Goa’s famous feni, a cashew fruit-based alcoholic beverage, may soon find its way to the shelves of overseas liquor stores, with the Indian government encouraging the industry to adopt international standards and streamline supply chains.

The government is also working to formalize the production of mahua—another of India’s oldest indigenous liquors—made by fermenting flowers and found commonly in central India.

The standards pertain to bottling, packaging and processing, in line with international norms.

While cashew feni won geographical indication (GI) in 2009, that for mahua is in the pre-examination stage.

Securing GI—a distinctive sign used to identify a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics related to its geographical origin—will help give it a distinct identity in the overseas markets. The GI tag ensures that no one other than those registered as authorized producers can use the popular product name.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the nodal agri-export promotion body, is working with the Indian alcoholic beverage associations to discuss challenges and how to encourage exports of India’s indigenous liquor.

'We are focusing on the identified GI products that have the potential and the established supply chain. We are now promoting them. It is also the case for indigenous liquor, like feni. These will be promoted as a premium segment, which is unique to India, where there is an established supply chain, and there are volumes,' said Tarun Bajaj, director of APEDA.

This comes at a time India is negotiating a relaxation of the three-year maturity norms to facilitate better access to Indian whisky in the UK and Australia.

'Government bodies like APEDA are working on ways to spot export opportunities for indigenous products. Products such as feni and mahua are being looked into. Indian craft gin and Indian single malt have export potential as they carry the Indian provenance… the problem is that many manufacturers operate on a small scale. If we wish to have true export potential to the developed world, we need to bring standards and make the products more uniform,' said Vinod Giri, director general of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies. Giri added that small manufacturers must prepare a road map and look into where the government can come in and where investment is needed.

India’s craft gin is being shipped already, with about 15,000 cases exported to the UK this year, Giri said.

'The one where we need support is for feni from Goa. The second promising product is mahua. Mahua grows in tribal areas such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, and liquor is brewed from that, he said.

A Goan government report, titled ‘Roadmap for Feni’, recommended granting GI for coconut feni.

Queries emailed to the spokesperson for the ministry of commerce and industry remained unanswered till press time.

India exported 247,000 tonnes of alcoholic products, worth $322.12 million (approximately ?2,507 crore), during 2020-21, and the major export destinations of Indian alcoholic products include the United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Singapore, Congo and Cameroon.

Giri added that during the discussion with APEDA, the association highlighted the need for better quality, standardization and certification to make the products good enough for export.

'Then, we need to see how we get the producers to start scaling up now. That may happen either through investment support from the government. Or more likely and easier is by getting the organized sector more involved in this,' said Giri.

'We shouldn’t export sub-standard products and ruin the reputation of Indian products,' he added.

According to the government, demand for India’s products such as beer made from malt, wine, white wine, brandy, whisky, rum and gin has increased manifold in the global market.

Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, AP emerged as the leader in the country's agribusiness industry with Rs. 44,539 crore (5.59 billion dollars) exports showcasing a notable growth rate of 5.95% in the state's agricultural and food processing exports for the year 2021-22.

AP has firmly established itself as a major player in India's agribusiness industry, with a significant contribution in sectors such as aquaculture, horticulture, dairy, and poultry.

In addition to this, AP has achieved remarkable milestones in the agriculture and food processing sector. The state ranked first in the production of several crops including palm oil, papaya, lime, coconut, cocoa, tomato and chillies, as well as in marine exports in 2021-22. The government is actively developing Integrated Production Centres in all districts of the state in line with the AP Food Processing Policy 2025, which will provide farmers with common facilities.

To improve farmers' income, the government has introduced new crops such as dragon fruit, Taiwan guava, Mauritius variety of pineapple, strawberry, cinnamon, nutmeg, Japanese mint, etc. These initiatives demonstrate the government's commitment to promoting the growth of the agricultural sector and supporting the welfare of farmers in AP.

