India on Tuesday strongly conveyed to the WTO members that the focus of talks on agricultural issues should not be narrowed down to the trade interests of agri-exporting countries only.

 

During the WTO negotiation session on agriculture here, India also said that without a permanent solution on the public stockholding issue, the most critical and long- pending mandated issue at the WTO (World Trade Organisation), developing countries' fight against hunger cannot be won.

 

'In this session, India made a strong and compelling argument to finalize the permanent solution to Public Stockholding (PSH) and deliver this outcome at MC13, as this has been pending for 11 years,' the commerce ministry said.

India and Oman are close to concluding talks on a trade deal that will allow easier access of goods and services into each other’s markets, officials familiar with the matter said, further cementing the South Asian nation’s presence in the Gulf region.

 

The two sides have reached consensus on a majority of the issues in the comprehensive economic partnership agreement and the talks are likely to conclude soon, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. A deal could be finalized as early as March, one of the people said.

 

Although a small economy, Oman is crucial to India given its location in the region. Oman sits alongside the Strait of Hormuz, an important oil transit chokepoint through which most of Asia’s crude oil moves. Oman also has the fifth-largest population of Indians working overseas.

 

New Delhi wants lower tariffs on exports to Oman ranging from rice and pharmaceuticals to petroleum and steel products, the people said. It’s also negotiating with Oman to ease access for Indian professionals such as doctors, nurses, engineers and other workers.

 

Oman wants better access for goods such as downstream petroleum products, fertilizer and iron and steel products among others, the people said.

 

A spokesperson for India’s trade ministry didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for further information. Omani government officials couldn’t be reached for comment.

 

The two sides started talks on the trade pact just three months ago, and their haste in completing the deal shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s determination in building stronger links with the Middle East. India has already signed a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates and is in talks with the Gulf Cooperation Countries on a trade deal.

 

Oman is India’s third-largest trade partner among the GCC nations. Two-way trade stood at $12.38 billion in 2022-23, according to India’s trade ministry.

 

Sultan Haitham bin Tarik became the first Omani ruler to visit India in over two decades in December. After the trip, Oman allotted New Delhi an exclusive zone at the strategically-located Dqum port for its commercial cargo and to dock warships.

 

Modi’s government has expedited trade talks with several major trading partners recently, including the UK, European Union and the European Free Trade Association, which comprises Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

 

The Washington state apple industry faced a significant setback when India imposed a 20% tariff in retaliation to US tariffs on steel and aluminum. This move effectively closed off what was the second-largest market for Washington apples in 2018, where the state contributed 53% of India's apple imports, plummeting to a mere 1% after the tariff imposition.

 

However, the landscape shifted dramatically on September 6, with the removal of these tariffs, sparking a resurgence in apple exports from Washington to India. 'On that day, shipments to India started in great value and volume. So far, we've shipped 1.3 million cartons of apples to India,' Todd Fryhover, President of the Washington Apple Commission, revealed. The lifting of tariffs is not just a win for apple exports but also heralds significant economic benefits.

 

'Apple exports in 2022 were valued at more than $250 million, and now, with India's apple tariffs lifted, that number will only grow,' Kristin Ang, NWSA Co-Chair and Port of Tacoma Commission President, stated, underscoring the optimistic outlook for Washington's apple industry.

 

Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) announced that the 16th edition of Culinary Art India (CAI) is scheduled to take place alongside the 38th Edition of AAHAR International Fair from 7th March to 11th March 2024 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. This prestigious event is brought to you by ICF and organized by ITPO (India Trade Promotion Organisation) and Hospitality First. With technical guidance from ICF, the event promises to be a platform of culinary innovation and excellence.

 

With the addition of new competition categories featuring a total of 18 categories, Culinary Art India 2024 is set to attract over 500 national-level participants, featuring senior and apprentice chefs from across India competing on an internationally modelled stage. The primary objective of CAI is to provide a professional platform where culinary professionals can showcase their individual and collective skills, creativity, and expertise, while also fostering learning, sharing experiences, partnerships, and networking in a competitive environment.

