The government is going to procure 1 lakh tonnes of non-basmati rice to bolster the supply chain of the country’s main staple food against the backdrop of high inflation.

 

Two suppliers — one each from India and Singapore —have been selected by the food ministry through international tenders for supplying the amount of rice equally – 50,000 tonnes from per supplier – at a total estimated cost of Tk 423 crore, said the food ministry officials.

 

They said that the food ministry had submitted proposals to the cabinet committee on government purchases in the past week seeking approval to give import order to the suppliers.

 

The cabinet committee chaired by finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal is likely to review the food ministry proposals in a meeting today. 

 

The food ministry selected Indian company Bagadiya Brothers Private Limited as it quoted lowest $393.19 for per tonne in an international tender participated by a total of four suppliers.

 

In another international tender, Singapore-based Agrocrop International Private Limited quoted lowest $397.03 for per tonne rice among three bidders to be selected by the food ministry.

 

The rice procurement is a part of the government initiative to collect 30 lakh tonnes of rice for the current financial year ending in July this year.

 

Of the overall collection target, one third will be imported while the rest from local rice growers.

 

According to the ministry officials, they have already struck deals on the government-to-government basis to import 7.3 lakh tonnes of rice.

 

They said that the rest of the amount would be imported through competitive bidding. Bangladesh’s rice import stood at 9.87 lakh tonnes in FY22.

 

Rice from the Indian company would cost Tk 42.07 per kilogramme and Tk 210 crore would be required for the total consignment while that from Singapore Tk 42.68 per kg and Tk 213 crore for the total consignment, said the food ministry officials.

 

One kilogramme coarse variety of rice was selling at Tk 46 to Tk 52, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh’s daily update on retail market prices of essentials on Tuesday.

 

Despite claims by the government that the country has surplus amount of rice, the prices of the staple had been increasing unusually since 2020 pushing fixed-income people into difficulties.

 

Volatilities in price of rice and other essentials kept the inflation close to double digits over the past six months.

 

Against the backdrop of unusual hike in rice prices, the government slashed the rice import duty but prices continued to rise.

 

On Saturday, the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute revealed a study report blaming millers and big corporations for destabilisation of the rice market.

 

‘Millers make a profit of at least Tk 8 to Tk 14 on the sale of per kilogramme of rice,’ said BRRI director general Md Shahjahan Kabir while sharing the study findings in Gazipur.

 

On June 1, 2022, food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder blamed Square Group, Pran Group, City Group, Akij Group, Bashundhara Group and ACI Group for the price hike of rice during the harvesting period.

Public-private partnership in port infrastructure has been an important source of investment in the sector and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has a pipeline of 44 projects for total investment of Rs 22,900 crore till 2024-25, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Tuesday.

 

Moreover, the government is working on the guidelines for dealing with stressed public-private partnership (PPP) projects at major ports and has also come up with policies to support the shipbuilding industry in India, Sonowal said.

 

'The Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways is working on two fronts to encourage private sector participation... On the project front the ministry has a pipeline of 44 projects for a total investment of Rs 22,900 crore till 2024-25,' he told PTI.

 

On the policy front, the ministry is working on the Guidelines for dealing with stressed PPP projects at major ports, Sonowal said.

 

The Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister further said that under the National Monetization Pipeline (NMP), MoPSW has accorded approval to 22 projects worth Rs 12,222 crore. Out of the 22 projects, seven projects worth Rs 5,278 crore have already been awarded on PPP mode, rest projects are in various stages of bidding, he added.

 

According to him, the ministry is also working on the Captive Policy and Migration Policy (to new MCA and Tariff regime) to improve the ease of doing business and provide a conducive environment for private sector investments in the port sector.

 

Sonowal said under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, MoPSW has identified 101 projects worth Rs 56,831 crore for implementation by 2024. 'Out of these, 13 projects worth Rs 4,423 crore have been completed,' he said, adding that 9 projects worth Rs 716 crore are expected to be completed by March 2023.

 

The Ports, Shipping and Waterways ministry has identified 9 High Impact Projects (HIP) and these have been uploaded in the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) portal and are being monitored at the Cabinet Secretariat level. Three HIP projects are already completed, he added.