Further, the state has secured the top position in egg, fish and shrimp production, while taking the second position in paddy, maize, mango, sweet orange, cashew and turmeric. The state has made significant investments in infrastructure, with 10,788 YSR Rythu Bharosa Kendras functioning as one-stop-shops for agriculture and allied services.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has specified a comprehensive group standard for millets vide Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives), Second Amendment Regulations, 2023 notified in the Gazette of India and the same will be enforced w.e.f September 1, 2023.

Millets are group of small-grained cereal food crops that are highly tolerant to drought and other extreme weather conditions and require low chemical inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. Most of millet crops are native of India and they provide most of the nutrients required for normal functioning of human body. Millets are also gluten-free; low in Glycemic Index (GI); and rich in dietary fibre and micronutrients, including calcium, iron, phosphorus. Millets should ideally be an integral part of our daily diet. FSSAI guidance note ('Millets - the nutri-cereals') provides more information about nutritional composition and benefits of consumption of Millets.

In order to create awareness and promote production & consumption of millets, in April

2018 millets were rebranded as 'Nutri Cereals' and '2018' was designated as the National Year of Millets. Later, The United Nations General Assembly at its 75th session in March 2021 declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023). International Year of Millets (IYOM) – 2023 will provide an opportunity to increase global production, efficient processing and better use of crop rotation and promote millets as a major component of the food basket.

Currently, individual standards for only a few millets like Sorghum (Jowar), Whole and decorticated Pearl Millet grain (Bajra), Finger Millet (Ragi) and Amaranth are prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.

FSSAI has now framed a comprehensive group standard for 15 types of millets specifying 8 quality parameters i.e. maximum limits for moisture content, uric acid content, extraneous matter, other edible grains, defects, weevilled grains, and immature and shrivelled grains, so as to ensure availability of good quality (standardised) millets in domestic and global markets.

Two new products -- Vellore Spiny Brinjal and Ramanathapuram Mundu Chilli - of Tamil Nadu, have been conferred the prestigious Geographical Indications (GI) tag for their unique physical and geographical characteristics. As the mandatory four-month notice period for the projects is over on February 21, they are now deemed to have been registered as GI products.

With this, the total number of Tamil Nadu products that have earned GI recognition has risen to 45, placing the state at number two spot. Karnataka has got maximum GI tags with 46. Kerala is in third position with 36 GI products.

Vellore Spiny Brinjal, known as Elavambadi Mullu Kathirikai in Tamil, is a rare, thorny native breed grown in Vellore district. The vegetable is oval in shape and has a glossy shade of violet mixed with pink colour with a tinge of green in the distal end. The average weight of a single spiny brinjal is 40 grams, and it has a shelf life of three days under room temperature, and about eight days in refrigerated surrounding.

Spiny Brinjals are rich in protein (2%) and vitamin C content (10.5mg/100gm). It is considered tastier than other brinjal varieties and it requires adapted cultivation or farming techniques to produce a quality crop. It has a unique power to resist pest and disease attacks. The thorns present in all parts of the brinjal plant, except the fruit, make the crop highly distinctive and recognizable. The fruit is soft and fleshy and it is a cluster-bearing variety that yields about 40-45 tonnes per hectare in a duration of 140-150 days.

Relying on historical data, including village land records like 'Adangal' which have entries of farmers involved in cultivation of this brinjal for centuries, Government advocate and IPR Attorney P Sanjai Gandhi made the GI application on behalf of the South India Multi-State Agriculture Cooperative Society Limited based in Vellore.

The Vellore Spiny Brinjal can be baked, barbecued, fried, roasted, steamed or even pickled. It is also a favoured dish along with briyani, brinjal serwa, sambar, poriyal and evening snacks. It has high tolerance to drought and high temperature and is uniquely linked to the agro-climatic conditions in Vellore region.

