04 Aug, 2022 News Image North East exported goods worth Rs 1,800 crore in last fiscal, Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
From tea, cereals, dairy products, rice, ayush and herbal products, sesame seeds, spices to marine products, northeast has exported agricultural and allied products worth over Rs 1,800 crore in the last fiscal to countries far and wide — from the US, China, Germany, Australia, Russia to Burkina Faso.
Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, said during 2021-22, the export of agricultural and allied products from northeastern states has been of about Rs 1,813.73 crore.
 
Among the eight states, including Sikkim, the biggest export was from Assam, which was worth over Rs 1,700 crore, which is equivalent to 99% of the NE’s total export value. Assam’s exports to UAE in the last fiscal was of highest value of over Rs 301 crore, bulk of which has come from tea. The other big importers of Assam products, mostly tea, include UK, Russia, Iran, Iraq, China and Germany.
'Some commodities like Mizo chilli, King chilli, Dale chilli of Sikkim have high Capsaicin. The Lakadong variety of turmeric of Meghalaya is high in curcumin content, Kew variety of pineapple of Tripura has got GI tag and so on are particularly found in the NE region. All these products have high demand in international as well as domestic markets,' Tomar said.
 
The minister in his reply said the region is one of the richest reservoirs of genetic variability and diversity of different crops i.e. various kinds of fruits, different vegetables, spices, ornamental plants and also medicinal and aromatic plants.
'The region offers scope for cultivation of a wide variety of horticultural crops because of its diversities in topography, altitude and climatic conditions. A range of fruit crops varying from highly temperate types like walnut, apple, etc, to subtropical as well as tropical fruits are coming up well in this region. Similarly, wide and diverse types of vegetables, including indigenous ones are cultivated in the region,' he added.
 

 Source:  timesofindia.indiatimes.com
04 Aug, 2022 News Image Sugar exports up 39%, rice 19% in 2021-22: Tomar.
The government on Tuesday said sugar exports increased 39 per cent to 10.5 million tonnes (mt) during the 2021-22 fiscal from the previous year, while rice exports— Basmati and non-Basmati varieties—surged 19 per cent to 21.23 mt.
 
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on agri exports, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the demand for organic products from India is consistently increasing in the global market. As such, the quantity of organic products exported during 2020-21 was 0.89 mt against 0.64 mt during 2019-20, up by 39 per cent, he said in a written reply.
 
Edible oil exports down
Though India has been importing close to 60 per cent of its vegetable oil requirements, exports of edible oils during the fiscal were 98,365 tonnes, down by 67 per cent. A significant quantity of molasses was also exported despite lucrative prices offered by the government-run companies for ethanol. Molasses exports increased to 1.4 mt from 1.3 mt.
 
Export of pulses, which are also imported to meet the demand, jumped 40 per cent last fiscal to 0.39 mt. Tea exports were down marginally to 2,08,614 tonnes from 2,12,687 tonnes and spices shipments slipped 11 per cent to 1.43 mt.

 Source:  thehindubusinessline.com
04 Aug, 2022 News Image India expects $8-$9 billion in trade with Russia and Sri Lanka in two months.
India expects bilateral trade worth $8-9 billion with Russia and Sri Lanka in the next two months after it allowed international trade in rupees, India's trade secretary said.
 
The Reserve Bank of India last month allowed importers and exporters to pay in the partially convertible rupee, a move widely seen as making trade with Russia and South Asian neighbours easier instead of relying on dollars.
 
'The rupee-denominated sales will be a big, big advantage,' B.V.R. Subrahmanyam told reporters late on Tuesday. 'I see in the next two months $8-$9 billion of trade with Russia and Sri Lanka.'
 
He did not give a break down in trade by country.
 
India's imports from Russia, mainly crude oil, jumped nearly five times to more than $15 billion between the end of July and Feb. 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine, compared to the previous year, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
 
But exports fell to $852.22 million from $1.34 billion in the same period, due to the lack of a payment settlement mechanism with sanctioned-hit Russia.
 
Latest trade figures between India and Sri Lanka, which is in economic crisis, were not immediately available.
 
India has refrained from condemning Russia, with which it has longstanding political and security ties, while calling for an end to violence in Ukraine. New Delhi defends its purchases of Russian goods as part of an effort to diversify supplies and argues a sudden halt would jack up world prices and hurt its consumers.
 
