Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has said that there are a large number of indigenous breeds of livestock in the country, which need to be identified in all regions. This will help make the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry sector prosperous.

 

Shri Tomar said this in his address at the Ceremony for Distribution of Animal Breed Registration Certificates today, organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at the National Agricultural Science Center, New Delhi. Shri Tomar, in his address, said that almost half of the livestock of the country is still unclassified. We have to identify such unique breeds as soon as possible so that these unclassified breeds can be saved. He expressed happiness that ICAR is working in this direction and a special campaign has been launched to identify such breeds in the country. Such a task is not an easy one and cannot be accomplished without the cooperation of State Universities, Animal Husbandry Departments, NGOs etc. ICAR has initiated documentation of all animal genetic resources of the country in Mission Mode in collaboration with all these agencies. This large group will fulfil the mission of documenting indigenous animal genetic resources in the country.

 

Complimenting all the applicants of new breeds from different parts of the country, Shri Tomar said that these indigenous breeds are unique, which also shows the vastness of diversity present in all regions. Animal husbandry has historically been an integral part of agriculture since the time of development of human civilizations. This is even more relevant in a country like ours, where a large section of the society is actively engaged and dependent on Animal Husbandry. Our country is rich in animal biodiversity and people have been rearing different types of species since ages. These species have been used for various purposes such as food, fiber, transportation, manure, agricultural purposes, etc. In the past, our farmers have developed many specific breeds of these species, which are adapted to that climatic condition. The whole world is currently looking at India's grand diversity in the livestock and poultry sector. Efforts to document animal genetic resources in the country and preserve their genetic diversity have also been lauded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the international level.

 

On this occasion, breed registration certificates of 28 newly registered breeds were distributed, including 10 breeds of cattle, 5 of pig, 4 of buffalo, 3 each of goat and dog, one each of sheep, donkey and duck. In order to claim sovereignty over these indigenous breeds, DARE has started notifying all registered breeds in the Gazette from the year 2019. Officers of DAHD, ICAR and its institutes and Vice Chancellors of various universities were present in the programme.

In partial modification of the order dated November 3, 2021, the FSSAI has made an amendment with respect to the ‘Testing Charges’ for Fruit & Vegetable products and Cereals & Cereal products.

 

According to the FSSAI’s order, 'In case of Cereals and Cereal products including atta and maida and Vitamin, Mineral Premix for preparation of fortified food, additional Rs. 2000 may be added when fortified with iron, folic acid and Vit. B12. In addition, Rs. 2000 may be added if such products are also fortified with Zinc, Vit A, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin and Pyridoxine, if declared on the label.'

 

Also, the FSSAI order added that in case of microbiological testing of food grain products, additional Rs. 500 may be added for each pathogen as applicable for that food grain product for ‘Testing Charges’ for Fruit & Vegetable products and Cereals & Cereal products.

 

The November 3rd Order stated that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) hereby prescribes the testing fees, which shall be uniformly applicable for both domestic and import samples drawn by Food Safety Officer, Authorized Officers, etc. and tested by laboratories notified by FSSAI and GST on these rates shall be applicable as per the orders of the Central Government, as amended from time to time while these revised testing fees shall be effective from December 1, 2021.

More than 1060 bidders participated and 3.85 LMT wheat was sold during the second e-auction organised by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on 15.02.2023. The corporation offered 15.25 LMT Wheat stock during the auction.

 

In the second e-auction quantities ranging from of 100 to 499 MT had maximum demand followed by quantities of 500-1000 MT followed by 50-100 MT indicating that small and medium flour millers and traders actively participated in the auction. Only 5 bids were received for the maximum quantity of 3000 MT at one go.

 

Weighted average rate of Rs. 2338.01/Qtl was realised by FCI in the auction. Rs. 901 Cr was generated by FCI in the 2nd e-auction.

 

In order to address the rising price of wheat and Atta in the country, as per the recommendation made by the   Group of Ministers, FCI is offering wheat for e-auction. The sale of wheat through e. auction will continue throughout the country on every Wednesday till 2nd week of March 2023.

