Australian almond exports rise to China and India.
The Almond Board of Australia (ABA) published its January position report on March 11, 2025, detailing volumes and destinations of almond shipments, akin to the Almond Board of California's reports. Australian exporters dispatched nearly 5.3k metric tonnes (mt) in January 2025, marking a decrease of 8.3k mt from December 2024, yet showing a slight rise over January 2024. This brings the crop-year-to-date total to 163.4k mt, surpassing previous seasons with one month left to report.
Source: freshplaza.com
Cabinet approves revised national program for dairy development.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the Revised National Program for Dairy Development (NPDD), an official statement said. The Revised NPDD, a Central Sector Scheme, has been enhanced with an additional Rs1000 crore, bringing the total budget to Rs 2790 crore for the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26).
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Piyush Goyal discuses trade ties with representatives of Peru & Chile.
He emphasized the need for a balanced and equitable agreement that considers mutual trade priorities and agreed to fast-track negotiations, reinforcing the commitment to deeper trade and investment engagement. Mr. Goyal also held a meeting with Chile’s Under-Secretary for International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza. Both sides discussed areas of collaboration to further boost India-Chile trade and investment ties.
Source: theindianawaaz.com
India Closes In on Long-Sought Free Trade Agreement With UK.
The UK and India are 'very close' to agreeing a long-awaited free trade agreement just weeks after the two countries restarted talks, a senior Indian diplomat said.
Source: bloomberg.com
Global coffee prices soar nearly 40% amid climate disruptions.
Global coffee prices surged by 38.8 percent in 2024, reaching their highest levels in years due to severe climate conditions disrupting key producing regions, according to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The price of Arabica, a premium coffee variety, rose by 58 percent, while Robusta, mainly used in instant coffee, saw an even sharper increase of 70 percent, significantly narrowing the price gap between the two for the first time since the mid-1990s.
Source: fnbnews.com
Key India-US trade negotiations next week to finalise BTA contours.
To finalise the shape of the proposed bilateral-trade agreement (BTA), a team of United States (US) officials, headed by Assistant Trade Representative Brendan Lynch, will come to New Delhi next week to hold discussions with their counterparts here. Both sides are aiming to finalise the first tranche of a 'mutually beneficial' deal by the fall of 2025.
Source: business-standard.com
Transforming India's Agricultural and Dairy Sectors.
On March 19, 2025, the Union Cabinet took two key decisions to further the development of agriculture, dairying and animal husbandry in India. Agriculture, animal husbandry, and dairying are the cornerstone of India's economy. These sectors play a crucial role in ensuring rural employment and economic stability.
Source: pib.gov.in
Swiss parliament approves free trade agreement with India.
After sixteen years of negotiations, Switzerland signed the agreement with India a year ago, along with the other members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. A total of 94.7% of Swiss exports to India will benefit from customs relief. India currently levies very high customs duties on most imported products.
Source: swissinfo.ch
Rice market remains volatile despite large-scale imports from India.
Despite government efforts to stabilise the situation, the price surge continues to strain household budgets. A substantial quantity of rice was imported between 17 November and 13 March under the 2024-25 fiscal year through eight authorised importers, enjoying a duty-free facility.
Source: tbsnews.net
India’s pulses import bill tops $5-billion mark for FY25.
India’s pulses import bill has crossed a whopping $5 billion for the current financial year on record purchases of tur (pigeon peas/arhar) and chickpeas (chana or gram) by the largest consuming country in the world. Per the Commerce Ministry’s quick estimates, pulses imports crossed $5.03 billion during the April-February period of fiscal 2024-25 – up 58.75 per cent over $3.17 billion a year ago. Overall, imports during 2023-24 were $3.74 billion and the previous high was $4.24 billion during 2016-17.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com