The government on Thursday estimated the country's production of food grains to be about 154.19 million tonnes during the kharif season and 155.12 million tonnes in the rabi season in 2023-24.

 

As per the second advance estimate of major agricultural crops released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, kharif rice output is estimated at 111.46 million tonnes. For the rabi season, the estimate is 12.36 million tonnes.

 

Production of wheat is projected to be 112.02 million tonnes.

 

The estimate for millet grain (Shree Anna) production is 12.89 million tonnes during the kharif season and 2.49 million tonnes during the rabi period.

 

The estimate for tur is 3.34 million tonnes, slightly more than last year's production of 3.31 million tonnes.

 

Gram projection is estimated at 12.16 million tonnes, which is marginally lower than the previous year.

 

Lentil output is estimated to be 1.64 million tonnes, compared with 1.56 million the previous year.

 

Production of soybean is projected at 12.56 million tonnes, while that of rapeseed and mustard is estimated at 12.70 million tonnes.

 

The advance estimate projects cotton output to be 32.31 million bales (of 170 Kg each) and sugarcane production to be 446.43 million tonnes.

The meeting of the highest decision making body of the WTO on Friday entered the fifth day with key members including India, the US and EU holding talks to iron out differences on issues such as agriculture, fisheries subsidies, and duty moratorium on e-commerce trade.

 

The 13h ministerial conference (MC), which was to end on February 29, extended for a day as developing and developed nations were unable to find a common ground on these key issues.

 

The members are talking to end the impasse and so far things have not moved much, an official said.

 

'There are nine countries in the Green Room meeting including Brazil and China. The negotiations have been extended as WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is pushing for outcomes,' the official said.

 

However, officials here are not sounding positive so far about bridging the differences and coming out with a ministerial declaration, which is a must for the success of the conference.

 

India has clearly stated that finding a permanent solution to the public stockholding of grains for food security purposes should be the top priority before taking up any new issues in the agriculture sector.

 

There are major differences among rich nations also on issues related to market access for agri commodities. There are seven agri matters which include export restrictions.

 

An official said talks are going on among the member nations on all the issues and India is clearly stating that it will not compromise the interests of farmers and fishermen.

 

New Delhi is pressing for a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding of grains for food security programmes and has asked developed countries engaged in distant water fishing to stop providing any kind of subsidies for 25 years.

 

India is also pressing for an end to the moratorium on imposing customs duties on e-commerce trade.

 

India and South Africa have blocked a proposal led by China on investment facilitation stating that the agenda is out of the WTO mandate.

 

India has also asked for the restoration of the appellate body of the WTO's dispute settlement system. The US has been blocking the appointments of judges in the body since 2019, due to which the system is not working smoothly.

 

New Delhi is pitching for finding a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding (PSH) for its food security programmes.

 

PSH programme is a policy tool under which the government procures crops like rice and wheat from farmers at a minimum support price (MSP) and stores and distributes foodgrains to the poor.

 

As part of a permanent solution, India has asked for measures like amendments in the formula to calculate the food subsidy cap.

 

Further, the talks on non-trade issues such as trade inclusiveness, women's participation in trade, industrial policy and environment, in the draft Abu Dhabi package also remained unresolved so far.

 

However, the ministerial has managed to get at least five outcomes such as new disciplines on domestic regulation for services, formal joining of Comoros and Timor-Leste as members of the WTO, and least developing countries continuing to get the benefits of LDC even three years after graduation.

 

Besides, India is also pushing for the adoption of open and interoperable payment systems with a view to cut the cost of money transfers or remittances as the dominance of a few large players in the market contributes to these high costs through complex and opaque fee structures.

 

According to an expert, the challenge of high remittance costs, averaging 6.18 per cent globally, are well above the United Nation's target of 3 per cent.

 

MC is the highest decision-making body of the 166-member Geneva-based multilateral body. As many as 22 more nations have shown interest to join the organisation.

 

At the meeting of the Heads of Delegation on 28 February, DG Okonjo-Iweala has called on members to go the extra mile to find convergence on various negotiations at the ministerial gathering and to be mindful that time is running out to conclude meaningful agreements.