 

Sonowal further said, apart from completing port modernisation and port connectivity projects, the ministry is expediting various projects under the Sagarmala programme related to RoRo/Ropax and passenger jetty facilities, and fishing harbor projects to improve the connectivity and livelihood of people living in coastal areas.

 

He said National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal is being developed as one of its kind projects to display India's rich and diverse maritime heritage and the project is currently under implementation and all efforts are being undertaken to complete the first phase of this project by the end of 2023.

 

Sonowal said 191 port connectivity projects have been identified after coordination with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and railways ministries under Sagarmala which are in various stages of implementation and development.

 

Replying to a question on demand for restoration of subsidy for moving goods through Inland waterways in the NorthEast region, Sonowal said the earlier scheme of subsidy for moving goods through Inland waterways in the NorthEast region, was launched by Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) which was closed on March 31, 2022.

 

'However, in order to promote this mode of transport and to meet first mile, last mile and multiple handling of cargo issues while transporting through IWT mode, MoPSW will take up the matter for restoration of the scheme with MoCI for promoting the movement of goods through Inland waterways in the NorthEast region,' he said.

The country’s corn imports in market year 2022-2023 could reach 1 million metric tons (MMT) on the back of the extension of lower tariffs on the commodity and anticipated easing of global prices.

 

In its latest projections, the United States Department of Agriculture – Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila (USDA-FAS) estimated that corn imports in the current market year would be two-thirds over the previous market year’s 600,000 MT.

 

The Philippines’s current market year for corn is from July 2022 to June 2023.

 

'FAS Manila estimates MY 2022/23 corn imports at 1 million, up by 300,000 MT from USDA Official because of the extension of lower tariffs through 2023, as well as competitive Asean corn price quotes,' the USDA-FAS Manila said in its Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report.

 

The international agency noted that Indonesia has 'expressed interest' in exporting corn to the Philippines due to low domestic demand in the former.

 

'Estimated Indonesian corn exports to the Philippines for the current marketing year are from 200,000 MT to 250,000 MT,' the USDA-FAS Manila said.

 

The Office of the Press Secretary earlier announced that the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. would extend the lower tariff rates on pork, corn, rice, and coal until the end of the year to ease accelerating inflation.

 

The USDA-FAS Manila pointed out that applications for corn imports through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) have more than doubled to 627,871 MT from 298,831 MT.

 

Meanwhile, approved sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for corn imports rose by 83 percent to 367 from 201 during the July to September period, the USDA-FAS Manila added.

 

'This is attributed to the passage of Executive Order No. 171, Series of 2022, which feed millers have taken advantage of,' it said. Executive Order 171 ordered the reduction of corn tariffs.

 

The USDA-FAS Manila estimated that total corn feed consumption of the Philippines would reach 6.9 MMT, 100,000 MT higher than the previous market year because of the extension of lower tariffs and anticipated competitive future price quotes.

 

'Corn is still the preferred feed ingredient, especially for broilers and layers when available,' it added.

 

In terms of production, the country’s corn output would fall to 7.9 MMT from 8.344 MMT due to lower fertilizer applications because of higher prices of the planting input, according to the USDA-FAS Manila.

 

'While farm-gate prices have become attractive for corn farmers, this was tempered by the high production costs [of which fertilizer is a major factor]. As with rice, FAS Manila believes that there is a reduction in corn production [as opposed to Philippine government data],' it said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday issued an executive order (EO) extending the temporary modification of import duty rates on various agricultural products.

 

Through EO 10, Marcos extends until Dec. 31, 2023 the tariff rates for pork (fresh, chilled, or frozen) at 15% (in-quota) and 25% (out-quota); corn at 5% (in-quota) and 15% (out-quota); and rice at 35% (in-quota and out-quota). 

 

Meanwhile, coal imports will continue to be duty-free, but will be subject to a semestral review after Dec. 31 this year.

 

According to the EO, there is a need to extend the effectivity of the reduced tariff rates on pork products, corn, rice, and coal to maintain affordable prices and guarantee a steady supply of these commodities.

 

'The current global economic situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other factors affecting the country’s traditional sources of rice, corn, coal, and fresh, chilled, or frozen meat of swine, cause uncertainty in the steady supply of said commodities,' the EO read.

