The Indian government has met nearly 85 per cent of its kharif rice procurement target between October 1 and February 1. This may help it to reach last year’s procurement level at the end of the season and ease pressure on foodgrain distribution. A bumper harvest of wheat coupled with comfortable procurement may further help it to increase allocation under the food security law.

 

Pan-India procurement in terms of rice was 43.73 million tonnes (mt) valued at over Rs.1.36 lakh crore in the four months since the kharif marketing season began on October 1. This is compared with 43.59 mt bought during the same period a year ago. The target from the entire kharif season (October 1-March 31) is 52.1 mt. So far, 87 lakh farmers have got the benefit from the paddy procurement programme as the Centre buys at minimum support price (MSP) of Rs.2,060/quintal (Grade A variety).

 

Kharif paddy procurement in West Bengal has been extended until May 31 and in Assam up to June 30. Procurement has got over in most of the States, while it will end on February 15 in Madhya Pradesh, February 28 in eastern Uttar Pradesh, on March 31 in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

 

Not impact on UP, Bihar

According to the latest data, there was no significant impact on procurement in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as was feared earlier since these two States had experienced deficient rainfall during the south-west monsoon season. Most of the districts in these States reported deficient rainfall.

 

'In western UP, there is a 20,000-tonne rise and in eastern UP there is a fall of about 40,000 tonnes compared with the year-ago period,' a government official said, adding that the State had exceeded the target of 4 mt. He attributed the drop to higher prices in the open market as there has been a lot of demand.

 

Procurement in Punjab and Haryana has been completed with 12.19 mt and 3.95 mt, purchases respectively. While the buying Punjab is lower by 3.3 lt (down 2.6 per cent), it is 3 lt more (up by 8.2 per cent) in Haryana.

 

Odisha buys 27% more

In Chhattisgarh, the rice procurement ended at 6.16 mt, the same as last year despite 1.6 mt being purchased in November 2022 as the buying schedule was advanced by a month from the usual December 1. In Odisha, authorities have reported a 27 per cent jump to 3.1.6 mt whereas in Telangana it has declined 9 per cent to 4.17 mt.

 

Bihar is another State where the procurement is down by 13 per cent at 1.89 mt and it may not be able to achieve its target of 3 mt this year due to drought. The procurement in the State may end up at around 2.5 mt, officials said, adding that farmers have been realising better prices this year on demand from exporters. Madhya Pradesh has reported 3.09 mt purchase, a notch higher from 3.07 mt a year ago.

 

'Rice procurement in January was nearly 30 per cent lower from the year-ago period while in each of the previous three months, purchases were nearly 10 per cent higher. As there has been a significant increase in demand in recent days, procurement may dip in February and March. In that case, the government may be able to buy less than last year,' a former top official of the Food Corporation of India said .

The Gross State Value Added (GSVA) by the agriculture and allied sectors has increased by a staggering 186 percent from 2014-15 to 2022-23 in Telangana.

 

According to the Socio Economic Outlook 2023, released by Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Monday, the Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock and Fisheries sectors’ Gross Value Added (Current Prices) to the State economy has also seen a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.05 percent from Rs 76,123 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 2,17,877 crore in 2022-23.

 

Telangana has made significant progress in the agriculture sector by adopting innovative methods, increasing the use of technology, and providing financial support to farmers.

 

The State accounts for substantial agricultural produce in rice, maize, lemon, grapes, mango and soybean, with highest production of turmeric and sweet orange.

 

As per the Socio Economic Outlook 2022, Telangana has emerged as the top contributor to the total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in the Agriculture service sector of the country with a share of 26.32 percent between October 2019 and September 2021. During the period, the agriculture service sector in India is estimated to have attracted FDI of more than Rs 3,000 crore.

 

Agricultural exports are expected to play a pivotal role in doubling the farmers’ income and linking agriculture production to the export market is a critical step. To achieve this, the State government has been striving for all possible linkages to the export markets.

 

Accordingly, the exports from agriculture and allied sectors in Telangana during 2021-22, accounted for a massive Rs 6,737 crore, indicating the rapid growth in the State. Among the exports, cereals, spices, meat and cotton are the top commodities in the State.

 

Cotton exports were worth Rs 3,055 crore, while spices, coffee, tea and mate accounted for Rs 1,936 crore. This was followed by cereals with Rs 1,480 crore along with mean and edible meat offal exports at Rs 268 crore.

