ODOP initiative is operationally merged with ‘Districts as Export Hub (DEH)’ initiative of the DGFT, Department of Commerce, with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as a major stakeholder, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash said in reply to a parliament question today.

 

Central Government has initiated One District One Product (ODOP) in all States/UTs of the country, as a transformational step towards realizing the true potential of a district, fueling economic growth, generating employment and rural entrepreneurship, taking us to the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The ODOP Initiative is aimed at fostering balanced regional development across all districts of the country, enabling holistic socio-economic growth across all regions. The objective is to focus on District of the country as unit for converting into a manufacturing and export hub by identifying products with export potential in the District. The Department is engaging with State and Central Government agencies to promote the initiative of ODOP, which is an on-going process.

 

In this context, Districts Export Action Plans include specific actions required to support local exporters / manufacturers in producing / manufacturing identified products in adequate quantity and with the requisite quality, for reaching potential buyers outside India, thereby creating economic value. These plans also include identifying and addressing challenges for exports of such identified products/services, improving supply chains, market accessibility and handholding for increasing exports, paving way for employment generation.

 

The following are some of the achievements of ODOP:-

 

The ODOP GeM Bazaar was launched on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) on 29th August 2022 with over 200 product categories created on the platform to promote sales and procurement of ODOP products across the country.

ODOP products are showcased in various International forums such as World Economic Forum, DAVOS in May 2022, at International Yoga day (IYD) in New York, US in June 2022 etc.

The ODOP initiative has been identified for the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in Holistic Development through One District One Product (ODOP) category in April, 2022.

Under DEH (a) State Export Promotion Committee (SEPC) and District Export Promotion Committee (DEPC) has been constituted in all the 36, States/UTs. (b)  products/services with export potential have been identified in 734 Districts across the country (Including Agricultural & Toy clusters and GI products in these Districts); (c)  State Export Strategy has been prepared in 28 States/UTs; (d) Under DEH, State Nodal officers are nominated in 34 States/UTs; (e) DEPC meetings has already been conducted in 681 Districts; (f)  Draft District Action Plan has been prepared for 570 Districts; (g)   a web portal to monitor the progress of District Export Action Plan in all the Districts has been developed by DGFT, to mention a few.

Andhra Pradesh has a total of 26 districts and about 13 of them have been covered in the DEH initiative. State-wise/district-wise list of products identified under ‘District as Export Hub’ initiative, including products from various districts of Andhra Pradesh is available on the following link

 

India is off to a good start with coffee exports for the 2022-23 season starting October, mainly for soluble coffees and robustas, while major producers such as Brazil and Vietnam have seen a decline during the period, according to the International Coffee Organisation (ICO).

 

ICO in its latest report for November said the global exports of green beans in October 2022 totalled 8.5 million bags compared with 8.72 million bags in the same month a year ago, down 2.5 per cent. While the Brazilian Naturals alone started the new coffee year with an uptick of 0.5 per cent, shipments of Colombian Milds decreased by 4.1 per cent to 0.94 million bags in October (0.98 million bags in October 2021).

 

Robusta exports

Exports of robustas fell by 4.8 per cent to 2.82 million bags (2.96 million bags) during the period. With the exception of India and Indonesia, all major origins within the robustas group saw their exports of green beans fall in October 2022 – Uganda (-6 per cent) and Vietnam (-19.5 per cent).

 

However, during October, total exports of soluble coffee increased by 10.9% to 1.19 million bags compared with 1.07 million bags a year ago. Brazil, the largest exporter of soluble coffee, shipped 2,91,345 bags in October 2022, down 6.2 per cent from 3,10,731 bags in October 2021. “The second and third placed origins, India and Indonesia, however, started the new coffee year at a gallop, with their soluble coffee exports up 25 per cent and 33.7 per cent, at 1,80,000 bags and 397,805 bags, respectively, in October 2022,” ICO said.