 

Govt. of India has also allocated 3 LMT wheat to Govt. PSUs/cooperatives/Federations like Kendriya Bhandar, NCCF and NAFED for sale without e-auction. The concessional rates for wheat to be lifted @Rs 23.50/ Kg and Atta to be issued  to public @ MSP not exceeding Rs 29.50 /KG under this scheme has  also been revised by GoI  @ Rs 21.50/Kg and sale of Atta from such stock @MSP not exceeding  Rs. 27.50 per Kg.

 

National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) has been allowed to lift 68000 MT of Wheat stock under the above scheme across 08 states. Allotment of 1 LMT Wheat is made to NAFED and 1.32 LMT Wheat made to Kendriya Bhandar under this scheme to bring down the price of Atta across the country and sale of Atta  been operationalized by these cooperatives after lifting of stock from FCI.

 

Offloading of more than 25 LMT wheat stock out of 30 LMT earmarked for sale under OMSSD (D) in the market through OMSS (D) scheme within a span of two months through multiple channels will have impact to contain the inflationary price trend of Wheat and Atta and also stabilised price rise in food economy bringing relief to the common man sustaining the objective of scheme.

The G-20 members have stressed on the need to boost climate finance to support farmers who  make an effort to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change on the  farm sector,  agriculture secretary Manoj Ahuja said on Wednesday.

 

After the G20 first agriculture deputies meeting held at Indore, he said the elegates also suggested that farmers can be financially incentivised if they adopt climate-friendly farming or green agriculture. 'One way of financially rewarding farmers is through giving carbon credit', he said.

 

The carbon farming programme in the country has been initiated by a private entity Grow Indigo, a joint venture between seed major Mahyco and US-based Indigo.Farmers who adopt farming techniques – direct seeded rice, which improves water use efficiency and no tillage practice which conserves soil organic biomass, prior to planting of paddy could register for the programme for getting carbon credit.

 

The G20 meeting also discussed the impact of climate change on agriculture and its productivity. 'We discussed how we can help save agriculture and make it sustainable,' Ahuja said. India shared the measures taken towards ‘climate smart agriculture’ like mapping the vulnerable areas and conducting research in the meet.

 

On the issue of food security and nutrition, agriculture secretary Ahuja said, there was a discussion on achieving one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of ‘zero hunger’ by 2030.

 

'It has been seen that food insecurity has increased after 2018. This is a cause of concern. We discussed what best we can do to reduce hunger,' he said

 

On the area of strengthening the value chain in agriculture, G20 delegates discussed improving the ‘farm to folk’ value chain in agriculture. India also shared about the Agristack project that will help issuing farm advisories specific to the region and help adoption of precision farming.

 

 For creating Agristack, the agriculture ministry is in the process of finalising ‘India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA) which will lay down a framework for Agristack.

 

Around 100 delegates, including representatives of international organisations including Food and Agriculture Organisation, International Fund for Agricultural Development and International Food Policy Research Institute attended the meet.

 

The three-day event which concluded on Wednesday deliberated on four key priority areas – food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture with climate smart approach, inclusive agriculture value chain and food supply system and digitisation of agriculture transformation.

 

The next meetings of the G20 agriculture working group will be held in Chandigarh, Varanasi and Hyderabad.

The state of Andhra Pradesh showcased its rich natural resources, large investments in infrastructure, land bank, and intensive reforms in rules and regulations at a successful investors meeting held in Bengaluru. These efforts, taken together, position Andhra Pradesh as the State where abundance meets prosperity. The event is one of many such meets being organised in the run-up to the Global Investors Summit on March 3 and 4, 2023, in Visakhapatnam.

 

Agriculture and food processing industry in the State offers large opportunities with a double digit growth rate. The GVA of the Agriculture & Allied Sector for the year 2021-22 is estimated to be Rs 2 lakh crore, with a growth rate of 11.27%.