 

To improve productivity, efficiency and sustainability in the agriculture sector, the State government is deploying artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies through pilot projects such as AI4AI-Artificial Intelligence for Agricultural Innovation.

 

These initiatives are aimed to help bring global competitiveness to the sector in a way that is profitable and sustainable for farmers.

As per latest report published by International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) Germany and FiBL Switzerland in 2022, the Global Organic Market has been growing at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.7 % during last six years (2015-2020). In value terms, the market size has grown from US $ 84 billion in 2015 to US $ 129 billion in 2020 suggesting that the demand for chemical free organic produces has increased in the international market.

 

The data on domestic consumption of organic product is not available.  But it is fact that demand of organic products in the domestic market is increasing with rising health consciousness and more inclination towards organic farming. According to IMARC report Indian India organic food market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 25.25% during 2022-2027. Export of organic products for last three years is given below:

Export of organic products in term of value for last three years

S. No.	Year	Exported Qty  (In MT)	Value (In Crore)	Value  (In USD Million)
1	2019-20	638998	4686.00	689.10
2	2020-21	888179	7078.50	1040.96
3	2021-22	460320	5249.32	771.96

Two types of organic certifications systems have been developed for quality assurance of organic products in country.

 

Third Party Certification by Accredited Certification Agency under National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) under Ministry of Commerce and Industry for development of export market .

Participatory Guarantee System (PGS-India) under Ministry of Agriculture and farmers Welfare for meeting the demand of domestic market.

NPOP was launched during 2001 by the Government of India under Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The NPOP not only provides the institutional framework for accreditation of certification agencies and operationalization of certification programme through its accredited Certification Bodies (CBs) but also ensures that the system effectively works and is monitored on regular basis. NPOP is third party certification programme where the production and handling of activities at all stages such as production, processing, trading and export requirements for organic products is covered.  Also, the system for grading and quality control of organic products is equivalent to conventional products.

 

Under PGS-India programme, Government is implementing Participatory Guarantee System of India (PGS-India) as a quality assurance initiative for certification of organic produce that is locally relevant, emphasizing the participation of stakeholders, including producers / farmers and consumers and operate outside the frame of third-party certification. In the operation of PGS-India, stakeholders (including farmers/ producers) are involved in decision making and essential decisions about the operation of the PGS-India certification itself by assessing, inspecting and verifying the production practices of each other and collectively declare produce as organic.

 

Food Safety Regulation has made it mandatory for organic products to be certified under NPOP or PGS for being sold in the domestic market under Jaivik Bharat logo. To ensure end-to-end traceability (as per the requirements of regulatory framework under Food Safety Standard (FSS) [Organic Foods] Regulation 2017, PGS-India programme also provides uninterrupted chain of custody, starting from producer groups till the products are processed and finally packed into retail packs.

 

This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

FSSAI has decided that ‘high risk food products’ shall be allowed only through designated ports of entry. The FSSAI has issued a notice, in this regard, saying that such products shall not be allowed through any other port. A total of 79 ports have been designated by the FSSAI.

 

'It has been decided and approved by the food authority that import of these products as specified shall be permitted through designated ports as per the list and not through any other port/channel,' reads the notice.

 

The high risk products include milk, milk products, egg powder, meat, meat products including poultry, fish & their products, food for infant nutrition/infant foods, nutraceuticals, health supplements, foods for dietary uses, probiotic & prebiotic foods and food for special medical purposes.

 

According to the FSSAI, in October 2022, comments were invited from the stakeholders on entry of food items under specific ports.

 

'Considering the comments from stakeholders in order to envisage a robust import control system in India and ensuring efficient monitoring and traceability of high risk products, it has been decided that these products shall be permitted through designated ports,' stated Dr Amit Sharma, Director, Trade and International Cooperation, FSSAI.

According to production data of Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database(FAOSTAT), India is the highest milk producer i.e., rank first position in the world contributing twenty-four percent of global milk production in the year 2021-22.

 

The milk production of India has registered fifty-one percent increase during the last eight years i.e., during the year 2014-15 and 2021-22 and increased to twenty-two crore tonne in the year 2021-22.

 

This information was given by Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security agreed to temporarily allow the import of chicken eggs from foreign countries, adding that the decision will be reviewed when the domestic supply stabilises.

