The Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to mark dedicated streets for promotion of food culture in cities across the state.

 

In this regard, the Chief Minister of UP has directed the UP Cultural Department to coordinate with the Development Authorities of various cities to devise an action plan for creating dedicated food-streets having delicacies from different states.

 

This was revealed by UP CM Yogi Adtiyanath while speaking at a function in Lucknow recently.

 

He shared his experience with respect to the recently-held Kashi-Tamil Sangamam at Varanasi, and said that people should be introduced to food culture of all the states in India.

 

According to reports, the food street shall follow the initiative 'Project Clean Street Food' launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

 

The Project Clean Street Food is one of the initiatives taken up by FSSAI under a 360 degree approach to Food Safety and Healthy Nutrition.

 

This would involve training and capacity building of the street food vendors and ensure proper regulatory oversight over them under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

 

The initiative aims at ensuring health, hygiene and safety standard of street food for all consumers, social and economic upliftment of street vendor community by helping them in improving quality of offerings thereby attracting more customers and enhancing the popularity of street food by transforming it into a global brand by itself.

 

Kankariya lake in Gujarat was the first clean street food hub declared by the FSSAI in 2018.

Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation (HAFED) has invited bids for sale of 67,363.62 tonnes wheat, procured by it commercially from Haryana and Madhya Pradesh in last harvesting season (April-June). This time it will be sold through online platforms.

 

In a notice on its website, HAFED has said online bidding/e-auction will be conducted through platform of NCDEX e Markets (‘NeML’), Star Agribazaar Technology (Agribazaar) and E- Tech Innovative Service Private Limited.

 

Of the total quantity to be sold, 26,968.56 tonnes are available at different locations in Fatehabad district of Haryana while remaining 40,395.06 tonnes will be sold in Madhya Pradesh where the stocks are kept in Ujjain, Indore, Dewas, Vidisha, Ganjbasoda, Sehore and Bhopal.

 

'Bids received for less than the specified minimum quantity (200 tonnes) or actual quantity, whichever is less, for a particular lot and location shall not be considered,' it said adding the base price or reserve price for each lot will be declared at time of e-auction.

 

This is the seventh attempt of HAFED to sell those wheat as in earlier six occasions since August, it has not been able to sell the entire quantity of over 4 lakh tonnes for which bids were invited.

 

Decision on OMSS

The Centre will soon take a decision on open market sale scheme (OMSS) of wheat during January-March after the Cabinet last week decided to discontinue the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for the fourth quarter in current fiscal and allowed the 81 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act to get the ration free of costs until December 2023.

 

The main issue will be the price at which the wheat will be sold by FCI as in the recent HAFED tender wheat was sold at Rs.2,443.55/quintal, said a flour miller. The Centre’s economic cost of wheat for 2022-23 is estimated at Rs.2,588.70. 'If price control is the objective, there has to be uniform selling price across the country and millers be asked to lift from designated depots,' said the flour miller.

 

The retail inflation in cereals (rice and wheat) during November was at 12.96 per cent, second highest after spices among food basket. Consumer affairs ministry data show all-India average retail prices of wheat surged by 13.4 per cent and atta by 18 per cent so far, since January this year.

 

In February this year, the Centre had announced the OMSS wheat policy under which reserve prices were fixed – Rs.2,200/quintal upto September 30 and Rs.2,225 during October-December. However, after wheat procurement dipped to a 15-year low of 187.9 lt in 2022-23 rabi marketing season (April-March), the government suspended OMSS.

 

Ahead of festival season and Assembly elections, the Centre in September had announced continuation of PMGKAY for three months during October-December entailing an expenditure of Rs.44,762 crore with free distribution of an estimated 119.62 lakh tonne (lt) of foodgrains (21.01 lt wheat and 98.61 lt rice).

Organised by Media Today Group, the 16th International Flora Expo is all set to go live and is scheduled to be held from  6-7-8 January 2023 at NSIC Exhibition Complex, Okhla, New Delhi. The Flora Expo will be held alongside the 15th Edition of Landscape & Gardening Expo 2023 and the 13th Edition of Horti Expo 2023.

 

Both the expos are touted to be a blooming extravaganza for exploring trade opportunities both in India’s domestic market as well as the external trade, especially with countries of South Asia.

 

Additionally, the 16th International Flora Expo 2023 will provide a platform for the convergence of global business interests such as conventional flower and gardening industry professionals, bulk buyers from large industries, florists, retailers such as home centres, supermarkets, departmental stores, interior designers and interior shops to exchange views on expanding their business avenues by availing the opportunities.