 

Soluble or instant coffees account for close to a third of India’s coffee exports. In the calendar year till date, exports of instant coffees from India stood at 1.24 lakh tonnes compared with 1.11 lakh tonnes a year ago. As per Coffee Board’s latest data, export permits issued from October 1 to December 6 were lower at 57,669.6 tonnes compared with 71,909.3 a year ago.

 

The value of these permits issued stood at $163.13 million ($172.52 million). The harvest of the arabica coffee has started in the key-producing regions of Kodagu and Chikmagalur, while the robusta harvest is set to commence in the next few weeks. The shipments are expected to gain momentum in the first quarter of 2023.

 

Ramesh Rajah, President, Coffee Exporters Association, said there is good demand for robusta cherry and soluble coffees. Such demand for moderately prices coffees could be largely driven by the prevailing economic conditions in the US and Europe.

 

ICO has pegged the world coffee production for the crop year 2022-23 year at 167.2 million bags, a 2.1 per cent decrease as compared with 170.83 million bags in the previous year. The world consumption is projected to grow by 3.3 per cent to 170.3 million 60-kg bags in 2022-23 as compared to 164.9 million in the previous year. In 2022-23, the consumption is expected to exceed production by 3.1 million bags. The New York certified stocks increased by 45.3 per cent from the previous month, closing in at 0.59 million bags, whilst certified stocks of robusta coffee reached 1.45 million bags, representing a decrease of 4.6 per cent.

Malaysia will import eggs as a short-term measure to alleviate a local supply shortage, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu on Tuesday (Dec 6). 

 

In a statement, he said that the ministry is aware of the need for a steady supply of eggs as they are a popular source of protein for Malaysians, with an average of 968 million eggs consumed monthly. 

 

'In the short term and immediate basis, the ministry has identified several sources from outside to ensure the supply of eggs required in the market.

 

'The ministry will ensure that the eggs brought in are free from disease and meet the standards set. All protocols and procedures set by the government must be followed without compromise,' according to the statement.

 

The minister said that the initiative to import eggs was not to put pressure on the local industry players but to ensure that the supply of eggs in the country was not interrupted and the welfare of the people was looked after.

 

'The need to bring in chicken eggs from outside will be reviewed once the supply of chicken eggs has stabilised,' he said.

 

He added that he has directed the secretary general of the ministry to look at the impact of importing chicken eggs from overseas on existing local players. He also asked Agrobank to submit proposals to help suppliers and small entrepreneurs to remain competitive.

 

Agrobank is a Malaysian government-owned bank that comes under the purview of the Minister of Finance with a focus on the agricultural sector.

 

'The ministry is always taking various approaches to guarantee the country's chicken egg supply is stable and sold at a competitive price.

 

'The ministry is confident that the issue of chicken egg supply shortages can be resolved in the near future with the cooperation of various parties,' said Mr Mohamad.

 

The retail price of Grade A eggs was previously set at RM0.45 each, Grade B (RM0.43) and Grade C (RM0.41) in peninsular Malaysia. As for Sabah and Sarawak, the prices would differ based on the district.

 

Grade A eggs weigh between 65g to 69.9g, while Grade B and Grade C range between 60g to 64.9g as well as 55g to 59.9g respectively.

 

According to local media reports, there has been a shortage of standard eggs in the markets in the last few months.

 

The Federation of Livestock Farmers Associations of Malaysia deputy president Lee Yoon Yeau was quoted as saying by The Star that the situation would not improve unless the government floated the prices of eggs that are currently regulated and leave it to market forces.

 

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the inflation for the food and non-alcoholic beverages group recorded an increase of 7.1 per cent in October this year compared to the same period last year.  

 

The subgroup of milk, cheese and eggs showed the highest increase among all subgroups of food, recording an 8.8 per cent increase in October. 

The Project Approval Committee - PAC of Ministry of Food Processing Industries - MoFPI has approved 44 projects under the Operation Greens - Long Term Interventions.

