India and the EU on Monday announced the establishment of the three Working Groups under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council and their Terms of Reference. TTC was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during the latter’s visit to India in April 2022.

 

The TTC is a strategic coordination mechanism that will allow both partners to tackle challenges at the nexus of trade, trusted technology and security, and thus deepen cooperation in these fields between India and the EU. The TTC with India is only the second such Council for the EU and the first such mechanism for India.

 

The TTC will be co-chaired on the Indian side by the Ministers for External Affairs; Commerce & Industry; and Communications, Electronics & Information Technology.

 

Under the TTC, the following three Working Groups have been established: i). Working Group on Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity: Chaired by Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ii). Working Group on Green & Clean Energy Technologies: Chaired by Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India & Working Group on Trade, Investment & Resilient Value Chains: Chaired by Secretary, Department of Commerce.

Seedbed preparation, especially for rice and wheat crops, is highly mechanised in India compared to other crops, the Centre told the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

 

Replying to a query on the mechanisation of Indian agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, said farm mechanisation levels assessed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for major cereals, pulses, oilseeds, millets and cash crops indicate that the seedbed preparation operation is highly mechanised (over 70 per cent) for major crops.

 

In seedbed preparation, the mechanisation level is higher in rice and wheat crops as compared to other crops. However, mechanisation level for sowing operation is the highest for wheat crop at 65 per cent, he said.

 

Harvesting and threshing operations are the least mechanised (lower than 32 per cent) for major crops, except for rice and wheat crops. In case of harvesting and threshing, the mechanisation levels in rice and wheat crops are more than 60 per cent.

 

The mechanisation level in planting/transplanting operation for sugarcane is 20 per cent, he said. The adoption of mechanisation by the farmers depends on various factors such as socio-economic conditions, geographical conditions, crops grown, irrigation facilities, etc., the minister said.

 

Darjeeling tea

To a separate question on the production of Darjeeling tea, Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said the production of Darjeeling tea in India stood at 6.54 million kgs (mkg) and exports at 3.02 mkg till November of 2022.

 

India produced 7.01 mkg and 6.70 mkg of Darjeeling tea in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The export of Darjeeling tea from India stood at 3.56 mkg and 3.10 mkg in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

 

Tea Board under the Tea Development and Promotion Scheme has been extending financial assistance to the tea stakeholders across the country, including Darjeeling Tea, she said.

 

Stating that Darjeeling tea is protected by certification trademark and Geographical Indication, the minister said it has a distinct logo.

 

Sugar export curbed

To a query on sugar exports, Anupriya Patel said export of sugar has been moved from ‘free’ to ‘restricted’ list during sugar season 2021-22 with effect from June 1 2022. The restrictions on export of sugar have been extended up to October 31 2023. This has been done in order to prevent uncontrolled export of sugar and with a view to ensure sufficient availability of sugar for domestic consumption, she said.

 

India exported 66.67 lakh tonnes (lt) of sugar valued $3211.30 million till November of 2022-23. Export of sugar from India had reached a record of 104.57 lt, valued $4602.65 million in 2021-22.

 

Rubber import

To a query on the import of natural rubber into India, Anupriya Patel said around 4.18 lt of natural rubber (NR) valued Rs.6279.9 crore was imported during April-December of 2022-23. The country had imported 5.46 lt of NR valued Rs.7702.7 crore during 2021-22.

 

With the objective to regulate the import of NR, the government had increased the duty on import of dry rubber from 20 per cent or Rs.30 per kg, whichever is lower, to bound rate of 25 per cent or Rs.30 per kg, whichever is lower, with effect from April 30, 2015.

 

The government had also reduced the period of utilisation of imported dry rubber under advance licensing scheme from 18 months to six months in January 2015. The port of entry for import of NR had also been restricted to ports at Chennai and Nhava Sheva in January 2016.