India reported a record trade deficit of $31.02 billion for July, three times higher than in the same period last month, due to a fall in exports and high imports, according to the latest preliminary trade data.
 
Subrahmanyam said the government was working on new trade deals with countries like the United Kingdom that would boost its exports and offset demand weakness in some of its markets.
 
He expects India merchandise exports to jump to about $500 billion in the current fiscal year that started on April 1, from about $420 billion in the year-ago period.

 Source:  economictimes.indiatimes.com
04 Aug, 2022 News Image State Export Promotion Committees (SEPCs) and District Export Promotion Committees (DEPCs) constituted in 36 States/UTs.
The Central Government has initiated the One District One Product (ODOP) in different States/UTs of the country. ODOP is seen 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. 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.
 
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 convert each District of the country into a manufacturing and Export Hub by identifying products with export potential in the District. Institutional mechanism in the form of State Export Promotion Committees (SEPCs) and District Export Promotion Committees (DEPCs) have been constituted in 36 States/UTs to provide support for export promotion and address the bottlenecks for export growth in the districts.
 
Districts Export Action Plans are prepared for identified products and services for overseas markets, which includes 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. 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. So far, in about 557 districts, export plans have been prepared and in about 218 have been adopted by DEPCs.
 
Products have been identified under ODOP and DEH across each district in the country.  The range of the chosen products covers multiple sectors, Ministries and Departments, including products of farmers, weavers, artisans, other producers  and sellers of districts.  State-wise/district-wise list of products identified under ‘District as Export Hub’ initiative is available on the following link: -
 
https://exporthubs.gov.in/images/pdf/Final%20Product%20List.pdf
 
ODOP/DEH initiatives contribute to the goal of AtmaNirbhar Bharat, Vocal for local and Make in India, by providing opportunities for employment, through significantly increasing the manufacturing and exports of identified products.
 
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

 Source:  pib.gov.in
04 Aug, 2022 News Image Initiatives taken to create a conducive business environment.
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is spearheading the initiatives under Ease of Doing Business and Reducing Compliance Burden which are aimed at creating a conducive business environment. The key focus areas of the initiatives are:
 
(i) Simplification of procedures related to applications, renewals, inspections, filing records, etc.,
 
(ii) Rationalization by repealing, amending or subsuming redundant laws,
 
(iii) Digitization by creating online interfaces eliminating manual forms and records, and
 
(iv) Decriminalization of minor technical or procedural defaults.
 
These initiatives aim to extend benefit to all entities/sectors/industries of the economy, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
 
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises has also undertaken the following initiatives to create a conducive environment for the promotion and development of MSMEs:-
 
(i) Udyam Registration (UR) Portal has been developed to provide fully online, paperless and transparent MSME registration process. No documents or proof are required to be uploaded for registering MSMEs. Only Aadhaar Number and Permanent Account Number (PAN) is enough for registration. PAN and Goods & Services Tax (GST)-linked details on investment and turnover of enterprises are taken automatically from Government databases.
 
(ii) Digital Payments have been introduced to pass on the benefits of the schemes of Ministry of  MSME through digital payment gateway.
 
(iii) MSME SAMBANDH Portal has been developed which helps in monitoring the implementation of Public Procurement Policy for micro and small enterprises.
 
(iv) MSME SAMADHAAN Portal has been developed which helps in empowering micro and small entrepreneurs across the country to register their cases relating to delayed payments.
 
(v) CHAMPIONS Portal has been developed for speedy redressal of grievances.
 
(vi) Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has been directed to further facilitate online procurement of common use Goods and Services, required by various Government              Departments/Organizations/CPSEs, from MSMEs.
 
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

 Source:  pib.gov.in
04 Aug, 2022 News Image At IDF World Dairy Summit, India to look for improvement in milk productivity.
India will look to improve its per animal milk productivity by drawing lessons from advanced nations at the four-day International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit (IDF WDS 2022), scheduled to be held in New Delhi from September 12.
 
Currently, the world’s largest milk producer with about 210 million tonnes production per year, India lags behind many advanced countries in dairy productivity. This, according to dairy sector leaders, will be a key takeaway for the country from the three-day Summit that has a theme of 'livelihood and nutrition'.
 
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Meenesh Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), said, 'We are continuously working on improving the productivity of animals. India is the largest milk producer, which is because we have the largest number of animals. (But) On the productivity per animal, we are behind several other countries. We need to increase the productivity of the cattle through collective efforts.'
 