 

The mandate also cited supply constraints and a rise in global commodity prices due to high inflation.

 

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) earlier endorsed the extension of EO 171, which former President Rodrigo Duterte signed with the intention of stabilizing the impact of inflationary pressures caused by the Ukraine-Russia crisis, boost supply sources, and lower major commodity prices.

Indian Diaspora or Himachali Pravasi Global Assocation (HPGA) Canada has decided to promote Himachal Pradesh's 'one district one product' drive this was conveyed to Sanjay Kumar Verma India High commissioner to Canada on Saturday, in a press release issued here today copy of which also shared with UNI HPVA.

 

The step has been taken as new year resolution to promote Himachali Handloom, Kangra Tea, Morel and Himachal Tourism in Canada under ODOP drive of Himachal Pradesh. Mr. Sanjay Kumar Verma assured his high office HCI support and guidance for upcoming projects of the association such as ODOP, GI linkage and other ways to promote Himachal and its culture in Canada. HPGA members discussed the HPGA's vision and mission with HCI and made him aware about the projects which HPGA is doing along with it's associated counterparts (Himachali Diaspora) across the globe from 18 countries (USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Netherland, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE,Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, India, Australia and New Zealand.

The Centre ministries, State governments and Indian embassies have been allocated a focused month in 2023 to carry out various activities for the promotion of International Year of Millets

 

The government on January 1 announced it has lined up a series of millet-centric promotional activities across the country as the International Year of Millets (IYM) kicks in, while noting that millets are also integral part of the G-20 meetings.

 

The Centre ministries, State governments and Indian embassies have been allocated a focused month in 2023 to carry out various activities for the promotion of IYM and increase awareness about benefits of millets, the nodal agriculture ministry said in a statement.

 

January is the focused month for the Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs as well as State governments of Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan for conducting activities, it said.

 

The Ministry also urged international organisations, academia, hotel industry, media, Indian Diaspora, start-up communities, civil society, and all others in the millets value-chain to come forward and join hands to revive the forgotten glory of 'Miracle Millets' through the grand celebration of IYM.

 

Millets are also an integral part of the G-20 meetings and delegates will be given a true millet experience through tasting, meeting farmers and interactive sessions with start-ups and FPOs, it added.

 

Till January 15, the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry has planned 15 activities which include engaging sports persons, nutritionists and fitness experts through video messages, conducting webinars on millets with leading nutritionists, dieticians and elite athletes, promotion amplification through Fit India App, etc.

 

The Food Processing Industries ministry too will be organizing millet fair-cum-exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, while food safety regulator FSSAI will organize 'Eat Right Melas' in Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

 

Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan will carry out specific activities for sensitization and promotion of IYM.

 

The States will be conducting millet-centric activities including mahotsava/ melas and food festivals, training of farmers, awareness campaigns, workshops/ seminars, placement of hoardings and distribution of promotional material at various key locations in the state, etc.

 

Other States that are organising similar activities in the month of January include Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Punjab, the statement said.

 

In the current month, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Agriculture Ministry will be participating in a trade show in Belgium wherein a multi-stakeholder delegation will showcase the diversity of Indian millets.

 

Moreover, Embassies of India across more than 140 countries will be conducting side events on IYM involving the Indian Diaspora through exhibition, seminars, talks, panel discussions, etc.

 

In January, the Indian embassy in Azerbaijan and Belarus will be conducting activities such as B2B meetings with the participation of local chambers, food bloggers, importers of food items and local restaurants etc.

 

Cooked millets dish exhibitions/ contests will be organized with the help of Indian diaspora and millet dishes will be served as part of the Republic Day celebrations.

 

The High Commission of India in Abuja and Consulate General of India in Lagos, as part of promotion of IYM, have planned a Millets Food Festival and a Millets Food preparation competition in January.

 

The Millets Food Festival would be held at the High Commission premises and provide stalls for preparation with invitees including both Nigerian dignitaries and Indian community.

 

The agriculture Ministry has taken a proactive multi-stakeholder engagement approach to achieve the aim of IYM 2023 and taking Indian millets globally.

