A representative from GASC confirmed the corn would be used for feed, but said it wasn't yet clear how the grain would be distributed within Egypt. The country usually imports more than 1 million mt/month of corn, but took just 924,000 mt in the last three months of 2022. Egypt imported 3.63 million mt in the same period a year earlier. This shortage has resulted in a shrinkage of the poultry stock and fears of rising prices.

 

Egypt's private players have struggled to take delivery of corn since September 2022 because it became hard for them to pay when the government tightened restrictions on foreign exchange.

 

'There are no dollars coming in,' said Emad Hanna, the owner of Prime Grains Group, which trades wheat, corn and sunflower meal. 'Suppliers are selling volumes to Egypt and not getting any money.'

 

The decline is largely because Egyptian importers were unable to get their banks to provide letters of credit for dollar payments.

Iran has lifted restrictions it recently imposed on rice imports, according to the director general of the Commerce Bureau of the Agriculture Ministry.

 

'There is currently no ban on placing order [for rice imports],' Shahyad Aabnar was quoted as saying by Iran Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, adding that order has been placed for the import of 100,000 tons of rice in the past 24 hours.

 

His comments came after the head of Rice Importers Association of Iran announced that rice imports have been banned since early November and no kind of rice can go through customs clearance.

 

'Responsible officials have cited ‘balancing out bilateral trade’ as the reason why they have banned rice imports from the countries we normally purchase the grain from,' Karim Akhavan-Akbari was quoted as saying by the news portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.   

 

It was earlier announced that only Indian rice imports were banned.

 

Akbari said the government decision would cause shortage in the domestic market, since local production cannot meet domestic demand for rice.

 

'So far this year, close to 1.27 million tons of rice have been imported. Our annual import demand stands at around 1.5 million tons. Therefore, we need to purchase nearly 250,000 tons of the grain by the end of the year [late March],' he said.

 

He noted that year-on-year inflation for top quality Iranian rice stands at 123.1%, adding that for high-quality foreign rice the rate stood at 45.9% in the month ending Dec. 21.

 

'The first six deciles of the country consume imported foreign rice, due to their more reasonable prices. The ban set on imports can result not only in a shortage of rice, but an increase in prices. In our country, rice is a staple food, coming in second after wheat in the list of the most consumed grains. Therefore, this measure can impact a large number of the population, particularly the ones with more modest means,' he said.    

 

His remarks came after Salar Saket, the deputy head of Rice Importers Association of Iran, echoed similar concerns.

 

'Indian rice accounts for the highest proportion of imported rice due to its high quality and reasonable price. Iranians prefer Indian rice over other foreign types of rice and importers trade commodities for which there is demand in the market. The rice we purchase from India meets the needs of six underprivileged income deciles and also balances the price of Iranian rice. So, it is only obvious how this ban on imports can damage the market,' he said.

 

The ban also applied to import of tea from India.

 

'It will be lifted as soon as bilateral trade is balanced out or registers surplus,' secretary of Iran’s Rice Suppliers Commission, Masih Keshavarz, was quoted as saying earlier.

 

A total of 1.75 million tons of rice were imported into Iran during the last Iranian year (March 2021-22). The import volume set a ten-year record high, according to the secretary of Iran Rice Association.

 

'Last year’s imports was more than twice the volume the country needed to make for the domestic production deficiency,' Jamil Alizadeh Shayeq was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.

 

A total of 2.25 million tons of rice were produced in Iran during the last Iranian year (March 2021-22), according to the deputy head of Iran Rice Union, Ahmad Eshraqi.

 

Rice consumption in Iran currently stands at 3 million tons per year, about 70% of which are supplied through domestic production, according to Alireza Mohajer, a deputy agriculture minister.

 

India has long been a major exporter of rice to Iran. Other exporters include Pakistan, the UAE, Thailand, Turkey and Iraq.

 

The three northern provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan produce are Iran’s rice production hubs.

 

Contract-Based Production

Contract-based cultivation of rice was launched in Iran in April 2022 for the first time.

 

More than 6,322 hectares of paddy fields have joined the scheme so far, the CEO of the Central Organization for Rural Cooperatives affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture said back then.

 

'We estimate that a total of 15,805 tons of rice will be produced under the scheme which is being carried out in the northern provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan. Up until now, we have distributed over 1,100 tons of seeds among farmers taking part in the plan,' Esmaeil Qaderifar was also quoted as saying by ILNA.

 

Agricultural Production Insurance Fund, he added, has made sure all of these contracts are insured.

