The Centre ministries, State governments and Indian embassies have been allocated a focused month in 2023 to carry out various activities for the promotion of International Year of Millets

 

The government on January 1 announced it has lined up a series of millet-centric promotional activities across the country as the International Year of Millets (IYM) kicks in, while noting that millets are also integral part of the G-20 meetings.

 

The Centre ministries, State governments and Indian embassies have been allocated a focused month in 2023 to carry out various activities for the promotion of IYM and increase awareness about benefits of millets, the nodal agriculture ministry said in a statement.

 

January is the focused month for the Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs as well as State governments of Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan for conducting activities, it said.

 

The Ministry also urged international organisations, academia, hotel industry, media, Indian Diaspora, start-up communities, civil society, and all others in the millets value-chain to come forward and join hands to revive the forgotten glory of 'Miracle Millets' through the grand celebration of IYM.

 

Millets are also an integral part of the G-20 meetings and delegates will be given a true millet experience through tasting, meeting farmers and interactive sessions with start-ups and FPOs, it added.

 

Till January 15, the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry has planned 15 activities which include engaging sports persons, nutritionists and fitness experts through video messages, conducting webinars on millets with leading nutritionists, dieticians and elite athletes, promotion amplification through Fit India App, etc.

 

The Food Processing Industries ministry too will be organizing millet fair-cum-exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, while food safety regulator FSSAI will organize 'Eat Right Melas' in Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

 

Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan will carry out specific activities for sensitization and promotion of IYM.

 

The States will be conducting millet-centric activities including mahotsava/ melas and food festivals, training of farmers, awareness campaigns, workshops/ seminars, placement of hoardings and distribution of promotional material at various key locations in the state, etc.

 

Other States that are organising similar activities in the month of January include Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Punjab, the statement said.

 

In the current month, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Agriculture Ministry will be participating in a trade show in Belgium wherein a multi-stakeholder delegation will showcase the diversity of Indian millets.

 

Moreover, Embassies of India across more than 140 countries will be conducting side events on IYM involving the Indian Diaspora through exhibition, seminars, talks, panel discussions, etc.

 

In January, the Indian embassy in Azerbaijan and Belarus will be conducting activities such as B2B meetings with the participation of local chambers, food bloggers, importers of food items and local restaurants etc.

 

Cooked millets dish exhibitions/ contests will be organized with the help of Indian diaspora and millet dishes will be served as part of the Republic Day celebrations.

 

The High Commission of India in Abuja and Consulate General of India in Lagos, as part of promotion of IYM, have planned a Millets Food Festival and a Millets Food preparation competition in January.

 

The Millets Food Festival would be held at the High Commission premises and provide stalls for preparation with invitees including both Nigerian dignitaries and Indian community.

 

The agriculture Ministry has taken a proactive multi-stakeholder engagement approach to achieve the aim of IYM 2023 and taking Indian millets globally.

 

On December 6, 2022, U.N. body Food and Agriculture Organization had organized an opening ceremony for the IYM at Rome, Italy. The government hosted a special 'Millet Luncheon' for Members of Parliament in the Parliament complex.

 

Recognising the enormous potential of Millets, which also aligns with several U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), India has prioritized millets. In April 2018, millets were rebranded as “Nutri Cereals”, followed by the year 2018 being declared as the National Year of Millets.

 

The U.N.'s declaration as IYM 2023 has been instrumental for India to be at the forefront in celebrating the millet year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also shared his vision to make IYM 2023 a "people's movement" alongside positioning India as the "Global hub of millets".

 

The global millets market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.5% between 2021-2026.

 

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, millets are 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 its mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers' income and ensure food and nutritional security all over the world.