 

In the Union Budget 2023-24, the rate of custom duty on compound rubber has been increased from 10 per cent to 25 per cent as that on NR. “The above steps are expected to promote domestic production of natural rubber and keep its prices buoyant,” she said.

 

PMFBY

To a query on Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Narendra Singh Tomar said the total number of farmer applications for the scheme was at 8.32 crore during 2021-22. Farmers paid a premium of Rs.3,772.1 crore, State governments paid a premium of Rs.13,929.9 crore and the Centre paid a premium of Rs.12,562.1 crore during 2021-22. Claims paid under the scheme was Rs.14,716.9 crore during 2021-22.

 

As per provisions of the PMFBY/RWBCIS (Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme), premium from farmers, along with Central and State governments’ share in premium subsidy, is paid to the insurance company concerned for acceptance of risk and payment of claims.

 

Insurers save premium in good seasons/years and pay high claims, if any, in bad years from the savings made in the good years, he said.

 

Further, difference between premium collected and claims paid may not be the margin/profit for the insurance companies as there is a cost of reinsurance and administrative cost which generally range up to 10 per cent to 12 per cent of gross premium. This cost also has to be borne by the insurance companies.

 

Out of the total crop insurance business under the scheme, about 50 per cent is shared by the five public sector insurance companies, the minister said.

Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held wide-ranging talks with visiting Canadian Foreign minister Melanie Joly with a thrust on boosting overall bilateral engagement, including in areas of trade and investment.

 

Joly, who began her two-day visit to India on Monday, said both ministers reviewed the progress in bilateral relations, which are anchored in shared democratic values, growing economic linkages, security cooperation, mobility of students and professionals and strong people-to-people ties. 'Both sides expressed interest in deepening collaboration across domains and looked forward to the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA),' the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

 

The MEA said India welcomed the announcement of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, given the shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

 

'They exchanged views on India’s priorities during its ongoing G20 Presidency and agreed to work together to ensure its success,' said the MEA statement.

 

The statement also said that the ministers had the opportunity to deliberate on contemporary issues, including developments in India’s neighbourhood, Ukraine and cooperation in the United Nations. 'Both sides strengthened their commitment to deepen bilateral ties,' it said.

 

Joly also met officials of a number of Canadian business firms operating in India.

 

'India’s economic and population growth are driving demand for education, health services, food, critical minerals and green infrastructure. These are all sectors of Canadian strength and we must grasp these opportunities,' she tweeted.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi today with Digital Green under public private partnership framework to build a national level digital extension platform. The platform will host a digital library of curated multi-format multi-lingual content, help extension workers access and deliver curated content to farmers on time and upskill the vast network of extension workers for agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, livestock and rural livelihood missions through certified online courses.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, MoA&FW, GoI said that 'The proposed national digital platform will help make our extension system more efficient and effective by connecting farmers to the strong foundation of digital agriculture ecosystem that is being built by the government. Digital capacity of this extension system is crucial to help farmers reap the benefits of digital agriculture and will serve as one of the component of digital public infrastructure for Agriculture announced recently in the Union Budget '.

 

There are over 200,000 extension workers in India in agriculture, livelihood and allied sectors. This ambitious initiative will converge the outreach efforts of departments of agriculture, horticulture, livestock, dairy, fisheries and rural livelihoods under a single digital platform through a decentralised content creation and targeted dissemination. To be launched within six months, the platform will have the portal and capabilities to serve the entire farming community in India and catalyse Agtech and other market actors with newer and higher value proposition.

 

The MOU is with Digital Green, an award winning social enterprise that is leveraging the power of technology to support small and marginal farmers to enhance their productivity and income, strengthen their agency and build community level resilience. Founded by Rikin Gandhi, a technocrat and social development enthusiast, Digital Green has been working with governments in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, serving over 25 lakhs farmers and having enhanced the capacities of over 4000 front like workers.