 

According to MoFPI, PAC reviewed each of the 44 eligible proposals recommended by the Technical Committee (TC) and approved all these proposals.

 

Meeting of the PAC constituted under the Scheme for Operation Greens – Long Term Interventions was held under the chairmanship of the Minister, FPI, on Oct 20, 2022, to consider the proposals received against the Expression of Interest (EoI) dated June 21, 2022.

 

Further, in response to the EoI, the ministry had received 56 proposals (including 3 proposals withdrawn by the applicants) on SAMPADA Portal of MoFPI. The Technical Committee evaluated all the proposals and recommended 44 proposals as eligible, as per scheme guidelines.

 

Also, MoFPI added that grants-in-aid for eligible proposals was calculated on the basis of the draft cost norms published by the ministry in respect of fruits & vegetables segment and same shall be applicable and bank appraisal note as well as term loan sanction (in-principle/ final) from bank may be verified for the proposals wherein approval of PAC is being accorded. The approval letter to be issued to the applicant should clearly mention this.

 

In line with the government’s thrust on zero-budget farming, Indian farmers have brought an additional 4.78 lakh hectares area under natural farming covering 17 States last year.

 

To promote natural farming, the central government has approved the National Mission on Natural Farming as a separate scheme with an expenditure of Rs 1,584 crore, said Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar while addressing the National Conference on Soil Health Management for Sustainable Farming on Monday.

 

Under the Namami Gange Programme, the project of natural farming is going on along the banks of the river Ganges, while the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and all Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Central and State Agricultural Universities and Colleges are making all-round efforts to promote natural farming, a statement from the agriculture ministry said.

 

Speaking at the Conference, Tomar said that due to chemical farming, soil fertility is getting eroded and climate change in days to come is going to be a big concern for the country and the world across. The lack of organic carbon in the soil is a serious concern.

 

'To meet this serious challenge and for better soil health, we have to promote natural farming, which is beneficial for the environment,' the Union minister was quoted in the statement.

 

Natural Farming System is an ancient technique used by farmers for farming and at that time people also knew how to live in harmony with nature, he added. States like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu etc. have made many innovations to promote natural farming.

 

In two phases so far, more than 22 crore soil health cards have been distributed to farmers across the country.

 

At the conference, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Suman Berry, Member Ramesh Chand, CEO Parameswaran Iyer, Senior Advisor Neelam Patel, Central Agricultural University Vice Chancellor of Jhansi, A.K. Singh and Drik Steffis, along with several scientists, policymakers and other stakeholders were present. Various technical sessions were also addressed by experts at the conference.

The World Bank in its India Development Update has upgraded the forecast for the Indian economy to 6.9% from 6.5% earlier in the current fiscal year, a World Bank report said on Tuesday. India is projected to be one of the fastest-growing major economies. The slowdown in emerging economies could also position India as an attractive alternate investment destination, it said.

 

The report sees average retail inflation at 7.1% this year. World Bank's India Development Update said India is affected by spillovers from the US, Euro area and China.

 

It however saw the government meeting the fiscal deficit target of 6.4 per cent of the GDP in 2022-23.

 

World Bank expects India's GDP growth to slow down to 6.9% in the ongoing fiscal as compared to 8.7% in FY 21-22. The report cited tightening monetary policy and high commodity prices as factors impacting the country's growth.

 

Consumer price index (CPI) based retail inflation, which the RBI mainly factors in while arriving at its monetary policy, is showing signs of moderation but still remains above the central bank's upper tolerance level of 6 per cent since January this year.

 

The inflation dropped to 6.77 per cent in October from 7.41 per cent in the preceding month, mainly due to easing prices in the food basket, though it remained above Reserve Bank's comfort level for the 10th month in a row.

 

The GDP growth in the second quarter of the fiscal slowed to 6.3 per cent as against a growth of 13.5 per cent in the preceding three months.