 

On December 6, 2022, U.N. body Food and Agriculture Organization had organized an opening ceremony for the IYM at Rome, Italy. The government hosted a special 'Millet Luncheon' for Members of Parliament in the Parliament complex.

 

Recognising the enormous potential of Millets, which also aligns with several U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), India has prioritized millets. In April 2018, millets were rebranded as “Nutri Cereals”, followed by the year 2018 being declared as the National Year of Millets.

 

The U.N.'s declaration as IYM 2023 has been instrumental for India to be at the forefront in celebrating the millet year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also shared his vision to make IYM 2023 a "people's movement" alongside positioning India as the "Global hub of millets".

 

The global millets market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.5% between 2021-2026.

 

Millets' were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization. Being grown in more than 130 countries at present, millets are considered traditional food for more than half a billion people across Asia and Africa.

 

In India, millets are primarily a kharif crop, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples. Millets are important by virtue of its mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers' income and ensure food and nutritional security all over the world.

Many dramatic paradigms of foreign policies of different countries have witnessed the collapse of the USSR and the end of Cold War. India has been one of the front runners of inducing its long pending reforms, specifically in foreign policy. India has announced its Look East Policy (LEP) in 1991 by the then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. Undoubtedly, India’s LEP remains the most effective foreign policy during the post-Cold War period. It involves intensive and continuous engagement with Southeast Asian countries in the field of connectivity, trade, culture, defence and people-to-people-contact at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels, in the first phase. It has been extended geographically up to Japan and New Zealand which includes East Asia and South Pacific as its second phase. The Narendra Modi government has upgraded the LEP as Act East Policy (AEP) in November 2014 which reflects the intension of intensifying India’s engagement in the region by its ‘action’ instead of ‘looking’. Of course, India has completed all the formalities (ASEAN Sectoral Partner, 1992; Dialogue Partner,1996; Summit Level Partner, 2002; and Strategic Partner, 2012) to emerge as one of the major players of the region.

 

General understanding is that Myanmar stands as the Gateway of India to Southeast Asia in terms of geographical merits but Vietnam has been incipient of the India’s Gateway and caters the needs of geopolitical, security, trade, culture, energy, defence, etc., of mutual interests. As Modi attributed during his visit to Vietnam in 2014, Vietnam had been in the frontrunner of India’s engagement in the region. Both the countries committed to share common concerns of security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and maintaining rules-based order, specifically in the Indo-Pacific region. On the lines of common understanding and mutual interests, India and Vietnam entered into a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ during the landmark visit of Modi to Vietnam in September 2016.

 

Prime Minister Modi asserted on different occasions that Vietnam is an important pillar of India’s Act East Policy and is an important partner in India’s Indo-Pacific vision. Indo-Pacific region emerges as one of the strategic engagements of India and Vietnam, since China factor has been common in Indian Ocean and South China Sea. Vietnam, as the Chair of ASEAN, made tremendous efforts to bring out ‘ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific’, on the other side, India has launched its ‘Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative’ complementing each other. These two significant initiatives have prominently underlined the ‘China Factor’ as a common agenda. The former Vietnamese envoy to India Mr. Pham Sanh Chau has emphasized that Vietnam has been a staunch supporter of India’s Act East Policy and serves as a bridge between India and ASEAN, helping India extend its reach beyond the Indian Ocean.

 

The China factor will always be the focal point during any discourse on India-Vietnam partnership. Vietnam enjoys the advantages and encounters the challenges being a neighbouring country to China. It may be difficult to separate Vietnam from China in the spheres of culture, diaspora and economy over centuries. On the other flip, Vietnam waged a war with China and facing many maritime issues in South China Sea. Desires of a common man from Vietnam completely differs from the reality at ground level. Vietnamese want to invite India as an alternative to China but not any country from the west. Surprisingly, they are looking at India with great ray of hope for the future. Unfortunately, for many domestic challenges, India may not be the immediate solution for Vietnamese expectations.

