Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers have given the go ahead to import eggs Trade Minister Nalin Fernando said as domestic prices rose steeply after price controls disrupted farming on top of a currency collapse.

 

'The cabinet of ministers gave the go ahead to take decisions according to the needs of the people, and import if necessary,' Trade Minister Nalin Fernando told reporters in Colombo after a cabinet meeting Monday.

 

'If necessary, we will look at the quantity and import to give eggs at a lower price to the people.'

 

It is said that eggs can be imported from India for about 35 rupees.

 

Sri Lanka’s eggs were around 20 to 25 rupees before the rupee collapsed from 200 to 360 to the US dollar. Sri Lanka’s chicken meat and egg prices are generally higher than the world due to import licensing on maize which has pushed up production costs.

 

As a result of protection given to maize farmers and collectors, Sri Lanka has lost an opportunity to be a competitive export producer of poultry products.

 

Eggs spiked to 65 rupees after the Consumer Affairs Authority imposed price controls amid high prices and shortages of feed leading to killing of layers for meat.

 

Industry officials say lack of demand for layer chick then led to a collapse in the parent bird population in hatcheries and farmers ordering chicks have to wait until March.

 

Sri Lanka’s daily egg output is estimated to have dropped to about 4 million a day from the normal 7 million after farmers killed layer chicken for meat in the wake of price controls imposed by the Consumer Affairs Authority last year.

 

Sri Lanka needs around 80,000 parent birds to produce the required layer chicks but now there are only around 42,000, at the main hatcheries according to the All Island Poultry Associatio. It takes about 5.5 months grow both layer parent birds and birds.

India's natural farming could soon get a technological push through blockchain, as the government plans to use the technology across all export-driven crops to increase the country's food shipments and incentivise farmers to take up chemical-free processes.

 

The Niti Aayog has launched a pilot project in collaboration with the Himachal Pradesh government on apple farming, to ensure quality production while also monitoring the produce across the entire storage and supply chain.

 

'Lack of quality produce and traceability has hampered India's food exports apart from disincentivising growers. Blockchain technology can help bridge this gap,' a senior government official told ET.

 

'By recording information about products at every stage of the agricultural supply chain, a blockchain helps remove redundant processes, ensure quality control and monitor storage conditions,' the official added.

 

After the completion of the pilot project on apples, the technology will be replicated across other crops including mangoes, bananas, grapes and pomegranates, besides vegetables.

 

India ranks second in fruits and vegetable production in the world, after China, but its share in the global fruits and vegetable market is just 1%.

 

Under the blockchain technology, IoT sensors are used to generate crop data and its storage, distribution of grown crops to the food processing companies, supply of processed food to wholesalers and retailers and its storage. Through this, even consumers can back-trace the supply chain to ensure quality products while buying.

 

According to the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, India exported fresh fruits and vegetables worth about $1.52 billion in 2021-22, with fruits accounting for $750.7 million and vegetables for $767.01 million.

 

Exports of processed fruits and vegetables totalled $1.73 billion. These included about $1.12 billion of processed vegetables including pulses and $610.69 million of processed fruits and juices.

 

Major destinations for India's fresh fruits and vegetables include Bangladesh, the UAE, Nepal, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the UK, Oman and Qatar.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to give six months to food business operators for compliance with the regulations related to milk logo. The FSSAI has stated that when finalised, six months’ time shall be given to FBOs for compliance with the specification of milk logo.

 

The milk logo was made mandatory through FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations notified in December ’21. However, specifications including dimensions and colour scheme of the milk logo, were yet to be finalised. Subsequently, directions issued by the FSSAI extended the time period for compliance of the notification up to Dec 31, 22.

 

According to the FSSAI, since the specifications of milk logo were still being finalised, representations have been received from stakeholders for providing an extension of at least six months from the date of issue of such specifications for compliance with the mandatory milk logo required under the amendment regulations.

 

And the food authority has decided to give six months' time for compliance with the specification, after it was notified.

 

“It has been decided to extend the timeline for mandatory compliance with the clause 2(iv) of the notification related to milk logo for a period of six months from the date of issue of logo specifications by FSSAI,” reads the order.

 

Rice Export From India: India has dominance in the world in terms of agriculture. India ranks among the top countries for producing and exporting many crops. India's sugarcane, wheat and coarse grains gather a lot of headlines in foreign countries. On the initiative of the Central Government, the next year is being celebrated in the form of coarse grains in the world. At the same time, India has emerged as the world's largest rice exporter. The rice here is liked to be eaten in many countries. 

