India proposes to extend its waterways connectivity project to South-east Asia right up to Thailand, aiming to link regional river routes to develop trade.

 

The planned international waterways network covering a distance of over 5,000 km and crossing eight countries is expected to benefit shippers, logistics players and cargo owners.

 

The trade that can be conducted through the network is estimated at over $50 billion.

 

According to officials in the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, the Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid, as the project is called, will be an extension of the India-Bangladesh protocol route, under which land routes have already been opened up for trade, and river routes are expected to be operational from January.

 

'India has already built the Sittwe Sea Port of Myanmar. It has now become navigable. Sittwe is connected to Mizoram (through river routes), and this development will benefit both Mizoram and Tripura as it opens the way for global trading,' minister of ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said in an interview.

 

Officials said the Sittwe river connection with the North-east could be extended deeper into Myanmar and to countries in South-east Asia.

 

'Talks have already been initiated at Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) forum for a seamless waterways system connecting South Asian countries with South-east nations. Work on developing the network will begin in phases after project due diligence,' said the officials cited earlier.

 

The plan on the South Asian side is to link economically weaker eastern and North-eastern India and Bangladesh with northern India, Nepal and Bhutan, benefitting about 600 million people.

 

This will then be linked with Myanmar from Mizoram using the inland waterway terminal coming up near Sittwe. From there the river system will link with Thailand and move further South to Malaysia and Singapore.

 

Once these inland waterways are linked with coastal shipping, new commercial corridors with Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand are likely to emerge, generating a chain of multiple impacts across the region.

 

Though the cost of the project is yet to be worked out, experts said that advantages of this system will outscore any impediments as it using inland waters for transportation costs just a fifth of road routes and a lot lower than ocean shipping.

 

The transport grid using the waterways is part of India’s ‘Act East’ policy aimed at promoting economic cooperation, cultural ties and strategic relationships with countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

An earlier plan was to build a seamless road and railway network connecting India with South-east Asian countries.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has released a new draft of Genetically Modified (GM) Food regulations for public consultation, which proposes front-of-the pack labelling for packaged food products that contain 1 per cent or more of GM ingredients. The proposed draft regulation will be applicable on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for food use, food ingredients produced from GMO that contains modified DNA, and GMO-derived ingredients, additives or processing aids.

 

'No person shall manufacture, pack, store, sell, market or otherwise distribute or import any food or food ingredient produced from GMOs, except with the prior approval of the Food Authority,' reiterated the draft of Food Safety and Standards (Genetically Modified Foods) Regulations, 2022.

 

Manufacturers and importers of GM food products and ingredients must submit an application to the FSSAI for prior approval. The draft regulations added that in the case of GMOs that are used as food or source material for production of food, a clearance from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the national competent authority for the environmental risk assessment, will also need to be submitted.

 

At the same time, if GMO is to be used as seeds or for cultivation, the applicant ' shall parallelly submit an application to the GEAC for compliance to Rules 1989 (Environment Ministry notified rules)'.

 

In terms of labelling, the draft regulation stated that food products having individual GM ingredient of 1 per cent or more should be labelled as 'contains genetically modified organisms'. This label must appear on the front-of-pack of pre-packaged products, This labelling requirement also applies to adventitious or technically unavoidable presence of GM ingredients,' it added.

 

The FSSAI had first released a draft for GM Food regulation in November last year. 'The new draft of the FSS GM Foods Regulations is significantly different from the draft released last year. The FSSAI has simplified the procedure of prior approvals for GM-derived foods. But it also has expanded the scope of the draft regulations to include food ingredients produced from GMOs that do not contain any modified DNA,' said Harsh Gursahani, a food lawyer and Partner at PLR Chambers.

 

The new draft also comes at a time when the issue of GM mustard is under the spotlight.  

To promote the lesser known but having an equally hardcore following among mango lovers, the UP government has applied for Geographical Index (GI) tagging for Gorakhpur’s Gaurjeet mangoes.

