Millets initiatives.

 

Under the collaboration, NAFED has started extending marketing linkage to Millets-centric Startups, setting up a Millet Corner in NAFED Bazaar Retail Stores, installation of Millet Vending Machines across Delhi-NCR. We are also in process to establish a Millets Experience Centre at Delhi Haat, INA to promote nutritious Millets and create awareness on the rich history of India through Millet based dishes.

 

Shri Tomar said, all Central Ministries and State Governments including leading Food and Beverage bodies and Industries, both Public and Private should pitch in to make IYoM-23 a 'People's Movement' alongside positioning India as the 'Global Hub for Millets'.

 

Shri Tomar also pointed out that India has assumed the G20 Presidency from 1st of December, 2022 and is convening the G-20 Leaders' Summit for the first time in the country. He said, during the Presidency, which also coincides with the International Year of Millets, it provides an opportune time to showcase India's strength in the area of food security and nutrition in which millets will play a very important role. To build the momentum for popularization of millets and to make the IM 2023 a huge success, the inclusion of millets across all international and national events is crucial to take forward the proposed interventions as part of IYM celebrations, the Minister added.

 

Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Manoj Ahuja informed that the Centre has requested to Ministries/Departments and State Governments for visibility of lYoM -23 during all the G-20 meetings to be held in the year 2023. It has also requested that for the ministerial level meetings, the Ministries/Departments and the State Governments may ensure the following for a millet experience, wherever possible- Millet based hampers, Millet branding-right from airport, city side and in the venue, Millet cuisine and snacks to be included in lunch/dinner, Millet stalls & café, Millet rangolis and Millet literature

 

Shri Ahuja said, for the working group meetings, the following may be ensured- One or two millet products in the hampers provided, Branding at the venue and airport, Millet literature, Millets cuisine & snacks, Millet stalls & café.

 

In this connection, responsibility was given to NAFED to provide especially curetted millet-based hampers which showcasing cultural history of millets, DIY recipes of millets and health & nutritional benefits of millets.

 

NAFED has developed premium quality Millet Gift Hampers which have been showcased at the G-20 1st Employment Working Group Meeting under the aegis of Ministry of Labour & Employment at Jodhpur, Rajasthan. These hampers are developed with the idea to promote IYM-2023 and demonstrate support and commitment to the promotion of Millets and Millet based products.

Noodles, pastas, idlis, dosas, namkeens and ice creams made of millets? Really? The tongue is the judge at the exhibition organised at Indian Agriculture Research Institute by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), whose tagline is 'Take a bite and opt for taste and health'.

 

Over 100 entrepreneurs, including exporters, are showcasing ready to eat and ready to cook products made using millet at the event.

 

The exhibition, which coincided with PM Narendra Modi's address at the Global Millets (Shree Anna) conference, is an eye opener. 'I am diabetic and was on the verge of being put on daily insulin shots when I decided to change my diet to include millets,' said Rajiv Raj Jain, a software developer.

 

'This not only reversed my medical condition but also helped me lose 40kg. Today I'm fit and healthy and living life to the full best.'

 

Six months ago, Jain decided to transform his experience into a startup to manufacture and market snacks made from millets. Within three months of the launch, sales have doubled, claimed Jain.

 

Santosh Rane, sales manager of a Pune-based enterprise, claimed that no butter, preservatives, added sugar, salt are used in their products, most of the snacks it sells being natural farm produce and naturally gluten free. The stall showcases breakfast cereal (jowar and bajra flakes), millet bars (almond, amla, cranberry, hazelnut and walnut), snacks and millet baking products, including chocolate millet cake mix, vanilla millet cake mix and brownie millet mix. 'These are a powerhouse of essential nutrients, minerals and proteins,' said Rane.

 

M P Vijay, deputy general manager, APEDA, said the exhibition focused on millet products that were healthier even if they were 'sheer replicas of junk foods and maida products'.

 

He disclosed that millet-based ice cream would be launched on Sunday though millet turmeric energy drinks are already available. 'Millets are non-acid forming, easy to digest and also have anti-inflammatory properties,' he added.

 

An array of millet versions of popular snacks is on display, among them khakhra (jowar, bajra and jowar-bajra mix), khapli, laddoos (ragi), cookies (millet jeera, chocochip, kesar pista), muffins (vanilla and chocolate flavours), poha (bajra, jowar and ragi mix), namkeen and bhujia (ragi, jowar). Besides, bajra, jowar roti packs were also available along with ready to cook upma, biryani, khichdi, kheer, kesari bhaat, bisi bele bhaat and other delicacies.