 

Know first, India exported so much

 

According to media reports, India is the largest exporter of rice in the world. India also exports the most basmati rice. If you look at the figures, despite shipping restrictions, India has exported 126.97 lakh tonnes of fragrant basmati and non-basmati rice during the current financial year. India's exports have increased by 7.37 percent compared to last year.

 

In the same period last year, exports were 118.25 lakh tonnes. The export of basmati rice in the April-October period of the financial year 2022-23 was 21.59 lakh tonnes last year, which has increased to 24.97 lakh tonnes in the same period. The export of non-basmati rice has increased by about 5 lakh tonnes. It was earlier 96.66 lakh tonnes. Which has now increased to 102 lakh tonnes. 

 

These countries like India's basmati rice

 

According to media reports, India used to export basmati rice to markets like America, Europe and Saudi Arabia. Non basmati rice is sent to African countries. About two-thirds of basmati rice is exported to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. 

 

Product will decrease in Kharif season 2022-23

 

According to the data of the central government, the production of rice from July to June of the last kharif season was 111.76 lakh tonnes, which is estimated to come down to 104.99 million tonnes in the kharif season of this crop year 2022-23. Explain that in order to control the prices of rice, the central government had banned the export of broken rice in September. Up to 20 percent customs duty was imposed on non-basmati rice. However, experts say that all this did not affect the export of basmati rice. 

 

Wheat exports rose 29.29 per cent to USD 1.50 billion during April-November this fiscal from USD 1.17 billion in the same period the previous year, the commerce ministry said on Friday. Though the government banned wheat exports in May, some shipments are allowed to meet the food security needs of the countries that request it.

 

The ministry said that Basmati rice exports too increased by 39.26 per cent to USD 2.87 billion during April-November 2022, while that of non-basmati rice registered a growth of 5 per to USD 4.2 billion in the same period.

 

'Wheat export has registered an increase of 29.29 per cent in eight months of the current fiscal as its export rose to USD 1508 million in April-November 2022 from USD 1,166 million in April-November 2021,' it added.

 

The outbound shipments of agricultural and processed food products rose by 16 per cent in the eight months of the current fiscal to USD 17.43 billion.

 

'For 2022-23, an export target of USD 23.56 billion has been fixed for the agricultural and processed food products basket and an export of USD 17.435 billion has already been achieved in eight months of the current fiscal,' the ministry said.

 

In April-November 2022, fresh fruits were exported to the tune of USD 991 million against USD 954 million in the corresponding months of the previous fiscal.

 

The export of pulses increased by 90.49 per cent in eight months of the current fiscal to USD 392 million, it added.

 

Similarly, dairy products recorded a growth of 33.77 per cent as its export rose to USD 421 million in April-November 2022 from USD 315 million in the year-ago period.

India’s agricultural GVA growth is likely to be 4 per cent during third quarter (October-December) of current fiscal, but may slide to a record 3 per cent growth in next quarter. Improved fertiliser availability and healthy reservoir storage levels along with a likely increase of rabi sowing areas by 1-2 per cent from year-ago level will help the farm sector’s overall growth, according to a report by rating agency ICRA.

 

Rabi sowing rose by 4.4 per cent until December 23 from year-ago, covering 89 per cent of the total area sown in the 2021 season. 'Given the brisk sowing, improved fertiliser availability and healthy reservoir levels, rabi sowing in FY2023 is expected to exceed year-ago levels,' the agency said.

 

The agricultural GVA growth estimated at 3 per cent for the last quarter of current fiscal is due to base effect. The agri GVA growth in Q4 of FY22 was over 4 per cent.

 

The agency also said that overall farm sector GVA growth is projected to rise to 3.9 per cent in FY23 as against 3 per cent registered in FY22.

 

The GVA of agriculture, forestry and fishing has grown by 4.5 per cent in H1 FY23, even as the first advance estimates for kharif crop production displayed a mixed y-o-y trend for FY23, the ICRA report said. The GVA of other sub-sectors such as livestock and fisheries, recorded a CAGR of 6 per cent and 6.7 per cent, respectively during FY2017-21, higher than the 2 per cent growth seen in the crops sector in the period.

 

'The spell of excess rainfall during September-October 2022 is likely to have dampened yields, thereby posing some downside risk to the First Advance Estimates. However, the earlier fears of widespread crop damage now appear unfounded,' it said.

 

Further, it said that reservoir storage on a pan-India basis stood at 77 per cent of live capacity at Full Reservoir Level (FRL) as on Dec 22, higher than the year-ago as well as historical average levels, which aided in accelerating the pace of the sowing of rabi crops.

