India plans to leverage a new case filed by South Africa challenging the strict food safety regulations imposed by the European Union (EU) on citrus fruit to also call for relaxations in standards that currently hinder a whole range of Indian food exports, two people aware of the development said.

The EU's stringent safety norms have significantly limited India's exports of chilies, tea, basmati rice, milk, poultry, bovine meat, fish, and chemicals.

India has extended the timeline for duty-free imports of yellow peas by four more months until October 2024, according to an official notification.

In early December, the central government allowed duty-free imports of yellow peas until March 2024, later to be extended till April and then June. It was part of New Delhi's intervention to cool the prices of the overall pulse basket.

Claiming some media reports to be false and malicious, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Sunday said that India has one of the most stringent standards of maximum residue limits (MRLs) in the world, and that these are fixed at different levels for different food commodities based on risk assessments.

MRL is the maximum amount of pesticide residue expected to remain on food products when a pesticide is used according to label directions and is not a health concern for humans, the Indian food regulator said in a press statement.

In a move that has stirred both anticipation and controversy, the Union government has partially relaxed the indefinite ban on onion exports, greenlighting the immediate export of 2,000 tonnes of white onions. The decision announced on 25 March 2024, has brought relief to Gujarat, the leading producer and exporter of white onions in the country.

Shillong hosted a significant event marking the orientation for Phase IV of the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North-East Region (MOVCDNER), bringing together key stakeholders, government officials, and industry leaders to outline the roadmap for organic farming development in the Northeast. The program, which took place from May 2 to May 3, was held at MAMETI, Shillong.

India on Wednesday said it looked forward to strengthening bilateral economic cooperation with the Maldives as its envoy held discussions with a senior minister of the archipelagic nation.

The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has emerged as a resounding success story, solidifying the two nations’ long-standing economic ties and ushering in a new era of prosperity. It has been two years since CEPA was signed and became operational. This has significantly advanced trade, with bilateral exchanges increasing from USD 72.9 billion to USD 84.5 billion, registering a year-on-year increase of 16 percent.