However, he said over the past few years, India’s dairy sector has achieved remarkable success in improving productivity. 'This process needs to continue,' he said.
 
Announcing the IDF WDS 2022 at Anand, Shah said on September 12- 15, 2022 India will showcase dairy farmers with an average per capita cattle holding of about 3-4 as the foundation of India’s dairy economy against the developed world, which has about 200-400 animals per farm.
 
RS Sodhi , Managing Director, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets Amul brand of milk products, said the summit, in which about 400 dairy farmers will participate, will showcase how about 1.2 crore members of dairy cooperatives across the country combine together to produce, process and market their milk on a daily basis.
 
Amul and Nandini (a dairy brand owned by Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Ltd) are the main sponsors of the summit , which is powered by NDDB arm Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetables Pvt Ltd.
 
BC Sateesh , Managing Director, KMF, said, the Summit will be a platform to encourage the next generation to engage in successful dairying. 'At KMF, we have 26 lakh dairy farmers, producing about one crore litres of milk daily and they earn 80 paise from each rupee earned. About 90 per cent of our farmers are small and marginal farmers. This will be a big platform to attract the next generation for dairying.'
 
As per the NDDB data, India’s daily milk collection is about 12 crore litres from organised players. Of this, about 6 crore litres come from the cooperatives and the rest from private players. GCMMF has a share of about 2.6 crore litres in cooperative space. IDF’s WDS is being held in India after a gap of 48 years with about 1,500 delegates from over 40 countries likely to participate.

 Source:  thehindubusinessline.com
04 Aug, 2022 News Image Organic food market size likely to top $2.6 billion by 2026.
Demand for organic food in India is likely to witness a 20.5 per cent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) over the next few years with the market size likely to top $2.6 billion by 2026, says Sujit Jain, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Netsurf Communications Pvt Ltd.
 
India’s organic food market size was $849.5 million in 2020 but since then it has been influenced by the outbreak of the Covid pandemic resulting in exponential growth in demand, said the CMD of the Pune-based firm, which was among the first in the country to launch organic farm brand products under the Biofit brand.
 
Cutting input costs
'Organic farming practices offer farmers better quality and quantity which can be sold at a premium. Plus, it also helped them reduce the costs of farming. In a nutshell,  it’s the most profitable and sustainable way for farming ahead for farmers,' he said.
 
Netsurf has been selling its product through direct distribution since 2000. These 'solutions' reduce the dependence on agro-chemicals and make the produce 100 per cent organic. About 35-40 lakh farmers are claimed to be using Biofit products. They make up 60 per cent of Netsurf’s annual turnover. 
 
Jain said organic farming was gaining attraction in recent years and its practice has resulted in the fertility of soil improving and better development of crops, besides the quality of the yield. According to Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) data,  production of organic crops was 3.2 million tonnes during 2020-21, up 36 per cent from a year ago. The area under organic farming increased to 2.3 lakh hectares in 2020-21, he said. 
 
Adding to demand
 'In the post-pandemic situation, the consumer is looking for clean and healthy food options and organic food is one of them. Organically grown vegetables, staples, fruits and seeds, etc. have started witnessing demand in the market. Industries have started introducing organic products which add to the demand even more substantially,' the Netsurf CMD said. 
 
In view of these developments, the agriculture sector has begun using bio-fertilisers and implementing other organic farming practices. 'Urban consumers are ready to pay a premium for such certified organic foods. State and central governments have come up with schemes like Paramparagat Krushi Vikas Yojana, the National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm, the National Food Security Mission, etc. Farmers can avail of financial assistance from government bodies as an encouragement for using organic products instead of synthetic-chemical-based fertilisers,' he said..
 
Jain said demand from the industry and consumers, besides government support and better profitability for farmers, are the factors supporting organic farming practices in India.
 
Biofertilisers growth
The Netsurf CMD said in view of this the biofertilizers market is expected to grow from $110.07 million in 2022 to $243.61 million by 2029 at a CAGR of 12.02 per cent in the forecast period. 'Sikkim has converted to organic farming totally since 2016. Kerala, Mizoram, Goa, Rajasthan, and Meghalaya intend to follow the same route. Andhra Pradesh is also promoting Zero Budget Natural Farming,' he said. 
 
