India Wednesday signed the protocol to establish a bilateral institutional mechanism with Dominican Republic on trade and commerce to develop cooperation on trade, services and industrial technologies.

 

'The protocol envisages to strengthen and develop cooperation on trade, services, industrial technologies and various other sectors by means of technical assistance, training programmes and capacity building,'the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement.

 

The Union Cabinet had approved the proposal for signing of the said protocol for establishment of Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) in January.

 

The agreement, signed in the 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, is an important step to elevate the existing economic and commercial relations further, according to the statement. The first meeting of India-Dominican Republic JETCO is expected to be held soon.

 

'It will be pivotal in mitigating challenges faced by the trade and industry and provide a platform for sharing of knowledge and best practices between the two countries,' the ministry said.

 

India primarily imports gold from the Dominican Republic and exports pharmaceuticals, marine products, motor vehicles, two and three wheelers.

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the three new cooperative societies -- NCOL, NCEL and BBSSL -- will help solve many problems of Indian agriculture and enhance farmers' income by promoting exports of farm products, including organic foods. He was speaking after inaugurating the new office building of three national level multi-state cooperative societies -- Bhartiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Ltd (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Ltd (NCOL) and National Cooperative Export Ltd (NCEL) at World Trade Centre, Nauroji Nagar here.

 

Shah stressed on the need to promote organic and natural farming, while discouraging use of chemical fertilisers.

 

He announced that there will be a laboratory in every district over the next five years to certify organic farm and products.

 

Shah said NCOL will promote organic farming in the country apart from cooperative Amul, which has already introduced many organic products in the market.

 

He noted that the total global organic market is Rs 10 lakh crore and India's exports of organic products are only Rs 7,000 crore.

 

'We want to grow India's organic exports to Rs 70,000 crore. It's an ambitious target but we will achieve it,' he said.

 

Shah said organic pulses, rice and wheat flour (atta) are being used at his home and asserted that the consumption of organic products will rise in India.

 

For seed society BBSSL, he said the target is Rs 10,000 crore turnover in the next five years.

 

To achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sahakar se Samriddhi', all three cooperative societies will ensure upliftment of the people associated with agriculture and related activities.

 

The government had earlier approved setting up of these three cooperative societies.

 

These societies have been registered under Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.

 

Cooperative societies of all levels (from district to state to national) who are interested in activities specified for each of the three societies, are eligible to become members.

 

NCEL has been formed to promote exports from the cooperative sector.

 

The member promoters of NCEL include Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd (KRIBHCO), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).

 

NCEL will undertake direct export of goods and services of cooperatives and related entities.

 

NCOL has been formed to realize the potential of organic products and create a healthy agriculture ecosystem.

 

It acts as an umbrella organization for aggregation, procurement, certification, testing, branding and marketing of organic products of the cooperative sector.

 

NCOL is promoted by NAFED, NDDB ( National Dairy Development Board), NCDC, GCMMF and NCCF.

 

NCOL will help in the increase of production of organic products and it will also provide support in marketing of authentic and certified organic products by the cooperatives and related entities at various levels.

 

BBSSL deals with the advanced and traditional seed research and production and is responsible for their processing and marketing through the cooperative sector.

 

It is promoted by IFFCO, KRIBHCO, NAFED, NDDB and NCDC.

 

BBSSL aims at increasing the production of quality seeds in India, at par with the global standards through cooperatives, and thereby reducing the dependence on imported seeds.

 

The good quality seeds will help in enhancing agriculture production, and in turn income for seed producing farmers.

 

All the three societies will ensure the upliftment of the people associated with agriculture and related activities and will procure the agricultural produce and seeds from the farmers via PACS.

 

This would further lead to the strengthening of PACS as the farmers associated with them will get maximum value for their produce.

 

The societies will be working with an objective of ensuring that profits on the net surplus go directly to farmers' accounts, thereby preventing leakages in the process.

