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13 Jan, 2023 News Image Guyana offers 200 acres of land to India for production of millets for private sector.

Guyana president Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Thursday offered 200 acres of land in Guyana to India for cultivation and production of millets for private sector after UN declared 2023 as the International Year of Millet (IYOM). The Guyanese president made the offer in a meeting with agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar. 'During the meeting, he asked the Indian minister to send a team of experts to set up millets farm in Guyana and promised all help in production and promotion of millets in the Caribbean and Latin American countries,' said the Agriculture Ministry said. Irfaan Ali also requested for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence at the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in February 2023 to present India’s vision on agriculture and food security. 'A virtual address by PM Modi to 17 heads of states will go a long way in promoting and popularizing millets in the Carribean community,' he said. He also extended an invitation to the union agriculture minister to visit Guyana and deliver a lecture on agriculture and millets as chief guest in CARICOM Agri forum scheduled in August, 2023. Tomar said that the International Year of Millets 2023 will provide an opportunity to increase global production, efficient processing and better use of crop rotation. 'It will promote millet as a major component of the food basket.' The minister added that UN declared 2023 as IYOM on the initiative of PM Modi. 'The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is working in mission mode to increase millet production and consumption in collaboration with other central ministries, all state governments and other stakeholder organizations.' He said that millets provide an alternative food system in times of increasing demand for vegetarian foods as it contributes to a balanced diet as well as a safe environment and described them as the gifts of nature to mankind. 'Asia and Africa are the major production and consumption centers of millet crops, particularly India, Niger, Sudan and Nigeria are the major producer of millet and it his earnest desire to see that Millets should take pride of place in every eating plate in the globe.' Millets were the first crops to be cultivated in Asia and Africa, later spreading as an important food source for advanced civilizations around the world.


 Source:  livemint.com
13 Jan, 2023 News Image Govt will take appropriate decision in March-April on lifting wheat export ban: DGFT chief.
Director General of Foreign Trade Santosh Kumar Sarangi on Thursday said the government will take an appropriate decision on the demand to lift the ban on wheat exports at the time of crop harvest around March-April. Before this decision, a review will be done of the gap between the demand and supply of wheat in the country, he said.
 
The head of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) was in Indore to participate in the Global Investors Summit 'Invest Madhya Pradesh' organised by the MP government.
 
India banned wheat exports in May 2022 with immediate effect as part of measures to control rising domestic prices.
 
Asked about the demand for lifting the ban, Sarangi told PTI, 'The wheat crop is harvested in the country generally in March-April. Around that period, the government will take an appropriate decision on this subject.'
 
'At the time when it will be felt that there is an equilibrium in the demand and supply of wheat, arrangements will be made to allow the export of this food grain,' he said on the sidelines of the investors summit.
 
Sarangi also said special attention should be paid to promote exports from Madhya Pradesh in the area of textile production as there is a huge availability of cotton as the raw material for this industry in the state.
 
He also said along with wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables and spices, there is a scope of increasing the export of organic and non-organic chemicals and engineering products from the state.
 
To a question, Sarangi said the government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme is currently being run for 14 sectors and could be expanded to some more areas.

 Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
13 Jan, 2023 News Image Bangladesh drags its feet to sign contracts with India co-op agencies to import 2 lt rice.
Bangladesh is hesitating to sign contracts with Indian co-operative agencies NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar (National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India Ltd) to import two lakh tonnes of parboiled rice under government-to-government (G2G) deals following criticism that is paying more. 
 
Dhaka is dragging its feet as it is being criticised for offering $35/tonne more to these cooperative agencies than what private traders offered in a 50,000 tonnes global import tender. 
 
Bangladesh placed a letter of intent (LOI) to purchase one lakh tonnes each of parboiled rice from NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar on December 21, 2022, at $433.60 and $433.50 a tonne, respectively. 
 
Utilising opportunity
In addition, it floated two global tenders to procure 50,000 tonnes each as part of its efforts to procure 3 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice for the public distribution system.  
 
India’s Bagadiya Brothers was the lowest bidder in the first tender opened on December 21, offering the cereal at $393.90/tonne. Singapore’s AgroCorp International offered the most competitive rate in the second tender opened on December 27 at $397.03.
 