India’s nutraceutical industry with current market size of $4 billion is growing rapidly beyond everyone’s expectations, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Kamala Vardhana Rao said on Thursday. Addressing an event organised by industry body Assocham, Rao said, '…the nutraceutical industry is not just growing but flourishing at a rapid rate, surpassing all expectations.' The focus on nutritional and food security has intensified due to rise in demand and supply, he said, adding that the regulatory role becomes paramount to ensure safety and efficacy of products amid tinkering in the genetics of foodgrains like wheat and rice.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Advisor in the Ayush Ministry Manoj Nesari said both neutraceuticals and ayurveda sectors are growing rapidly amid heightened regulatory focus, innovative breakthroughs and a symbiotic relationship between the two sectors. He said the Harmonized System (HS) Codes for export of these products, though smaller in digit, are being implemented.

 

The Harmonized System is a standardised numerical method of classifying traded products. Assocham National Wellness Council Co-Chair and Aroma Magic Chairperson Blossom Kochhar, Zeon Lifesciences Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Garg, SHEFEXIL Chairman Lal Hingorani and Tech Sci Research Vice President Alwin Samuel were also present at the event.

Watan-Jordanian media reported that Qatar has banned the import of fresh leafy vegetables from Jordan, except 'upon fulfilling specific conditions and precautionary measures.'

 

This came according to a decision conveyed by the Qatari Ministry of Health to concerned parties in Jordan, as reported by the local news website 'Ammon.' The decision sparked controversy among activists on social media and prompted an official clarification.

 

The website obtained documents indicating that shipments must be accompanied by a conformity certificate issued by one of the companies accredited by the Qatari Ministry of Health as a third party for pre-inspection in Jordan. This is a precautionary measure to ensure compliance with pesticide residue limits.

 

According to the documents, the Qatari decision also includes all chilled or frozen seafood such as fish, shrimp, squid, and cuttlefish coming from India.

 

The Qatari Ministry of Health’s decision, as reported by Jordanian media, has not been published by the Qatari ministry on its official website or its social media accounts, nor has any Qatari media, official or private, referred to it so far.

 

After the news was also published by Jordanian media, there has been no official Qatari comment on this matter, neither from the Ministry of Health nor the Qatari government in general, at the time of writing these lines.

 

Official Clarification: The decision does not imply a ban and is a routine annual procedure

The decision does not mean a ban; it’s a routine annual measure After the stir caused by this news, the spokesperson for the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture, Lawrence al-Majali, issued a statement clarifying the matter.

 

He pointed out that the requirement for pesticide residue limits on Qatari imports of Jordanian leafy crops 'is not a ban on the entry of leafy vegetables but rather a routine and annual precautionary measure.'

 

He further stated, as reported by 'Ammon,' that the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture is concerned with meeting the requirements of importing countries in terms of Jordanian products complying with specifications and technical regulations.

 

Jordanian Official Reveas the Extent of Jordanian Losses from the Qatar Blockade

Jordanian official reveals the extent of Jordanian losses from the blockade of Qatar Al-Majali also noted that the ministry, as part of a national agriculture strategy, is working on a national plan to reduce pesticide residues in all Jordanian vegetable and fruit products for the local market and for export markets.

 

Jordanian agriculture also works on the necessary procedures to facilitate agricultural exports and improve their quality, according to al-Majali, who confirmed that Qatari health requirements regarding conformity certificates are a procedure adopted by Jordan for its imports. He added, 'It also works to achieve this for Jordanian exports to other markets such as European and Gulf markets.'

 

According to the media spokesperson for the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture, the measure taken by the Qatari authorities is a precautionary measure taken annually by them and is reviewed for the control of agricultural pesticides with imports of plant products to ensure their quality.

 

It seems that this controversy arose across social media due to events in Gaza and the ongoing war, coinciding with popular protests in Jordan rejecting the entry of vegetables and goods to the occupying entity through Jordan.

India and South Africa have filed a formal objection against an investment agreement at a World Trade Organization meeting in Abu Dhabi, blocking its adoption, a document showed and delegates confirmed on Wednesday.

 

The Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement, agreed by some 125 countries or about three-quarters of the WTO's members, aims to simplify red tape, improve the investment environment and encourage foreign direct investment.

 

But according to WTO rules, any one of its 164 members can block a deal from being adopted by the body - a step which is necessary to ensure that countries are in compliance.