 

Speaking about the event, Davinder Kumar, President, ICF, said, 'We are proud to present the expanded lineup of competition categories for Culinary Art India 2024. This event is not just a competition but a celebration of culinary artistry and skill. In today’s world where new technologies have accelerated the way we live, communicate & eat, Culinary Art India provides a platform to demonstrate culinary skills and adapt to evolving trends in the hospitality industry.'

 

Vivek Saggar, General Secretary, ICF, said, 'Indian Culinary Forum’s mission is to encourage and inspire junior chefs through training and competition, to raise the culinary standards in India, and to serve as a platform to leverage the development of Indian culture and cuisine on a global scale. ICF’s dedication to fostering excellence in the culinary profession is evident in events like Culinary Art India, where chefs can learn, compete, and inspire each other. We look forward to witnessing the creativity and talent of all participants as they compete on this prestigious stage.'

 

Featuring a total of 18 categories, the competition will encompass a diverse range of culinary skills and expertise, including 3-Tier Wedding Cake, Artistic Pastry Showpiece, Artistic Bakery Showpiece, Fruit & Vegetable Carving, Plated Appetizers, Petit Fours or Pralines, Three Course Set Dinner Menu, Desserts, Authentic Indian Regional Cuisine, Contemporary Sushi Platter, Live Cooking Competition – 2 Course, 45 Minutes, One Dish – RICE, Enthusiastic Hobby Cooks, Egg Benedict, Chocolate Mania, Cake Decorating – Dress the Cake, Mocktails Competition, and Live Sandwich Making Competition.

 

The culinary challenge will be judged by WACS-certified jury members from India and abroad. Gautam Sethi, Cluster Chef, Accor group of hotels, Phuket, Thailand is the chairperson of this year’s jury.

Despite existing export restrictions, India will send 110,000 tonne of rice to three African nations–Guinea-Bissau, Djibouti, and Tanzania–on humanitarian grounds,  two senior officials aware of the development told Mint.

 

India had imposed ban on the export of certain rice varieties, including a curb on broken rice in September 2022 and on non-basmati white rice in July 2023, to ensure the country’s food security and control domestic prices. 

 

Since the ban, the Indian government has been supplying rice to its diplomatic partner countries and needy nations on a case-by-case basis.

 

'While Guinea-Bissau and Djibouti will get 50,000 tonnes of broken rice each, Tanzania will be sent about 30,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice,' one of the officials said. The decision has been taken following a recommendation from the external affairs ministry.

 

'The export will be done through National Cooperative Exports Ltd, a government export body that was set up under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002 to export agriculture produce and allied items,' the official added.

 

The government had earlier approved exports of limited quantities of non-basmati white rice and broken rice to a dozen Asian and African nations, including Nepal, Malaysia, the Philippines, Bhutan, Mauritius, Singapore and the UAE in humanitarian efforts.

 

Several African nations are heavily dependent on rice imports from India. Togo imported a substantial 88% of its rice from India last year. Benin, the largest global importer of Indian broken rice, procured 61%, while almost half of Senegal's imports of the grain originated from India. 

 

Before the export restrictions in 2021, three African countries – Benin, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire –  were among the top 10 markets for Indian rice. 

 

In response to domestic inflationary pressures, India halted non-basmati white rice exports in July, followed by the introduction of a minimum sale price for basmati rice and then a 20% tariff on parboiled rice. The ban on broken rice exports in September of the previous year hurt African countries that rely on India to meet domestic demand because of India’s competitive price offerings.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, pledged to curb inflation as he readies for the upcoming general elections. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also encouraged India to lift its rice export bans due to their global inflationary impact.

 

However, the Indian government said these measures were necessary to ensure adequate domestic supply and reduce local prices.

 

While India's food inflation moderated, rice is the only product in the cereal basket that continued to weigh on the consumer price index. 

 

In January, food inflation, comprising nearly half of the overall consumer price basket, was 8.30%, down from 9.53% in December 2023. However, rice inflation was 13% in January against 12.3% in December and 10.4% in January 2023, according to economists.

 

Queries sent to the consumer affairs, food and public distribution department and Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau and Djibouti embassies in New Delhi remained unanswered at press time.

 

Experts suggest India should consider a policy mix instead of an outright ban on rice that can disrupt the global market as well as hurt India’s position in global trade.