 

State ranks first in India in aquaculture accounting for 24% of nation’s fish production, second in production of paddy, maize and groundnut and fourth in milk and meat production.

 

Important steps have been taken by Government to boost the industry, 10,788 YSR Rythu Bharosa Kendras have been established as ‘One Stop Shops’ for a variety of agricultural and related services. The state was ranked first in registered food processing units during the annual Survey of Industries 2019–20 due to its ease of doing business. State has been ranked first in the total value of trade conducted on the e-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) in FY 2019–20 due to Government facilitation and technology deployment.

 

Gudivada Amarnath, minister for Industries, Infrastructure, Investment & Commerce, IT, Handlooms & Textiles, said, 'According to LEADS Report 2022, the state's exports increased by 15.31% from the previous year in 2021–2022, classifying it as 'Achievers' in the Coastal States. With the completion of new ports and also further development of infrastructure for the last-mile connectivity, the state’s share in exports can reach up to 10% of India’s total exports.'

 

Buggana Rajendranath, minister for Finance, Planning, Commercial Taxes, Skill Development, Training & Legislative Affairs, said, 'We strongly believe reducing the time to start a business will have a significant impact on the manufacturer’s profitability. The state is building numerous plug-and-play facilities which will have ready-built factory sheds with quality power and water supply and help speed up setting up of manufacturing units.'

 

'In the last 3.5 years, the State has approved investments to the tune of Rs 1.9 lakh crore. That would go on to create employment for around 90,000 people in the state in the future,' Amarnath said.

 

India’s first Clean Label and 100 percent Whole Grain certified food brand, True Elements, was invited to represent India at the first-ever global outreach event for Millets by the Government of India - the Saveurs and Métiers Expo - held in Belgium in January 

 

2023 has been earmarked as the International Year of Millets (IYOM) by the UN with the objective of promoting millets as the next supergrain globally. Naturally gluten-free, environmentally sustainable, and loaded with health benefits, Millets have taken center-stage for the Government of India (GOI), with Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi amplifying this mandate across manufacturer, consumer, and enabler cohorts alike. Participation at the three-day Saveurs and Métiers Expo, hosted by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA, Government of India) and the Embassy of India to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union (EU), marked the first global outreach for IYOM. At the expo, Ambassador Santosh Jha (Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the EU) inaugurated the India Pavilion and welcomed European businesses to sample Indian millet products and build a pathway to their retail presence in European retail stores.

 

Vinita Sudhanshu, Deputy GM, APEDA, Government of India, said, 'This expo in Belgium was the first-of-its-kind event, marking the beginning of the International Year of Millets 2023. Since India is leading the resurgence of this ancient super-grain, it was important for us to show the world how we are bringing millets and driving innovation within the packaged food category. Start-ups and disruptors like True Elements are showing the world the novel uses of millets by driving innovation in millets through their products like Jowar Poha, Millet Chikki, and Cereal Biscuits. It was heartening to see the wave of positive responses and appreciation coming their way because of these innovations.'

 

True Elements has been at the forefront of delivering taste and health via Millets for the last 4 years and was honored with the ‘Best Startup Award’ by the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) - Government of India. Recently, the brand also won the Forbes D2C Disruptor Award - Brand of the Year (Sustainability) for its work with Millets.

 

Sreejith Moolayil, Co-founder and COO of True Elements, said, 'There exists plenty of curiosity and intrigue around Millets in India and the world now - in fact, these super-grains have already begun to lead the sustainable nutrition conversation internationally. True Elements has been driving millet-based food innovations since 2019, and we’re glad our range saw global appreciation. We will continue innovating to deliver a larger range without compromising on taste and health benefits.'

 

At this global forum, which saw participation from large corporations, key retailers, and notable manufacturers from Europe, True Elements was accoladed for its range of over 35 innovative millet-based products which were suited to the global palate, met global accreditations and kept the brand’s promise of providing 100 percent taste with 0 percent jargon, 0 percent chemical, 0 percent preservatives or 0 percent added sugar.