The Goa State Horticulture Corporation Limited (GSHCL) has achieved a remarkable milestone this year by procuring a record number of greens from local growers.

According to recent data released by GSHCL, in the previous financial year 2022-23, a total of 10.8 lakh kg of vegetables was procured from farmers across Goa. However, this year, the procurement figures have surged, with a total of 11.3 lakh kg of vegetables purchased up until Jan 2024.

'This is a clear-cut indication that vegetable production is increasing in Goa,' said GSHCL managing director, Chandrahas Desai.

 

Under the scheme for Promotion of Vegetables with Assured Market, aimed at supporting local farmers and ensuring a stable market for their produce, growers have been facilitated through 15 GSHCL procurement centres strategically located across Goa. At these centres, farmers deliver their freshly harvested produce, which is then meticulously weighed, and payment is made accordingly.

 

'One of the key aspects of the scheme is that farmers receive an assured rate for their produce, irrespective of the prevailing market rates,' Desai said.

'Such assurances not only provide financial stability to the farmers, but also encourage them to invest more in vegetable cultivation, thus contributing to the overall agricultural growth of the state,' he added.

With the increasing demand for greens, GSHCL has further expanded its procurement infrastructure by establishing three additional procurement centres in Davorlim, Cotigao, and Aldona respectively. These new centres are expected to enhance accessibility for farmers and streamline the procurement process, further boosting vegetable production and farmers’ income in these regions.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (ICAR-IIHR) have now developed a ready to serve (RTS) from dragon fruit popularly known as kamlam fruit.

 

The food technologists at IIHR said that it is difficult to prepare RTS dragon fruit beverage because of the tiny seeds and the nature of its pulp, said Pushpa Chethan Kumar, Senior Scientist, ICAR-IIHR.

 

The method that was adopted here to develop RTS dragon fruit juice is by using a process where seeds and its mucilage have been removed. It was ensured that the drink retained the exotic colour and taste of the dragon fruit. The RTS will provide consumers a soothing, lighter taste and a bright pink coloured dragon fruit beverage, she said.

 

The cultivation and harvesting process of yellow dragon fruit is labour-intensive, which is one of the reasons why it is more expensive than other fruits. Additionally, the plant is not as widely grown as other fruits, and it requires specific growing conditions, which can make it even more expensive.

 

The beverage will have a shelf-life of six months. It is sans any synthetic flavours or colour. The scientists are also working on dragon fruit pulp powder and different flavoured dragon fruit ready to serve beverages.

 

In the area of ready to eat (RTE) foods   the scientists have also given a new form to the popular jackfruit by making it into a ready to eat curry. This innovation was perhaps the most intriguing product for many visitors at the National Horticulture Fair 2024 held at Hessarghatta in Bengaluru from March 5 to 7, 2024.

 

The food scientists adopted the Retort Processing Technology to standardise the recipe, ensuring the right storage and stabilisation of the final product. With no preservatives, the curry has a shelf life of 18 months at room temperature.

 

According to the ICAR-IIHR officials, like any ready to eat product, the packet of curry needs to be dipped in hot water for five to eight minutes before consumption. The tender jackfruit curry in ready to eat form increases its reach as well as meets the needs of consumers. This in-turn bolsters the growth of the ready to eat food segment for the processing industry.

 

With tender jackfruit gaining popularity as a substitute for meat in many countries across the world, over 80 tonne of jackfruit were exported from Karnataka mainly to Bangladesh and Thailand. 

 

Going by the demand, scientists have also come up with a technologically innovative ready to cook product which provides 18 months shelf-life to bulbs of tender jackfruit, It prevents browning of the bulbs and preserves the texture, according to the officials of ICAR-IIHR.

India's vegetable oils import fell 13 per cent year-on-year in February to nearly 9.75 lakh tonne, according to industry data. In a statement on Wednesday, Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) said the import of vegetable oils (comprising edible oils and non-edible oils) during February stood at 9,74,85 tonne as compared to 11,14,481 tonne in the year-ago period.