 

The export ban led to turmoil in the global rice market and hurt India’s competitiveness in the world market that was built over the decades, Ashok Gulati, professor at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, said, adding this is not in line with the spirit of G20 proposals.

Indonesia has allocated an additional quota of 1.6 million metric tons of rice for import for this year on top of 2 million tons previously approved, an official said on Monday, anticipating lower domestic output in the January-March harvest.

 

The trade ministry is working to issue the import permits for the additional allocation, ministry official Arif Sulistiyo said during a weekly government meeting streamed live.

 

Indonesia imported 3.06 million tons of the grain in 2023, close to a record.

 

Southeast Asia's biggest economy is expected to produce 32 million tons of rice this year, up from 30.9 million tons in 2023, but production in the early months is expected to be disrupted by the impact of last year's drought.

 

January-March rice output is expected to be 2.82 million tons lower compared to the same month last year, Arif said.

 

Meanwhile, at retail level, rice has sold with prices above the government-set cap due to concerns of supply.

Gujarat tops the country in production and processing of isabgol (psyllium husk from the species Plantago ovata), locally known as ‘ghodajiru’. Figures from the state agriculture department show that the acreage sown with isabgol has been increasing over the years and in 2024 reached the highest level in a decade.

In the last decade, isabgol acreage was the highest in the financial year ended March 2018, when it reached 25,127 hectares.

 

Agriculture department officials said the prices of isabgol this year have ranged from a high of Rs 17,000 to a low of Rs 15,500 per quintal. In the last six years, prices have increased by 121%.

The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard at Unjha is the biggest one in India for isabgol trading. Dinesh Patel, the chairman of the Unjha APMC, said, 'The prices of isabgol are high. Its use as a laxative and even in the confectionery industry are also increasing. Farmers are thus being drawn towards its cultivation. Gujarat accounts for 90% of the country’s isabgol processing and its production has doubled in the state in the last five years,' he said.

 

The secretary of the APMC, whose name is also Dinesh Patel, said, 'Last year the prices hovered around Rs 15,000 a quintal and thus more and more farmers are choosing to grow it. This crop also has a lower risk of damage compared to cumin, the other important cash crop in this region. Grazing animals also stay away from fields sown with isabgol.'

The secretary said Gujarat and the Unjha area have about 30 isabgol processing units.

A multinational conglomerate is the biggest buyer of the product here. He said over 85% of the crop produced in the state goes to the US, Germany, Italy, the UK and other countries.

According to agriculture department officials, isabgol production has increased from 6,817 metric tonnes in 2018-19 to 12,952 metric tonnes in 2022-23.

The area under cultivation has increased from 6,754 hectares in 2019 to 31,204 hectares in 2024.

Kutch district accounts for 36% of the state’s isabgol production, followed by Banaskantha at 23%, Patan (16%), Ahmedabad and Surendranagar (11% each). These five districts account for 97% of the state’s isabgol cultivation.

Officials said that according to the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, the value of India’s exports of isabgol grew by 37% to $261.44 million in 2020-21. This further rose to $300 million in the 2022-23 financial year.

Isabgol is used in ayurveda, unani and modern medicine systems. Its seeds are said to have cooling properties and the ability to alleviate inflammation of the mucous membranes of the digestive and urogenital systems.

Beyond its medicinal role, isabgol can also be used in dyeing, textile printing, the ice-cream industry, confectionery and cosmetics. De-husked isabgol seeds are about 17% to 19% protein, making them suitable for animal feed.

Import of yellow peas is allowed after registration under the import monitoring system with immediate effect for all consignments where bill of lading (shipped on board) is issued on or before April 30, according to a commerce ministry notification. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said the import is permitted without the MIP (Minimum Import Price) and port restriction conditions.

 

However, the imports are subjected 'to registration under the import monitoring system, with immediate effect for all import consignments where bill of lading (shipped on board) is issued on or before April 30, 2024,' the DGFT notification said.

 

During April-December this fiscal, the import of yellow peas stood at USD 5.43 million. It was USD 0.14 million in 2022-23.

Wheat production may exceed the targetted 114 million tonnes (mt) this year on good weather and higher acreage of climate resilient varieties, said G P Singh, director of Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR).

