From Nagli to Sweet Charlie: Strawberry production in Gujarat’s Dang jumps 65% in 3 years.
Winter Dawn, Sweet Charlie, Camaroza and Selva are names of strawberry varieties that are quietly reshaping the agricultural landscape of Dang — a tribal district in Gujarat — where the fruit has emerged as one of the fastest-growing high-value horticulture crops, with production rising nearly 65 per cent in three years between FY23 and FY26. What was once a limited, experimental cultivation activity in a few pockets of this remote, predominantly tribal district has now evolved into a structured farming ecosystem supported by natural farming practices, government-backed horticulture schemes, and improved market access to major urban centres. According to official estimates shared by the Gujarat government on Wednesday, the strawberry cultivation in Dang has expanded steadily over the past three years. The area under cultivation has increased from 20 hectares in FY23 to about 33 hectares in FY26, a 65 per cent increase. In tandem, production has grown from 140 metric tonnes in FY23 to an estimated 233 metric tonnes in FY26, also reflecting an increase of nearly 65–66 per cent over the period.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com
Duty-free inflows from Nepal push India’s edible oil imports up 3% in FY26.
A sharp increase in duty-free imports of edible oils from Nepal played a significant role in pushing up India’s overall edible oil imports by 3 per cent during the financial year 2025-26. Data compiled by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) showed that India imported 166.51 lakh tonnes (lt) of edible oils during the financial year 2025-26 against 161.82 lt in 2024-25, recording a growth of 3 per cent despite higher international edible oil prices and sharp depreciation of the Indian rupee against the US dollar.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com
India-UAE CEPA drives 37 percent trade growth in four years, targets $200 billion bilateral trade.
Senior business leaders, policymakers, trade experts, investors and industry stakeholders from the UAE and India gathered on Wednesday in Dubai to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the landmark India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), reaffirming the rapidly expanding strategic and economic partnership between the two countries.
Source: economymiddleeast.com
World Bee Day 2026: India’s honey boom has a hidden sting.
India exported over a lakh metric tonnes of honey last year. It has climbed from the ninth to the second-largest exporter in the world in just five years, a significant rise that makes it one of India’s quieter agricultural success stories. India’s Sweet Revolution is backed by Rs 500 crore of investment through the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM). However, there is another number that the export dashboard does not carry. Native bee populations across India are visibly in retreat — a decline documented by field researchers and beekeepers alike, even as the export numbers climb. These two facts belong in the same sentence.
Source: downtoearth.org.in
Minimum export price on agri items will lift forex coffers.
On May 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indian citizens to conserve precious foreign exchange in view of the West Asian crisis. Since then, the government has come up with a slew of measures, more than doubling the import duty on precious metals, hiking prices of fossil fuels and imposing curbs on silver imports. These measures will go a long way in cutting foreign exchange (forex) outgo. However, the government should have looked at increasing forex earnings, particularly on the agricultural commodities export front. Concerned over surging retail prices of sugar, it has banned the export of the commodity.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com
India’s Export Ambition Hinges On Import Substitution, Quality Upgrade: Goyal.
Speaking at the launch of the Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav website in New Delhi, Goyal said India has set an ambitious export target of USD 1 trillion this year and USD 2 trillion over the next five years. Exports have already touched USD 863 billion, nearly 5 per cent higher than last year, despite global headwinds, with both goods and services showing growth.
Source: businessworld.in
Global Wheat Supplies Tighten as Exporter Crops Fall.
USDA’s Economic Research Service says the global wheat outlook is tightening as production falls from last year’s record. World wheat production for 2026/27 is forecast to be down by 24.8 million metric tons, though it remains the second-highest on record.
Source: rfdtv.com
Reducing food loss in India through a decade of India–Netherlands cooperation.
India is one of the world’s largest producers of horticultural crops but continues to lose significant quantities of food between harvest and retail. Over the past decade, India and the Netherlands have worked together to address this challenge through investments in cold-chain infrastructure, value-chain development, and knowledge exchange. This cooperation illustrates how combining technological innovation, private-sector engagement, and systemic approaches can help reduce food loss and strengthen agricultural supply chains.
Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
AI4Agri Summit 2026: Investing in India’s AI Agriculture Future.
At the AI4Agri Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a major shift appeared to be happening in Indian farming. Instead of just focusing on weather, leaders are now focusing on bringing investment and technology to the fields. As India works toward its ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ goal, Maharashtra is leading a global change by connecting Artificial Intelligence with the needs of small-scale farmers. Organised by the Government of Maharashtra, the event served as a major global platform where leaders discussed the ‘MahaAgri-AI Policy’ and the future of technology in Indian farming.
Source: ddnews.gov.in
J&K horticulture gets Clean Plant Programme boost.
Jammu and Kashmir’s horticulture sector is set to receive a major boost under the Government of India’s ambitious Clean Plant Programme (CPP), aimed at providing virus-free and high-quality planting material to fruit growers across the country. According to the annual report by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Jammu and Kashmir’s horticulture sector, along with other states, is set to receive a major boost under the ambitious Clean Plant Programme (CPP).
Source: risingkashmir.com