 

While Middle Eastern countries such as Oman and Qatar are the main destinations for India’s eggs, the export landscape over recent months has changed with significant orders from countries here output is plummeted, including Malaysia, which previously exported eggs.

 

A shortage of over 150 million eggs

Following the imports of eggs from foreign countries, the eggs shortage in Malaysia was reduced to 1 million in December, according to the country’s Agriculture and Food Security Minister, Mohamad Sabu, CNA reported. This compares to a shortage of 157 million eggs in November and 118 million eggs in November.

 

'For the first time, Malaysia is buying large quantities of eggs from India, and it seems that India’s egg exports to Malaysia will remain strong during the first half of 2023,' Sasti Kumar, joint managing director at Namakkal-based Ponni Farms, one of India’s leading egg exporters, told Reuters. He added that India shipped 5 million eggs to Malaysia in December, 10 million in January and up to 15 million in February.

 

Egg imports from India have helped Malaysia bring prices down from the record highs seen in December. The president of the Federation of Livestock Farmers’ Association of Malaysia, Tan Chee Hee, is positive that egg production in the country will recover in the coming months as the government increases subsidies.

 

The government's efforts to double the income of farmers have yielded 'very positive' results, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in Parliament on Tuesday. The government had set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee in April 2016 to examine issues relating to 'Doubling of Farmers' Income (DFI)' and recommended strategies to achieve the same.

 

The panel had submitted its final report to the government in September 2018. It contained the strategy for doubling farmers' income through various policies, reforms and programmes.

 

As per the strategy, Tomar said the government has adopted and implemented several policies, reforms, developmental programmes and schemes for achieving higher income for farmers directly or indirectly.

 

'The efforts of the government to double the income of farmers have yielded very positive results,' he said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

 

As part of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has released a book that contains compilation of success stories of 75,000 farmers out of innumerable farmers who have increased their income more than two times, he added.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), through its schemes, is helping strengthening of food processing/ preservation infrastructure with efficient supply chain across the country and thereby reducing gap between production and processing capacity & post-harvest losses. MoFPI is implementing a Central Sector Umbrella scheme- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) since 2016-17. Projects completed under component schemes of PMKSY have resulted in creation of about 194 Lakh Metric Tonnes of preservation & processing capacity.

 

Union Minister of State for M/o Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel informs Lok Sabha, in a written reply to a question, that as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, MoFPI is implementing Centrally Sponsored PM Formalization of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme since 2020-21 for providing financial, technical and business support to Micro Food Processing Enterprises and so far applications of 18472 beneficiaries have been sanctioned under the scheme. Also, Central Sector Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI), implemented by MoFPI, is targeted to facilitate expansion of food processing capacity by creating champion brands in Food Processing Sector with total outlay of Rs 10,900 Cr for a period of 6 years (2021-22 to 2026-27). A total of 180 proposals have been approved for assistance under different categories of PLISFPI.

G-20 is an influential platform for international economic cooperation. It plays an important role in shaping and strengthening the global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues. India is chairing the G-20 forum from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023. G-20 consists of 19 countries and the European Union, - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Africa, United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union. G-20 members represent approximately 85 percent of global GDP, more than 75 percent of global trade, and nearly two-thirds of the world population.

 

State Agricultural Extension and Training Institute, Bhopal, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, New Delhi and MANAGE, Hyderabad organized a workshop on the theme 'Women Led Agricultural Development' regarding the contribution of women in agricultural entrepreneurship and agri-startups in Madhya Pradesh and providing financial assistance, in which about 250 women farmers, entrepreneurs, new startup founders and other participants from various districts of the state participated. In this program Shri Nirupam Mehrotra, C.G.M, NABARD-Bhopal was the Chief Guest and Shri S.K. Ingle, Joint Director (Mass Media), MoA&FW graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. First of all, the program was addressed by Shri K.P. Aharwal, Director, SIAET. Shri Sanjeev Kumar Ingle advised the women of the state to take advantage of the State and Central Government schemes for technical and financial assistance in Startup women entrepreneurship. He advised the small and marginal farmers to innovate spraying of pesticides and nutrients in the crops, so that crops can be sown in the shortest time and with less while fetching more returns. Further, he informed that the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India has aimed at the formation of 10,000 FPOs. The women of MP have been advised to take advantage of these schemes so that they can avail of maximum financial assistance and adopt the Farm Gate App for agricultural produce marketing. In order to ensure the participation of MANAGE Hyderabad, NABARD and other associate banks for agricultural entrepreneurs, an agreement was signed during this program.