Many dramatic paradigms of foreign policies of different countries have witnessed the collapse of the USSR and the end of Cold War. India has been one of the front runners of inducing its long pending reforms, specifically in foreign policy. India has announced its Look East Policy (LEP) in 1991 by the then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. Undoubtedly, India’s LEP remains the most effective foreign policy during the post-Cold War period. It involves intensive and continuous engagement with Southeast Asian countries in the field of connectivity, trade, culture, defence and people-to-people-contact at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels, in the first phase. It has been extended geographically up to Japan and New Zealand which includes East Asia and South Pacific as its second phase. The Narendra Modi government has upgraded the LEP as Act East Policy (AEP) in November 2014 which reflects the intension of intensifying India’s engagement in the region by its ‘action’ instead of ‘looking’. Of course, India has completed all the formalities (ASEAN Sectoral Partner, 1992; Dialogue Partner,1996; Summit Level Partner, 2002; and Strategic Partner, 2012) to emerge as one of the major players of the region.

 

General understanding is that Myanmar stands as the Gateway of India to Southeast Asia in terms of geographical merits but Vietnam has been incipient of the India’s Gateway and caters the needs of geopolitical, security, trade, culture, energy, defence, etc., of mutual interests. As Modi attributed during his visit to Vietnam in 2014, Vietnam had been in the frontrunner of India’s engagement in the region. Both the countries committed to share common concerns of security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and maintaining rules-based order, specifically in the Indo-Pacific region. On the lines of common understanding and mutual interests, India and Vietnam entered into a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ during the landmark visit of Modi to Vietnam in September 2016.

 

Prime Minister Modi asserted on different occasions that Vietnam is an important pillar of India’s Act East Policy and is an important partner in India’s Indo-Pacific vision. Indo-Pacific region emerges as one of the strategic engagements of India and Vietnam, since China factor has been common in Indian Ocean and South China Sea. Vietnam, as the Chair of ASEAN, made tremendous efforts to bring out ‘ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific’, on the other side, India has launched its ‘Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative’ complementing each other. These two significant initiatives have prominently underlined the ‘China Factor’ as a common agenda. The former Vietnamese envoy to India Mr. Pham Sanh Chau has emphasized that Vietnam has been a staunch supporter of India’s Act East Policy and serves as a bridge between India and ASEAN, helping India extend its reach beyond the Indian Ocean.

 

The China factor will always be the focal point during any discourse on India-Vietnam partnership. Vietnam enjoys the advantages and encounters the challenges being a neighbouring country to China. It may be difficult to separate Vietnam from China in the spheres of culture, diaspora and economy over centuries. On the other flip, Vietnam waged a war with China and facing many maritime issues in South China Sea. Desires of a common man from Vietnam completely differs from the reality at ground level. Vietnamese want to invite India as an alternative to China but not any country from the west. Surprisingly, they are looking at India with great ray of hope for the future. Unfortunately, for many domestic challenges, India may not be the immediate solution for Vietnamese expectations.

 

In fact, India’s inner ambitions are also on the lines of emerging as an active player in Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam. But the current scenario has not been a conducive atmosphere for both the countries. There are many negative factors which may either delay or stop such process of finding alternatives. Firstly, the economic dependency of Vietnam on China, as per the world bank data of 2020, China has emerged as the major trade partner with 17 per cent of exports and 32 per cent imports of Vietnam, whereas India accounts only 1.72 per cent of imports and 1.86 per cent of exports of Vietnam’s total imports and exports; secondly, the impact of Chinese diaspora dominates the Indian diaspora; and thirdly, Vietnam has the established links with China and trying to convert the established friendship of India into an expected partnership. Therefore, it may be difficult for India and Vietnam for an immediate alternative to China in Vietnam.

 

Any strategy to strengthen the India-Vietnam partnership reminds the role of China. Naturally, the impact of China over Vietnam’s economy and society can’t be ignored which may hinder the relations between India and Vietnam. Therefore, these two countries primarily concentrate to find alternatives to avoid dependency on China..