 

India, like its global peers, has been plagued by a rise in commodity prices and tightening monetary policy by central banks worldwide.

 

However, the World Bank is confident that the global slowdown has a much lower impact on India, compared to other emerging economies.

 

'We have no concerns about India's debt sustainability at this stage,' World Bank economist Dhruv Sharma said, adding that public debt had declined.

 

The RBI's three-day monetary policy committee meeting commenced on Monday. 'The RBI will be presenting the monetary policy against the backdrop of GDP growth slowing down as well as inflation being high above 6 per cent. We do believe that the MPC will continue with rate hikes this time though the magnitude will be lower - probably 25-35 bps,' said Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist at Bank of Baroda.

 

Shaktikanta Das has ruled out a recession for India, while key government officials including the finance minister have said India remains a bright spot amid the global headwinds.

 

However, from foreign brokerages to rating agencies, most of them have in recent days slashed India’s economic growth forecasts. The expected slowdowns in Europe and North America, along with China's sluggish economy are likely to hurt growth, while Russia’s attack on Ukraine lingers.

 

Geopolitical uncertainty, synchronized monetary tightening and high energy prices are clearly weighing on global growth in the first quarter of 2023, SBI said. India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the July-September quarter slowed to 6.3% from 8.4% a year earlier, and 13.5% in the previous quarter, owing to slower growth of the manufacturing and mining sectors.

 

Nomura economists Sonal Varma and Aurodeep Nandi said in a report that they believe India's growth rate cycle has peaked and a broad-based slowdown is underway.

 

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, organized an opening ceremony for the International Year of Millets – 2023 (IYM2023) in Rome, Italy. An Indian delegation led by Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare along with Smt. Shubha Thakur, Joint Secretary (Crops), DA&FW and other senior officials were present at the opening ceremony. During the event, India’s ceremonial message by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was conveyed by Sushri Shobha Karandlaje.

 

Sushri Shobha Karandlaje conveyed PM Modi’s compliments to the United Nations for declaring the Year 2023 as the International Year of Millets. PM, through his message, thanked the global community for supporting India’s proposal to mark the International Year of Millets (IYM). It was mentioned that Millets are good for the consumer, cultivator and climate. Millets are nutritious and can be cultivated in semi-arid zones besides consuming less water for irrigation. There is need for diversity on our land and our dining tables. Raising awareness to create ‘Millet Mindfulness’ is an important part of this movement.

 

Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, in her speech, said nations need to collaborate to develop a sustainable future, and millets will play a pivotal role in the process. There is an opportunity to contribute to the future well-being of mankind by bringing back ancient food grains through IYM. India will steer the IYM2023 celebrations worldwide and organise campaigns to promote the cultivation and consumption of Millets, both in India and abroad during the next year.

 

Sushri Shobha Karandlaje said the IYM2023 will lead India towards Food and Nutritional Security. Millets are considered 'Smart Food' as they are easy to cultivate, mostly organic and contains high nutritional value, she said. With PM Modi’s vision of 'Vasudaiva Kutumbakam' (The World is One Family), the IYM2023 celebration is an opportunity for India to promote Nutri-cereal Millets globally and place them in the world's 'food map', she added.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Director General, FAO Mr. QU Dongyu said the IYM2023 will provide us with a unique opportunity to give visibility to crops that have great potential to strengthen global nutrition, food security, decent jobs & economies, while accelerating Climate Action. Millets are basically Asian crops, climate resilient, lead to sustainable development and help ensure Food Security & Nutrition for all, he said.

 

In his message on the occasion, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said the IYM2023 will provide an opportunity to increase global production, efficient processing and better use of crop rotation and promotion of millets as a major component of the food basket.

