Datanomics: PM Modi's 5-nation tour likely to strengthen trade ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-nation tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy concludes on May 20, highlighting India's overarching aim to strengthen relations with these countries. India currently has a trade deficit with these countries, which cumulatively stood at $34 billion between FY21 and FY25. However, these countries accounted for 14 per cent of India's total exports but only 10 per cent of its total imports during this period. The government has signed a bilateral trade deal with the UAE regarding oil imports, with crude petroleum and petroleum products accounting for 37 per cent of total imports in FY26.
Source: business-standard.com
UAE and India ramp up $200bn trade drive as business ties deepen.
Senior UAE and Indian ministers, diplomats and business leaders gathered in Dubai on Monday evening as both nations reaffirmed efforts to expand bilateral trade to $200bn under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) framework. The high-level gathering, organised by the UAE India Business Council – UAE Chapter (UIBC-UC), brought together key stakeholders from government, trade, investment and industry under the theme 'Strength in Resilience', reflecting the growing strategic depth of the UAE-India economic partnership.
Source: gulfbusiness.com
Eastern India Can Become Growth Engine Of India’s Agriculture: Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said Eastern India has the potential to emerge as the growth engine of the country’s agricultural development, stressing the need for diversified, sustainable and market-oriented farming to improve farmers’ incomes. Chouhan was addressing the Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference at the Mayfair Convention Centre in Bhubaneswar along with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Representatives from Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal participated in the conference to discuss a shared roadmap for agricultural growth in the eastern region.
Source: ddnews.gov.in
Goa’s mango output up nearly 50% this season.
The Goa agriculture department has reported a nearly 50% rise in mango productivity compared to the last year and harvests are expected to continue till the first week of June. Agriculture director Sandeep Fol Desai said the bumper crop was largely due to favourable weather conditions, especially the absence of significant pre-monsoon showers. “This helped improve flowering and reduced fruit drop during the crucial growing period.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
India’s blueberry growers adapt with high tunnels, low-chill varieties and soilless production.
India's domestic blueberry sector has moved from pilot‑scale experiments to a more commercially visible stage over the past three years, says Hitesh Limani of Agrodome Projects LLP, a protective cultivation and greenhouse manufacturer. 'After COVID, the industry has seen a significant shift, with rising demand for healthier food options, adoption of protected cultivation, import of quality planting material, and increasing urban demand driving this growth.'
Source: freshplaza.com
Pvt sector deals are key to push India-United Arab Emirates ties ahead, says UAE Minister.
The next phase of India-UAE partnership would be driven by joint investments, logistics connectivity, and deeper private-sector collaboration, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi said at a closed-door industry event.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
India soymeal exports to fall to four-year low on rising prices.
India's soymeal exports are set to halve in the current year to a four-year low after prices surged 47% over the past month, eroding the competitiveness of Indian animal feed against South American supplies, industry officials told Reuters. The drop in Indian exports is likely to help suppliers in South and North America increase soymeal shipments to Asian buyers that traditionally source from India.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Free trade pact with India by year-end: EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced that the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be inked by the end of 2026 and assured that the 'mother of all deals' will be operationalised at record speed. Speaking at the European Round Table for Industry in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Sunday alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson, she said that the agreement heralds a transformative new era for global commerce. 'We are committed to signing the agreement by the end of the year and making it fully operational at record speed,' von der Leyen said at a joint press briefing.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
PM Modi woos Swedish cos to invest in India, says 'reform express' going at full speed.
Asserting that India's 'reform express' is going at full speed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked Swedish companies to enhance their presence in manufacturing, green hydrogen mission, clean energy and other sectors. Wooing European companies, Modi highlighted the potential in five broad areas, including telecom and digital infrastructure, and said they can help in making India a global research and development hub.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
'Track imports, manufacture in India': Piyush Goyal pushes swadeshi production.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday asked Indian businesses to closely track the country’s import trends and identify products that can be manufactured locally instead of relying on foreign markets, as the government sharpened its push for a more self-reliant economy. Speaking at a national conclave of trade leaders organised by the Confederation of All India Traders at Bharat Mandapam, Goyal said India still remains dependent on imports in several sectors, including capital goods, and urged industrial clusters across the country to step in.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com