'Former chief minister M Karunanidhi, while inaugurating the Vellore Uzhavar Sandhai (Farmers Market) specifically mentioned Vellore Spiny Brinjal, describing its rare qualities,' said Sanjai Gandhi, adding that contemporary travellers and bloggers too have documented its unique taste in journals and blogs. Application for the pungent Ramanathapuram Mundu Chilli was made by Ramnad Mundhu Chilli Producer Company Limited. Mundu, which in Tamil means 'fat and round,' belongs to Capiscumannum species. It is a round shaped chilli popular in South Indian cuisine and used as food colourant. It has a dark shiny and thick skin and is a directly sown rain-fed crop grown. It is also highly tolerant to drought and salinity. It is a low input crop as farmers use the seeds of their previous crop for next season. For direct sowing, three to four ploughings are undertaking, and sowing is done in the last ploughing.

It is grown mainly in Tiruvadanai, RS Mangalam, Mudukulathur, Kadaladi and Kamuthi taluks of Ramanathapuram district. It has a continuous recorded history of cultivation in this district for over 200 years and is known for its rich taste and aroma. For better yields, farmer pick ripened fruit frequently and they are dried on tarpaulin sheets or on raised cement platforms. A crop yields 3-4 pickings. The dried pods are exported to Sri Lanka, Nepal, the USA, Europe, Thailand and Japan.

The government is looking at integrating 100 more interstate mandis with the Electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), to promote trade between the wholesale markets.

'We are focusing more on integrating interstate mandis now,' said a senior official.

The trade between interstate mandis on e-NAM increased to 3,929 quintals during April 2022 to January 2023 from just one quintal a year earlier. In the first 10 months of fiscal 2023, the value of interstate trade was Rs 1.87 crore, against the overall trade of Rs 61,257 crore on e-NAM.

As on November 30, 2022, as many as 1,260 mandis in 22 states and three union territories have been integrated with e-NAM platform, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar had earlier told the Lok Sabha.

These states/UTs are: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Puducherry.

E-NAM, which was launched in April 2016, is being implemented by the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium, a central government agency, with the support of state governments.

Since its inception, the minister said, about Rs 649.87 crore had been released for the integration of mandis with the e-NAM platform, the minister had said.

Currently, the e-NAM platform is integrating existing physical wholesale mandis or markets of different states and UTs to facilitate online trading of agricultural commodities through transparent price discovery method to help farmers realise better remunerative prices for their produce, he said.

The purpose of e-NAM is to create a network of existing mandis on a common online market platform as 'One Nation, One Market' for agricultural commodities in India.

Assam could export wicker works and agrarian products worth around Rs 4,000 crore in fiscal 2022–2023 despite the absence of adequate export infrastructure in the state.

According to the assessment of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO), an organization undertaken by the Government of India, exports of wicker works and agrarian products from Assam will touch the Rs 10,000 mark by 2026-27. According to FIEO, 70 percent of the total exports in this sector from Assam are from five districts: Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, and Udalguri.

According to APEDA sources, in the past six years, exports from Assam have registered an 85 percent growth. The exports items of the state are bhoot jalakia, pumpkin, jackfruit, litchi, pineapple, ginger, turmeric, joha rice, black rice, red rice, etc.

According to sources, the demand for Assam honey, spices, pork, etc., has risen in some countries, of late. The prime importers of such items from Assam are the Middle East, the UK, South East Asian countries, Bangladesh, etc.

According to FIEO, the state has as many as 11 items that have GI (geographical indication) tags. The organic farming industry has also increased in the state, leading to increased demand for such items abroad. Till December 2022, the exports from the State stood at Rs 3,081 crore, and would be Rs 4,000 crore by April.