 

IMPACT OF ACT EAST POLICY

 

Vietnam-India relations have seen steady expansions over the past years, especially since the two countries upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016. India-Vietnam bilateral efforts have brought many more interesting and effective results since 2014 in different spheres of mutual interests. Bilateral trade has crossed US$ 14.0 billion for the first time as against the trade in 2013-14 was only US$ 8.0. Tourism sector has registered tremendous growth of annual visitors to Vietnam and vis-à-vis. The number of Indian visitors to Vietnam rose from 82,000 in 2016 to 1,69,000 in 2019. Direct flights are connecting different major cities of India and Vietnam for the first time.

 

India and Vietnam are vigorously engaged and designed grand defence framework. In this direction India enhanced its Line of Control to Vietnam which has been multiplied during the last two decades. Significant development has been that both the Defence Ministers signed the ‘Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’ to bolster bilateral defence cooperation. Further, the two ministers agreed on the finalisation of the USD 500 million Defence Line of Credit extended to Vietnam which helps to improve defence capabilities of Vietnam and furthering the government’s vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World.’

 

India-Vietnam engagement matters much to the common desire of new paradigm in multilateralism with an inclusive approach towards establishing a strong regional security architecture. Such committed efforts of India and Vietnam cooperation, surely brings regional stability of Indo-Pacific region. The strategic cooperation between India-Vietnam would be critical towards building the vision laid out under India’s ‘Act East’ Policy. Strengthening ties with Vietnam will eventually lead a step towards the realisation of SAGAR (Security and Growth all in the region) initiative as hailed by the Indian Prime Minister. As the Chair of G20, India looks forward to intensifying and expanding its global, regional and domestic initiatives to bring peace and prosperity at regional and global levels apart from protecting its national interests.

Prof. G. Jayachandra Reddy is former Director, Centre for Southeast Asian and Pacific Studies, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.

India's natural farming could soon get a technological push through blockchain, as the government plans to use the technology across all export-driven crops to increase the country's food shipments and incentivise farmers to take up chemical-free processes.

 

The Niti Aayog has launched a pilot project in collaboration with the Himachal Pradesh government on apple farming, to ensure quality production while also monitoring the produce across the entire storage and supply chain.

 

'Lack of quality produce and traceability has hampered India's food exports apart from disincentivising growers. Blockchain technology can help bridge this gap,' a senior government official told ET.

 

'By recording information about products at every stage of the agricultural supply chain, a blockchain helps remove redundant processes, ensure quality control and monitor storage conditions,' the official added.

 

After the completion of the pilot project on apples, the technology will be replicated across other crops including mangoes, bananas, grapes and pomegranates, besides vegetables.

 

India ranks second in fruits and vegetable production in the world, after China, but its share in the global fruits and vegetable market is just 1%.

 

Under the blockchain technology, IoT sensors are used to generate crop data and its storage, distribution of grown crops to the food processing companies, supply of processed food to wholesalers and retailers and its storage. Through this, even consumers can back-trace the supply chain to ensure quality products while buying.

 

According to the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, India exported fresh fruits and vegetables worth about $1.52 billion in 2021-22, with fruits accounting for $750.7 million and vegetables for $767.01 million.

 

Exports of processed fruits and vegetables totalled $1.73 billion. These included about $1.12 billion of processed vegetables including pulses and $610.69 million of processed fruits and juices.

 

Major destinations for India's fresh fruits and vegetables include Bangladesh, the UAE, Nepal, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the UK, Oman and Qatar.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers have given the go ahead to import eggs Trade Minister Nalin Fernando said as domestic prices rose steeply after price controls disrupted farming on top of a currency collapse.

 

'The cabinet of ministers gave the go ahead to take decisions according to the needs of the people, and import if necessary,' Trade Minister Nalin Fernando told reporters in Colombo after a cabinet meeting Monday.

 

'If necessary, we will look at the quantity and import to give eggs at a lower price to the people.'

 

It is said that eggs can be imported from India for about 35 rupees.

 

Sri Lanka’s eggs were around 20 to 25 rupees before the rupee collapsed from 200 to 360 to the US dollar. Sri Lanka’s chicken meat and egg prices are generally higher than the world due to import licensing on maize which has pushed up production costs.