 

'We underscore that given the lack of exclusive consensus, this is not a matter for the...(meeting) agenda,' the document said. The Indian and South African delegations did not immediately comment publicly on the development.

 

Negotiations to set new global trade rules on a broad range of topics are due to wrap up on Thursday, although delegates said that little progress has so far been made, barring the formal accession of two new members to the body: East Timor and Comoros. A paragraph on climate change is confined to an annex of the draft package of deals since members cannot agree.

 

'It's hard to tell if we are going to land something or if we are sleepwalking into failure,' said one trade delegate.

India may overtake Asian country like China - which currently stands the highest in food export, manufacturing, and bioprocessing.

 

The Vice Chancellor of DY Patil International University, Prof Prabhat Ranjan, predicted that India will excel and hopefully overtake Asian country like China - which currently stands the highest in food export, manufacturing, and bioprocessing - in the forthcoming decades and emerge as a global epicentre. He said this while addressing the inaugural session of a national conference on ‘current trends in the food and bioprocessing sector’, which was held here during 23-24 February.

 

The event served as a platform for academic discourse and exchange, bringing together esteemed professionals, scholars, and students from across the nation. The Director of the School of Bioengineering and the Co-convenor for the conference, Prof Shashi Singh welcomed the attendees to the university and the city and expressed hope for the awaiting discussions to be fruitful for all attendees.

 

In her keynote address, Dr Malathy Venkatesan, a senior chief scientist at Tata Chemicals innovation centre in Pune, reminisced the days when she taught at the Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology (addressed by her as UDCT - the former name of the institution) and acknowledged the university’s role in fuelling her interest in science. Her talk canvased a comparison between the consumption of alternative sugars and common sugars. It shed light on the differential metabolism of different sugars, debunked the myth of artificial sweeteners being related to better health objectively, and explained the hormonal influence over hunger, among other subjects.

 

Sruthi Sadanandan, the chief product strategist and founder at Altruistic Innovations and an industry expert at the conference, discussed alternative protein spaces and the burgeoning field of cultivated meat. In her talk, she elucidated the abundant scopes and job opportunities available in the domain in addition to highlighting the currently faced challenges and technological advancements in the area. Sandanandan’s talk was followed by a paper and poster presentation session.

 

Prof Smita Lele, a former emeritus professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) in Mumbai inspired the audience with her discourse on ‘holistic’ research and the encouragement to investigate upon the observance of odd results with the belief that a breakthrough may be waiting to be realised underneath the observation.

 

The final talk for the day was delivered by the Founder & Director of Food Monk Consultants LLP in Pune, Bhagyashri Chavan. Her presentation delved into entrepreneurial opportunities in the food processing industry, the nuances of starting a food product manufacturing business, and consumers’ predilection towards healthier and minimally processed food.

 

The conference provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the latest developments and opportunities in the food sector, setting the stage for further exploration and collaboration in these fields.

 

The second day of the conference commenced with a talk from the chief guest and keynote speaker for the day, Dr Chiranjit Chowdhury who is a senior scientist from National Chemical Laboratory. He spoke about bacterial microcompartments and their employment as versatile and sustainable armours for enzymes against adverse conditions while they are used in bioprocessing techniques.

 

Dr Rahul Bhambure, a senior scientist at the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune spoke on continuous downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies. He convincingly established during his talk how continuous radial chromatography is superior to continuous axial chromatography and the wondrous increment in process productivity observed by wielding continuous radial chromatography.

 

Dr Jyoti Sagar Gokhale, an assistant professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, spoke about integrated bioprocessing of fruit waste to produce value-added products. She discussed the products that she and her group concocted like bio-vanillin, chocolate-flavoured powder from jackfruit seeds, and several equally interesting creations and their respective manufacturing processes.

 

An industry expert, Dr Anbarasu Karthikaichamy, who is the associate director of R&D at Zero Cow Factory, located in Gujarat, spoke about synthetic biology and precision fermentation and delineated the many upsides and the need to adopt precision fermentation in the dairy industry for a sustainable future and to produce milk healthier than naturally drawn milk.

 

Dr Balakumaran - a scientist at the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) in Kerala, discussed the contemporary biotechnology industry’s expectations, opportunities in the industry and the knowledge gap potentially employable students are faced with. The talk spanned from a comprehensive strategy to search for relevant jobs and the nuances of the varied career choices to success stories of organisations that bridged the gap between graduates and industry essentials. The talk was followed by a games segment where attendees enthusiastically partook in the games ‘what’s in the box’ and ‘guess the food item with emoticons.’