The LOI was placed after accepting the Indian cooperatives’ offer. The Indian agencies were to furnish bank guarantees but as it got delayed by six days, Bangladesh has utilised the opportunity to probably renegotiate by refusing to accept them, trade sources, who did not want to be identified, said.
 
'It was a minor clerical error that delayed the bank guarantee. If it wanted, Bangladesh could have accepted the guarantee,' said a trader. 
 
Dhaka’s need
Bangladesh media reports said the Sheikh Hasina Wajed government’s Food Ministry and the Cabinet committee that decides on public procurement have cleared the imports.
 
Trade sources said Bangladesh had to pay more since it required the rice from the current crop within two months. 'Had it given more time and opted for an older crop, it could have got the rice at a cheaper rate,' an official said on condition of anonymity.
 
Traders say the additional amount that Bangladesh is paying is justified since it is looking for a guarantee in delivery. 'You cannot be sure of delivery of such huge quantity from private traders, who are bidding aggressively by settling for a lower margin,' the trader said. 
 
An email sent to Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Food did not get any response until this report was published. 
 
India most competitive
Rice exporters say Indian rice is the most competitive in view of this aggressive bidding. A South-based exporter told businessline that in 2021 some exporters settled for a margin as low as $1 a tonne.
 
Traders wonder where can Bangladesh find parboiled rice more competitively in the global market. 'Bangladesh officials had gone to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia scouting for supplies in November. They returned empty-handed. India stepped up to help despite being overlooked,' they said.
 
Currently, private traders in India are quoting 5 per cent broken parboiled rice at $380 a tonne free-on-board (f.o.b). Thailand, the main competitor, is offering the rice at $517 f.o.b and Pakistan, whose stock positions are not clear, is quoting $453-57 f.o.b.
 
Traders say India’s kharif rice production scenario is still unclear, though procurement for the central pool is higher than last year. In these circumstances, Bangladesh’s best bet would be to buy from these cooperative agencies under the G2G deal as supply will be guaranteed even if India resorts to any sudden export curb.
 
'Officials in Dhaka have to remember how India banned wheat exports all of a sudden. Rice exports are also restricted,' the trader pointed out. 
 
A senior trader said India, which currently enjoys a 40 per cent of the global rice market, will be calling the shots in two years. 

 Source:  thehindubusinessline.com
13 Jan, 2023 News Image Trade Policy Forum has resulted into a smoother, friendly and trusted business environment for both India and USA: Shri Piyush Goyal.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal today said the India US Trade Policy Forum has resulted into a smoother, friendly and trusted business environment for businesses from both sides to expand their trade and investment. He was briefing the media after the conclusion of 13th Ministerial Trade Policy Forum (TPF) dialogue at Washington DC.
 
Shri Goyal said TPF, which was relaunched in a new form in November 2021, has become a very robust and outcome oriented platform to have free and frank discussion on a plethora of issues of mutual interest. Informing about the 13th Ministerial TPF dialogue, Shri Goyal said that issues related to resolving WTO disputes, restarting of exports of wild caught shrimps, speeding up of business visas, resilient supply chains, data flow and addressing climate change were discussed.
 
Shri Goyal said both countries had a robust discussion on finding bilateral solutions to outstanding WTO disputes between them. He hoped for a satisfactory outcome in the next few months over these issues.
 
Explaining the background on exports of wild caught shrimps from India to the US, Shri Goyal said exports were banned by the US due to concerns around turtles in the areas where shrimps were being fished. He said that fruitful discussions took place between both for restarting wild caught shrimps exports from India to the USA. He informed that turtle excluder device which will minimise impact of fishing on sea turtle population has been designed with support from the US. He said exports will be restarted post the successful completion of trials of these devices. 
 
He said India has requested USA to expedite the issuance of business visas to facilitate faster movement of business persons across both sides.
 
Another important focus issue was the discussion around strengthening resilient global supply chains. Shri Goyal said both the countries are keen to have an effective and trusted supply chain between them in several areas including telemedicine services.
 