 

As a result of protection given to maize farmers and collectors, Sri Lanka has lost an opportunity to be a competitive export producer of poultry products.

 

Eggs spiked to 65 rupees after the Consumer Affairs Authority imposed price controls amid high prices and shortages of feed leading to killing of layers for meat.

 

Industry officials say lack of demand for layer chick then led to a collapse in the parent bird population in hatcheries and farmers ordering chicks have to wait until March.

 

Sri Lanka’s daily egg output is estimated to have dropped to about 4 million a day from the normal 7 million after farmers killed layer chicken for meat in the wake of price controls imposed by the Consumer Affairs Authority last year.

 

Sri Lanka needs around 80,000 parent birds to produce the required layer chicks but now there are only around 42,000, at the main hatcheries according to the All Island Poultry Associatio. It takes about 5.5 months grow both layer parent birds and birds.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to give six months to food business operators for compliance with the regulations related to milk logo. The FSSAI has stated that when finalised, six months’ time shall be given to FBOs for compliance with the specification of milk logo.

 

The milk logo was made mandatory through FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations notified in December ’21. However, specifications including dimensions and colour scheme of the milk logo, were yet to be finalised. Subsequently, directions issued by the FSSAI extended the time period for compliance of the notification up to Dec 31, 22.

 

According to the FSSAI, since the specifications of milk logo were still being finalised, representations have been received from stakeholders for providing an extension of at least six months from the date of issue of such specifications for compliance with the mandatory milk logo required under the amendment regulations.

 

And the food authority has decided to give six months' time for compliance with the specification, after it was notified.

 

“It has been decided to extend the timeline for mandatory compliance with the clause 2(iv) of the notification related to milk logo for a period of six months from the date of issue of logo specifications by FSSAI,” reads the order.

 

Indian Diaspora or Himachali Pravasi Global Assocation (HPGA) Canada has decided to promote Himachal Pradesh's 'one district one product' drive this was conveyed to Sanjay Kumar Verma India High commissioner to Canada on Saturday, in a press release issued here today copy of which also shared with UNI HPVA.

 

The step has been taken as new year resolution to promote Himachali Handloom, Kangra Tea, Morel and Himachal Tourism in Canada under ODOP drive of Himachal Pradesh. Mr. Sanjay Kumar Verma assured his high office HCI support and guidance for upcoming projects of the association such as ODOP, GI linkage and other ways to promote Himachal and its culture in Canada. HPGA members discussed the HPGA's vision and mission with HCI and made him aware about the projects which HPGA is doing along with it's associated counterparts (Himachali Diaspora) across the globe from 18 countries (USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Netherland, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE,Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, India, Australia and New Zealand.

India Honey Alliance (IHA), and National Institute of Food Technology & Entrepreneurship Management (NIFTEM), collaborate with an aim to strengthen the creation of a robust honey ecosystem in India.

 

The agreement includes identification and mutual collaboration in the areas of, testing systems for honey, research and data analysis, training facilitation and any emerging areas in the related fields.

 

Under the long-term strategic partnership, both the organisations will work together to create scientific systems in terms of food safety, nutrition for honey and bee-keeping products across the country. NIFTEM has recently got the tag of Institute of National Importance and, will use their academic training center to train the bee-keeping and honey community and FBOs, along with assisting in the creation of a robust scientific eco-system for all related products.  

 

Dr Chindi Vasudevappa, vice chancellor, NIFTEM, said, 'We are looking forward to collaborating with India Honey Alliance (IHA), in their vision to support and strengthen the honey ecosystem. Together with IHA, we aim towards establishing and setting up industry benchmarks for quality, authenticity and safety of Indian honey, and work towards creating robust, affordable and accessible technology for the honey industry. Together, we look forward to awareness activities which will promote knowledge and information dissemination & training of stakeholders.'  

 

Additionally, the International Centre of Excellence in Food Safety & Quality at NIFTEM would also function as a National Reference Laboratory of IHA in the chosen area of competence for the purpose of honey authenticity, method development, proficiency testing. NIFTEM will also function as the academic partner of IHA for developing the content and conducting the training, for all areas of the honey value chain, through a joint certification programme.