 

Chef Manjit Singh Gill, president, Indian Federation of Culinary Associations, said that live demos had also been organised for sellers and buyers, all aiming to popularise millet as an international grain and to show foreign chefs how to use millet in making a variety of food items. Gill said that millet pancakes were made with kimchi along with soup and other items.

At the one-day workshop on “Logistics Cost Framework” organized by DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with Asian Development Bank (ADB) today in New Delhi, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal highlighted that the journey from India@75 to India@100 needs an efficient logistics ecosystem to drive us through Amrit Kaal to become Atmanirbhar Bharat. The efforts of infrastructure development through several inisitatives such as Bharatmala, Sagarmala, Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and the revolutionary PM GatiShakti Initiative, will bring down India’s Logistics cost from double digit to single digit. He suggested taking note of India’s geography, terrain, size and complexities, trade volume and value etc while calculating the logistics cost. 

 

He shared that in the last 9 years, from being the 10th largest country in terms of GDP, India has now become 5th largest country in the world. India will become the 3rd largest country in the coming 2-3 years, through the impactful infrastructure projects that are going to be implemented from April 2023 to March 2024. He further added that E-commerce, smarter FTAs, adopting international quality standards, good manufacturing practices, leveraging on our successful startups ecosystem, utilizing National Education Policy 2020, drone technology, artificial intelligence, strong PPP collaborations and Centre-State partnerships will work towards catalyzing India’s development. Logistics in India as a policy tool will help achieve ‘Serve the world from India’ and ‘Make in India for the world.’

 

While sharing his opinion in his opening remarks Secretary, DPIIT, Sh. Anurag Jain said, ‘just in 4 years India’s infrastructure is many times better than before’. He also shared how PM GatiShakti NMP has revolutionized the Planning Process through digital surveys. It has helped in reducing time and cost in DPR preparation and infra projects, optimum utilization of financial and human resources.

 

Special Secretary, Logistics Division, DPIIT, Smt. Sumita Dawra during the closing remarks, acknowledged the approach and methodologies presented by the international and Indian Experts. She also mentioned that as an outcome of the workshop, a Task Force including members from NITI Aayog, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI), National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), academic experts and other stakeholders will be established for formulating a Logistics Cost Framework in a time-bound fashion. 

 

The workshop witnessed participation from Shri Suman Bery, Vice chairman, NITI Aayog; Member Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC PM) Dr Rakesh Mohan; Director General South Asia Department, ADB Mr. Kenichi Yokoyama, ADB senior functionaries, Senior academicians from international universities; senior officials from relevant Ministries / Departments, and private sector representatives. In the workshop, views were presented on the importance of logistics cost calculation, as India enters a potential period of sustained growth and development. Academic minds presented existing global frameworks and models for calculation of logistics costs. This workshop brought together the best minds from across the world who have expertise in the logistics domain. 

 

The key speakers on the significant aspect of logistics cost assessment in the workshop were professors and academicians from Japan, Thailand, Korea and Industry experts. During the workshop it was discussed that there is a need for diagnosis on logistics cost in India, that includes among other aspects, parameters such as optimal transportation modal mix, packaging, warehousing and storage, other administrative and indirect costs. A new possible approach for calculating estimates through Technology driven secondary data sources such as E-Way Bill and Fastag data needs to be explored. 

In the ensuing year, the Tamil Nadu government has set a target of 127 lakh Metric Tonne for total food grain production, Agriculture Minister MRK Paneerselvam announced in the Agriculture Budget 2023-24. The goal is also almost the same as was announced in the previous year.

 

To achieve the goal, the State government will take various measures. For instance, the government will implement the Kalaignarin All Village Integrated Agricultural Development Programme wherein each hamlet, according to its potential, can become self-sufficient. The scheme is designed for the holistic development of agriculture in the hamlets based on the availability of water and soil fertility, through creation of necessary infrastructure and taking up needed works to fill the gaps.

 

The scheme is being implemented in convergence with the 'Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam' of the Rural Development Department designed to create the necessary infrastructure for achieving inclusive overall development in these hamlets.

 

Clusters of 10 acres will be identified to provide borewells. The water source will be powered by electricity-run or solar-powered pump setsand perennial crops like mango, guava, and amla will be planted and installed with drip irrigation facility under subsidy.

 

In all the 2,504 village panchayats, 300 households devoid of coconut trees in the village will be given two coconut seedlings free of cost and a total of 15 lakh coconut seedlings will be distributed.

 

To increase the groundwater level in these villages, 600 farm ponds will be established in farmers’ fields. Further, steps will be taken through the Fisheries department to promote fish culture in these ponds for the farmers to earn additional income, the minister said.