 

'During this event, major attractions would be the theme pavilion of APEDA, focusing on the 75th Anniversary of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and GFCI trade facilitation lounge and a ‘Blooming Ride’ on Bicycles decorated with flowers and plants on 7th January. This ride will be taking a 20 km road journey from NSIC to Central Delhi and back to convey a message to the masses to use fresh flowers and request the Indian Government to ban artificial & plastic flowers,' said GFCI President Mr. Srikanth Bolapally, who came to spread this message from Bangalore. 

 

'GFCI is a nonprofit organisation of Growers, wholesalers, retailers, allied industry organisations, input suppliers and individuals who will contribute to and benefit from the GFCI’s efforts.’ Our vision is to foster sustainable industry growth through flower promotion. Our sole objective will be to ensure that consumers become and remain inspired to buy flowers and plants and keep flowers and plants constantly on top of the consumer’s mind every day,' said Srikanth. 

 

‘Indian Floriculture industry, including greenhouse, water management, fertigation, automation, tissue culture, plant breeding, precision farming, Hydroponic, vertical agriculture, plant nurseries, post-harvest equipment, sustainable horticulture, Growing media, packaging, transport solutions, plasticulture etc., has been given employment to thousands of skilled and unskilled manpower especially women in rural India. Let’s explore Rs.1000 crores worth of business opportunities in India, from the Farm to Home’, explained S. Jafar Naqvi, Chief Coordinator of the event. 

 

To facilitate the process, An International Landscape Industry Congress with a theme of  'Plants, Places & People' will be going to happen on 7th January in Delhi, in association with the industry organisations like the School of Architecture and Planning as our Knowledge Partners Apart from several industry partners.’This event, including Conference, Networking Summit and Awards, will provide opportunities for Landscape Architects, Facility Managers, Interior Designers, Golf Courses Managers, Airport designers, Town planners and Floriculture industry professionals. Important Keynote Speakers from Government and private sectors have been invited to share their knowledge. Some of the important Sessions are Smart Cities, Green Airports, Golf Courses, Innovative Technologies, Success stories, Flower and Pot Plant Industry etc.,’ Naqvi added.

 

The International Flora Expo is an annual event that attracts stakeholders from India and other countries to display their products, technologies, innovations, and allied activities. The 15th edition of the event, held in February 2020 in Hyderabad, was a huge success with displays from 250 companies in Floriculture, Horticulture, Nursery, Landscape, Seeds & Planting Material, Machines Supply Chain, Processed Flowers, Packaging, Decoration, plant pots and accessories, Irrigation and Fertigation Systems, hydroponics and aquaponics, greenhouse technologies, etc. A visitors footfall of 16,000+ over the three days of the exhibition was witnessed.

During a bilateral ministerial meet in New Delhi, Federal Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and his Bangladeshi counterpart Tipu Munshi also discussed the settlement of trade in Indian rupees, a mechanism a means of using rupees instead of dollars and other big currencies for international transactions. This development comes in the wake of an ongoing dollar crunch in Bangladesh, leading to a dip in the country’s foreign exchange reserves and the consequent weakening of Bangladesh’s currency (taka).

 

Ongoing discussion on easing barriers to trade

Among other issues, the two countries also deliberated on issues like the removal of non-tariff barriers and port restrictions, the re-opening of border haats (local trading posts), harmonization and mutual recognition of standards and procedures on both sides, strengthening connectivity and trade infrastructure, etc.

 

India-Bangladesh FTA to boost economic opportunities on both sides

Earlier, India and Bangladesh had commissioned a joint feasibility study on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The study indicated that CEPA would provide a sound basis for substantial enhancement of trade and commercial partnerships between the two countries. As a result, both countries have agreed to start FTA negotiations at the earliest.

 

The agreement is expected to significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between India and Bangladesh. Besides, it will also likely ease the norms for promoting trade in services and attracting investments. In addition, the partnership would establish reliable and sustainable regional value chains (RVCs).

 

Bangladesh emerges as India’s largest trading partner in South Asia

It should be noted that Bangladesh is India’s largest South Asian trade partner, and India is Bangladesh’s second-largest trade partner, accounting for 12 percent of total trade.The bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh increased to US$18.2 billion (US$16.2 billion in exports and US$2 billion in imports) in FY 2022 as against US$10.8 billion in FY 2021.

 

India negotiating international trade settlements in rupees with various countries

This rupee trading mechanism was established by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in July 2022, and Russia has already made use of it as a result of sanctions imposed on Moscow as a result of the conflict in the Ukraine. According to a formal document that Reuters was able to access, the RBI has authorised banks to open 12 vostro accounts for the exchange of rupees with Russia. Six additional vostro accounts have also been authorised, including five for trade with Sri Lanka and one for commerce with Mauritius.