Another factor driving the growth of organic farming is an integrated approach. 'Many farmers have now opted for integrated farming where they have started complementing their chemical fertilisers with biofertilisers. This has helped them improve yield and fertility,' he said. 
 
Though India had the largest number of organic farmers (30 per cent of global organic growers) in 2018, the country is still in the early stages of implementing organic practices. 
 
Potential in Manipur, UP
Netsurf sees good potential for its Biofit brand of products in the North-East, especially Manipur, where farmers are into organic and integrated farming. In Manipur, the State government is implementing the 'Manipur Organic Mission' programme to promote organic farming in the region. 
 
'Uttar Pradesh has also taken initiatives to make the State a hub for organic farming in India. It has introduced cluster farming and the government has also decided to fund each cluster over the next three years to encourage organic farming,' Jain said, adding that the company is helping farmers to become direct sellers of products.  
 
Stating that health, fitness, immunity and organic food have become buzzwords after the pandemic, he said that post-pandemic the concept of healthy living and eating has seen tremendous growth.  Pointing to studies, he said the demand for organic food is higher in emerging nations than in developed nations. 
 
'Consumers believe that organic foods are more nutritious and healthier than conventionally grown foods. Because of all these factors, the retailers have seen a huge surge in the demand for organic foods,' the Netsurf CMD said.
 
Jain said his company plans to introduce new products in all categories, including under the Biofit brand.  

 Source:  thehindubusinessline.com
04 Aug, 2022 News Image Millets reinstate super food status as they take centre stage on patients' plates.
The Indian Institute of Millets Research (ICAR-IIMR), a premier research institute for sorghum and other millets is now popularising its super food millet consumption by patients at hospitals. This is in sync with the year 2023 being the International Year of Millets.
 
Dr B Dayakar Rao, CEO, Nutrihub, ICAR-IIMR, acknowledged Dr Sangita Reddy, joint managing director, Apollo Hospitals Group, for being the first hospital in India to proactively serve super food millet to patients, at its Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad.
 
Millets are rich in fibre, non-starchy polysaccharides, carbs, proteins, anti-oxidants, multiple vitamins and trace elements, highly alkaline and gluten-free. They are often prescribed by doctors and dieticians to their patients for quick recovery and staying healthy.
 
The F&B team at Apollo Hospitals, comprising of senior dieticians, nutritionists, specialist doctors did extensive research and formulated palatable millet recipes of the local traditional south and north Indian cuisines. Special care has been taken to make these millet cuisines easily digestible and healthy, as they form the diet for patients.
 
Apollo Hospitals has set up the first cloud kitchen of its kind for millet-based cuisine in India, at its premises in Jubilee Hills. The facility was recognised as the best cloud kitchen in India, by ICAR -IIMR. The hospital  is in the process of setting up a mechanism to source the millets directly from the farmers to  enhance farmers’ earnings with no middlemen and enable the hospital to have a dedicated source of grain supply.
 
Millet cultivation and consumption is a win-win proposition from both environmental and health perspective. 'They are very healthy and a panacea for several lifestyle diseases the current generation suffer from. Apollo Hospitals will popularise super food millet diet among patients across all our hospitals,' says Dr Sangita Reddy.   
 
'We have carried out clinical trials with National Institute of Nutrition, to find out the benefits to patients suffering from different ailments like diabetes and others. This data had to be generated for labelling. More studies will be on to assess the  benefits of millets on gut microbiome. Millets are  resistant to starch  and are known for prebiotic, probiotic and  anti-inflammatory factors. Their slow releasing ability to regulate hunger makes glycaemic index and glycaemic load to be low. We are also collaborating with NIN, medical colleges across the country, Indian Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, to work on non-alcoholic fatty liver. Besides this we are also working in the sports nutrition area,' said Dr Rao from ICAR-IIMR.
 
The comprehensive range of super food millet cuisines being offered by Apollo Hospitals, includes millet based Idli, Dosa, Vada, Poori, Upma, Pongal, Masala Vada, Onion Rings, Punugulu, Bonda, Bajji. Millet-based Soup and Salad, non-veg items prepared with millets like Chicken Pakoda, Chicken Drumsticks, Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Popcorn, Millet Chicken 65, Millet Chicken Wrap etc. Millet based Egg Bonda and Egg Wrap; Chapatis and Phulkas prepared from millets.  Biryani range from millets comprises of Veg-Dum Biryani, Chicken Dum Biryani and Prawn Biryani, besides millet full Lunch combos, ragi mudda and so on. The hospital has introduced the concept of ‘Millet of the day’ by serving specially curated cuisines made of minor millets, to encourage variety of super food millets being made part of the diet.
 