 

Deepak Jolly, general secretary, IHA, said, 'The honey industry in India has a huge potential to grow. However, we have not been able to take full advantage of the available opportunities of the sector and there is a long way to go when it comes to organising the fragmented industry. There are several challenges at the ground level which include training and capacity framework, understanding & rollout of appropriate testing methodology, quality, authenticity etc. Our partnership with NIFTEM is a step forward in addressing many such issues. We hope that this collaboration will be highly fruitful and will result in win-win for both IHA and NIFTEM.'

Beekeepers are processing raw honey in government facilities for free as part of the current administration's apiculture development schemes in the Union Territory. Small-time keepers are also offered the services of honey testing and logo stamping for better market returns. These processing units provide a one-stop solution for reducing the moisture in honey, filtering it, and packaging it.

 

New-age agripreneurs are adding value to honey by creating products such as soaps, candles, cosmetics, Ayurvedic medicines, and so on, which are in high demand in the Indian market. As a result, consumers have shifted to non-toxic, organic products that are free of health risks, creating a huge opportunity for young people to start a profitable business. Given the growing popularity of Ramban White Honey, the Apiculture Department is working to promote the district's autumn produce through the 'One District, One Product' scheme.

 

It is distinctive not only in colour and flavour, but also in medicinal properties. Beekeeping, which requires less land and almost no initial investment, is expected to contribute significantly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of doubling farmers' income if farmers and landowners embrace it as a non-competitive and off-farm activity. J&K's climatic conditions allow for plenty of flora all year, making it the best destination for this activity. Beneficiaries of India's National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) are given bee boxes, live bee colonies, tool kits, and training to help them establish themselves.

 

The Agriculture Department assists in the support of uneducated farmers. These farmers teach others, and as a result, the bee colonies continue to grow. In the last two years, 2,000 colonies have been provided to new beekeepers at a 40% subsidy in the Kulgam district alone. 

 

To be sure, the GI tag is now in the works. Some bee hotspots, such as Bhalla and Sarthal in the Doda district, which are rich in flowering plants, are being used to promote Honeybee Tourism.  Because the beekeeping industry necessitates a green forest area and a large area dedicated to flowers, the industry is mostly concentrated in untouched, naturally abundant areas. In April, the beekeeping season begins. The Agriculture Department is also working with apiarists in the Union Territory to standardise their produce in order to promote honey exports. It is believed that maintaining homogeneous honey varieties will aid in the development of the Kashmir Brand and drive honey export.

 

The Kashmir Brand is already a well-known global brand, and the only challenge now is to unite all beekeepers into a single community and have an advisory board set business objectives for them. Beekeeping clusters are being established in the Jammu division under the Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) Scheme at a cost of Rs 4.08 crore. The scheme, which will benefit 600 beekeepers, will be operational by April 2023. 

 

This scheme includes 29 projects curated by agricultural scientists to double farmers' income, increase exports, and make all farming and related sectors sustainable and commercially viable. It is expected to provide employment opportunities for 2.8 lakh young people in 19,000 businesses. Aside from the 2.5 lakhs, people will benefit from skill training in agri-businesses such as beekeeping. More than 6 lakh bee colonies can be found in Jammu and Kashmir. The UT will soon witness its first 'Sweet Revolution,' with the GI tag for honey and the government's futuristic schemes in place.

Wheat exports rose 29.29 per cent to USD 1.50 billion during April-November this fiscal from USD 1.17 billion in the same period the previous year, the commerce ministry said on Friday. Though the government banned wheat exports in May, some shipments are allowed to meet the food security needs of the countries that request it.

 

The ministry said that Basmati rice exports too increased by 39.26 per cent to USD 2.87 billion during April-November 2022, while that of non-basmati rice registered a growth of 5 per to USD 4.2 billion in the same period.

