Jammu and Kashmir CA storage holds 60% of apple crop volumes
Growers report that extended storage without quality deterioration has reduced pressure to sell during peak harvest. "Earlier, we were forced to sell everything immediately after harvest when prices were low," said Abdul Rashid, an orchardist from south Kashmir. "This year, the apples we kept in cold storage fetched much better rates as there was no demand in the main season. It has covered our input costs and given us real profit."
Source: https://www.freshplaza.com/
Denial of speculations on India-US Trade Agreement, farmers’ interests paramount: Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan today categorically dismissed various speculations surrounding the India-US Trade Agreement from Jaipur, Rajasthan, stating in clear terms that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, there will never be any compromise on farmers’ interests.
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/
West Bengal expected to witness record potato production of 140-150 lakh tonnes for 2025-26, highest in last five years
West Bengal is expected to witness a record potato production of around 140-150 lakh tonnes for 2025-26, highest in the last five years. Total production of the spud in Bengal, the country’s second largest grower, was around 115 lakh tonnes last year, which was also a bumper output. Favorable weather conditions are expected to lead to over 20 per cent y-o-y jump in the production.
Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
India launches ‘Bharat VISTAAR’ to provide single window information to farmers
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the ‘Bharat VISTAAR’ scheme, unveiled the farmer-centric AI Hackathon and the Agri Kosh AI Strategy Roadmap at an event in Jaipur, Rajasthan. ‘Bharat VISTAAR’ was announced in the Budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. Terming the Artificial Intelligence-based Bharat-VISTAAR launch as first stage, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said it would be connected with Agristack where all data are getting stored from a farmer identity card.
Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
India-US trade deal: Trade team heading to Washington next week for legal pact
India's chief negotiator for trade talks with the US, Darpan Jain, will lead a delegation to Washington next week to finalise the legal agreement for the India-US trade deal, which is likely to be signed in March, commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal said Monday. The visit is likely to start on February 23.
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
‘India offers limited farm quotas in US trade deal’
The government has offered quotas in most agricultural products where tariff reductions have been sought under the proposed interim trade agreement with the United States, officials said on Monday, according to a report by TOI. An Indian delegation is set to travel to Washington to finalize the legal text of the interim pact, which the two sides aim to sign by March. Officials cited by TOI said the quantities offered under the quotas are largely small and, in several cases, relate to inputs such as cotton that are already being imported.
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Modi-Macron meet: PM says no boundaries to partnership with France
India and France on Tuesday upgraded their bilateral relationship to a ‘special global strategic partnership,’ following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai. The two pledged to enhance cooperation in areas including defence procurement, artificial intelligence (AI) and clean energy.
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
US, EU trade deals could unlock $400 billion for India’s agri sector
Trade agreements with the US and the 27-nation bloc European Union (EU) have opened up an opportunity of USD 400 billion for India's agriculture sector, an official said on Monday. At present, India's agricultural exports to the US stand at USD 2.8 billion, while imports are only USD 1.5 billion. Overall, India's imports of agri goods are worth USD 35 billion, while exports are valued at USD 51-52 billion, and the figures are increasing.
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Bengaluru airport ships over 60 million roses this Valentine's season
Bengaluru, As the Valentine's season drove peak demand of fresh roses worldwide, Kempegowda International Airport here shipped around 60 million rose stems, weighing more than 2,700 tonnes, across 26 international destinations, officials said on Tuesday. The facility, operated by Bangalore International Airport Limited, also transported roses to 47 domestic destinations. The exports mark a 38 per cent year-on-year increase in stem volumes and a 64 per cent rise in tonnage, reinforcing the Bengaluru Airport's position as India's leading gateway for perishable exports for five consecutive years, they said.
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Indian rice exporter seals 5,000-tonne US deal: IREF
A member of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF) has entered into a commercial agreement to supply 5,000 tonnes of basmati rice to a buyer in the US, according to a statement. The federation said that this is a significant development as it comes after the finalization of India-US trade deal, under which America has agreed to reduce reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the present 25 per cent. "One of the members of the IREF has successfully entered into a commercial agreement for the supply of 5,000 MTs of basmati rice to a buyer in United States of America," .
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/