 

'Seeds, fertilizers and pesticides are provided for farmers as part of the contract-based production scheme. The government plans to expand the scheme to all strategic agricultural products,' he said.  

 

FAO Forecast

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations expects Iran’s rice production to reach 3 million tons in 2022, down from 3.1 million tons last year. Five-year average output has been put at 3.5cereal million tons.

 

In its biannual report on global food markets, FAO said Iran imported an average of 1.3 million tons of rice during the 2018-20 period.

 

The 2018-20 average production has been put at 2.5 million tons.

 

Consumption is forecast to slightly increase from 3.6 million tons in 2021 to 3.7 million tons in 2022.

 

Average utilization during crop years 2018-19 to 2020-21 stood at 3.6 million tons.

 

2022-23, 2021-22, and 2018-19 to 2020-21 average closing stocks have been put at 0.6, 0.5 and 0.7 million tons respectively.

 

The 2018-19 to 2020-21 average per capita has been put at 38.2 kilograms.

 

Limited availabilities of water for irrigation cloud rice production outlook for Iran, the report noted.

 

'International trade in rice is predicted to register its third successive annual increase in 2022 (January–December), with volumes exchanged across the world forecast to reach 53.1 million tons, up 3.0 percent from the 2021 all-time high. With the exception of the Asian Far East, most regions are anticipated to step up their imports over the course of the year, often aided by state efforts to contain inflationary pressure. Such steps have taken the form of import duty remissions in various African and Latin American countries, or of an acceleration of government-contracted imports, as has been most notably the case of Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran.'

Producing fruits and vegetables at minimal cost, India is one of the world's major agricultural economies. The agricultural sector of India's economy is the country's backbone. Horticulture refers to the cultivation of plants for human use, including but not limited to fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The Latin terms hortus (garden) and cultura (cultivation) are the origins of the English word 'horticulture.' It describes the practice of growing plants in a contained space, such as a garden. Every step of the horticulture process—from planting to crop management to harvesting to packing to storage to marketing and processing—requires meticulous attention to detail. Horticulture crops account for over 28 per cent of India's GDP, and India is the world's second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables after China (GDP). Much of the agricultural output is exported, and it also serves as a critical input for the food processing and distribution sectors.

 

The salience of the horticulture sector

India's horticulture industry has a lot of potential, and the way we grow and sell fruits is changing, which is a step in the right direction toward the next generation. By adding human intelligence and technology to farms, the country is catching up with high-value markets that were once an afterthought, mostly because farmers stuck to the old ways of farming. Things are shaking up, and they are changing rapidly. Indian fruit orchards and farms are now attracting overseas and corporate investments and modernising production methods, resulting in opening up newer markets for premium agricultural produce and boosting exports as well.

 

The scope and significance

Horticultural plant cultivation plays a significant role in the Indian economy by giving jobs and raw materials to food processing companies, as well as by increasing production, hence increasing profitability and export revenues from foreign currency. In the previous several decades, this field's contribution to the gross domestic product has increased its significance (GDP). It has emerged as a leading source for boosting income, alleviating poverty, and creating jobs. Some 24 million hectare, or more than 7 per cent of all agricultural land, is allocated to horticulture. India ranks second in the cultivation of vegetables such as potatoes, cauliflower and brinjal and is the leading producer of okra. In terms of the cultivation of fruits such as mango, banana, guava, lemon, and papaya, India ranks first. In India, the cultivation of fruits and vegetables has surpassed that of cereal grains.

A group of 20 Farmer Producers Organisations left for Mumbai by a bus on Sunday to meet the farm and agricultural products exporters to know the methods and mechanism needed for export.

 

Organised by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the tour was flagged-off by divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma at a function held at circuit house. Commissioner expressed the hope that the FPOs going to meet exporters of farm and agriculture products in Nasik, Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra will train other farmers and FPOs of east UP region.

 

APEDA assistant general manager CB Singh said that the efforts of the past three years to develop Varanasi and surrounding region of east UP as a hub of farm and agriculture products has resulted in export of three lakh metric ton of such products. 'On an average 3-4 metric ton agricultural products including vegetables and fruits are being exported from Varanasi airport per day,' he said adding that among 100 FPOs registered in UP, 50 are from the east UP region.

 

Since 2019, APEDA has ensured bringing exporters to this region to make the FPOs aware about their requirements, he said. For the first time FPOs from east UP are being sent to places like Nasik and Mumbai, the hub of agriculture and horticulture products exporters to learn the nitty gritty of export, said Singh. Apart from Varanasi, the FPOs from Sonbhadra, Chandauli, Bhadohi, Ghazipur, Ballia, Azamgarh, Mirzapur, Jaunpur and Kaimur (Bihar) had gone to Mumbai, he added.