 

Rabi sowing is likely to exceed the year-ago levels in the ongoing season by 1-2 per cent, entailing an additional area of 8.7-9.4 million hectare in the remainder of the season against 10.6 million hectare in the same period of last fiscal.

Food is an integral part of everyday life; it provides nutrition and nourishment for leading a healthy life. The food that we consume should be safe in all aspects and not pose any harm to the body. For this reason, it is of paramount importance that the food production, from “farm to plate” should go through rigorous monitoring and testing, which is primarily the responsibility of the food business operators. Food safety has become an important public health issue and food testing laboratories play an important role in determining the safety and quality of the food, which in turn contributes to avoid health hazards.

 

Consumers also must know about the nutritional composition of food products to help them make healthy choices in daily diet. This will help them refrain from consuming the compounds they are allergic to or foods to be avoided. Nutritional labels state the nutrient composition, total calorific value, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, sugars, protein, vitamins, calcium, iron and so on. Food testing gives an authenticity check which ensures the quality of the contents of the food product. In this way, food testing ensures that consumers do not become a victim of economic fraud and ensures the safety of the food consumed.

 

In recent years, both intentional and unintentional adulteration are reported in the entire food value chain, and detection of these substances can be possible only with high-end state-of-art food testing laboratories. It is important to maintain the general overall quality of food supply in the entire value chain, and to provide consumers with food products that are safe to consume. Hence, food testing is an essential part of the efficient production of harmless, valuable processed food products. Food testing can range from processed foods to agricultural commodities, from the field to the store. The testing can be done on raw materials, the product during its processing and production, as well as the finished products.

 

Process of the food manufacturing chain, food product testing is the most important step, because it determines the safety of the food for use. In India, the rules set by FSSAI are strictly monitored. Consumers stay away from food products that do not fulfil the FSSAI requirements. Food product testing is vitally necessary, to ensure that the food is free of physical, chemical, and biological hazards. Examples of potentially hazardous food contaminants include metals, e-Coli bacteria, salmonella, cleaning agents, additives, preservatives, pesticides, and more. Food product testing is the scientific analysis of food and its contents. It is done to provide information about various characteristics of food, including the structure, composition, and physicochemical properties.

 

Food safety is an important factor that must be considered. Food manufacturers must pay attention to the food safety of their products. This effort is to ensure the safety of customers & potential consumers. Food poisoning cases that occurred can be lessons for manufacturers to improve the wholesomeness of their products. This is because whenever there are food poisoning cases, normally there would be temporary closure of outlets or products recall from the market.

 

The exports of agricultural and processed food products rose by 16 percent in the eight months (April-November) of the current Financial Year 2022-23 in comparison to the corresponding period of FY 2021-22.

 

According to the provisional data by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), the overall export of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) products increased by 16 percent growth in terms of USD during April-November 2022 to USD 17.43 billion from USD 15.07 billion over the same period of the last fiscal.

 

The initiatives taken by the APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) that works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry have helped the country in achieving 74 percent of its total export target for the year 2022-23 in eight months of the current fiscal.

 

For the year 2022-23, an export target of USD 23.56 billion has been fixed for the agricultural and processed food products basket and an export of USD 17.435 billion has already been achieved in eight months of the current fiscal.

 

As per the DGCI&S provisional data, processed fruits and vegetables recorded a growth of 32.60 percent (April-November 2022), while fresh fruits registered four percent growth in compare to corresponding months of the previous year.

 

Also, processed food products like cereals and miscellaneous processed items reported a growth of 28.29 percent in compare to the first eight months of the previous year.

 

In April-November, 2021, fresh fruits were exported to the tune of USD 954 million that increased to USD 991 million in the corresponding months of the current fiscal. Exports of processed F&V jumped to USD 1310 million in eight months of the current fiscal from USD 988 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

 

The export of pulses has witnessed an increase of 90.49 percent in eight months of the current fiscal in compare to the same months of the last fiscal as the export of lentils increased from USD 206 million (April-November 2021-22) to USD 392 million (April-November 2022-23).

 

Basmati Rice exports witnessed a growth of 39.26 percent in eight months of FY 2022-23 as its export increased from USD 2063 million (April-November 2021) to USD 2873 million (April-November 2022), while the export of non-Basmati rice registered a growth of 5 percent in eight months of current fiscal. Non-basmati rice export increased to USD 4109 million in eight months of the current fiscal from USD 3930 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

 

The export of poultry products increased by 88.45 percent and the export of other cereals recorded a growth of 12.90 percent in eight months of the current fiscal. The export of poultry products rose to USD 82 million in eight months of the current fiscal from USD 43 million in corresponding months of the previous year.