According to sources, farmers from the Northeast do not get recognition for their products as the region has no direct flights to the export destination countries. The items sent for export from Assam and the Northeast go to Kolkata or New Delhi airports, where they get the tag of the exporting agencies. This apart, the region has no facility for certification of organic products. Such products go to Kolkata for testing, and that takes time. The lack of adequate vehicles with refrigeration facilities in the state and the region also leads to the damage of perishable items. The state government encourages the local youths to opt for organic farming and reap the benefits. However, if the government does not provide the logistical support for it, the efforts towards that end will bear no fruit. The development achieved so far in this sector is the outcome of the efforts put forth by APEDA and a few international export agencies.

Pitching for an Atmanirbhar Krishi (self-sufficient agriculture), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday exhorted people to allow Indian farmers to reap its benefits as the country has been spending as high as Rs.2 lakh crore annually to import a few farm products which can be domestically produced.

Pointing out that earlier the country was depended on the world for food security, Modi said, 'But our farmers not only made us self-reliant, but today because of them we have also been able to export. We have made it easier for farmers to access domestic and international markets. But we also have to keep in mind that whether it is self-reliance or exports, our aim should not be limited only to rice and wheat.'

The share of rice and wheat was nearly half at $11.79 billion in export of major agri produce (as promoted by APEDA) worth $24.76 billion (Rs.1,84,769.23 crore) in 2021-22.

The Prime Minister also said that in 2021-22, about Rs.17,000 crore was spent on the import of pulses, Rs.25,000 crore on value-added food products and Rs.1.5 lakh crore on edible oils.

'About Rs.2 lakh crore were spent on the import of only these three (segments) which means this much money went outside the country. This money can reach our farmers, if we become self-sufficient in these agricultural products, too. For the last few years, decisions are being taken in the Budget to take these sectors forward. We increased MSP, promoted pulses production, increased the number of food parks. Along with this, work is also going on in mission mode to become completely self-sufficient in edible oil,' Modi said.

Addressing a webinar on provisions made for the agriculture and co-operative sectors in the next year Budget, Modi said the agricultural budget, which was less than Rs.25,000 crore before 2014, has been increased to more than Rs.1.25 lakh crore now. 'Every Budget in recent years has been called a budget for Gaon, Gareeb and Kisan', he said.

Complete development

Out of Rs.1,31,972.41 crore allocated for two ministries — Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying — in FY23-24, over 73 per cent of the allocations are for three schemes- PM-Kisan, Modified Interest Subvention Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

While the interest subsidy on crop loan was handled by the Finance Ministry before 2014, the other two schemes were launched after Modi became the Prime Minister. The combined budget allocation of the undivided Agriculture Ministry in 2013-14 was Rs.30,223.88 crore.

Modi said the goal of complete development cannot be achieved until the challenges related to the agriculture sector are eliminated. He also observed that private innovation and investment are keeping a distance from the farm sector leading to lower participation of youth in agriculture when compared with other sectors.

On the Budget announcement of an Accelerator Fund for agritech start-ups, Modi said the government is not only creating digital infrastructure but also preparing funding avenues. He appealed young entrepreneurs to move forward and achieve their goals in the farm sector.

10 years ago, around this time, your columnist accompanied the Shaurya Chakra Awardee Col DPK Pillay, at his insistence, to the remote and beautiful district of Tamenglong of Manipur to study the potential of Citrus Reticulata Blanco Mandarin — a unique sub-tropical fruit which grows in abundance in this district of 4,400 square kilometres lying between 24°30’N and 25°27’N latitudes and of 93°10’E and 94°54’E longitudes at a height of 1,290 metres above the MSL. Tamenglong is bounded by Nagaland in the North, Churachandpur and Senapati districts in the South and East, and the state of Assam in the West.