 

Russian VTB bank, Russia’s second largest bank, launches direct payments in rupees in what would boost bilateral trade and investments in a big way.

 

Russian SME clients can now make transfers without double conversion, which simplifies the work on foreign trade contracts with India.

 

The mechanism of direct settlements allows to fix the price of a product and the payment in the national currency, and to receive individual quotes on market terms.

 

It also eliminates preliminary coordination of the transactions, according to the VTB’s press service.

 

Nine Russian banks, including VTB, opened special vostro accounts in India to facilitate Russian-Indian trade in November 2022. Certain Indian banks opened special Vostro accounts for trade with Russia.

 

VTB Bank and its subsidiaries form a leading Russian financial group – VTB Group uniting VTB banks located in different countries and offering a wide range of corporate banking services and products.

The total area under all rabi crops increased by 3.5 per cent at 682.02 lakh hectares (lh) while the sowing of wheat increased by 1.40 per cent from last year to 332.52 lh, the Ministry of Agriculture’s weekly update said.

 

The ongoing rabi season of the 2022-23 crop year (July-June) will determine many policy decisions as the Centre has been keeping a close watch on wheat production. While the lifting of the export ban has a direct linkage to the cereal’s production, there are curbs on rice exports with shipments of fully broken rice being banned and non-basmati white rice attracting 20 per cent export duty. In addition, the Centre will decide the restoration of entitlements of beneficiaries under the food security law as per their choice of food.

 

Wheat acreage has increased in Uttar Pradesh (by 2.92 lh), Rajasthan (2.52 lh), Maharashtra (1.01 lh), Bihar (0.81 lh), Chhattisgarh (0.65 lh), Gujarat (0.54 lh), West Bengal (0.09 lh), Jammu & Kashmir (0.07 lh) and Assam (0.03 lh). But there has been a drop in area in Madhya Pradesh (3.05 lh), Jharkhand (0.31 lh), Punjab (0.20 lh) and Haryana (0.19 lh).

 

Progress in paddy

Winter-sown paddy has been transplanted on 6.60 lh more area at 26.22 lh until Friday, which is 33.6 per cent higher from the year-ago period. This is likely to partially offset some losses seen in the kharif season after drought-affected yield in eastern parts of the country.

 

Pulses acreage has increased marginally to 161.09 lh against 159.44 lh in the year-ago period. The acreage of major winter-grown pulse chana (gram) is marginally down at 109.56 lh but masur (lentil) is up 6 per cent at 18.38 lh.

 

In the case of oilseeds, the acreage has increased to 107.52 lh as of January 13 against 99.65 lh in the year-ago period. Mustard and taramira area remains higher at 96.85 lh, up by 8 per cent.

 

The area under nutri-cum-coarse cereals has increased to 50.02 lh against 47.71 lh in the year-ago period. The acreage of maize is up by 21.1 per cent at 19.95 lh from 16.47 lh. The coverage of barley, which is mainly used by the distilleries for beer manufacturing, has jumped 9.7 per cent to 7.4 lh from 6.74 lh.

India hosted a special virtual Summit - 'Voice of Global South Summit' under the theme 'Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose' on 12-13 January 2023. The Summit encompassed inaugural and concluding sessions at Head of State / Government level, and hosted by the Prime Minister, and 8 Ministerial sessions hosted by respective Cabinet Ministers of India.

 

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal, hosted the Commerce and Trade Ministers’ Session, today, on the theme - ‘Developing Synergies in the South: Trade, Technology, Tourism, Resources’. Hon’ble Ministers from 13 countries, namely, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Haiti, Malaysia, Myanmar, South Sudan, Timor Leste, and Zimbabwe, participated in the Session.

 

Delivering his opening remarks, the Minister called upon countries of Global South to forge new partnerships and mechanisms so that the voice of the Global South is reflected on the decision-making table. The Minister said the objective of the Summit is to pay attention to the issues pertaining to the Global South and those issues before key global forums like G20, the UN and other multilateral settings. Touching upon the theme of the Session, Shri Goyal said these are the key pillars for development of the countries of the South.

 

Highlighting the impact of COVID-19 on global trade and particularly on developing countries, he stressed upon the need to work together to build resilient supply chains. He also emphasised upon the need for de-politicization of the global supply of essential medicines. He said, “At the WTO Ministerial Conference held in Geneva in June 2022, India, South Africa, and other developing countries worked together to obtain the TRIPS waiver decision providing equitable and affordable access to vaccines. We shall redouble our efforts at the WTO to get the TRIPS waiver extended to COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics.'