 

Ved Agarwal, Head of Marketing of True Elements, mentioned, 'What truly summarised the event for us was Ambassador Santosh Jha’s immediate reaction as he took a bite of our Jowar Poha and said- ‘Wow. This is brilliant'. This, along with a meaningful pool of global leads and engagement with export partners who want to take Millets to Europe together with True Elements, made this outreach a success for us.'Meanwhile, closer home, True Elements also participated in the Millets and Organics International Trade Fair, one of the largest fairs organised by the Department of Agriculture and KAPPEC, Government of Karnataka in Bengaluru, where they demonstrated the versatility of their millet-based offerings and were appreciated for the same.'

India has organised a special exhibition on the millets at the UN headquarters in New York to commemorate the 'International Year of Millets 2023'.

 

The focus of the exhibition launched on Tuesday by India's Permanent Mission to the UN was on the different kinds of millets grown in India, their nutritional value and health benefits, including information on calorific content.

 

The exhibition was attended by over a hundred delegates from the UN member states and senior UN officials. In her brief remarks, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj shared the reasons why India pursued making 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM) and how millets were an important solution in the collective march towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

This was followed by a launch video on the IYM and a special address by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. The Co-Founder and Director of MRIDA Group, Arun Nagpal, shared his experiences on his journey with millets from the farm to the table. This was followed by a special address by the Chef de Cabinet of the UN Secretary-General Earle Courtenay Rattray, after which the exhibition was officially opened.

 

Millet-based savouries were the other attraction for the guests to taste, while millet grains were also placed on display. The United Nations was treated to a sensory blend of seeing, touching, tasting, and learning about millets.

 

The millet exhibition will be on display at the United Nations General Assembly Delegates Entrance Exhibition area from 14-17 February 2023, a media release said. The year 2023 has been designated as the 'International Year of Millets' after a proposal for it was brought forward by India and endorsed by Members of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Governing Bodies, as well as by the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly.

 

Millets were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization. Being grown in more than 130 countries at present, millet is considered traditional food for more than half a billion people across Asia and Africa.

 

In India, millets are primarily a Kharif crop, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples. Millets are important by virtue of their mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers’ income and ensure food and nutritional security all over the world.

The world’s largest annual global food and beverage sourcing event in the world, Gulfood, will take place from February 20 to 24. It will bring together F&B communities from across the world in Dubai to chart the way forward for this rapidly-evolving sector.

 

According to the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the 28th edition of the show is set to be 30 per cent larger than the previous years, with 1,500 of the 5,000+ confirmed exhibitors new to the show. Gulfood 2023’s record scale is due in part to the introduction of Gulfood Plus, a new bespoke hall, where first-time exhibitors will showcase product innovations.

 

Leading global brands exhibiting include: Unilever, GMG, Americana, Agthia, Fonterra, McCain, Monin, USAPEEC, Hunter Foods, ASMAK, Minerva Foods, U.S. Dairy Export Council, Frinsa Group, Emirates Snacks Foods and Al Rabie to name a few; as well as newcomers including Brazilian food processing company: BRF Global and Agricultural, and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

 

Role of industry in curbing inflation

Globally, a series of world events are causing inflation and a rise in the cost of consumer goods, food, utilities, and fuel. The food industry has a huge role to play in helping reverse these trends and moving towards healthier, more resilient food systems.

 

'With the ongoing food crisis, combined with climate shocks, and rising costs of food, 2023 will be an important year for turning the corner and getting back on track while elevating healthy and diversified diets that are sustainable for people and the planet. Gulfood and the UAE will be at the heart of many of these conversations and have a unique vantage point from which to lead the way,' said Trixie LohMirmand, executive vice-president, DWTC.

 

Sustainability

Gulfood Green - a new global sustainability initiative - is expected to ignite and continue conversations within the wider F&B community to create a momentous shift towards more resilient and sustainable food production and consumption. The objective is to raise visibility and influence key strategic food industry champions for sustainable food systems transformation in the lead up to COP28 and set a precedent for the future.