The  Indian food authority has asked the  Commissioners of Food Safety of States and Directors of Regional Offices, to monitor the pendency of licensing applications under their jurisdiction through FoSCoS Dashboard and instruct the concerned licensing authorities to strictly adhere to the timelines as prescribed under clause 2.1.4 of Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, and orders issued by FSSAI from time to time.

 

In an advisory, FSSAI has urged all Designated Officers that 'No pre-licence inspections shall be conducted in cases other than mentioned in the Order for Risk Based Inspection.

 

'In the case where Designated Officer believes that it is necessary to conduct inspection in non-mandatory categories, he/she shall record the reason in writing with clear justification,' reads the advisory issued by the FSSAI.

 

The food regulator added that, once an application is marked for inspection in non-mandatory categories, inspection

should be done within 15 days.

 

And, in case, inspection is not conducted within 15 days, DO should recall the application back to Document Scrutiny Stage in FoSCoS and grant the licence.

 

Further, in case, where DO still believes that inspection is necessary to be conducted prior to grant of licence, he/she can reassign the inspection to another FSO or to himself/herself for immediately conducting the inspection without any further delay.

 

The FSSAI had earlier issued directions for Risk Based Inspections in May 2022 wherein pre-licence inspections have been mandated for the categories of Manufacturer/Processor including Milk & Milk Products, Meat & Meat Products, Fish & Fish Products, Fortified Rice Kernels (FRKs) and Slaughter Houses.

 

In remaining categories of food business, it was already prescribed that no pre-licensing inspection is required

and licence may be granted based on the submission of mandatory documents for licence.

 

According to FSSAI, it has come to notice that Designated Officers are frequently marking licensing applications for pre-licensing inspection in non-mandatory cases which is delaying the processing of applications and grant of licence.

 

In some applications, it was observed that inspection is not initiated even after 15 days of marking of inspection.

Exports of poultry products such as eggs and egg products, which crossed the Rs.1,000 crore mark in the first nine months, are set to scale to hit a new record of Rs.1,200 crore to Rs.1,400 crore in the current financial year 2023-24 on strong demand from countries such as Oman and Sri Lanka among others.

 

India’s poultry exports had touched a high of Rs.1,081 crore ($134.04 million) during 2022-23, doubling over the previous year’s Rs.529.8 crore ($71 million) on rising demand for eggs and egg products among others. In the first nine months of the current fiscal, the poultry exports stood at Rs.1,074 crore ($134.02 million).

 

Shipment volumes till end of December stood at 8.56 lakh tonnes over previous financial year’s 6.64 lakh tonnes.

 

Exports of eggs to Sri Lanka have witnessed more than a 100 fold increase in value terms in the first nine months with the neighbouring nation emerging as the second largest buyer of Indian poultry products. Value of poultry products exported to Sri Lanka stood at Rs.117.19 crore till December end in the current fiscal as compared to Rs.98 lakh during 2022-23. In volume terms, the shipments to Sri Lanka stood at 1.69 lakh tonnes till December end in current fiscal over previous year’s 1,416 tonnes.

 

Exports to Oman, the largest buyer of Indian poultry products stood at Rs.293.90 crore in the current fiscal till December as compared to Rs.277 crore in 2022-23. Other countries that saw an increase in poultry shipments till end-December include Japan at Rs.82.91 crore (Rs.57.77 crore in 2022-23) and Qatar at Rs.63.38 crore (Rs.51.60 crore) among others.

 

Valsan Parameswaran, Secretary, All India Poultry Exporters Association, said robust demand from countries such as Sri Lanka and Oman among others is driving the exports. 'We expect the overall exports this year to be between Rs.1,200 crore to Rs.1,400 crore,' Parameswaran said.

 

Besides robust demand, the growing quality awareness among the farmers and the trade is also contributing to the growing trend, Parameswaran said, while stressing upon the need for creating additional infrastructure such as a dedicated quality laboratory in the main producing region of Namakkal in Tamil Nadu.

 

Mahesh P S, Joint Commissioner and Director, Centre of Excellence for Animal Husbandary, Bengaluru, said going forward, the poultry exports will increase both in chicken meat and eggs.