 

'Wheat export has registered an increase of 29.29 per cent in eight months of the current fiscal as its export rose to USD 1508 million in April-November 2022 from USD 1,166 million in April-November 2021,' it added.

 

The outbound shipments of agricultural and processed food products rose by 16 per cent in the eight months of the current fiscal to USD 17.43 billion.

 

'For 2022-23, an export target of USD 23.56 billion has been fixed for the agricultural and processed food products basket and an export of USD 17.435 billion has already been achieved in eight months of the current fiscal,' the ministry said.

 

In April-November 2022, fresh fruits were exported to the tune of USD 991 million against USD 954 million in the corresponding months of the previous fiscal.

 

The export of pulses increased by 90.49 per cent in eight months of the current fiscal to USD 392 million, it added.

 

Similarly, dairy products recorded a growth of 33.77 per cent as its export rose to USD 421 million in April-November 2022 from USD 315 million in the year-ago period.

Global oilseed production estimates have been lowered by at least one million tonnes (mt) on fears of palm kernel, cottonseed, rapeseed and sunflower seed output being affected. However, overall oilseed production during the current season (November 2022-October 2023) is projected to be over six per higher than last season.

 

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), oilseed production will be higher mainly in view of soyabean output being about 10 per cent higher this season at 391.17 mt against 355.61 mt a year ago. 

 

This will result in edible oil production rising by over 4 per cent to 217.55 mt against 208.95 mt a year ago.

 

B35 scheme

'Global edible oil supply this season is likely to be at least 7 mt higher with oilseed production projected to rise sharply by over 30 mt. Even if Indonesia diverts more palm oil for biodiesel by introducing B35 (biodiesel with 35 per cent palm content), there will be ample supply,' said BV Mehta, Executive Director of the Solvent Extractors Association of India. 

 

'Indonesia wants the B35 scheme to be successful and it is trying to balance between the higher biodiesel content and edible oil supply. Jakarta might resort to cutting the domestic market obligation (DMO) for local refiners,' said Pakistan-based edible oil analyst Abdul Hameed.

 

The USDA raised the oilseeds trade volume as it sees a higher export of sunflower seed exports from Ukraine this season. It has projected the trade at 198.27 mt compared with 178.01 mt last season. 

 

The higher availability of sunflower seeds will be another factor to drag soyabean prices, but palm oil might gain as a result.

 

'The price gap between soyabean and palm oil may narrow in the coming delays. Soyabean prices will decrease but palm oil can gain by at least $100 a tonne,' said Hameed. 

 

According to traders, a higher rabi oilseed production in India might be another factor. 'This season, mustard production will be about or over 9.5 mt due to higher acreage and conducive weather,' said Amith Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of AgriBazaar.  

 

'Indonesia has come up with B35 just to keep palm oil steady. We have to see how this will unfold. Raising the blending by 5 percentage points will not make much of an impact,' Mehta said. 

 

Hameed said Indonesia was lower the DMO and raising the diesel-palm oil blending limit since inventories with Jakarta could be lower. 'The market thinks Indonesia might have 6-7 mt of palm oil stock. But I will not be surprised if it is half of that,' he said. 

 

Though palm oil production is stabilising, it may be slow in the first quarter of 2023. 'Indonesia palm oil exports are expected to slow in the first quarter, though they might meet the festival season demand,' Hameed said. 

 

Price outlook

Mehta said edible oil prices could rule a tad lower in the first quarter and may be slightly higher in the second half. 

 

According to SEA, palm oil prices are currently at least $300 a tonne lower than the average 2021 December rates. On the other hand, prices of soyabean and sunflower oils are lower by less than $100. 

 

This is where, Hameed says, there is some room for palm oil to gain.   

 

'The sunflower oil outlook is bearish and it is now discounted at $80-100 a tonne to soyabean. The market looks bearish since Russia and Ukraine hold last year’s stocks and this year’s crop looks good,' he said. 

 

'Still, India will gain if it buys more palm oil, which is nearly $400 a tonne lower than soyabean and sunflower oils,' the Pakistan analyst said.