 

Village Agricultural Development Groups will be formed in all village panchayats, covering all the hamlets over a period of five years. The group will consist of 25 to 50 farmers from all categories as members.

 

In the coming year, in the first phase, groups will be formed in the 2,504 village Panchayats where Kalaignarin All Village Integrated Agriculture Development Programme is implemented and they will be given training. An amount of Rs.2.5 crore will be allocated towards the formation and training of these groups.

 

Crop rotation enriches soil and increases productivity. To achieve this, an amount of Rs.16 crore will be allocated in the coming year to encourage the cultivation of less water-requiring crops like millets, pulses and oilseeds during Kuruvai season in an area of one lakh acres.

 

To further expand and enrich this practice, assistance for cultivating these crops after paddy will be given to cover an area of six lakh acres in the coming year for which an allocation of Rs.24 crore will be made.

 

Agri-entrepreneurs

To make the agricultural graduates self-reliant and evolve as entrepreneurs, financial assistance at the rate of Rs.2 lakh will be extended to 200 young Agricultural and Horticulture graduates to establish Agri-clinics or any other Agriculture related business for which Rs.4 crore will be allocated. Seed, fertiliser, and pesticide licences will be issued to the selected beneficiaries as per their requirement, the minister said.

 

A special scheme will be implemented to promote organic farming in Nilgiris District over a period of five years at an outlay of Rs.50 crore.

 

To protect farmers’ livelihoods from loss of income due to natural calamities, under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, during 2021-22, 26 lakh farmers have registered an area of 40.74 lakh acre.

 

The State government has given Rs.1,695 crore as insurance premium subsidy and so far, Rs.783 crore has been given as compensation to 6.71 lakh farmers.

 

Relief for an amount of Rs.163.6 crore as input subsidy has been given to 1.82 lakh farmers from the State Disaster Response Fund for the crops affected by Northeast Monsoon, and unseasonal heavy rains in the months of January and February 2023, the minister said.

 

Rapeseed output in India, the world's biggest importer of vegetable oils, is likely to rise 7.5% this year due to a record planting of the winter-sown oilseed, a leading trade body said on Monday.

 

Farmers are likely to harvest a record 11.5 million tonnes in the crop year to June 2023, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) told a news conference in the north-western state of Rajasthan, producer of more than half of India's rapeseed.

The Department of Horticulture Planning and Marketing on Monday organized a mega export conclave at Jammu, which was participated by exporters from across the country dealing in the export of Agricultural and Horticultural produce.

 

The participants shared their rich experience and valuable inputs enabling J-K to further expand its export prospects.

 

Various key agencies involved in Exports Promotion including APEDA, DGFT, Federation of Indian Exporters Organizations (FIEO), Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) and Indian Postal Department shared the mandatory requirements for a successful export trade besides policies and programmes of the government.

 

Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo, who chaired the conclave, elaborated on the current policy and government plans to evolve an export promotion policy for the betterment of the farmers and other stakeholders from Jammu and Kashmir.

 

He emphasized that the government is fully committed to exploring all possibilities for more proactively and effectively supporting the farmers, FPOs, cooperatives, traders and exporter community of J&K.

 

'Valuing over Rs 5,000 crore projects have been conceptualized and meticulously prepared under Holistic Agriculture Development Programme embarked by the J&K UT,' he said.

 

'Agriculture Branding Centers, Rural Service and Business Hubs, Augmentation of CA Stores and Markets, Composting Plants, and Creation of Market Intelligence Cells are some of the areas to be focused on in the stated project,' he further said.

 

'A massive capacity development programme is underway to train and sensitize all the stakeholders in respect of provisions of the Projects,' he added.

 

He also stated that the government is expeditiously moving to widen its bucket of GI products and has already constituted an Apex committee headed by Dr Mangla Rai for Export Promotion Roadmap for J&K and active consultations with all stakeholders in this regard are underway.

 

Director of Horticulture Planning and Marketing, Vikas Sharma in his welcome address, said. 'The department has taken up many steps to give a fillip to the marketing infrastructure in the region. The department has also organized Buyer-Seller Meets at Kolkata and Jammu in the recent past which benefitted the growers of the UT.'

 

The participants from across the UT were very enthusiastic about the Export Conclave and some also matured the contracts with the exporters for the supply of their respective produce.

 

They were of the view that the initiative taken by the Government to bring the Buyers/Exporters/Traders from various locations at the farm gate of the growers/farmers of the UT shall definitely showcase our produce to National and international markets resulting in increased demand for our products and eventually boosting our rising economy.