 

Out of the total imports, the edible oil shipments fell to 9,67,852 tonne last month from 10,98,475 tonne in February 2023.

 

Non-edible oils imports too fell to 7,000 tonne from 16,006 tonne in the year-ago period.

 

During November 2023-February 2024 period, the overall import of vegetable oils declined 21 per cent to 46,47,963 tonne from 58,87,900 tonne in the corresponding period of the previous oil year.

 

Oil marketing year runs from November to October.

 

Edible oils import fell to 46,15,551 tonne during the first four months of 2023-24 oil year from 58,44,765 tonne in the year-ago period.

 

Non-edible oils import dropped to 32,412 tonne during November-February period of 2023-24 oil year from 43,135 tonne in the corresponding period of the previous year.

 

India meets more than 50 per cent of its domestic requirements of edible oils through imports.

 

The country imports palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia. It imports soyabean oil from Argentina and Brazil.

 

'The decline of vegetable oil imports continued in February 2024. The availability of palm oil for edible oil requirements has come down as the main two producers Malaysia and Indonesia are diverting it for the production of biodiesel,' SEA said.

 

This might result in an increase in prices this year, it added.

 

'Palm oil output in Indonesia and Malaysia, which account for a bulk of global production is likely to either rise marginally in 2024 or decline from last year's level, as ageing plantations and lack of expansion cap output,' SEA said.

 

Import of soyabean oil from Argentina increased sharply in February 2024, while import from Brazil declined due to growing requirements of the domestic biofuel industry.

 

In Jammu, the Director of Agriculture inaugurated the first harvest of the Himsona tomato variety, marking an important moment for horticulture in the region. This new variety is anticipated to revolutionize tomato cultivation, offering a higher yield and better resistance to diseases. The Director emphasized the importance of such innovations in enhancing the socio-economic status of farmers, stating, 'This initiative will go a long way in doubling the farmers' income by 2022.'

 

The Himsona tomato, developed through meticulous research and breeding, is adapted to the climatic conditions of Jammu, ensuring robust growth and productivity. The inaugural harvest event was not just a showcase of agricultural advancement but also a platform for disseminating knowledge among farmers. Experts provided insights on modern farming techniques and the significance of adopting high-yield, disease-resistant varieties for sustainable agriculture.

 

With agriculture being a key economic driver in the region, the introduction of the Himsona tomato variety is expected to open new avenues for export, further integrating Jammu's agricultural products into global markets. This initiative underscores the region's commitment to agricultural innovation and its potential to contribute significantly to India's agrarian economy.

The Australian government has noted a rise in the sale of Indian breads, packaged foods & frozen processed foods in their local market after the implementation of the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), which was signed on 29th December 2022.

 

Among Australian products; avocados, almonds, paper, wood, seafood and lamb are being sold in India, apart from premium Australian wines, on which duty has been reduced from 150% earlier to cascading levels based on bottle's cost, under the existing ECTA. 

 

While India's unprecedented move to cut duties on Australian premium wine has increased market access for the product, Australia is cooperating with the Indian wine industry by assisting in technical know-how & collaboration.

 

John Southwell, Australia's Trade and Investment Commissioner responsible for Food & Beverages, agricultural & consumer products in South Asia, described the situation as a two-way street with more Australian premium wines on the tables of consumers along with growth of Indian wine industry.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18 after buying grocery using UPI in Delhi's INA market, he praised the ease in transactions enabled by the UPI as he bought products like oranges and avocados from Australia from the market in India's national capital. Terming sky as the limit for India-Australia trade after a great start in the form of ECTA, he pointed out that bilateral trade in agri-food products is up, along with complementary trade in areas like cereals, breads & packaged food products.