 

At the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in New Delhi, Minister of State, Shri Kailash Choudhary, attended the virtual opening ceremony event and addressed the senior officials of the ministry. Shri Kailash Choudhary stressed upon adopting millets as part of daily diet and spreading awareness throughout the country highlighting the benefits of millets. He called upon all to popularize Millets, making a beginning with their own kitchen. A pledge to include millets in their everyday food was also undertaken on the occasion.

 

To mark the significance of the day in India, several initiatives have been taken by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW). These include an extensive social media campaign on the importance of Millets in Indian context, showcasing Government’s collective effort for sustaining the momentum, citizen engagement drives involving all other Ministries and several other outreach activities to celebrate IYM.

 

Spearheaded by the Prime Minister, the Government of India sponsored the proposal for International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 which was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The declaration has been instrumental for the Government of India to be at the forefront in celebrating the IYM. The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has also shared his vision to make IYM 2023 a ‘People’s Movement’ alongside positioning India as the ‘Global Hub for Millets’.

 

In the backdrop of the UNGA adoption of India-sponsored resolution International Year of Millets - 2023, the DA&FW aims to promote cultivation and consumption of Millets at a larger scale and bring it to the entire globe.

 

Recognising the enormous potential of Millets, which also aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Government of India (GoI) has prioritized Millets. A sub-mission on National Food Security Mission – Nutri Cereals was implemented considering the high-nutritive value, potential for economic empowerment of small & marginal farmers and contribution in maintaining the earth’s biodiversity; in April 2018, Millets were rebranded as 'Nutri Cereals', and the year 2018 was declared as the National Year of Millets, aiming at larger promotion and demand generation.

 

Towards this endeavour, through a collaborative approach, the GoI urges everyone including the Indian embassies, International Organizations, Academia, Hotels, 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 International Year of Millets - 2023.

 

‘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 the virtue of its mammoth potential to generate livelihood, increase farmers’ income and ensure food & nutritional security all over the world.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday called for looking at newer markets for Indian millets to push exports.

 

He also said that there is a need for more research and focus on standards for the sector.

 

'We must look for newer markets and destinations. Research is required to see newer varieties,' he said here at an international buyer-seller meet on millets.

 

The minister also called for greater participation of industry besides focusing on boosting productivity of millets.

 

Millets help in reducing carbon emission besides promoting growth of agriculture.

 

'Let's become the global capital of millets,' he added.

 

Speaking at the event, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that there is a huge scope to boost millet exports from India.

 

'We can achieve the target of USD 100 billion in 2-3 years from USD 15 million, he said.

 

He said that the ministry will be organising several such buyer-seller meets in India and abroad to promote millets.

 

'I am sure the culture of growing and consume millets will increase over the next few years,' the secretary said.

 

The conclave was a pre-launch event of the 'International Year of Millets 2023.

 

India is one of the leading producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of around 41 per cent in the global production.

 

As per FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), world production of millets in 2020 was 30.464 million metric tonnes (MMT) and India's share was 12.49 MMT, which is 41 per cent of the total millet production.

 

India recorded 27 per cent growth in millet production in 2021-22 as compared to millet production of 15.92 MMT in previous year.

 

India's top five millet producing states are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Share of export of millets is nearly 1 per cent in the total millet production.

 

Exports of millets from India include mainly whole grain, while the export of value-added products of millets is negligible.

India will explore with Belarus, a close ally of Russia, the option of replicating the deal it has struck with Moscow for settling international trade in rupees. Indian bankers are expected to meet a team of officials from Belarusian financial institutions this month to discuss the possibility, a person familiar with the matter told ET.

 

Belarus is grappling with sanctions from the US and the EU for supporting Russia's attack on Ukraine. 'Since India imports fertiliser from Belarus, a rupee settlement could help. It could be exactly like the rupee trade with the Russian parties. Many Russian banks have opened Vostro accounts with us though some of the Indian oil refiners are paying hard currency to buy oil from Russia,' said a banker.