The Colonel, who is hero worshipped by the local community for having risked his own life to save two young children who were seriously injured in a crossfire between the army and the extremist groups, was keen that in my capacity as the Mission Director of National Horticulture Mission (now Mission for the Integrated Development of Horticulture), I should study first-hand the potential of this crop in the economic transformation of the region. The initial discussions held there have not only led to organic certification by APEDA, but also a GI tag for this commodity, and made it a part of an integrated value chain. While APEDA started the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) in 2016, and has covered over 400-hectare acres since then, the Mission for Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) of Directorate of Horticulture applied for the GI tag in 2017 and received it on August 31, 2020. This is, in many ways, a fulfilment of a commitment made to the farmers’ of Tamenglong who had received us with abundant enthusiasm and cheer. I must confess here that when I first undertook the journey with Colonel Pillay, the district was known more for roadblocks and encounters, rather than for this mandarin tree with long, willowy branches and the luscious oranges, which are not only delicious to eat, but also used in salads, desserts and main dishes. The current value chain includes wine, juices, candy, jam, jelly, marmalade, canning, extraction of essential oils, pectin and much more.

Manipur is considered to be one of the most verdant states for citrus genetic diversity since it is adjoined to Myanmar where maximum landraces of citrus have been found. Manipur also has a proliferation of different strains of rough lemon and semi-wild species (Citrus macroptera) but the focus is on the mandarin oranges of Tamenglong district, which account for more than 80 per cent of the total orange production of the state. The soil and the climate of this hill district is quite favourable for orange growing, and almost 40 per cent of the total landmass is under orange cultivation. No wonder, it is called the 'Orange Bowl' of the state.

The fruit consists of three layers:

* The outer yellow/orange peel is with oil glands which exude the essential oils, producing the typical orange odour;

* The whitish thread like mesocarp;

* The endocarp consists of 10-14 segments filled with juice sacs (vesicles).

It is distinguished from other citrus species by the relatively loose skin of the fruits and the relative ease with which the segments can be separated. Most varieties of Mandarin are self-pollinated, but some of the hybrids require cross pollination. Typically, a heavy crop is followed by a lighter crop in the next season. Generally, citrus trees start bearing fruits from the third year of planting, although economic yields start from the fifth year and the trees may take eight to ten years to achieve full productivity.

However, there are issues and challenges which the farmers are facing, especially from the menace of ‘bamboo flowering’ which appears cyclically, as well as from climate change and aberrant weather conditions. Both the ICAR and the state horticulture department are trying to address these issues, and also taking note of observations of local farmers, some of whom are suggesting that oranges seem to grow better in the soil which has some layers of rock beneath the topsoil. Others feel that grazing of cows in their farms helps clear up the growth of other bushes and herbs; and that orange trees thrive better in such an environment. Farmers are also trying to ensure that birds are encouraged to nest in the foliage as they feed on worms, thereby minimising the damage and risk to the trees.

From 2001, a state-level Orange Festival has been held annually to promote tourism and provide an opportunity to orange farmers to display their produce before potential buyers besides offering an opportunity for both the growers and fruit processing industries to establish value chains. The credit for launching this initiative goes to the Manipur Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium under the kind aegis of Central SFAC.

As things stand, thanks to the road network, and the much-improved security situation, Mandarin oranges are now the key economic growth driver, and the main source of income for the farmers of the district. Since the fruits are harvested mainly in the winter season, the farmers celebrate Christmas and New Year with good cheer, and also save adequate funds for children’s admission in the next academic year. As per current market indications, a full-grown good tree can yield up to 5,000 fruits, and with a pack of ten oranges being sold at the farm gate for about a hundred rupees, many farmers have become lakhpatis in the course of the last decade!

The government is looking at integrating 100 more interstate mandis with the Electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), to promote trade between the wholesale markets.

'We are focusing more on integrating interstate mandis now,' said a senior official.

E-NAM, which was launched in April 2016, is being implemented by the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium, a central government agency, with the support of state governments.

Since its inception, the minister said, about Rs 649.87 crore had been released for the integration of mandis with the e-NAM platform, the minister had said.

The purpose of e-NAM is to create a network of existing mandis on a common online market platform as 'One Nation, One Market' for agricultural commodities in India.