He stated that the India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) is under negotiation, and described India as a fantastic trade partner which Australia looks to collaborate more with while it diversifies its markets.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is requesting $7.2 billion as part of the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2025 proposed budget. This funding will allow the agency to enhance food safety and nutrition, advance medical product safety, help support supply chain resiliency, strengthen the agency’s public-health and mission-support capacity, and modernise the FDA’s infrastructure and facilities. The request includes an increase of $495 million—or 7.4 percent above the FY 2023 funding level. The FDA’s request reflects the agency’s top priorities in key areas of importance for human and animal health.

 

Robert M. Califf, commissioner, FDA, said, 'The FDA continues to protect the health and well-being of millions of people. This new funding request will help us build on our accomplishments and also modernise our agency and operations as we plan for the future. Our request for critical investments will help us address our most urgent priorities, strengthen our public health capacity, advance IT capabilities, and improve agency-wide infrastructure. The budget will also support the FDA’s ability to prepare for, build resilience to, and respond to shortages, support the implementation of expanded cosmetics regulation, and protect and promote a safe, nutritious US food supply.'

 

The FY 2025 request, which covers the period from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025, includes new efforts for high-priority program areas. Highlights of the agency’s request include:

 

Enhancing Food Safety and Nutrition

$15 million to protect and promote a safe, nutritious US food supply. Funds for the FDA’s human foods initiatives will modernise the FDA’s capacity to prevent or mitigate foodborne illness outbreaks by investing in necessary tools and processes to strengthen root-cause investigations. The budget request also supports the FDA in addressing the enormous public health burden of diet-related chronic diseases and the goals of the President’s National Strategy for Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

 

Shortages and Supply Chain  

$12.3 million to address supply-chain disruptions and support supply chain resiliency. Through an agency-wide crosscutting initiative, the FDA will advance its capabilities to help prepare for, build resilience to, and respond to shortages through improved analytics and regulatory approaches. Amongst other initiatives, the agency will hire additional investigators to fulfil inspectional needs associated with increased supply-chain disruptions and consequent human food and medical product shortages in recent years. The agency will also continue promoting manufacturing quality across the pharmaceutical industry and developing and implementing modernised systems to respond to shortages more quickly.  

 

Bolstering Modernisation Efforts and Mission Support

$114.8 million to support public health employee workforce. This funding will help the FDA cover estimated inflationary pay costs and cost-of-living adjustments to minimise reductions to hiring capabilities and maintain the agency’s highly qualified, specialised staff crucial to carrying out its public health mission.    

 

$8 million in additional funds to support the implementation of the Modernisation of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA). The FDA will use the funding increase to further develop a modernised cosmetics regulatory program and enhance the agency’s efforts to protect consumers and help ensure the safety of cosmetic products. Funds will be used for activities such as developing regulations and compliance policies; managing submission platforms associated with MoCRA provisions; reviewing MoCRA-required information submitted to the FDA for industry compliance; and hiring additional subject matter experts to manage critical projects, such as the assessments of the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in cosmetic products.  

 

$2 million increase to support agency modernisation activities. The targeted investments will be used by the FDA to improve the efficiency of its operations by centralising planning, implementation, and governance of high-priority business process improvement efforts. These include the continuation of the critical inspection platform implementation and expansion effort to implement common business processes and data optimisation across the agency. The budget also proposes new 2-year spending authority to support these critical investments.

 

$8.3 million to modernise data infrastructure to best support agency operations. Funds will allow the agency to continue building the FDA’s centralised enterprise data-modernisation capabilities and strengthen its common data infrastructure. The budget also proposes new 2-year spending authority to support these critical investments.  

 

$1 million to expand foreign offices and strengthen imported products oversight. Funding will support the expansion of the agency’s foreign-office footprint, expanding agency resources to facilitate timely inspections of foreign facilities in specific countries. Additional deployed personnel would also improve oversight of imported products.

Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal has exuded confidence that during this fiscal, the country's goods and services export numbe$will be at the same level; as it was last year despite slowdown and uncertainties in the global trade. He also said that the government measures such production-linked incentives schemes and focus on high-quality goods and services would help in containing the country's trade deficit.

 

So our trade deficit will be significantly lower than last year.

 

'I am happy to share with you that we close the current year in March at the same level as last year. We have a little bit of an adjustment between goods and services, but collectively we will be at the same level as last year, which will be a very, very significant achievement given that most developing countries and less developed countries are seeing a fall in their international trade,' Goyal told PTI in an interview.

 

In 2022-23, India's goods and services exports stood at $776 billion.

 

The war between Russia and Ukraine; Israel-Hamas is impacting global supply chains and the Red Sea crisis has led to significant increase in transportation costs and delay as Indian exporte$have to send their consignments through the Cape of Good Hope, encircling Africa.

 

The minister said that India saw a scorching pace of growth in its international trade in the yea$between 2021 and 2023.

 

'We grew by 55 per cent over a period of two years, both in goods and in services'. It went up to $776 billion in only two years. And with growth on both goods and services, we could clearly see that this year is going to be one where we will have to consolidate the gains,' he said.

 

When asked if the government is thinking of extending some kind of support measures to exports to deal with the crisis, he said the approach of being dependent on the government to resolve all the problems is something that now Indian industry also does not really desire.

 

'We have been able to change the thinking to bring the confidence in the Indian exporte$that we should stand on our own feet. We should not be dependent on the crutches of the government. And I'm glad to share with you that they do not want the crutches of support anymore.

 

'What we are doing is of course working through the military and the Navy to see that we can give protection to the ships traversing the Red Sea. We are also continuously in dialogue working with the countries in that region and with our own exporters, and very, very mindful and watchful of the situation,' he said.

 

When asked about the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the minister said it is 'very' relevant and will continue to increase in its relevance as the world needs a rules-based trading system, which is transparent.

 

'The understanding that is gradually creeping in that we will not allow ourselves to make the same mistakes that countries made in the rural ground, for example, in agriculture,' he said.

 

Certain quarte$of experts are of the view that the WTO is losing its relevance as the member countries are not able to reach consensus on key issues.

 

On March 1, the talks at the WTO's ministerial conference ended with no decision on key issues such as finding a permanent solution to public food stockpile and on curbing fisheries subsidies, but the membe$agreed to further extend the moratorium on imposing import duties on e-commerce trade for two more years.

Bengal has recently exported vegetables and fruits worth Rs 5,700 crore and Rs 5,500 crore respectively, said Subrata Gupta, additional chief secretary, food processing industries and horticulture. He was addressing the MCCI Food Processing and Horticulture Conclave recently held in the city.

 

Mr Gupta said India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables after China. In 2021-22, India produced about 205 million MT of vegetables and 107 million MT of fruits. Bengal ranks first or second in the production of vegetables and seventh or ninth in fruits, said Mr Gupta.

 

Subrata Gupta, recently highlighted Bengal’s significant contributions to India’s agriculture sector at the MCCI Food Processing and Horticulture Conclave. Gupta pointed out that Bengal has exported vegetables and fruits valued at Rs 57 billion and Rs 55 billion respectively. He emphasized India’s position as the world’s second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables, trailing only behind China, with annual productions reaching approximately 205 million tons of vegetables and 107 million tons of fruits during the 2021-22 period. Bengal, according to Gupta, is a leading state in vegetable production and also ranks prominently in fruit production within India.

 

Gupta addressed the substantial opportunities for investment in the sectors of harvesting, storage, transport, and processing, while also lamenting the loss of one-sixth of production due to the absence of adequate technology. He identified key challenges for entrepreneurs in the food processing sector, including poor CIBIL scores, lack of balance sheets, and insufficient experience. Gupta also noted that only a quarter of Bengal’s cultivated land is dedicated to food crops, with the remainder utilized for animal husbandry.