 

Suggestions were given by Shri Tarsem Singh Jeera, Circle Head Bhopal, Central Bank of India emphasizing on increasing the value addition and marketing of agricultural products through AC&ABC program.

 

Shri Nirupam Mehrotra, C.G.M, NABARD-Bhopal said that in MP Rural areas, one-third of the total women (around 15-29 age group) are increasingly moving towards women entrepreneurship. But still there is a need to do more work towards gender equality. He said that once the Self-Help Group is started, the rules for availability of working capital and marketing should be made easier for women to take forward the SHGs.

 

Dr. Shahaji Fund, Deputy Director, MANAGE Hyderabad said that the AC&ABC program was first launched as a pilot project in the state of Telangana. After this it is being run in all the states of India. NABARD Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, SBI, MPGB Bank and MANAGE signed an MoU on the occasion. After that Women entrepreneurs from different districts of the state narrated their success stories.

 

Doubts from participants were resolved during the interactive session.

 

Panel discussion on Agri entrepreneurship and Agri Startup were held in the second session. Smt. Suman Prasad, Deputy Director (Agriculture), District Bhopal, Smt. Rashmi Varghese, Deputy Director (Agriculture Directorate), Vindhyachal Bhavan, Bhopal, Smt. Ashalata Pathak, Senior Agriculture Development Officer, Directorate Vindhyachal Bhavan Bhopal, Shri Vinay Patidar, Consultant, MANAGE Hyderabad, Dr. Swati Sharma, Nodal Officer of NGO CARD, Bhopal and officials of MANAGE, Hyderabad and SIAET-Bhopal participated in the proceedings.

 

Preeti Maithil Nayak, former Director Agriculture and MD, Farm Seeds and Development Corporation, explained the Agricultural women entrepreneurs on startups related to agricultural inputs and value addition of agricultural produce.

 

After this Shri U.S. Jadoun, Deputy Director SIAET, presented a memorandum of thanks to the women participants, and the program concluded. The program was conducted by Smt. Rani Rackwar of Doordarshan Bhopal.

India’s winter wheat crop is in good condition as of now as there has been rainfall in the north west India in the last three-four days, said Gyanendra Singh, director of ICAR-IIWBR, the apex body for wheat cultivation in the country.

 

India’s January rainfall hit a five-year low at 12.4 mm, taking the deficit in rainfall to 25% in the month, according to data from India Meteorological Department (IMD).

 

'The rains have happened and the wheat crop is in exceptionally good condition without any incidences of diseases,' he said adding that India is likely to produce 112 million tonnes of wheat or a little more during the harvest period as the area sown under wheat has increased.

 

In 2022, India's wheat output fell when a severe heat wave reduced production drastically, shrinking procurement, which fell to 18.792 MT in the 2022-23 marketing year from 43.444 MT in the previous year. After having initially encouraged exports at the beginning of 2022-23 wheat season, India had to ban outbound shipments because of reduced production.

 

Singh said the country is better prepared for such an incident this year as farmers have used new seeds with better tolerance to heat and are high yielding in nature. The new varieties are DBW 187, DBW 303, DBW 222, DBW 327 and DBW 332.

 

'We are also issued advisory for farmers and helping government agencies to handle such an adversity better if it happens again this year,' Singh said. He added that in India, extreme weather scenarios such as sudden rise in temperature, heat stress, excess rain take place only once in 4-5 years and so the chances of it happening this year are low.

 

Area under wheat has increased marginally by 0.37% to 341.85 lakh hectare (ha) so far in the ongoing rabi season and has been sown in 341.85 lakh ha as of January 27 against 340.56 lakh ha in the year-ago period.

 

The higher area is reported from Rajasthan (2.52 lakh ha), Maharashtra (1.28 lakh ha), Bihar (1.28 lakh ha), Chhattisgarh (0.52 lakh ha), Gujarat (0.44 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (0.22 lakh ha), Jammu & Kashmir (0.08 lakh ha) and Assam (0.03 lakh ha), the data showed.

 

The wholesale price of wheat had been hovering at an all-time high of Rs 30 per kg in Delhi in January when the government had to intervene announcing an Open Market Sale of 3 MT of cereal from the stocks of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to processors and traders.

 

Wheat, along with mustard, is the main rabi crop whose sowing begins around October and harvesting happens in March and April.