Spanish President Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday said he looks forward to advancing EU-India FTA negotiations, highlighting the 'enormous' potential for a stronger relationship between India and the 27-nation European Union bloc, including Spain. The European Union (EU)-India proposed a free trade agreement (FTA) aimed at further boosting bilateral trade and investments between the two regions. 

Indonesia is considering a plan to import 1 million metric tons of rice from India in 2025 to secure supply until its main harvest, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said after a meeting of food and agricultural officials on Tuesday.

The government, for the first time, has entered into contract farming deals with farmers in states including Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jharkhand and Gujarat to grow pulses (tur and masur) on 1,500 hectares of farmland.

Bangladesh’s trade with India will stabilise despite recent disruptions and a temporary decline in commerce between the two neighbouring countries, Md Hafizur Rahman, the administrator of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) told ANI on late Monday evening. Rahman further expressed confidence that current challenges, including currency fluctuations and political shifts, would not create lasting setbacks in trade with India.

The Union Government has reportedly decided to include four new components – Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Vertical Farming, and Precision Agriculture – under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) – a Central Sponsored Scheme (CSS) that promotes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.

As of 28th October 2024, a total quantity of 65.75 LMT of paddy has arrived in the mandis out of which  60.63 LMT have been procured by state agencies and Food Corporation of India (FCI). An amount of Rs 12200/- crore has been released to the farmers in Punjab directly to bank accounts as of 28th October.

Indian biscuit brands have gradually introduced a range of healthier options over the years to meet customers' rising health awareness. The industry’s first major response to this was to promote higher fibre intake with the introduction of digestive biscuits.