 

The mango, smaller in size than Maharashtra’s Alphonso, is a well-known sight in the Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Maharajganj and Sant Kabir Nagar belt. It is one among 15 agricultural products for which the Yogi Adityanath government has applied for GI.

 

A government spokesperson said that the Gaurjeet mango is grown in an area of roughly 6,000 hectare in the Gorakhpur-Basti division, where it is also known as Jardalu and Mithua. If it is given GI tagging, hundreds of farmers involved in its production will stand to benefit, especially those in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nahar, Bahrich, Gonda and Srawasti as they come under the same agroclimate zone and will be able to grow Gurjeet there as well.

 

'A GI tag provides legal protection to a particular agricultural product in a given area. Under this, unauthorised use of the GI tagged produce can be restricted and the produce being grown in the specified geographical area grows in importance. In international markets, the value of a GI tag is equivalent to a trademark and helps to increase exports,' the spokesperson said.

 

Director, horticulture, RK Toman and joint director, horticulture, Basti, Atul Singh said that the mango reaches markets in the last week of May or first week of June. Around 90% of it is consumed in Purvanchal itself.

 

Among the 15 products for which the government has sought a GI tag are Varanasi’s Langda mango, pan leaves, Bundelkhand’s Kathiya wheat, Pratapgarh’s gooseberry, Varanasi’s lal peda, red chillies, pan, tirangi barfi, thandai, west UP’s Chausa mango, Purvancha’s Adam Chini rice, Jaunpur’s imarti, Muzaffarnagar’s jaggery and Ramnagar’s Bhanta Gola brinjal.

 

'In June 2016, Gurjeet was awarded the first prize among species grown in UP.

 

India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are likely to discuss issues related to food security, logistics and regulatory measures when they formally launch negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) on Thursday.

 

GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. In May, India had implemented an FTA with the UAE which is likely to form the basis for the pact with the GCC, said officials.

 

'The GCC is keen to ensure food security while India's concerns relate to regulatory measures, especially in some food items,' said one of the officials, who did not wish to be identified.

 

The two sides were earlier involved in FTA talks in 2006 which are being resumed now. 'The GCC had some internal issues because of which talks were stuck,' said another official.

 

India could raise issues related to sanitary and phytosanitary measures which pertain to food safety, animal and plant health, as the grouping resorts to EU standards for maximum residue level in certain products, said people aware of the matter.

 

'We want them to consider a risk-based assessment system,' said the first official.

 

With Qatar and Saudi Arabia coming up as logistics hubs, these issues are also likely to be on the table.

 

India's exports to the GCC increased 58.26% year-on-year to about $44 billion in 2021-22 from $27.8 billion.

 

India imports crude oil and natural gas from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and exports pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, metals, imitation jewellery, electrical machinery, iron and steel, and chemicals to the bloc. The GCC countries are a major source of foreign direct investment in India.

 

India has inked trade pacts with the UAE, Mauritius and Australia in recent years and is in talks with the UK, EU and Canada.

India’s Ambassador to US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Sunday (local time) emphasized the journey of two democracies together for the world -75 years of relations and said that India-US relations is a two-way street and this is a very symbiotic relationship.

 

Speaking at a lunch reception to celebrate the festive season at India House, Washington, he said, 'It (India-US relations) is a two-way street and this is a very symbiotic relationship… As Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, Much of the India that we dream of, lies ahead of us. It is only a journey we have started, we look towards our friends like the US to join us in our journey ahead.'

 

PM Modi has steered India and US relationship along with US President Joe Biden, who met more than 15 times met – the latest being G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia.

 

Greeting President Biden on his birthday, Sandhu said, 'The strong positive trajectory in the last couple of decades – across sectors. Name any, we have a new story to tell.'

 

He gave examples of strategic partnerships between the two countries in the field of space technology, IT, healthcare, etc y to reinvigorate bilateral ties and enhance cooperation under the motto — 'ChaleinSaathSaath: Forward Together We Go', and 'Sanjha Prayas, Sab ka Vikas'(Shared Effort, Progress for All) was adopted during the first two summits of Prime Minister Modi and President Obama in September 2014 and January 2015 respectively.