 

Earlier, a detailed presentation was made by Dr Sudhanshu depicting the exports scenario of agri-horticulture commodities in J&K.

 

It was brought out that the focus of the UT is on the export promotion of crops like Fresh Fruits including Apples and Cherries, Walnuts, Almonds, Saffron, Honey, Vegetables, Processed Foods, Wool and Skins, Basmati, Pulses, Silk, Lavender and other Aromatic products.

 

Dr PK Joshi, an eminent personality in the field of Agriculture, in his address, congratulated the UT government for bringing out proactive and farmer-centric measures to boost the economy of the UT. He appreciated the steps and initiatives taken in recent times and shared that J&K is now being looked at by other States for emulation.

 

The Export Conclave was also attended by the Heads of Department, Agriculture Production and Farmers’ Welfare Department, Representatives from APEDA, DGFT, FIEO, ECGC, Indian posts, IIT, IIM, Jammu University, NABARD, SKUAST, NHB, Kisan Board Members, DMI, Farmers, FPOs, Cooperatives, Entrepreneurs, Exporters, and Market associations. 

India and the European Union (EU) on Saturday concluded the fourth round of talks for a comprehensive free trade agreement in Brussels, a move aimed at further strengthening economic ties between the two sides. The next round of the talks is planned for 12-16 June here.

 

India and the 27-nation bloc resumed negotiations on June 17 last year after a gap of over eight years on the proposed agreements on trade, investments and Geographical Indications (GI).

 

'Round 4 of India EU-FTA negotiations held at Brussels,' Nidhi Mani Tripathi, Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce has said in a tweet. She is India's chief negotiator for the agreement.

 

India had started negotiations for a trade pact with the EU in 2007 but the talks stalled in 2013 as both sides failed to reach an agreement on key issues, including customs duties on automobiles and spirits and the movement of professionals.

 

India's merchandise exports to EU member countries stood at about USD 65 billion in 2021-22, while imports aggregated USD 51.4 billion.

 

A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.

Riding on global cues, the export of hatching eggs from the State has seen a significant rise in the past few months, aided by strong demand for Indian eggs in West Asia and Malaysia. Among the four international airports, Cochin International Airport handles bulk of the air cargo shipped to various destinations, especially West Asian cities and some Far East destinations. The export data from the Cochin International airport reveals that there has been a clear uptick in the export of Indian eggs through the port in recent months.

 

If the export of eggs through the Cochin airport was around 2.016 tonnes in November and 2.372 tonnes in October 2022, it went up to 10.649 tonnes in December, 2022 and then to 11.742 tonnes in February 2023. According to T.S. Pramod, secretary, Poultry Farmers and Traders’ Association, the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar has raised the export market of Indian eggs with Qatar importing huge stocks of eggs from India, especially from Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, which is considered as the hub of the poultry hatchery in the country.

 

Soon after the World Cup, Malaysia has emerged as one of the key markets for Indian eggs, buoyed by India’s track record of meeting egg demand during the FIFA World Cup. Although Malaysia is one of the largest egg exporting countries in the world, its domestic production was badly hit in 2023 due to various reason, including price rise of chicken feeds followed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said Mr. Pramod.

 

The main ingredient of maize and soybean in the chicken feed was sourced from Ukraine. 'Though the global clues and geo-political scenario enhanced the demand for the Indian egg, Kerala is not a major beneficiary of the export market as the commercial production of egg is almost nil in the State. Kerala still depends on Tamil Nadu to meet its domestic egg requirement by sourcing around 12 million eggs daily from Namakkal, while the State’s connectivity to major destinations attracts the exporters to airlift the consignment from Kerala, which is an added advantage for export traders in the State,' said Munshid Ali, secretary, Kerala Exporters Forum.

 

India and the European Union (EU) on Saturday concluded the fourth round of talks for a comprehensive free trade agreement in Brussels, a move aimed at further strengthening economic ties between the two sides. The next round of the talks is planned for 12-16 June here.

 

India and the 27-nation bloc resumed negotiations on June 17 last year after a gap of over eight years on the proposed agreements on trade, investments and Geographical Indications (GI).

 

'Round 4 of India EU-FTA negotiations held at Brussels,' Nidhi Mani Tripathi, Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce has said in a tweet. She is India's chief negotiator for the agreement.

 

India had started negotiations for a trade pact with the EU in 2007 but the talks stalled in 2013 as both sides failed to reach an agreement on key issues, including customs duties on automobiles and spirits and the movement of professionals.

 

India's merchandise exports to EU member countries stood at about USD 65 billion in 2021-22, while imports aggregated USD 51.4 billion.

 

A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.