 

According to Rikin Gandhi, technology has no value unless it makes a positive difference to the last mile farmer. Thanking the GoI for investing in technology to make Indian farm system future ready, he said that 'we are honoured and proud to be partnering with Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and be a key stakeholder in making our small and marginal farmers thrive and proposer. He further added that the envisaged platform will contribute to and complement the national systems to emerge as a digital public good for the farm sector in India.'

 

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of South India’s 1st Industrial Corridor Project to be implemented at Tumakuru which is spread over 8500 Acre of land under the Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, today.

 

Shri Basavaraj S. Bommai, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Raj Nath Singh, Union Minister for Defence, Shri A. Narayanaswamy, Union MoS for Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Murugesh Nirani, Minister, Govt. of Karnataka, Shri Araga Jnanendra , Minister, Govt. of Karnataka, Shri J. C. Madhuswamy, Minister, Govt. of Karnataka, Shri B. C. Nagesh, Minister, Govt. of Karnataka, Shri V. Somanna, Minister, Govt. of Karnataka, Shri G. S. Basavaraj, Member of Parliament , Shri Jaggesh, Member of Parliament, Smt. Sumita Dawra, CEO&MD, NICDC and other dignitaries graced the occasion.

 

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that taking forward the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Tumakuru Industrial Township has been planned with holistic and integrated approach in line with the principles of PM-GatiShakti to address the issue of last mile multi-modal connectivity to the economic zone.

 

The Government of India, through the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT), and the Government of Karnataka, through the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), have taken up the development of the Industrial Township at Vasanthanarsapura, spread across 8500 acres in three phases in Tumakuru district through the project Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

 

The CBIC project includes the development of industrial townships at three nodes: Krishnapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Tumakuru (Karnataka), and Ponneri (Tamil Nadu). The Tumakuru node has been prioritized for development, with an area of 1736.20 acre being identified as the priority development area.

 

The Phase-A of the project is expected to generate employment opportunities for approximately 88,000 people and attract investment of around Rs. 7,000 crore over a period of 5-6 years, triggering growth and prosperity in the region.

 

Based on the principles of last mile multimodal connectivity of PM-GatiShakti, the upcoming industrial township will have world class infrastructure with Mumbai-Chennai National Highway 48 adjoining the site, Bengaluru International Airport located at a distance of approx.115 km, Tumakuru Railway Station situated at a distance of 25 km and Mangaluru Port at a distance of 300 km and very well connected to the site through NH. The Multi Modal connectivity ecosystem will ensure a seamless movement of raw material and finished goods.

 

All other minor infrastructure gaps have also been identified and necessary interventions are being undertaken by concerned ministries. The project will be a mixed-use development comprising of land uses like industrial, institutional, residential, commercial, green spaces etc. making it a completely self-sustainable and resilient smart industrial city. This project will facilitate investments, foster innovation, enhance skills development and build finest manufacturing ecosystem for pitching India as a global investment destination. Target sectors are Food Products, Textile and Apparels, Electronics, Auto & Auto Components, Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals, Engineering, General Manufacturing etc.

 

With the objective to increase the share of manufacturing in the GDP of India, the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme is being implemented whereby 32 greenfield industrial smart cities under 11 industrial corridors are being developed with world class Plug-n-Play infrastructure.

 

With the Government’s mantra of 'Reform, Perform and Transform', 04 such smart industrial cities have already been completed at Dholera in Gujarat, Shendra Bidkin in Maharashtra, Vikram Udyogpuri in Madhya Pradesh, Integrated Industrial Township at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

 

The Tumakuru Industrial Township project and the Industrial Corridor Programme at large will contribute to futuristic and inclusive growth of the country with the vision of the Government for ‘Make in India, Make for the World’.

 

PM concluded by adding, 'The development of the CBIC project is a major step towards promoting industrial growth and improving connectivity in the region. I am confident that this project will bring significant economic and social benefits to the people of the region.'

A 12 per cent increase in the export of major agriculture and processed products during the first three quarters of the current fiscal has buoyed the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to target a record $26-29 billion in this fiscal, against $24.76 billion in 2021-22.

