The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI)  implements a Central Sector umbrella scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) since 2016-17 for overall growth and development of the sector with the aim to augment preservation and processing capacity so as to reduce post-harvest losses, create off farm employment, and enhancing of value addition & exports of processed food with components, namely,(i) Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure, (ii) Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Clusters, (iii) Creation/ Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities, (iv) Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure, (v) Human Resources and Institutions–Research & Development and (vi) Operation Greens. Earlier Mega Food Park and Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages schemes were also part of PMKSY during the 14th Finance Commission period.

 

679 completed projects under PMKSY has resulted in creation of approximately 204.49 LMT of preservation and processing capacity till 30.11.2022.

 

The Ministry is also implementing the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM-FME) scheme since 2020-21 for providing financial, technical and business support for upgradation / setting up of two lakh micro enterprises based on One District One Product approach. A Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme is being implemented from 2021-22 to 2026-27 in order to support processed fruits & vegetables, marine products, Ready to Eat (RTE)/ Ready to Cook (RTC) products including millet based products and mozzarella cheese segments of the food processing sector. Innovative /organic products by SME segment is also covered under the scheme. Promoting Indian food brands abroad, marketing and branding support are also provided for under the scheme.

 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

The Minister for Commerce and Industry of India, Shri Piyush Goyal, and UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Ms. Kemi Badenoch, MP, met today in New Delhi to discuss India-UK FTA negotiations.

 

Discussions were carried out on the India-UK FTA negotiations and the range of bilateral trade and economic relations. Both Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the ongoing India-UK FTA negotiations which would unlock the full potential of boosting jobs, investments and exports between the two countries. It was noted that the 6th Round of India-UK FTA negotiations is presently underway in New Delhi. While expressing satisfaction on the state of negotiations it was agreed that the negotiations will continue further with the aim to conclude the same at the earliest. The Ministers urged the negotiating team to work together with an aim to iron out the differences in the spirit of mutual accommodation based on the principle of reciprocity and respect for each other’s sensitivities, for a balanced, mutually beneficial, fair and equitable outcome.

 

The bilateral meeting was followed by interaction of the two ministers with the India and the UK Businesses. The Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal mentioned that India and UK investment and economic relations are already strong and grown over the years. India has adopted an export led strategy to spin its growth story which is inclusive and sustainable. The Indian Government has also come out with many policies and reforms including PLI scheme, National Infrastructure Pipeline, Development Finance Institution and privatization of non-strategic sectors PSU. Further, various Ease of Doing Business initiatives have been taken including digitization of processes and clearances, simplification of procedures, weeding out of old and archaic laws, etc. He urged the businesses in India and the UK to take advantages of these initiatives for economic prosperity of both countries.

Procurement of paddy for the central pool in the ongoing 2022-23 kharif marketing season was 13% higher at 38.06 million tonnes as on December 11, compared with 33.62 million tonnes a year earlier, according to latest data from Food Corporation of India (FCI).

 

The data indicates that this year, the government is actively procuring paddy to fill up its stocks, said Tarun Satsangi, assistant general manager at Origo Commodities, which focuses on commodity supply chain, post-harvest management, trade and finance.

 

Trade sources believe this year the government's paddy stocks would be 5% higher than last year, touching 80 mt.

 

While procurement from Punjab, Haryana and Tamil Nadu increased this season from the previous one, it was lower in Uttar Pradesh, one of the top producers of the grain. Till December 11, UP's contribution was 20.02 million tonnes against 23.77 million tonnes a year earlier.

 

A deficiency in rainfall during monsoon (June-September) had led to lower paddy acreage in Uttar Pradesh, causing a fall in production.

 

Procurement from Punjab and Haryana is almost over, while it is ongoing in Chhattisgarh, UP and Telangana.

 

The government aims to procure 77.13 million tonnes of paddy during the ongoing kharif marketing season. The total procurement in the previous season was 75.93 million tonnes. Paddy is a summer as well as winter crop. However, 80% of it is produced during the kharif, or summer, season.

 

Under the central pool, paddy is procured at a minimum support price and is used for various welfare schemes. The procurement is undertaken by FCI and various state agencies on its behalf.

Niti Aayog, the Centre’s think-tank, has failed to submit its evaluation study of the decentralised procurement (DCP) scheme for the procurement of wheat/paddy despite the task being entrusted in 2017, a Parliamentary Standing Committee has said. The panel has asked the Food Ministry to take up the issue at the highest level to get the report at the earliest.