 

The Gulfood Global Forest — an international tree-planting campaign and nature-based solution to the events’ sustainability commitments, to conserve, restore and grow trees across the globe — will help curb climate change. The food industry is known to be a major carbon emitter, and the Gulfood Forest will enable stakeholders of the event from exhibitors and visitors, to speakers, chefs and the wider public to get involved and plant trees to help restore global forests.

 

Gulfood Green has already started planting in four countries: UAE, Uganda, Ecuador and Indonesia, with fruit-bearing trees planted in a number of the locations to enable families and local communities to become self-sufficient.

 

The trees already planted will support 2,000 families and sequester 1 million-kg of CO2 over the trees’ lifetime.

 

Enabling change

The Gulfood Inspire Conference will champion core themes of sustainability, quality and access. Ministers, global F&B value chain leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society and industry experts will lead a series of keynotes, panel discussions and showcases.

 

World cuisine

Gulfood 2023 will launch the ‘Dubai World Cuisine’ Movement, which aims to provide a platform for homegrown chefs to collaboratively shape the cultural identity of Dubai and establish it on the world’s culinary map. For 2023, Singapore has been selected, for the nation’s vibrant and diverse culinary scene from Michelin-starred restaurants to UNESCO-recognised street food.

 

The programme will see six iconic chefs from Singapore hosted in six restaurants in Dubai in February with masterclasses and fringe dinners outside of the event, across the city. Two months later in May, the Dubai chefs will then be hosted in Singapore for six dinners under the umbrella of Dubai World Cuisine by Gulfood.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) on Wednesday released 23 new crop varieties. This includes 16 agricultural crops, three horticultural crops and four tree varieties. Besides this, the university introduced ten agro technologies and six farm machineries.  

 

Addressing media, TNAU Vice Chancellor V Geethalakshmi said, 'The new varieties include four improved varieties of kavuni CO 57 paddy, three pulses, two oilseeds, one maize, sugarcane and green manure crop and sunn hemp. In commemoration of International Year of Millets 2023, four new varieties such as Peal millet hybrid COH10, Sorghum K13, Kudiraivali ATL1 and Panivaragu ATL2 have been introduced.'

 

The horticulture crops include two varieties of Ridge Gourd besides a variety of jasmine. To help the state government’s afforestation plan, the university unveiled silk cotton, red sanders, casuarina and khaya trees. Farmers can procure the new varieties from the university. Earlier in the day, Geethalakshmi inaugurated a national level agrometeorological conference.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Geethalakshmi said farm yield has to increase to commensurate with the country’s rising population, without compromising on quality and nutritional value. 'Climate variability and climate changes are the biggest challenges, especially flood is a complex phenomenon in recent years. For instance, crops were ready to harvest in the Cauvery delta region, but a big rainfall affected the yield of crops recently. It indicates rainfall uncertainty.'

 

The three-day conference is organized by the Agro Climate Research Center of TNAU in collaboration with the Association of Agrometeorologists. Around 250 scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and India Meteorological Department among others are taking part.

The country's wheat production is expected to touch a new record of 112.18 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), according to the agriculture ministry's latest estimate. Wheat production had declined marginally to 107.74 million tonnes in the previous year due to heat wave in some states.

 

The previous record in wheat production was 109.59 million tonnes in 2020-21 crop year.

 

Wheat is a major rabi crop.

 

As per the second estimate of foodgrains production released by the agriculture ministry, wheat production is estimated to be 112.18 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year, higher by 4.40 million tonnes from the previous year.

 

Total area planted with wheat crop has risen by only 1.39 lakh hectares to 343.23 lakh hectares (ha) in the rabi season of the 2022-23 crop year (July-June) from the year-ago period, but the crop yields are expected to be better due to good weather conditions.

 

Wheat has already started arriving in Madhya Pradesh, one of the major wheat growing states in the country.

 

Total foodgrain production is also estimated to touch a record of 323.55 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year, higher by 7.93 million tonnes from the previous year.