 

'NASA & ISRO are working on human space flight programme and NISAR which help us monitor implications of climate change… Today, American Tower has more mobile towers in India than in the US. Many US companies have their huge R&D centres in India,' said Sandhu.

 

In healthcare, cooperation during Covid-19 – Corbevax (Baylor College & BioE)- USD 1.5, Rotavirus – USD 60 to 1. Similarly, Indian tech companies are contributing to the US to more than 80 billion to US GDP and more than 600,000 jobs.

 

'Trust that has cemented – we have also become mature enough to sit across, discuss and understand sensitivities,' said the Indian envoy.

 

Highlighting India’s growth story, Sandhu said that India is a beacon of stability amidst geopolitical uncertainties; an usherer of global economic growth; a solution provider to some of our times’ complex challenges, and a consensus builder in times of conflict and rising tensions.

 

'In 2009, 17 pc of people in India had bank accounts; 15 pc used digital payments; 4 pc had a unique ID document. Today, around 80 pc have bank accounts; 80 pc use digital payments; 99 pc have unique IDs. All these in a country of 1.4 billion people,' said Sandhu.

 

'From almost negligible numbers a few years back, today we’ve over 77,000 start-ups in India with 108 having unicorn status. India’s talent pool is like no other country’s as 50 pc population is below 25 years – being skilled at a fast pace,' he added.

 

Sandhu also highlighted the role of the Indian diaspora which played a key role in building the India-US relationship.

 

'Ultimately people drive this partnership beyond leaders, institutions, and bureaucracy. And in this each of you – the Diaspora plays a critical role. 4 million plus – top professionals in politics, administration, healthcare, space, academics, IT, culture, and 200,000 students. All of you are highly accomplished, contributing to diverse fields in the US and also back to India in your own unique way,' said Sandhu.

 

Today, the India-US bilateral cooperation is broad-based and multi-sectoral, covering trade and investment, defence and security, education, science and technology, cyber security, high technology, civil nuclear energy, space technology and applications, clean energy, environment, agriculture and health. 

After the grand success of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ambitious One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, the state government, with the aim to provide wider recognition to local goods, will bestow GI tags on major delicacies of Uttar Pradesh such as Mathura’s ‘peda’, Agra’s ‘petha’, Kanpur’s ‘sattu’ and ‘bukunu’, among others.

 

The state’s Agricultural Marketing and Agriculture Foreign Trade department has ramped up preparations to provide GI tags to special delicacies of Uttar Pradesh representing different districts.

 

Applications have already been submitted seeking GI tags for agricultural and processed products like ‘Chausa’ mango, ‘Banarasi paan’ of Varanasi, ‘imarti of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh and the registration process is in the final stage.

 

A total of 36 products of the state, including six related to agriculture, have been given GI tags. At the same time, a total of 420 products of India are registered under GI tag, out of which 128 products are related to agriculture.

 

On behalf of the Agricultural Marketing and Agriculture Foreign Trade department, a presentation was made on the possibilities regarding agricultural products of the state in the geographical indication webinar on the topic 'Invaluable Treasure of Incredible India' before Chief Secretary DS Mishra.

 

Additional Chief Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi gave information about the benefits and importance of agricultural products with GI tags. At present, six products of Uttar Pradesh registered with GI tag include Allahabadi Surkha guava, Malihabadi Dussehri mango, Gorakhpur-Basti and Devipatan’s Kala Namak rice, western UP’s Basmati rice, Baghpat's Rataul mango and Mahoba's Desawar paan (betel leaf).

 

There are about 15 agricultural and processed products whose registration process for GI tagging is almost in the final stage. They include Varanasi's Langra mango, Bundelkhand's Kathia wheat, Pratapgarh’s amla, Varanasi’s lal peda, Varanasi’s red stuffed chilli, Gaurjeet mango of UP, Chiraigaon karonda of Varanasi, Chaunsa mango of west UP, Adam Cheeni rice of Purvanchal, Banarasi paan, Varanasi’s thandai, Jaunpur’s imarti, Muzaffarnagar’s gur, Varanasi’s tirangi barfi and Ramnagar’s bhanta.