 

'Since our (APEDA products) exports have already reached nearly $20 billion, we will exceed the target and also increase from the previous year’s level. Unless there is a global slowdown, we are set to cross $27 billion this year and may reach up to $29 billion,' said M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA. The agency, which contributed half of the $50.21 billion in the total export of agriculture and allied sectors during 2021-22, is responsible for all agri products, divided into 27 categories, excluding tea, coffee, spices and marine products.

 

Reachable target

Exports have jumped to $19.69 billion during April-December of the current fiscal from $17.51 billion a year ago. The government has set a target of $23.56 billion for the export of APEDA products during FY 2022-23. Due to the weakening of the rupee, exports surged by 20.4 per cent to ?1.57 lakh crore from ?1.3 lakh crore a year-ago.

 

Angamuthu said the focus on the top 10 potential products (non-basmati rice, basmati rice, bovine meat, miscellaneous preparations, cereal preparations, maize, groundnut, guar gum, pulses, processed vegetables) and top 10 export destinations (Bangladesh, UAE, the US, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iran, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and Nepal) has helped to achieve the growth, so far. 'Efforts are being made to push exports in further 40 potential target destinations,' he said.

 

In view of the International Year of Millets in 2023, APEDA has planned an aggressive campaign for the promotion of these Shri Anna (nutri cereal) and its value-added products in select markets for boosting export, he said. Besides, APEDA has chalked out several activities in different States to boost quality produce.

 

Basmati shipments surge

According to latest official data, basmati rice exports have surged by 40.26 per cent to $3.34 billion from $2.38 billion, while that of non-basmati rice registered a modest growth of 3.35 per cent to $4.66 billion from $4.51 billion in the year-ago period.

 

But in terms of volume, basmati rice shipments have surged 16.6 per cent to 3.2 million tonnes (mt) and non-basmati rice by 4.6 per cent to 13.17 mt during April-December of 2022-23 from the year-ago period.

 

Fresh vegetables registered a 7.5 per cent growth to $662 million from $616 million while fresh fruit exports declined 0.6 per cent to $459 million from $462 million. Pulses shipments increased by 80.38 per cent to $436 million from $242 million, the data show. Exports of processed fruits and vegetables together have jumped to $1.04 billion from $888 million, up by 17 per cent, and that of dairy products recorded a growth of 19.45 per cent to $471 million from $395 million.

 

The export of poultry products increased by 91.7 per cent to $95 million from $50 million and that of other cereals including maize by 13.6 per cent to $869 million from $764 million.

In order to increase the level of food processing industry and encouraging rural entrepreneurship across the country including rural areas, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is implementing Central Sector Umbrella Scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and Centrally sponsored PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme.

 

Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Prahlad Singh Patel informed Rajya Sabha, in a written reply to a question, that the PMFME Scheme provided financial, technical and business support for setting up/upgradation of 2 lakh micro food processing enterprises through credit linked subsidy during five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore.  Under component schemes of PMKSY, MoFPI mostly provides financial assistance in the form of grants-in-aid to entrepreneurs for creation of modern infrastructure and setting up of food processing / preservation industries including cold chains with associated infrastructure like primary processing facilities, collection centres, pre-conditioning, pre-cooling, ripening and packing.

Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday met Minister of Transport of Qatar Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti and discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral maritime cooperation, according to an official statement. The statement said India-Qatar cooperation in diverse sectors has been steadily growing in an excellent framework led by historical close ties, regular and substantive engagement.

 

'Fruitful discussions were held on commitment to strengthen the bilateral maritime cooperation, including interaction between Indian ports and Qatari ports to share best practices in areas of port operations, logistics, supply chain management, and digitalisation,' the statement said quoting Sonowal.

 

India's bilateral trade with Qatar in 2021-22 was USD 15.03 billion. India's export to Qatar during 2021-22 was USD 1.83 billion and India's import from Qatar was USD 13.19 billion.