He further informed that discussions took place on environmental issues around sustainable finance to promote innovative clean technology, circular economy, technology required to address climate change.
 
He informed that both nations have shared interest to have greater flow of data between two countries and are continuing engagement on data protection and privacy.
 
He said a data protection and privacy bill which has been put for public consultation by MEITY is an effort by the Indian Government to align the needs of  the industry while also maintaining a high standard of data protection and privacy.
 
Minister also announced that a new TPF working group on resilient trade has been created. This new working group will enable both sides to deepen our dialogue on a range of issues which will help us enhance our resilient supply chains and also help us create sustainable bilateral trade relationships to meet challenges of tomorrow.
 
Briefing about his meeting with his US counterpart Secretary Gina Raimondo, Minister said he had a positive dialogue and Secretary will visit India in March with high power delegation of CEOs. He said CEO forums on both sides are putting in lots of effort to come up with a robust framework to help expand trade business and manufacturing.
 
He said several other aspects regarding India’s efforts to become self-sufficient in areas like semiconductor, defence production, strengthening laws around quality standards, were discussed.
 
He also informed India will be hosting the next round of talks on IPEF in February in New Delhi.
 
Speaking about his engagements with CEOs of US companies during his course of visit, the Minister said they are looking at India as a trusted partner to diversify their dependence on the geographies,  to expand their own manufacturing set-ups. US Companies have ambitious plans and are looking to invest large capital and bring technology to India.
 
Responding to a question on progress regarding GSP, Shri Goyal said India has requested US to restore GSP. Having said that, he also mentioned that withdrawal of GSP has not been detrimental to  growing trade ties.
 
When asked about Mini trade deals, Shri Goyal said both the countries are looking at bilaterally much larger footprints for trade and investments rather than  mini trade deals. Focus is on greater market access, ease of doing business between two countries. 
 
Speaking about IPEF, he said India stands with USA in its commitment to free and open indo pacific.
 
He said the focus at the level of Ministerial meetings TPF is to set context and principles on which further engagements/negotiations can take  place at official level. We have moved out of 1:1 ratio based outcomes and are now looking at bigger substantive outcomes. He informed that progress is being made on specific issues like mangoes issues on agriculture, animal husbandry, FSSAI. 
 
Shri Goyal said the G20 presidency is  a great opportunity for India, which is today the voice of the global south, a voice of the less developed countries, to bring balance in the G20 discussion on areas of world interest. He said for example in the area of environment, while it’s a collective responsibility of all the countries, its important that developed countries also recognize that developing countries will need affirmative actions such as low cost finance, technology support.  He further said G20 priorities in India have been widely welcomed and USA has committed to give full support to India’s efforts to make the G20 truly a vibrant body in which we can discuss issues around sustainability, climate change, poverty alleviation, SDGs. He said G20 presidency is going to be an exciting opportunity for India to provide leadership to many challenges that the world is facing. On G20 engagements in India, he said it will be held in over 56 locations across length and breadth of the country, in every state every UTs. New Initiatives like startup 20 under B20 engagement will also be launched.

 Source:  pib.gov.in
13 Jan, 2023 News Image Roundtable of Secretary, FPI with industry associations/business chambers/IPAs/Trade agencies on the activities related to Mega Food Event 2023.
Secretary, FPI, Smt Anita Praveen chaired a roundtable interaction with international industry associations / business chambers / trade agencies on the activities related to Mega Food Event 2023 on Thursday, 12th January 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan Annexe, New Delhi. This was the fourth session in the series of roundtable interactions that are being held with key stakeholders such as major agri-food companies, resident commissioners of States and UTs, Central Ministries and Departments, and other relevant stakeholders. The roundtable witnessed participation from representatives of 13 countries.
 
During the keynote address, Secretary, FPI informed the participants that the Mega Food Event will be organized between 03rd to 05th November 2023 in New Delhi. She encouraged the participants to share their inputs and expectations from the Mega Food Event which will provide opportunities for all stakeholders from farm to fork such as processors, equipment manufacturers, technology providers, start-up innovators, etc.