 

Speaking to businessline on the sidelines of the ICAR conference of vice-chancellors of central and State agriculture universities, Singh said: 'Wheat crop in India as of now is in excellent conditions. There is no disease, the area has marginally increased from last year and the progress of crop is very well. If everything goes well (for another month), we can easily touch the target, and might even cross that.'

 

The government has set production target at 114 mt after wheat output in 2022-23 reached a record 110.55 mt.

 

Singh said though there is no cause of worry till now, uncertainty remains as temperature fluctuation is a constant. There are two causes for concern that need to be watched out for in the remaining days till harvest starts – western disturbance and temperature.

 

As western disturbance causes thunderstorm and unseasonal heavy rainfall, potentially resulting in water lodging in the fields, many experts see it as a damaging factor for wheat. High temperature in third and fourth week of March is also seen by experts as a negative factor for wheat yield.

 

Singh, however, said because of the deployment of climate-resilient varieties in over 80 per cent of the area, he is confident of crossing all such challenges in reaching the target.

 

Wheat acreage this year ended at 341.57 lakh hectares (lh) compared with 339.20 lh in 2022-23. Uttar Pradesh, the largest producer of wheat, has reported the highest acreage of over 102.40 lh, up by 5 per cent, and it has helped offset lower coverage in Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The acreage in Bihar, Punjab and Haryana is almost at par with last year, but 80,000 hectares higher in Madhya Pradesh.

 

Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday, predicted a Western Disturbance to affect western Himalayan region from February 29 and adjoining plains during March 1-4 with peak intensity on March 1-2. High moisture feeding from the Arabian Sea to north-west India is also likely during March 1-2, IMD said in the evening bulletin.

 

'Under its influence, fairly widespread to widespread light/moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning are very likely over the western Himalayan region during March 1–3. Scattered to fairly widespread light/moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and isolated to scattered light/moderate rainfall over Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan on March 1-2,' it said.

 

Isolated heavy rainfall/snowfall has also been predicted over the Western Himalayan Region on March 1-2, while IMD says hailstorm activity may be at isolated places over Uttarakhand on March 1. Hailstorm at isolated places over south Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha region and south Chhattisgarh has been forecast for Monday and Tuesday.

Austria, an export-oriented economy, is increasingly targeting South Asia and SE Asia with India topping the list to export its products including machinery, chemical and pharmaceutical products, automobile related items, said Martin Kocher Austrian Minister for Labour and Economy.

 

'Austria is focusing on South Asian and SE Asian markets in a big way since the Russian market has been closed following the war. India is of special interest to Austria given its complementarities in the field of economy. Austria also serves as the gateway to the German speaking markets of Europe,' Martin Kocher Austrian Minister for Labour and Economy told ET during his weeklong visit to India for the Raisina Dialogue.

 

According to Kocher, there are excellent business opportunities in industrial modernisation, automotive, transport infrastructure, energy and smart city (urban & environmental technologies).

 

During Kocher’s visit, India-Austria Startup Bridge was launched in the backdrop of growing Startup ecosystems in the two countries.

 

The Austrian startup ecosystem, known for its innovation and dynamic spirit. With a strong emphasis on research and development, Austria has cultivated a fertile ground for startups to thrive, particularly in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, and information technology.

 

Vienna, Graz, and Linz are among the key cities driving this ecosystem, boasting vibrant startup communities, incubators, accelerators, and co-working spaces.

 

'As Austria continues to nurture its startup ecosystem the partnership between the Austrian startup ecosystem and India is poised to create significant opportunities for collaboration and mutual growth in the years to come,' Kocher pointed out.

 

The Minister pointed out that Austria is also becoming an attractive destination for the Indian Film industry to shoot their movies as good incentives are being provided.

 

Austria, one of the richest countries in the European Union, is an important link for India in its relationship with Europe, especially with countries of central and Eastern Europe. India-Austria economic and commercial cooperation constitutes an important dimension of the bilateral relationship. In 2022, the bilateral trade is USD 2.84 billion with an increase of 14.97 % over the 2021 levels, according to the MEA factsheet.

 

Many Austrian companies in India are active in smart transportation and signalling systems, hydro-electric power plants, tunnelling, parts for steel plants, robotics, water purification/desalination