 

Moreover, the potential agricultural and processed products that have been mentioned for GI tagging include Malwan’s peda, Mathura’s peda, Fatehpur Sikri's namak khatai, Agra's petha, Aligarh's chamcham sweets, Kanpur Nagar's sattu and buknu, Pratapgarh’s murabba, Maigalganj's rasgulla, Sandila's laddu and Balrampur's Tinni rice.

 

Apart from this, paniyala fruit of Gorakhpur, groundnut, jaggery-sugar, rose of Hathras, jamun of Bithoor, hathi singar (vegetable) of Farrukhabad, Yakuti mango of Barabanki, green chili of Ambedkarnagar, maize of Gonda, sawa kodon of Sonbhadra, Katariya wheat of Bulandshahr, Jaunpur’s maize, arhar of Bundelkhand are also included. The list also features products like Lucknow's revdi, Safeda mango, Sitapur's groundnut, Ballia's Sathi rice, Saharanpur's desi til, and Jaunpur’s radish. Due to the efforts of the government, soon these products will be proposed for GI tag nomination.

 

The GI tag provides legal protection to an agricultural product found in a region. Unauthorised use of agricultural products can be curbed by GI tag as it increases the importance of agricultural products produced in a particular geographical area. GI tag is treated as a trademark in the international market. It promotes exports, as well as increases local income and by identifying specific agricultural products, it is easy to export and promote them in India as well as in the international market.

Algeria’s state grains agency OAIC has issued an international tender to purchase a nominal 50,000 tonnes of durum wheat, European traders said on Monday.

 

The deadline for submissions of price offers in the tender is Wednesday, Nov. 23, with offers having to remain valid until Thursday, Nov. 24, they said.

 

Shipment is sought in three periods: between Dec. 16-31, 2022, and in 2023 between Jan. 1-15 and Jan. 16-31.

 

Volumes in Algeria's tenders are nominal and the country frequently purchases more than the volumes initially sought.

With sowing area under rabi crops exceeding 40 per cent of the normal area in the first 45 days of the season, the progress indicates there may not be a concern on any crop as far as acreage in concerned. Other factors such as timely availability of inputs such as seeds and fertilisers, and conducive weather will now determine the actual production of wheat, mustard and chana this season.

 

Total coverage under all rabi crops has been recorded at 268.80 lakh hectares (lh) as on November 18 in the on-going season, higher by 7.2 per cent from 250.76 lh in the year-ago period, the Agriculture Ministry said. The government has set the target for rabi-grown food grains at 164.85 million tonnes (mt), including 112 mt of wheat.

 

Early sowing

'The rabi crops are crucial for the government as the kharif foodgrains production is estimated to be lower by 13 mt with respect to the target of 163.15 mt for 2022-23,' said an official. The initial trend shows that farmers have started the sowing earlier than last year, which will be helpful for the crops’ productivity, he added. The government’s target of foodgrains output in 2022-23 (both kharif and rabi) is 328 mt, which is nearly 4 per cent higher than actual production of 2021-22.

 

Wheat acreage has increased by 15 per cent to 101.49 lh as of November 18 from 88.46 lh in the year-ago period and except in Haryana, it is higher in all other major wheat-growing States. The higher area under wheat has been reported from Punjab (7.18 lh), followed by Rajasthan (4.24 lh), Uttar Pradesh (2.59 lh), Maharashtra (1.05 lh) and Gujarat (0.67 lh).

 

'As wheat’s share is nearly 70 per cent of the rabi foodgrains, the acreage should be higher this year to offset any yield drop,' said an agriculture scientist. As there are reports of fertiliser shortages in States like Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Delayed supplies may reduce the applied quantity, potentially lowering the yield, experts said.