 

In fact, India’s inner ambitions are also on the lines of emerging as an active player in Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam. But the current scenario has not been a conducive atmosphere for both the countries. There are many negative factors which may either delay or stop such process of finding alternatives. Firstly, the economic dependency of Vietnam on China, as per the world bank data of 2020, China has emerged as the major trade partner with 17 per cent of exports and 32 per cent imports of Vietnam, whereas India accounts only 1.72 per cent of imports and 1.86 per cent of exports of Vietnam’s total imports and exports; secondly, the impact of Chinese diaspora dominates the Indian diaspora; and thirdly, Vietnam has the established links with China and trying to convert the established friendship of India into an expected partnership. Therefore, it may be difficult for India and Vietnam for an immediate alternative to China in Vietnam.

 

Any strategy to strengthen the India-Vietnam partnership reminds the role of China. Naturally, the impact of China over Vietnam’s economy and society can’t be ignored which may hinder the relations between India and Vietnam. Therefore, these two countries primarily concentrate to find alternatives to avoid dependency on China..

 

IMPACT OF ACT EAST POLICY

 

Vietnam-India relations have seen steady expansions over the past years, especially since the two countries upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016. India-Vietnam bilateral efforts have brought many more interesting and effective results since 2014 in different spheres of mutual interests. Bilateral trade has crossed US$ 14.0 billion for the first time as against the trade in 2013-14 was only US$ 8.0. Tourism sector has registered tremendous growth of annual visitors to Vietnam and vis-à-vis. The number of Indian visitors to Vietnam rose from 82,000 in 2016 to 1,69,000 in 2019. Direct flights are connecting different major cities of India and Vietnam for the first time.

 

India and Vietnam are vigorously engaged and designed grand defence framework. In this direction India enhanced its Line of Control to Vietnam which has been multiplied during the last two decades. Significant development has been that both the Defence Ministers signed the ‘Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’ to bolster bilateral defence cooperation. Further, the two ministers agreed on the finalisation of the USD 500 million Defence Line of Credit extended to Vietnam which helps to improve defence capabilities of Vietnam and furthering the government’s vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World.’

 

India-Vietnam engagement matters much to the common desire of new paradigm in multilateralism with an inclusive approach towards establishing a strong regional security architecture. Such committed efforts of India and Vietnam cooperation, surely brings regional stability of Indo-Pacific region. The strategic cooperation between India-Vietnam would be critical towards building the vision laid out under India’s ‘Act East’ Policy. Strengthening ties with Vietnam will eventually lead a step towards the realisation of SAGAR (Security and Growth all in the region) initiative as hailed by the Indian Prime Minister. As the Chair of G20, India looks forward to intensifying and expanding its global, regional and domestic initiatives to bring peace and prosperity at regional and global levels apart from protecting its national interests.

Prof. G. Jayachandra Reddy is former Director, Centre for Southeast Asian and Pacific Studies, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.

India Honey Alliance (IHA), and National Institute of Food Technology & Entrepreneurship Management (NIFTEM), collaborate with an aim to strengthen the creation of a robust honey ecosystem in India.

 

The agreement includes identification and mutual collaboration in the areas of, testing systems for honey, research and data analysis, training facilitation and any emerging areas in the related fields.

 

Under the long-term strategic partnership, both the organisations will work together to create scientific systems in terms of food safety, nutrition for honey and bee-keeping products across the country. NIFTEM has recently got the tag of Institute of National Importance and, will use their academic training center to train the bee-keeping and honey community and FBOs, along with assisting in the creation of a robust scientific eco-system for all related products.  

 

Dr Chindi Vasudevappa, vice chancellor, NIFTEM, said, 'We are looking forward to collaborating with India Honey Alliance (IHA), in their vision to support and strengthen the honey ecosystem. Together with IHA, we aim towards establishing and setting up industry benchmarks for quality, authenticity and safety of Indian honey, and work towards creating robust, affordable and accessible technology for the honey industry. Together, we look forward to awareness activities which will promote knowledge and information dissemination & training of stakeholders.'  

 

Additionally, the International Centre of Excellence in Food Safety & Quality at NIFTEM would also function as a National Reference Laboratory of IHA in the chosen area of competence for the purpose of honey authenticity, method development, proficiency testing. NIFTEM will also function as the academic partner of IHA for developing the content and conducting the training, for all areas of the honey value chain, through a joint certification programme.