 Source:  pib.gov.in
13 Jan, 2023 News Image 1 MT tur dal imports likely as output dips.
India is likely to import a million tonnes of tur dal (pigeon peas) in the marketing year 2023-24 to meet the domestic demand as production in the country is expected to drop due to wilt disease, said Rohit Kumar Singh, secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs.
 
'We will be importing 10 lakh tonnes of tur dal against last year's 7.6 lakh tonnes to meet the domestic demand,' said Singh.
 
The marketing year for tur is from December to November.
 
Tur is mainly imported from east African nations and Myanmar. These countries have an export surplus of 1.1-1.2 million tonnes, so availability is not an issue, according to Singh.
 
'The disease, wilt, has been seen in certain areas in Karnataka and Maharashtra and could affect production by 10-12%,' said Suresh Agrawal, president, All India Dal Mill Association.
 
The government is also set to relax some quality norms of the Food Safety Standards Authority of India levied on imported pulses to speed up the process of quality checks at the port. 'This will help the commodity reach the market faster,' said Singh.
 
The Centre had earlier extended the import of tur and urad pulses under the 'free' category for another year, till March 31, 2024, according to a notification by the Department of Commerce.
 
The decision has been taken to ensure seamless import of these pulses and palm oil to augment the domestic availability and ensure affordable rates for consumers.

 Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
13 Jan, 2023 News Image India's wheat output may set new record of over 112 lakh tonnes in 2022-23: Govt officials.
The country's wheat production is likely to set a new record of more than 112 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), according to official sources. Wheat production had declined to 106.84 million tonnes due to heat wave in key growing states in 2021-22 crop year, as per the agriculture ministry data.
 
In 2020-21, the country had achieved record wheat output of 109.59 million tonnes.
 
'The crop prospect of wheat crop is better due to current weather conditions and slightly higher acreage. The total production is estimated to be more than 112 million tonnes this year,' sources said.
 
Sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, had begun from October onwards, while harvesting will start from March/ April.
 
According to the latest data, farmers have sown wheat in 332.16 lakh ha till January 6 of the current rabi season of the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), against 329.88 lakh ha during the same period last year.
 
Higher coverage was reported from Rajasthan (2.52 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (1.69 lakh ha), Maharashtra (1.20 lakh ha), Gujarat (0.70 lakh ha), Chhattisgarh (0.63 lakh ha), Bihar (0.44 lakh ha), West Bengal (0.10 lakh ha), Jammu & Kashmir (0.06 lakh ha) and Assam (0.03 lakh ha), according to the data.
 

 Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
13 Jan, 2023 News Image FSSAI releases comprehensive standards for identification of basmati rice.
Food regulator FSSAI for the first time has come out with comprehensive standards for the identification of basmati rice as part of efforts to ensure fair trade practices and check adulteration. Basmati rice should have a natural fragrance characteristics of basmati rice and there should be no artificial colouring, polishing agents and artificial fragrances.
 
These standards, which have been notified, will be effective from August this year.
 
'For the first time in the country, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has specified the identity standards for basmati rice...,' the Health Ministry said in a statement.
 
Basmati rice includes brown basmati rice, milled basmati rice, parboiled brown basmati rice and milled parboiled basmati rice.
 
The FSSAI has come out with these standards through Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) First Amendment Regulations, 2023 notified in the Gazette of India.
 
'As per these standards, basmati rice shall possess natural fragrance characteristics of basmati rice and be free from artificial colouring, polishing agents and artificial fragrances,' the statement said.
 
These standards also specify various identity and quality parameters for basmati rice such as average size of grains and their elongation ratio after cooking.
 
These norms also state maximum limits of moisture, amylose content, uric acid, defective/damaged grains and incidental presence of other non-basmati rice etc.
 
'The standards are aimed at establishing fair practices in the trade of basmati rice and protect consumer interest, both domestically and globally,' the ministry said.
 
These standards will be enforced with effect from 1st August 2023.
 
Basmati rice is a premium variety of rice cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of the Indian sub-continent and is universally known for its long grain size, fluffy texture and unique inherent aroma and flavour, the ministry highlighted.
 
Agro-climatic conditions of the specific geographical areas where basmati rice is grown; as well as the method of harvesting, processing and ageing of the rice contributes to the uniqueness of basmati rice.
 