 

In oilseeds, rapeseed and mustard acreages have jumped 14.7 per cent at 63.25 lh as against 55.13 lh, thanks to Rajasthan, where it is up by 15 per cent. Total area under oilseeds reached at 66.81 lh, higher than 59.22 lh in the year-ago period. Normal area under all oilseeds is nearly 79 lh and it is expected that by end of the month the sowing level will reach that level.

 

Coarse cereals have been sown in 19.24 lh, a tad lower than 19.80 lh a year ago. Similarly, the pulses acreage has reached 73.25 lh so far, against 76.08 lh in the year-ago period. The key winter-grown pulse gram (chana) has been sown in 52.57 lh, against 52.83 lh.

 

Winter-grown paddy area has been reported at 8.03 lh, which is 11.5 per cent higher than 7.21 lh a year ago. The government has targetted an output of 18.5 mt of rice from rabi season. The kharif rice production is estimated at 104.99 mt, against a target of 112 mt.

 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan will pay an official visit to New Delhi during November 21-22. The visit will be 'part of regular consultations between the two countries' regarding bilateral and global issues, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday, announcing the visit.

 

India and the UAE signed a landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on February 18. The agreement entered into force on May 1. Subsequently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Abu Dhabi on June 28 on his way back home from Europe, when he was welcomed by President of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It was Mr. Modi’s fourth visit to the UAE since he was sworn in first in May 2014. Earlier, Mr. Modi visited the UAE on August 2015, February 2018 and in August 2019.

 

The two sides have entered into a new quadrilateral initiative called I2U2 — Israel, India, United States and the United Arab Emirates — with an aim to intensify cooperation in the fields of agriculture, digital connectivity and infrastructure development among other issues. The UAE has normalised relations with Israel and the Jewish state has established a diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi, which was opened last year.

 

The UAE Foreign Minister’s visit will be a reciprocation to the August 31-September 2 visit by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to the Gulf nation when he met Mr. Nahyan during the 14 th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and third India-UAE Strategic Dialogue.

A high-yielding variety of red rice with strong resistance to fungal diseases is gaining a foothold in the command areas of Karnataka over the last two years. 'Sahyadri Kempumukthi' has become an alternative to 'Jyothi', the rice variety which was developed by Kerala and cultivated on 1.25 lakh hectares of land in the transition zone — Shivamogga, Davangere, Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan districts. 

 

Paddy is grown on 11 lakh hectares of land in Karnataka.  

 

Developed by the Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural & Horticultural Sciences, 'Sahyadri Kempumukthi' is resistant to blast (a rice disease caused by fungus). It stood second in yield tests conducted by 69 institutes, including the Indian Institute of Rice Research.

 

The Central Variety Release Committee recently issued a notification recommending cultivation of this variety to state farmers.

 

University rice breeder and dean B M Dushyantha Kumar, who developed the variety by backcross breeding method, claimed that it yielded 60 quintals per hectare at a test conducted at zonal and national level. As many as 60 centres had conducted field trials in various parts of India. 'Sahyadri Kempumukthi' recorded 21.30 per cent more yield than the 'national check NDR-359' variety during 2021. Following superior performance in the initial trial, it was promoted to advanced trials of All India Coordinated Research Project.

 

The work of developing this rice variety was initiated in 2015 and completed in 2020.

 

Kumar told DH that the new variety serves as an alternative to 'Jyothi', which is prone to blast. The bold, red grain variety also has better nutritional parameters. 

 

During 2021-22, 'Sahyadri Kempumukthi' was cultivated on 5,000 acres of land in the command areas. Farmers said the cost of cultivation declined drastically.  The new variety can tolerate water submergence for up to 10 days, Kumar added.

 

Scientists and rice breeders are now creating awareness among farmers in the region on the new variety.  

 

'Earlier, we were cultivating 'Jyothi' on 25 acres of land. After the university asked us to grow this variety two years ago, the crop yield has been better and the use of fertiliser has also come down drastically. It has given 45 quintals per acre against 40 quintals,' said Hemanth Kumar, a paddy grower from Bhadravathi taluk.

 

He also claimed that people with diabetes saw their sugar levels turn normal after using the rice variety.