 

According to the 22nd report of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, tabled in Parliament last week, the panel had in March this year desired to get the evaluation of the DCP scheme completed in six months by Niti Aayog and Institute of Economic Growth by taking the matter at the highest level.

 

'In the Action Taken Reply, the Department (of Food and Public Distribution) informed that despite their Letter in March 2021 to Niti Aayog, no response has been received to date. The Committee, while reiterating its original recommendation, desires to take up the matter at the highest level for completion of the evaluation by both agencies on a priority basis and submission of their Report at the earliest.'

 

Under the DCP scheme, States are allowed to procure, store and distribute (as for requirement under the Food Security law) foodgrains through their own agencies and transfer the surplus to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) after meeting the quality standards. Whereas in non-DCP states, procurement is the responsibility of FCI.

 

UP status, improvement

Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat are the DCP States for paddy procurement. Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Bihar are the DCP states for wheat. Uttar Pradesh surrendered its DCP status a few years ago, shifting the responsibility on the FCI as a result procurement in the State has improved significantly.

 

The panel, in March, had recommended the Food Ministry to 'make earnest efforts to motivate the remaining States to adopt the (DCP) scheme and try to cordially address their problems, if any, in implementation of the scheme and provide maximum possible assistance to them to achieve this objective.'

 

The parliamentary panel has also asked the Food Ministry to 'expedite the examination of the audit report' by the empowered committee of Executive Directors of FCI on the issue of rationalisation of establishment cost, estimated at Rs 2,430 crore in the previous fiscal. The panel in March had suggested FCI to 'attempt to reduce' the establishment cost.

 

The Food Ministry has also informed the panel that the majority of the (NFSA) beneficiaries were getting their monthly entitlement under PMGKAY in the right quantity, free-of-cost and are satisfied with the quality and quantity of foodgrains distributed as per a third-party evaluation conducted for 2020-21. The ministry has received results from 30 States/UTs out of 36 States/UTs where the study was conducted.

India and Poland held 10th round of Foreign Office Consultations in Warsaw on December 12. During the meeting, the two sides discussed regional and international issues, including developments in the Indo-Pacific, India's neighbourhood, the Ukraine conflict, cooperation in multilateral fora including the United Nations, and United Nations Security Council reforms.

 

The two nations noted the potential of bilateral trade and investment ties. According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the bilateral trade between India and Poland has witnessed steady growth in recent years and it stood at USD 4.3 billion in 2021. The MEA noted that Indian companies have invested more than USD 3 billion in Poland while Polish investments in India were worth USD 700 million.

 

During the meeting, India and Poland identified agriculture, food processing, information technology and green transition as areas of interest for further enhancing bilateral ties. The two sides have expressed satisfaction at the discussions during the sixth round of the India-Poland joint commission meeting on Economic Cooperation held in October 2022.

 

For the meeting, the Indian side was led by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs. Marcin Przydacz, Under Secretary of State for Security, the Americas, Asia & European Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland held the Polish side.

 

India and Poland also signed the agreement on gainful occupation by family members of diplomatic missions and posts. The two nations agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations at mutually convenient dates in New Delhi.

 

The Ministry of External Affairs in the press release said, 'India and Poland share long-standing friendly relations with historical linkages. The consultations provided an opportunity to review the bilateral cooperation agenda across various sectors. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.'

 

On November 11, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar extended wishes to the government and people of Poland on their Independence Day. Jaishankar in a tweet expressed confidence that the 'historical friendship' between the nations will continue to grow.

 

Dr S Jaishankar tweeted, 'Independence Day greetings to FM @RauZbigniew and the Government and people of Poland. Confident that our historical friendship will continue to grow.'

 

It is pertinent to mention here that Poland assisted India in 'Operation Ganga.' Notably, 'Operation Ganga' was an evacuation operation launched by the government of India to evacuate Indian nationals from Ukraine after Russia began its offensive on February 24.

Ranga Reddy will soon host one of the country’s largest and modern fruit markets in India as the state finalises a master plan for Koheda Fruit Market to come up in Koheda Village of the district.

 

Telangana agriculture minister S Niranjan Reddy on Sunday announced the final master plan for the construction of a fruit market on 199 acres of land, which will now be sent to chief minister KCR for final approval.

 

'Following the approval, the chief minister will lay the foundation stone for the market,' he added.