Due to its unique quality attributes, basmati is a widely consumed variety of rice both domestically and globally.
 
India accounts for two thirds of its global supply, the statement said.
 
Being a premium quality rice and fetching a price higher than the non-basmati varieties, the ministry said that the basmati rice is prone to various types of adulteration for economic gains which may include, among others, undeclared blending of other non-basmati varieties of rice.
 
'Therefore, in order to ensure supply of standardised genuine basmati rice in domestic and export markets, FSSAI has notified regulatory standards for basmati rice that have been framed through extensive consultations with the concerned government departments / agencies and other stakeholders as well.'

 Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
13 Jan, 2023 News Image India and United States to increase dialogue on food, agricultural trade in 2023.
India and the United States have established a new working group to build sustainable supply chains and boost bilateral trade, the governments said in a joint statement on Thursday.
 
The working group will initially focus on trade facilitation, digitization of customs procedures, issues related to sustainable finance and the scaling up of innovative clean technologies, according to the statement issued after a Trade Policy Forum meeting in Washington D.C.
 
At a meeting co-chaired by India's trade minister, Piyush Goyal, and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, the countries also agreed to continue close monitoring of visa issues and increase dialogue on food and agricultural trade issues in 2023.
 
The United States will also consider India's interest in the restoration of beneficiary status under the U.S. generalized system of preferences program, the statement added.
 
The Trade Policy Forum, revived in 2021 after a gap for four years, will reconvene on a ministerial level before end of 2023.
 
The two countries said they mean to continue to work together on resolving outstanding trade issues.
 
'Waiting for all-or-nothing comprehensive agreements will only slow our shared goal of achieving a $500 billion trade relationship,' the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's U.S.-India Business Council, Atul Keshap, said in a statement.
 
Goyal also said the two countries are looking at larger bilateral footprints for trade and investments than mini deals, with a focus on greater market access and ease of doing business.
 
U.S. companies are also looking to invest more in India, he added.
 
'U.S. companies have ambitious plans and are looking to invest large capital and bring technology to India,' Goyal said in a statement released on Thursday.

 Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
13 Jan, 2023 News Image Washington lawmakers seek removal of tariffs on American apples imported to India.
The lawmakers from the US State of Washington have urged the Biden administration to help remove or reduce the tariffs on American apples imported to India as the country's fruit industry has incurred significant losses due to New Delhi's retaliatory measures. In a letter to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, all members of the House of Representatives from Washington State and other two senators said the tree fruit industry suffered losses due to India's retaliation to US tariffs.
 
On average, 30 per cent of the apples, cherries, and pears produced in the Pacific Northwest are exported and India was once a strong market. With retaliatory tariffs in place, Washington state apple growers have continuously lost market share in India, the lawmakers said.
 
Prior to the implementation of these tariffs, India was our number two export market, valued at USD 120 million annually, they said.
 
Last season, growers exported fruits barely worth USD 3 million.
 
As growers have watched hard-earned market share and sales evaporate, their competitors in other countries have gained more of the market share, they said.
 
The lawmakers in their letter dated January 10, urged Tai and Raimondo to raise the issue with visiting Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The India-US Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meeting was held on January 11.
 
'The damage inflicted by the retaliatory tariffs on tree fruit growers, their employees, and communities is clear and a solution is long overdue. On behalf of the many stakeholders throughout our region, we appreciate your attention to this matter,' the letter said.
 
'Following the TPF, we request that you meet with members of the Pacific Northwest tree fruit industry to discuss the next steps to remove the retaliatory tariffs,' it said.
 
According to the lawmakers, continued export losses coincide with the ongoing cost-of-production increases that are forcing multi-generational family farms out of business.
 
The 'Red Delicious' variety accounts for nearly all the exports to India. Families operating legacy 'Red Delicious' orchards, many of whom may not have the financial capacity to modernise their orchards, are disproportionately affected by the tariffs, the lawmakers wrote.
 
This year the 'Red Delicious' crop is the lowest since 1968. Corporate, out-of-state, entities are acquiring and consolidating larger operations, while smaller farms simply go out of business, they said.

 Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com