 

Shri Goyal highlighted that the countries of the Global South are now contributing more than half of the world’s economic growth with South-South trade touching $5.3 trillion in 2021. In this regard, he urged for enhanced trade linkages for the mutual benefit of all our countries.

 

Mentioning that India is providing unilateral duty-free market access to the least-developed countries (LDCs) since 2008 through the duty-free tariff preference (DFTP) scheme of India, he said that India is also open to enter into Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with interested countries in the South.

 

Calling Connectivity as a defining factor for success in the developing world, Shri Goyal spoke of India’s National Logistic policy (NLP) and the PM-Gati Shakti as the steps in this direction. He said countries of the Global South can work together to exchange best practices in models of connectivity that we employ in our countries.

 

Shri Goyal said southern countries are also helping to drive world investment. Indian companies are also investing abroad in a big way, including in the Southern countries. Financial cooperation between developing countries is also enabling developing countries to engage more in the global policy debates and shape the international agenda.

 

Emphasising on the use of technology for development, Shri Goyal shared India's experience that an inclusive digital architecture can bring about socio-economic transformation. He cited examples of UPI which has transformed India's Digital Payment Landscape, CoWIN platform which played a key role in the success of India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme.

 

On tourism, Shri Goyal noted developing countries are now fast emerging from the impact of covid, and the tourism sector has picked up in the last one year. He called for working together with the countries of the Global south to promote tourism. Shri Goyal noted that many countries of the South have huge deposits of these resources and emphasised that we should work closely to use such resources for the benefit of the South.

 

Shri Goyal concluded by stating that India is ready to share its development experience with the global South, and are eager to learn from other fellow countries and bring forth the matters of our common concern for further discussion and cooperation towards our joint sustainable and inclusive growth.

 

The first Expo on Organic North East is set to take place from February 3rd to 5th, 2023; an immersive experience into the world of organic fruits and vegetables hosted by the Department of Agriculture in Assam and organized by the Sikkim State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd (SIMFED), with Krishi Jagran as the expo's media partner.

 

India has seen significant growth in organic product exports and is Asia's second-largest exporter of organic products. The most popular organic products in India are oilseeds, sugarcane, cereals and millets, cotton, pulses, medicinal plants, tea, fruits, and spices. In recent years, India's total exports have totaled 4,60,320.40 MT, valued at more than Rs 5,000 crore (US$ 770 million).

 

A high-quality exhibition from leading companies in naturals, organics, and exports, as well as agribusinesses, B2B meetings, B2C events, international and domestic buyer delegations, an International Conference, Farmers' Workshop, and government/department pavilions, will be included.

 

Key Highlights of NE's 1st Expo:

Exhibition: Over 160 organic and natural brand booths will showcase a variety of organic food and non-food products. Exporters, retailers, farmer groups, organic input manufacturers, government agencies, and others are among the exhibitors.

 

Pavilions of States: The Central and State Government pavilions will offer farmer groups various government schemes and marketing assistance.

 

Pavilions of Certification Agencies: Third-party or PGS certification, fair trade, and sustainability standards will be assisted by certification agency pavilions.

 

Pavilion of Industries: Businesses can be promoted by companies involved in food processing, packaging, testing laboratories, equipment, new technologies, and startups.

 

International Conference on: Associations across the world will also be invited to participate.

 

Buyer-Seller Meets: Buyer-seller meetings, an essential component of the Fair, bring together international and domestic buyers (including exporters, wholesalers, and retailers) with suppliers and farmer groups/FPOs to conduct actual business. B2B meetings are scheduled to meet the needs of both buyers and sellers. A dedicated Buyer Seller lounge is created at the venue.

 

International Conference: There will be a two-day knowledge-sharing conference. Top exporters from India and around the world will be invited. More than 200 delegates from various sectors attended, including farmers, traders/exporters, researchers, non-governmental organisations, and state and federal governments.

 

Farmers' Workshop: Farmers from across the state and country are attending special workshop sessions. These classes will be held in Assamese, English, and Hindi. These sessions will be led by experts in organic production and value chains. Participants will gain an understanding of market trends, demand, the organic certification process, export potential, and other aspects of organic products and natural agribusiness.

Plant-based food products are finished food products composed from components derived from plants, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. A growing section of the population is opting for plant-based food products, especially plant-based 'meat', to lead better and healthier lifestyles. According to a research conducted in 2020, 62.8% Indians are extremely likely to buy plant-based products, while 48.7% of the Indian population would still choose to eat meat from conventional sources.