 

Reddy, along with Ibrahimpatnam MLA and Manchireddy Kishan Reddy, Director of Marketing Laxmi Bai and other officials, inspected the site of the proposed market.

 

The minister further said that once completed, the Koheda fruit market will be one of the biggest in India and one of the modern fruit markets in the world. The market is expected to have an infrastructure of international standards that will facilitate the export of fruits within the country and abroad.

 

Addressing the media, the minister said that the market will comprise godowns, a logistics park, a processing plant, a waste management and recycling facility, solar systems, cold storage, ripening chambers, staff quarters, shops for commission agents, sheds, roads and parking infrastructure.

 

For exporting mangoes, a special vapour heat treatment irradiation plant will be constructed in the market, the minister added.

 

Given that the Koheda village is close to the Outer Ring Road and the proposed Regional Ring Road as well as the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, the new market is bound to achieve prominence, he said.

 

The minister observed that the cultivation of horticultural crops is required to match growing demand globally. He exuded confidence in the Koheda fruit market playing a crucial role in the export of fruits in the near future.

The FSSAI has issued draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2022, wherein it has prescribed standards for Indian mithais (sweets), which are for direct human consumption for both pre-packaged and packaged products sold over the counter.

 

The draft lays down that the ingredients referred to, shall conform to the standards, wherever prescribed under these regulations while the labelling requirement prescribed that each package shall be labelled so as to the name of the product along with relevant categories is displayed, (for example ?name of the product (sub-category) ?'khoa burfi'(khoa-based mithai),

 

Also, in case of milk-based mithais, the Food Business Operator needs to declare the per cent and type of milk solids under the list of ingredients on the label.

 

The draft lists essential composition for various ‘kinds’ of mithais. The list comprises raw material for milk based mithais that include -(i). Milk Concentration based: Milk and milk powders, cream and cream powders, milk fat products as specified under FSS (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 (ii). Khoa based: Khoa whose specifications are specified under FSS (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 and (iii). Chhana based: Chhana whose specifications are specified under FSS (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.

 

Raw materials for non-milk-based mithais include (i). Grain-based: Cereals/ millets/pulses or their processed products (ii). Dry Fruits nuts/seeds- based: Dry fruits, nuts, seeds, or their processed products and (iii). Fruits and/or vegetables based: Fruits and/or vegetables and/or their products.

 

Raw materials for composite mithais may be prepared from any combination of the raw materials specified under these regulations while other permitted ingredients include the ingredients as permitted under FSS (FPS &FA) Regulations, 2011, may also be used unless otherwise restricted.

 

The description for mithai meanwhile reads, ‘Indian mithais means sweets that are traditional and innovative from Indian heritage and culture. They may be prepared by using one or combination of raw materials and other permitted ingredients as specified under section 2 of these regulations as per their relevant category. They may be processed by heating, cooking, steaming, boiling, fermentation, coagulation, drying, condensing, frying, roasting, baking, ripening or similar processes and/or any combination of processes thereof in various forms, styles or consistencies’.

As many as 50 farmers turned up for the natural farming training programme which commenced in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, officials said.

 

The training under the flagship programme of the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare is primarily aimed at promoting organic farming techniques and minimising the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides, the official said.

 

They said 50 farmers from different panchayats of the hilly district are participating in the programme being conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), where scientists and subject matter specialists will train them in natural farming.

 

Amit Charak, incharge, KVK Bhaderwah, said evidence shows that moving towards sustainable practices would conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, potentially reduce cost of production and climate-related risks for farmers.

 

'In line with these ideas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has urged farmers to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and also remarked on the use of ‘zero budget natural farming’ for soil conservation,' he said.

 

Calling for a 'back to the basics' approach, he said, 'we need to replicate this innovative model through which in a few states, farmers are already being trained in this practice.

 

'Steps such as this can help in doubling our farmers’ income, and KVK through aggressive training in motivating programmes will try its best to make it possible in the length and breadth of hilly Doda district,' he said. 

Bangladesh has approached India to source at least 0.5 million tonnes (mt) of parboiled rice on a government-to-government (G2G) basis for distribution through ration shops.

 

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh has been approached by the Sheikh Hasina Wajed government for the supply, even as Dhaka has floated two tenders of 50,000 tonnes each to import parboiled rice, trade sources said.

 

The tenders floated on December 6 and 12 will close on December 21 and December 17, respectively. 

 

Foreign visits 

Bangladesh has approached India after a delegation including the Food Secretary and Director-General of the Food Directorate, from Dhaka visited Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia last month to scout for supplies.