 

The industry body, the Indian Banks' Association (IBA), reached out to banks last week on the proposed meeting. 'The IBA may have been asked by the RBI or the government to pursue this. We expect the meeting to happen sometime this month or early January,' said another banker.

 

The trade settlement arrangement, finalised by the RBI in July, entails Indian importers depositing rupees in special accounts that overseas banks open with lenders in India and clearing the dues of Indian exporters from surplus balances in these rupee accounts. Though it was announced in the wake of sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, the scheme can be used to settle trade with any country.

 

Last week, the RBI clarified that the rupee balances lying in the special Vostro accounts can be hedged -- thus enabling Russian companies to avoid losses due to fluctuations foreign exchange and a possible dip in the rupee against other currencies. In an FAQ issued a few days ago, the central bank also said that the balance of one 'special rupee Vostro account' (SRVA) can be transferred to the SRVA of another bank of the same country only.

 

The scheme permits investment of surplus funds lying in special Vostro accounts in Indian treasury bills and bonds.

 

India's imports from Belarus was $366.1 million last year, of which as much as $307 million was fertiliser; exports to the East European country was $71 million with pharmaceuticals and cereals accounting for $21 million and $11.4 million, respectively.

 

According to the RBI, trade settlement in rupees would reduce dependency on hard (or freely convertible) currencies like the dollar, euro and yen. The present mechanism involving the use of special Vostro accounts followed months of discussions between Indian and Russia after several Russian institutions were barred from using the international messaging system provided by the Belgium-based Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).

 

'The government is in touch with banks to find out whether the new trade settlement mechanism is catching on. Quite a few banks have opened Vostro accounts though at least one of the Indian banks, which has US presence, is reluctant to do this business,' said an industry source.

 

Top officials of the world’s 20 largest economies began deliberations in Udaipur on Monday to shape the agenda for India’s G20 presidency, with their first session focused on technological transformation.

 

The G20 Sherpas or personal representatives of the heads of state and government and top officials of multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and World Bank will participate in two sessions at Taj Fateh Prakash Hotel on the bank of Lake Pichola.

 

The first session of discussions on Monday will focus on technological transformation in the digital economy, health and education, while the second will be on green development and India’s Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) initiative.

 

'These deliberations will set the agenda for India’s G20 presidency. India’s G20 Sherpa will brief his counterparts from the other countries about India’s expectations and get the ball rolling for the hundreds of upcoming meetings,' an official said on condition of anonymity.

 

There will be three more sessions on Tuesday that will focus on accelerated, inclusive and resilient growth, multilateralism and food, fuel and fertilisers, and women-led development, tourism and culture.

 

India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant will guide the deliberations at these sessions and all the G20 Sherpas, representatives of multilateral bodies such as the United Nations and World Bank and officials from nine guest countries invited by New Delhi will participate in the discussions.

 

The deliberations began as a Group of Seven (G7) price cap on Russian seaborne oil came into force on Monday as part of efforts by Western powers to limit Russia’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine.

 

With the divisions created by the Ukraine crisis hovering over the G20, the Indian side has said it will focus on ensuring inclusive growth during the over-arching deliberations on the course to be taken by the G20 in the coming year.

 

On Sunday, Kant had highlighted the challenges facing the world community – a massive geo-political crisis in Europe, the breakdown of global supply chains, 70 countries affected by global debt, and the pressing issue of climate action and climate finance.

 

He said these were compounded by issues such as literacy, health, vast segments of populations falling below the poverty line due to the Covid-19 pandemic, inflation and slowdown of global growth.

 

'At this moment of crisis, India is taking over the presidency of the G20. Our belief is that every crisis is a huge opportunity and leadership is about finding path-breaking solutions in the midst of crisis,' he said.

 

The Sherpas have the onerous responsibility 'to look beyond the immediate crises and shape a new future', as well as reaching consensus on a vast range of challenging issues during their deliberations over the next two days, Kant said.