 

Deepak Jolly, general secretary, IHA, said, 'The honey industry in India has a huge potential to grow. However, we have not been able to take full advantage of the available opportunities of the sector and there is a long way to go when it comes to organising the fragmented industry. There are several challenges at the ground level which include training and capacity framework, understanding & rollout of appropriate testing methodology, quality, authenticity etc. Our partnership with NIFTEM is a step forward in addressing many such issues. We hope that this collaboration will be highly fruitful and will result in win-win for both IHA and NIFTEM.'

Beekeepers are processing raw honey in government facilities for free as part of the current administration's apiculture development schemes in the Union Territory. Small-time keepers are also offered the services of honey testing and logo stamping for better market returns. These processing units provide a one-stop solution for reducing the moisture in honey, filtering it, and packaging it.

 

New-age agripreneurs are adding value to honey by creating products such as soaps, candles, cosmetics, Ayurvedic medicines, and so on, which are in high demand in the Indian market. As a result, consumers have shifted to non-toxic, organic products that are free of health risks, creating a huge opportunity for young people to start a profitable business. Given the growing popularity of Ramban White Honey, the Apiculture Department is working to promote the district's autumn produce through the 'One District, One Product' scheme.

 

It is distinctive not only in colour and flavour, but also in medicinal properties. Beekeeping, which requires less land and almost no initial investment, is expected to contribute significantly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of doubling farmers' income if farmers and landowners embrace it as a non-competitive and off-farm activity. J&K's climatic conditions allow for plenty of flora all year, making it the best destination for this activity. Beneficiaries of India's National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) are given bee boxes, live bee colonies, tool kits, and training to help them establish themselves.

 

The Agriculture Department assists in the support of uneducated farmers. These farmers teach others, and as a result, the bee colonies continue to grow. In the last two years, 2,000 colonies have been provided to new beekeepers at a 40% subsidy in the Kulgam district alone. 

 

To be sure, the GI tag is now in the works. Some bee hotspots, such as Bhalla and Sarthal in the Doda district, which are rich in flowering plants, are being used to promote Honeybee Tourism.  Because the beekeeping industry necessitates a green forest area and a large area dedicated to flowers, the industry is mostly concentrated in untouched, naturally abundant areas. In April, the beekeeping season begins. The Agriculture Department is also working with apiarists in the Union Territory to standardise their produce in order to promote honey exports. It is believed that maintaining homogeneous honey varieties will aid in the development of the Kashmir Brand and drive honey export.

 

The Kashmir Brand is already a well-known global brand, and the only challenge now is to unite all beekeepers into a single community and have an advisory board set business objectives for them. Beekeeping clusters are being established in the Jammu division under the Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) Scheme at a cost of Rs 4.08 crore. The scheme, which will benefit 600 beekeepers, will be operational by April 2023. 

 

This scheme includes 29 projects curated by agricultural scientists to double farmers' income, increase exports, and make all farming and related sectors sustainable and commercially viable. It is expected to provide employment opportunities for 2.8 lakh young people in 19,000 businesses. Aside from the 2.5 lakhs, people will benefit from skill training in agri-businesses such as beekeeping. More than 6 lakh bee colonies can be found in Jammu and Kashmir. The UT will soon witness its first 'Sweet Revolution,' with the GI tag for honey and the government's futuristic schemes in place.

Paradip Port handled 96.81 million tonnes (mt) of cargo between April and December, up 15.5 per cent over the year-ago period, with nearly 12.6 mt being the throughput handled in December alone.

 

This was the highest monthly throughput handled, a statement said, adding that the port is poised to 'set an all-time record for cargo handling of more than 125 mt' in the current fiscal.

 

Thermal coal handling grew by 58.11 per cent year-on-year. At 30.56 mt, thermal coal accounted for nearly a third (31.56 per cent) of the total volume handled.

 

'Paradip Port is emerging as a coastal shipping hub and plans to ship thermal coal to power houses in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana,' the statement said.

 

Petroleum, oil and lubricant (POL) products formed the second largest chunk of items handled at 27.59 mt or 28.49 per cent of the total.

 

Other items handled include coking coal (7.88 per cent of the total at 7.63 mt) and iron ore and pellets (constitute 11.76 per cent at 11.39 mt).