 

The recent episode of the global Covid-19 pandemic helped accelerate the push towards plant-based products like never before. The pandemic made people realise the value of life, thus compelling many to switch to healthier lifestyles in that phase. The transition towards plant-based foods is growing as people are consciously cutting down on consumption of traditional meat sources.

 

Plant-based foods offer a lower fat content, higher fibre content, better control over weight management, equivalent amounts of nutrition through cleaner and leaner foods and easier digestion as compared to the conventional sources of meat.

 

Not just India, the global market is also experiencing a growth trend in the demand for plant-based foods. Analysts predict the growth of the plant-based market in India at a CAGR of 19.75% by 2025 and estimate its value at Rs 81,000 crore. The colossal increase in the demand proves that people are eager to switch to better control over their health and are well aware of the benefits of these products.

 

Opting for plant-based products also carry major environmental and moral benefits. Studies have proven that the meat industry is responsible for almost 60% of all greenhouse emissions from food production. Apart from the environmental advantage, dependency on vulnerable livestock animals is also reduced, thereby making such foods cruelty-free.

 

Apart from the plant-based meat industry, the market for plant-based milk alternatives is also on the rise. With easy access to the informational content and a higher awareness of self, many people possess knowledge about lactose intolerance and conditions resulting from dairy products. Hence, the demand for plant-based dairy products is rising.

 

Additionally, plant-based dairy products also come with a certain level of fortification as they don’t have nutritional content present in them naturally when compared with dairy products. Fortification increases their nutritional value to be either equivalent or higher than the dairy products.

 

The benefits of adopting a plant-based diet include improved health and reduced risk of obesity, diabetes and cancer. It also reduces carbon footprint and helps conserve natural resources. A study conducted in 2021 showed that use of animals for food is responsible for 57% of all food production emissions. Large areas of additional land are needed to grow the feed that grazing animals need, and this additional land is frequently cleared by cutting down trees in forests. According to the study's calculations, most of the cropland in the world is utilised to feed cattle rather than people. Additionally, livestock emit a significant amount of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

 

Extensive promotion and marketing of these products by famous personalities have led to a monumental impact on the consumers, which justifies the surge in sales. As the plant-based products market is just picking up steam in India, consumers are at advantage due to the competitiveness between multiple manufacturers. To stay buoyant, manufacturers will have to rely heavily on technology to ensure that they are ahead of their competitors.

 

In addition to technology, manufacturers must introduce innovation in terms of product variants and their taste to be relevant in the Indian market, as Indian food offers diversity in taste and cuisine. It is an uphill task for the manufacturers to strike a chord with the consumers in that regard.

 

Another huge challenge for the plant-based food manufacturers, specifically the plant-based meat manufacturers, is replicating the exact taste, texture, taste, feel and appearance of the traditional meats. Further, plant-based foods lack in essential nutrients like Vitamin B12 and calcium. Nutrient deficiency is a common problem faced by people who have adopted vegan diet.

 

Although plant-based foods are more nutritious given their low fat and cholesterol contents, people following veganism are prone to nutrient deficiency. Hence, fortification is a must for such products. Along with fortification, research is required to find more sources of high quality protein and other nutrients.

 

In the current market, plant-based food products are more expensive than conventional meat sources. This could prove to be a deal-breaker for the consumers looking for cost-effective plant-based food products. Apart from the mentioned issues, the plant-based food products stare at a logistical supply chain problem.

 

As most of the plant-based foods require cold storage facilities even while transportation, manufacturers fail to find a proper channel for supply and distribution of their products. Resultantly, it affects the availability of those products scarce in the local market. Consumers have to rely on a limited number of channels, most likely the manufacturers’ websites, for buying their products. In addition to these challenges, the regulatory struggles for the plant-based food industry are higher than other food tech industries.

 

Although the plant-based food industry is still in its formative years, its demand is only growing. With the right approach, pricing and strategy, manufacturers of plant-based food products could be a hit with the consumers.

 

Undoubtedly, the category is revolutionary and is certainly aimed at creating a healthy wave amongst the consumers. It provides a higher quality and cleaner source of protein than its traditional meat counterparts. An increasing number of health-conscious consumers are driving this sector towards success. A lot of confusion still exists in consumers’ minds regarding plant-based substitutes, but the market is performing good, thanks to the influence of celebrities and prominent personalities through advertisements and marketing.

 

A larger section of consumers is already aware of the benefits of plant-based food products. The boom in the plant-based food industry is not far away from being the daily preference in Indian homes.