 

'The focus on quality poultry products at competitive prices will increase the pie. New states joining the bandwagon of South India’s poultry hub are West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Punjab etc. India being driven by primary choice in the global arena in this millennium, finds partners for poultry too and next year’s target may be Rs.2,000 crore,' Mahesh said.

 

Parameswaran said the Indian exporters are also witnessing demand from African countries, but transportation and realisations were an issue. Also there is a rare opportunity from Russia that’s likely to open up for the Indian products, he said.

 

Indian poultry exports, which stood at Rs.768 crore ($117.42 million) in 2015-16 had subsequently touched a six year low of Rs.435 crore ($58.70 million) during 2020-21 only to rebound in the past three years.

The Indian government has pegged its wheat procurement target for the 2024-25 rabi marketing season at 35 million tonnes (mt),s going by its experience over the past two year. The conservative target, lower than any normal year, is despite the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare hoping for a record wheat production, sources said.

 

However, a government official, who was present at the meeting, said the total estimated procuerement as tod by the States was 36.7 mt. The Centre, however, may prune this taking a more realistic approach, he said.

 

In the 2023-24 season, the government procured about 26.2 mt of wheat out of the targetted 34.15 mt and in 2022-23 only 18.8 mt was bought for the Central Pool against the target of 44.4 mt. The Food Ministry said the lower procurement was due to a dip in production. While traders and processors said the government’s production estimates were on the higher side, the Agriculture Ministry stuck to its output assessment even as prices in domestic market ruled high throughout 2023-24 despite ban on export.

 

States lacking confidence

However, the Food Ministry was unable to dispute the production estimates and commenced releasing wheat from official reserves starting June 28. Thus far, approximately 9.5 mt have been sold in the open market to maintain price stability.

 

State officials, barring those from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, weren’t as confident about reaching the normal procurement levels seen three years ago when the government bought a record 43.34 mt. Nonetheless, they are optimistic about surpassing last year’s levels, according to sources.

 

Punjab, which had procured the highest among all States at 12.12 mt last year, may procure 13 mt this year, while Uttar Pradesh has told the Centre that it could contribute 6 mt, even higher than the record 5.64 mt achieved in 2021-22. Last year, UP could procure only 2.20 lakh tonnes of wheat.

 

In Madhya Pradesh, the Centre is hopeful of buying about 8 mt in 2024-25, against 7.1 mt in 2023-24, though the State had contributed 12.94 mt in 2002-21 to become a topper pipping Punjab. The Government did not release the wheat procurement target after the meeting of State Food secretaries.

 

Output may top 111 mt

Though the Agriculture Ministry is yet to release its official production estimates of wheat for this year, it is learnt that it could be about 111 million tonnes, against record 110.55 mt in 2022-23 crop year (July-June).

 

Meanwhile, Himanshu Pathak, Director-General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said at the annual general meeting of the top research body that the country’s wheat output may exceed the targetted 114 mt this year on good weather and coverage of 85 per cent area with climate-resilient varieties.

 

E-auction price at 12-week high

However, even as the Government is optimistic about record output, wheat prices in the weekly e-auction of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) reached above the minimum support price (MSP) level on Wednesday and also hit the highest in last 12 weeks.

 

According to Food Ministry data, FCI sold 4.65 lakh tonnes of wheat out of 5 lakh tonnes offered an an average Rs.2,279.45/quintal — up from Rs.2,237.15 in the previous week also from MSP of Rs.2,275 . The previous high was on December 6, 2023, when the average selling price in the auction was Rs.2,301/quintal.

 

Indian onion will start to arrive in Bangladesh in the first week of March. India will send the onion to Bangladesh under a bilateral agreement. A total of 50,000 tonnes of onions will be imported under the agreement.

 

Commerce ministry sources confirmed the matter.

 

Onions are being sold at high prices in the country's market for a long time. Every year during the month of Ramadan the demand for onions becomes higher than any other time.

 

The market stakeholders fear that the price of onion will increase further in the upcoming Ramadan. In this situation, the government wants to import 50,000 tons of onions from India before the month of fasting to keep the market supply and prices normal.

 

Earlier, India permitted the export of 50,000 tonnes of onions to Bangladesh ahead of Ramadan, relaxing the vegetable's export ban.