 

In addition, recent media reports claim that nations like Sudan, Tajikistan, Cuba, the UAE, Africa, and the Luxembourg have started discussing the mechanism with India. The UAE and India have already begun discussing the framework.

Bilateral trade between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) grew from USD 87.35 billion in fiscal year 2020-21 to USD 154.66 billion in 2021-22, registering an increase of 77.06 per cent on a year-on-year basis, Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel informed Parliament during the recent sessions.

 

During the current financial year 2022-23, for the period April-October 2022, bilateral trade between India and the GCC stood at USD 111.71 billion, up from USD 79.49 billion during the same period in 2021-22. This is an increase of 40.53 per cent on a year-on-year basis, the minister said.

 

During the period financial year 2017-18 to 2021-22, bilateral trade between India and the GCC has grown by 10.57 per cent on a compounded annual growth rate basis. 

While uthorities are working in mission mode to increase millet production and consumption, exports data shows that exports of agricultural and food items, especially other cereals, continued to grow at a brisk pace.

 

In November this year, an increase of only 0.62 per cent was registered in the total export of commodities as compared to November last year, but there was a double digit increase in exports of almost all the items of agriculture and food items. A growth of 53.78 percent was registered in the export of various other types of cereals in the month.

 

The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYOM) and this will give a boost to the export of coarse grains. According to the data of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in November, the export of tea, rice, various cereals, tobacco, oil meal, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, various types of finished grains, and processed items increased in double digits as compared to November last year. On the other side, exports of cashew nuts and spices registered a decline.

 

'Due to the food crisis, foreign buyers are taking a lot of interest in Indian agriculture and food items. Buyers from more than 80 countries are coming this year to Indus Food, organised for export promotion of agricultural commodities,' Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) Chairman Mohit Singla said.

 

Agricultural exporters are expected to get huge orders worth $1 billion at the upcoming Indus Food Fair to be held in Hyderabad on January 7-8 and organised by TPCI. Keeping in view the interest of foreign buyers regarding millets, a separate millets pavilion is being set up at Indus Food. Increase in export of agricultural commodities in November this year as compared to November last year.

 

India is the major production country of millet in which kangni or foxtail millet, kutki or small millet, kodo, gangora or barnyard millet, brown top are included with jowar or sorghum, bajra or pearl millet, and ragi or finger millet. Most of the states in India grow one or more millet crop species. During the last 5 years, the country produced more than 13.71 to 18 million tonnes of millets with the highest production in 2020-21.

 

According to the fourth advance estimates for the year 2021-22, about 16 million tonnes millets have been produced in India, which is about 5 per cent of the national food grain basket. Bajra has the highest market share of 9.62 million tonnes, followed by jowar with a production of 4.23 million tonnes. Ragi is another important millet, with production of 1.70 million tonnes and the production of other millets is 0.37 million tonnes.

India’s export of agriculture and allied commodities rose by 11% in dollar term to $ 30.21 billion during the April-October period of the current fiscal year compared to the same period in 2021-22, the agriculture ministry  said on Monday.

 

Agri-exports had risen  by 20% to $ 50.24 billion in the previous fiscal.

 

Wheat, basmati rice, raw cotton, castor oil, coffee, and fresh fruits are the major commodities exported.

 

According to provisional data by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, the value of Basmati rice exports rose by more than 37% in the first seven months of the current fiscal to $ 2.5 billion. Shipment of non-Basmati rice registered a growth of 8% to $ 3.2 billion during the same period.

 

Export realisation from shipment of aromatic long grain Basmati rice grew by 23% to $1056/tonne in the April – October, 2022-23 period from $ 857/tonne realized in the same period previous year. Non-basmati Rice exports are likely to decline in the second half of the current fiscal, as India has imposed a ban on broken rice exports and imposed a 20% export tax on white rice.  

 

Wheat exports registered an increase of 70% on year to $ 1.5 billion in April-October 2022-23. India had banned shipment of wheat in May while allowing only those consignments aimed at meeting food security needs of developing countries. In the current fiscal, India has exported 4.6 million tonne (MT) of wheat so far while 7 MT of grain was shipped in FY22.

 

The agriculture ministry said there was improvement in the farm produce logistics with the introduction of ‘Kisan Rail’ service from July 2020. Till December this year, Kisan rails were operated on 167 routes in the country.

 

The agriculture ministry statement said around 1,260 wholesale mandis in 22 states and three union territories have been integrated with the electronic-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM). More than 17.2 million farmers and 0.21 million raders registered on the e-NAM platform till the current month, it said.

