The government has permitted exports of two lakh tonne of wheat to Nepal, according to a notification issued on Saturday. The export is permitted through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in the notification.

 

India and Iran on Friday carried out a comprehensive review of their ties including the joint development of the Chabahar port, ways to boost trade and economic engagement and possible cooperation in agriculture and some other sectors. At the 19th India-Iran Foreign Office Consultations held in Delhi, the Iranian side is learnt to have requested New Delhi to explore ways to resume procurement of Iranian crude oil.

 

The government on Thursday said no person has any legal right to seek reasons for their suggestions, views, or feedback not being included in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP). The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification also said that the government may seek views of the industry stakeholders for the FTP but it reserves the right to suo moto formulate, amend or incorporate any specific provisions in the policy, without seeking views, suggestions, comments, or feedback from stakeholders.

 

India's Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is set to release the eighth edition of the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) regulations on January 9, marking a significant update to the country's primary organic regulatory framework.

 

District collector of Nashik, Jalaj Sharma, has said that he would write to the Union agriculture ministry to hasten imports of international grape varieties to Nashik, a move that will help farmers in the region better assess their competition from around the world.

Sharma said a quicker import process will help local farmers bridge the gap, if any, between what they produce and what's being consumed internationally. He also said this would lead to better earnings among Nashik's grape growers.

 

The agricultural sector is a cornerstone of Indian economy, contributing approximately 18% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing 45% of the national workforce. The country ranks 8th among the world’s top agricultural exporters with a 2.33% share in global agricultural exports. Despite this, India’s agri-tech market, valued at US$ 24 billion, remains largely untapped with only 1.5% penetration.

 

India will export 1 million tonne of non-basmati white rice to Indonesia annually for four years, as inventories in the world’s biggest exporter of the grain surged following a series of earlier restrictions on overseas shipments and a robust harvest, an official said.

 

The implementation process of free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the four-nation European bloc EFTA is progressing fast and is expected to come into force before the end of this year, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said. The two sides signed the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) on March 10, 2024. Under the pact, India has received an investment commitment of USD 100 billion in 15 years from the grouping while allowing several products such as Swiss watches, chocolates and cut and polished diamonds at lower or zero duties.

 

The Nuts and Dry Fruit Council of India (NDFC (I)) has launched a walnut plantation initiative at Chakrata in Uttarakhand aimed at introducing grafted walnut plants in India by planting 300 saplings.