 

Similarly, dairy products recorded a growth of 33.77 percent as its export rose to USD 421 million in April-November 2022 from USD 315 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

 

Wheat export has registered an increase of 29.29 percent in eight months of the current fiscal as its export rose to USD 1508 million in April-November 2022 from USD 1166 million in April-November 2021.

 

Other cereals’ exports increased from USD 619 million in April-November 2021 to USD 699 million in April-November 2022 and the export of livestock products increased from USD 2665 million in April-November 2021 to USD 2709 million in April-November 2022.

 

On the achievement, M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, said, 'We have been working with all the stakeholders such as farmers, exporters, processors to ensure that quality agricultural and processed food products are exported from the country.'

 

The rise in the export of agricultural and processed food products is the outcome of various initiatives taken for the export promotion of agricultural and processed food products such as organising B2B exhibitions in different countries, exploring new potential markets through product-specific and general marketing campaigns by the active involvement of Indian Embassies.

 

Several initiatives were also taken to promote products having registered geographical indications (GI) in India by organising virtual Buyer Seller Meets on agricultural and food products with the United Arab Emirates and on GI products, including handicrafts with the USA.

A food safety certification ensures compliances to legal requirements of the country of origin and destination country. A food safety certification enables the food business to work in the world market thereby reducing barriers to international trade. Food safety certification validates that the food business is managed by following healthy practices that ensure safety and quality. The environmental and other management systems are also required to be up to the mark along with the legal and standard compliant. If your business is associated with foods either directly or indirectly, you are eligible to get food safety certification. From legal compliance to market requirements, there are many reasons why a food business must have appropriate food safety certifications. Some of the reasons to consider getting food certifications are:

To maintain food quality

To ensure safety and well-being of the consumers

To avoid food hazards and risks

To gain trust of customers, stakeholders and vendors

To become legal compliant

To validate that the practices are healthy and safe

 

Here is the list of Food Standards and Services that you can incorporate in your organisation irrespective of the size or the product. The objective of the services is to help businesses maintain a standard quality, safety and efficient practices which in return enable them to gain customer trust along with global recognition.

 

Food Safety Certifications

ISO 22000 FSMS

ISO 22000 is applicable to all the types of food suppliers as it provides assurance within the food supply chain at the national as well as international level. With globalisation increasing and easier inter-state and international expansion, it has become essential to ensure the safety and quality of the foods for the well-being as well as trust of the people.

 

FSSC 22000

The objective of the FSSC 22000 is to control food safety risks. FSSC stands for Food Safety Management Certification Scheme which essentially provides structured plans and system for managing food safety risks and as a result, safe products.Since it fulfils all the Global Food Safety Initiatives (GFSI) benchmark requirements, the FSSC 22000 is widely accepted and recognised as a trustworthy certification across the globe. It is applicable to the food, feed and food packaging manufacturing and supplying sector. Also, its flexibility allows food businesses to integrate with other management systems for quality, environment, health as well as safety.

 

India's natural farming could soon get a technological push through blockchain, as the government plans to use the technology across all export-driven crops to increase the country's food shipments and incentivise farmers to take up chemical-free processes.

 

The Niti Aayog has launched a pilot project in collaboration with the Himachal Pradesh government on apple farming, to ensure quality production while also monitoring the produce across the entire storage and supply chain.

 

'Lack of quality produce and traceability has hampered India's food exports apart from disincentivising growers. Blockchain technology can help bridge this gap,' a senior government official told ET.

 

'By recording information about products at every stage of the agricultural supply chain, a blockchain helps remove redundant processes, ensure quality control and monitor storage conditions,' the official added.

 

After the completion of the pilot project on apples, the technology will be replicated across other crops including mangoes, bananas, grapes and pomegranates, besides vegetables.

 

India ranks second in fruits and vegetable production in the world, after China, but its share in the global fruits and vegetable market is just 1%.

 

Under the blockchain technology, IoT sensors are used to generate crop data and its storage, distribution of grown crops to the food processing companies, supply of processed food to wholesalers and retailers and its storage. Through this, even consumers can back-trace the supply chain to ensure quality products while buying.

 

According to the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, India exported fresh fruits and vegetables worth about $1.52 billion in 2021-22, with fruits accounting for $750.7 million and vegetables for $767.01 million.

 

Exports of processed fruits and vegetables totalled $1.73 billion. These included about $1.12 billion of processed vegetables including pulses and $610.69 million of processed fruits and juices.

 

Major destinations for India's fresh fruits and vegetables include Bangladesh, the UAE, Nepal, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the UK, Oman and Qatar.