With the India-Australia interim trade deal set to kick off later this month, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has notified the Rules of Origin. The notification, which relates to the eligibility requirement to claim the preferential customs duty on trade in goods, under the economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA), will come into effect from December 29. This is when the ECTA will also come into effect.

 

RoAs specify the threshold for value addition in the country concerned to qualify for the tax concessions under the FTA, so that the benefits are not misused by firms based in other countries.

 

Called the Customs Tariff (Determination of Origin of Goods under the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement) Rules, 2022, the notification by the CBIC lays out the origin criteria based on which the product would be eligible for the preferential customs duty.

 

India and Australia had in April this year signed the ECTA, which is expected to cover 90% of the bilateral trade between the two. India will benefit from preferential market access provided by Australia on 100% of its tariff lines. India will be offering preferential access to Australia on over 70% of its tariff lines, including lines of export interest to Australia which are primarily raw materials and intermediaries such as coal, mineral ores and wines.

 

Experts said the notification by the CBIC would help businesses evaluate the benefits of the ECTA for their products.

 

Once the tariff notification is rolled out for the ECTA, Indian businesses need to evaluate the benefit extended on the inbound and outbound trade from the perspective of supply chain optimisation and enhanced access to a new market, covering a large cross section of goods or sectors,' said PwC in a note.

 

Abhishek Jain, Partner Indirect Tax, KPMG in India said, 'It is important to note that each FTA has its own origin rules and nuances thereof, and given the CAROTAR provisions which were introduced by the Indian government in 2020, the onus is on Indian importer to ensure that the said rules are duly complied with. As such, for Companies looking to take benefit of the Indian- Australia FTA, a detailed perusal and compliance of the origin rules remains indispensable.'

 

Australia is the 17th largest trading partner of India and India is Australia’s 9th largest trading partner. India-Australia bilateral trade for both merchandise and services is valued at $ 27.5 billion in 2021

Chowna Mein, who spent the day visiting a mega food park and an integrated farm in the Papumpare district, urged officials to expedite single-window clearance to facilitate the establishment of food processing units and Agro-based industries in the state.

 

The food park is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'vocal for local' vision of doubling farmers' income and strengthening the economy. It will also create direct and indirect job opportunities for the region's youth.

 

According to an official communiqué, the integrated farm, located 29 kilometres from the state capital, currently employs more than 300 skilled and unskilled unemployed youth.

 

'We have launched many subsidized schemes such as Atma Nirbhar Krishi Yojana, Atma Nirbhar Bagwani Yojana, Atma Nirbhar Matsya Palan Yojana, and Atma Nirbhar Plantation Yojana to increase farmer productivity and income, as well as to achieve self-reliance in the agriculture sector,' said the deputy chief minister.

 

The establishment of the mega food park under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana has been approved by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI).

 

Once operational, the park will house 35 food industries and indirectly employ over 5 lakh farmers. Rice and flour mills, canning units, pickle units, squash and juice units, bakery units, ready-to-eat packaged food units, dairy, meat, and seafood units will all be part of the multi-sectoral park.

 

The 75-acre mega food park will have 200 hectares of rubber plantation, 100 hectares of Thailand seedless lemon plantation, freshwater fishery ponds, dairy farms, and various livestock farms.

 

The park's opening is expected to provide direct employment for 5000 people and will play an essential role in lowering the state's unemployment rate. The park's annual revenue is expected to be around Rs 450-500 crore, with a total investment of around Rs 250 crore.

The FSSAI has issued a list of agencies shortlisted for the ‘empanelment of training partners’ under the Food Safety Training & Certification –FoSTaC programme. The food authority had sought expression of interest from the agencies in August for Empanelment of Training Partners under Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC) Programme. The list has 33 agencies and FSSAI has called them for a ‘presentation’.  

 

The empaneled training partner will be required to conduct training of Food Handlers as per the training curriculum of FSSAI in different parts of the country in a pragmatic manner, lays down the EoI document.

 

The FSSAI has issued a notice, in this regard, stating that the shortlisted applicants will be called for presentation as per the information and the stipulated dates and venue shall be issued in due course of time.

 

According to the FSSAI, the FoSTaC programme was aimed at creating a pool of food safety supervisors (FSS), who are trained in good hygiene and manufacturing practices as per requirements in Schedule 4 of Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration) Regulations, 2011.

 

And to help FBOs understand and comply with hygiene and sanitary requirements, the Schedule 4 of Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, has been simplified to deliver training through 24 certification courses developed by a panel of domain experts empaneled by FSSAI covering the entire food value chain.