 

According to the statement, in 2021, India was among the top four largest export destinations for Qatar and also among the top three sources of Qatar's imports.

 

The statement further said that the year 2023 marks 50 years of establishment of full diplomatic relations between India and Qatar.

 

Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti is on an official visit to India from February 5-8, 2023.

Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR) is now on an aggressive mode to display its novel technologies and products. In this regard, it is playing host to the National Horticulture Fair (NHF) 2023 at its location in Hessarghatta in Bengaluru. The event will be held between February 22 and February 25, 2023.

 

Titled as Innovative Horticulture for Self-Reliance, the event is positioned to woo buyers and sellers from across the country. This is in sync with the Union government's Production Linked Incentive scheme to increase employment opportunities of off-farm jobs and ensuring remunerative prices of farm produce and higher income to farmers.

 

The four-day event will provide an in-depth understanding on the vegetable and medicinal crop varieties for import substitution. It will provide a peek into pollination for protected cultivation. It will detail on the leaf curl virus disease for which IIHR has ample research findings. There is focus on the carotenoid content rich marigold varieties. There is increased attention to flower wastage utilisation. Further it will encourage terrace gardening solutions for urban horticulture, production technologies for horticulture fruits, specifically Kamalam and avocado. Besides, there will be solutions for the farmers and other nurseries on the access to cost-effective traps for the management of invasive pests which is bane to an agriculturalist.

 

There is an expansive exhibition area and the profile of the participants includes those dealing with seeds and planting materials, plant nutrients, plant protection chemicals, green poly-house, garden accessories. 

 

There will also be displays of FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations), SHGs (Self Help Groups) and FIGs (Farmer Interest Groups).

 

In addition, the presence of government, non-governmental organisations, corporate and financial bodies will give a broader perspective of support and assistance to the fair where business visitors will have a wider access to services for decision-making.

 

There are ICAR-AITC services and products, marketing agencies and functionaries, business incubation centres, food processing, irrigation systems and agriculture export services.

 

Workshops and seminars will create a better awareness on the novel technologies. It will educate the prospective users and provide a chance to interact with experts in the field. They will be discussing the viability of relevant of the particular technologies in and access to the latest information and new skills related to the concerned processes.

Nagaland Agriculture and Horticulture Departments participated in the three-day Expo-One Organic North East Conference-cum-Industry and Organic FPO Conclave which began on February 3 at Khanapara, Guwahati.

 

Organised by the Department of Agriculture Assam and Sikkim State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd (SIMFED) and APEDA, the Nagaland departments participated to promote various organic products grown in the state, informed a press release received here on Monday.

 

The NE organic conclave is to promote organic farming and prospects and potentials, marketing strategies, overcoming logistics issues and industry mentorship to emerging FPOs, it said.

 

Highlighting on Organic Farming under Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCDNER) in Nagaland during the interaction, Jacob Yanthan, Additional Director, Department of Agriculture, informed that the State has already covered and certified 13,000 ha and formed 38 Farmers Producers Organization (FPO) under the Mission. He also informed that another 10,000 ha is in the process for certification for a total of 23,000 ha during the third phase, and about 23,000 farmers have been benefited.

 

Yanthan stated that the main objectives in participating the NE first Expo for organic exhibition events is to showcase and promote the products that are produced in the state of Nagaland  such as cereals, pulses, species and other related organic crops. He also added that in a few years, the state will be able to produces various organic products through organic farming.

 

During the three-day event, the department of Agriculture and Horticulture also displayed and sold various organic products like pineapple, oranges, ginger, Naga king chilly, oilseeds, brown rice, glutinous  rice , garlic, Job’s tears, millet, cardamom, kiwi, banana chips, jam chilly, etc.

 

The inaugural of the exhibition was grace by Atul Borah, Minister of Agriculture, Horticulture Government of  Assam, the release informed.