 

According to the sources, Bangladesh has turned to India as it has not been able to find parboiled rice at a competitive rate from these three countries. The sources said one of the four agencies between the NAFED, NCCF, Kendriya Bhandar and Kribhco Agri could be shipping the rice on G2G basis to Bangladesh.

 

Data from Thailand Rice Exporters Association show that parboiled rice is currently offered at $468 a tonne by Thailand, while Pakistan’s offers are between $453 and $457. Indian parboiled rice is offered at $373 and $377. 

 

Thailand’s offer price has increased by $5-6 a tonne over the past fortnight, while Pakistan’s rate has gone by marginally. Indian prices, on the other hand, are down by $1. 

 

Crop weather-hit

Though the Wajed government says it has ample rice stocks, it has begin importing rice on G2G and through private trade to prevent any crisis. In Bangladesh, rice prices have spiked over the past few weeks since its paddy crop has been affected by weather, initially due to floods and then dry weather. 

 

India may not have any problem in supplying parboiled rice to Bangladesh since its exports have not been curbed. In its order curbing rice exports from September 9, the Centre has banned shipments of fully broken rice, while imposing 20 per cent export duty on non-basmati white rice. 

 

Parboiled and Basmati rice have been exempt from any curbs. However, rice prices have been rising in the country on fears that the kharif paddy crop may be lower as key growing regions in West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and  Odisha were affected.

 

Despite the curbs on exports and 20 per cent export duty, Indian rice is still the most competitive in the global market. 

 

Domestic price hike

Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar told the Rajya Sabha on December 9 that rice prices have increased 8 per cent year-to-date in the domestic market on fears of lower production in the kharif season. 

 

According to the Agriculture Ministry first advance estimate, rice production is pegged at 104.99 million tonnes (mt) against 111.76 mt last year.  

 

According to Agricultural and Processed Food Exports Development Authority (APEDA), non-basmati rice exports in the first half increased to 8.96 mt against 8.23 mt a year ago with the shipments fetching $3.03 billion against $2.97 billion.

 

The Centre imposed curbs on rice exports to manage a tight food situation with the cereal’s stocks dropping to their lowest since 2018 at 16.6 mt, besides 19.65 mt of milled paddy (13.5 mt of rice) as of November 1.  

 

Last fiscal, India shipped out a record 17.26 mt of non-basmati rice fetching Rs.45,649.74 crore against 13.08 mt earning Rs.35,448.34 crore in 2020-21.

 

Over the last couple of years, India’s rice exports have been driven by record production. Last crop year (July 2021-June 2022), India produced a record 130.29 mt of rice.  

UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is visiting New Delhi for the sixth round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the UK and India, first formal round since July.

 

Badenoch will meet her counterpart minister of commerce and industry Piyush Goyal in person for the first time, aiming to strengthen ties between the two countries and reinvigorate talks on an ambitious bilateral trade deal. She will address both teams of senior negotiators ahead of the sixth round of formal negotiations taking place throughout the week.

 

The talks - the first formal round since July - will target a deal to cut tariffs and open opportunities for UK services such as financial and legal, making it easier for British businesses in India, according to a UK High Commission statement.

 

During her visit, the UK trade secretary will also meet with business leaders to better understand their needs for a modern UK-India trade relationship. This will include a meeting with envoPAP, a UK company investing over £10 million in India to construct a plant producing Fairtrade paper and packaging products.

 

Kickstarting her trip Badenoch said, 'I'm here in New Delhi to kickstart round six of UK-India trade negotiations and meet my counterpart in person to drive progress on this agreement. Both nations have come to the table with the very highest of ambitions and a willingness to work together towards a mutually beneficial deal. I'm excited about the opportunities we can create for British business. India and the UK are the 5th and 6th biggest economies in the world. We have a long-shared history and are in pole position to do a deal that will create jobs, encourage growth and boost our £29 billion trading relationship.'

 

Strong growth in the Indian economy is expected to boost UK exports to India by over £9 billion by the middle of the next decade, and UK businesses are already taking advantage of the flourishing trading relationship, according to the UK High Commission statement.

 

UK household name Pret A Manger and fintech pioneers Tide and Revolut are among those expanding in India. British coffee and sandwich retailer Pret A Manger will open its first branch in India early in 2023 following a franchise partnership with Reliance Brands. Mumbai will be the chain's first branch, as part of a plan to open 100 in total across the country.