India-Romania set target to double bilateral trade in next three years, sign three MoUs during President Droupadi Murmu's visit.
India and Romania on Thursday underlined economic cooperation as key pillar of the bilateral partnership and set a target to double bilateral trade in the next three years while also agreeing to expand cooperation in important sectors such as pharmaceuticals, renewable energy and agriculture. This comes as President Murmu arrived in Romania on a historic visit--the first in three decades by an Indian President.
Source: tribuneindia.com
India Concludes Eighth Trade Policy Review at WTO in Geneva.
The second and final session of India's Eighth Trade Policy Review (TPR) concluded today at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. The Trade Policy Review is a key transparency and monitoring mechanism of the WTO under which Members' trade and related policies are periodically examined to enhance transparency, strengthen adherence to WTO rules and facilitate constructive dialogue among Members. India's official delegation for the Eighth Trade Policy Review was led by Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agarwal. In his closing statement to the WTO Membership, the Commerce Secretary thanked Members for their active participation and the keen interest shown in India's trade policies. He reaffirmed that reform is a continuous process and highlighted India's commitment to an open, transparent and predictable trade and investment regime. He underlined that India's tariff reforms, customs simplification measures and ambitious Free Trade Agreement (FTA) strategy have steadily strengthened the country's integration with the global economy while supporting domestic development objectives. He also emphasized that India remains a major engine of global demand.
Source: pib.gov.in
Kiwifruit collaboration features in India FTA.
Collaboration with the Indian government under the free trade agreement between India and New Zealand includes the establishment of four kiwifruit centres of excellence in the sub-continent, aimed at increasing local growers’ productivity. Dr Stephanie Montgomery, programme manager for New Zealand’s Bioeconomy Science Institute, is leading the Green kiwifruit project which is an integral part of the FTA’s collaborative expectations.
Source: farmersweekly.co.nz
APEDA Facilitates Uttarakhand’s First Frozen French Fries Export to Iraq.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) announced that it had facilitated the first export of frozen French fries from Uttarakhand - a 24-tonne consignment shipped from Kashipur to Iraq, marking a new export lane for a landlocked hill state's processed-food industry. APEDA, which operates under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, facilitated the export of 24 tonnes of frozen French fries from Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand, to Iraq. The consignment was exported by Virun Global Trade Pvt. Ltd., and APEDA describes it as the first such export from the state — a milestone in promoting value-added agricultural exports from Uttarakhand while strengthening India's processed-food export basket.
Source: potatopro.com
CISH–APEDA sea route protocol enables successful export of Dashehari and Langra mangoes.
In a major breakthrough for India’s fresh mango export sector, 12.5 tonnes of premium Dashehari and Langra mangoes have been successfully exported from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, through a 40-foot reefer container by sea using the sea route export protocol jointly developed by ICAR–Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (ICAR-CISH), Lucknow, and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). The consignment was exported by Shehnaz Export, Amroha, in association with Attashi Global, to Lulu Group, UAE, one of the leading retail chains in the Gulf region, with technical guidance from ICAR-CISH and support from APEDA. The successful validation of the sea-route protocol thus provides a sustainable pathway for increasing farmers’ income through cost-effective exports. Since sea freight is substantially more economical than air freight, exporters were able to offer higher procurement prices to farmers. As a result, mango growers realized an additional income of approximately Rs 15–20 per kg over conventional export channels, significantly enhancing farm profitability while maintaining the competitiveness of Indian mangoes in international markets.
Source: agrospectrumindia.com
India-EU FTA raises concerns over pesticide residue limits.
India's proposed free trade agreement with the European Union could increase pressure on agricultural exporters as the EU moves toward stricter pesticide residue rules for imported products. According to the report, the EU is proposing to remove import tolerances for pesticides that are no longer authorised within the bloc. This would apply the default maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.01 parts per million (ppm) to many imported agricultural products, even where Codex Alimentarius standards allow higher limits.
Source: freshplaza.com
Four kiwifruit centres planned under India-New Zealand FTA.
Collaboration under the free trade agreement between India and New Zealand includes the establishment of four kiwifruit centres of excellence across India to support grower training, production systems and orchard development. The Green kiwifruit project is led by the New Zealand Bioeconomy Science Institute. According to program manager Dr Stephanie Montgomery, the centres are planned for four regions, from Nagaland in the northeast to Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The first centre will be established in Nagaland, one of India's main kiwifruit production areas.
Source: freshplaza.com
India has achieved self-reliance in food; now it's time for value addition: Chirag Paswan.
Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan said on Wednesday that India has achieved self-reliance in food production. Now, Paswan added, the focus must be on adding value through food processing and giving farmers better market access.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Kharif sowing gap narrows despite widening rainfall deficit; East, Central India may see improved rains: Report.
India's Kharif sowing gap with last year narrowed even as the cumulative rainfall deficit widened over the past three weeks. Conditions are expected to improve, with above-normal rains forecast in parts of East and Central India in the coming weeks, according to a Dolat Capital report.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
US-India trade deal could be signed in 3-4 months, US official says.
A long-awaited U.S.-India trade agreement could be signed within the next three to four months, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, indicating negotiations between the two sides have been virtually completed. 'The deal... is there. We literally have the paper,' the U.S. official said on condition of anonymity on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting in Manila.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com