Y Subramanyam, regional CEO, Apollo Hospitals, Telangana; Dr Ravi Sankar Erukulapati, Senior Endocrinologist, Apollo Hospitals; Dr Bharath Reddy, Cardiologist and Actor; and Haritha Shyam, Dietician and Nutritionist, Apollo Hospitals; highlighted the health benefits from millet-based diet especially for patients.

 Source:  fnbnews.com
04 Aug, 2022 News Image Government of India is committed to improve economic condition of farmers.
Keeping in view interest of sugarcane farmers (Ganna Kisan), the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for sugar season 2022-23 (October - September) at Rs. 305/qtl for a basic recovery rate of 10.25%, providing a premium of Rs. 3.05/qtl for each 0.1% increase in recovery over and above 10.25%, & reduction in FRP by Rs. 3.05/qtl for every 0.1% decrease in recovery. However, the Government with a view to protect interest of sugarcane farmers has also decided that there shall not be any deduction in case of sugar mills where recovery is below 9.5%. Such farmers will get Rs. 282.125/qtl for sugarcane in ensuing sugar season 2022-23 in place of Rs. 275.50/qtl in current sugar season 2021-22.
 
The A2 + FL cost of production of sugarcane (i.e actual paid out cost plus imputed value of family labour) for the sugar season 2022-23 is Rs. 162/qtl. This FRP of Rs. 305/qtl at a recovery rate of 10.25% is higher by 88.3% over cost of production, thereby ensuring the promise of giving the farmers a return of more than 50% over their cost. The FRP for sugar season 2022-23 is 2.6% higher than current sugar season 2021-22.
 
Due to proactive policies of Central Government ,sugarcane cultivation and sugar industry has come a long way in past 8 years and now reached a level of self-sustainability. This is outcome of timely government interventions and collaboration with sugar industry, State Governments, various departments of Central Government as well as farmers. Salient measures taken by the Government for Sugar Sector in recent years are as under:
 
FRP of sugarcane is fixed to ensure a guaranteed price to sugarcane growers.
Government has increased FRP by more than 34% in past 8 years.
Government has also introduced the concept of Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar to prevent fall in ex-mill prices of sugar & accumulation of cane arrears (MSP was fixed initially at Rs. 29/ kg  w.e.f  07-06-2018; revised to Rs. 31/kg w.e.f. 14-02-2019).
Financial assistance of more than Rs. 18,000 crore extended to sugar mills to facilitate export of sugar, for maintaining buffer stocks, to augment ethanol  production capacity & for clearance of farmers’ dues.
Diversion of surplus sugar for production of ethanol led to improved financial conditions of sugar mills. As a result, they are able to clear cane dues early.
Due to exports and diversion of sugar to ethanol, sugar sector has become self-sustainable and budgetary support for export and buffer are not required to improve liquidity of mills.
Further, due to various others measures taken for the Sugar Sector during past few sugar seasons which inter-alia included introduction of high yielding varieties of sugarcane, adoption of drip irrigation system, modernization of sugar plant and other R&D activities, the area of sugarcane cultivation, production of sugarcane, cane crushed, sugar production & its recovery percentage and the payment to farmers have increased considerably.
 
Government committed to increase income of farmers:
 
Decision will benefit 5 crore sugarcane farmers (Ganna Kisan) and their dependents, as well as 5 lakh workers employed in the sugar mills and related ancillary activities. 9 years back, FRP was only Rs. 210/ qtl in sugar season 2013-14 & only about 2397 LMT of sugarcane was purchased by sugar mills. Farmers were getting only about Rs. 51,000 cr from sale of sugarcane to sugar mills. However, in past 8 years Government has increased FRP by more than 34%. In the current sugar season 2021-22, about 3,530 lakh tons of sugarcane of worth Rs. 1,15,196  cr was purchased by sugar mills, which is at all time high.
 
Keeping the increase in the acreage & expected production of sugarcane in the ensuing sugar season 2022-23, more than 3,600 lakh tons of sugarcane is likely to be purchased by sugar mills for which the total remittance to the sugarcane farmers is expected to be more than  Rs. 1,20,000 crore. The Government through its pro-farmer measures will ensure that sugarcane farmers get their dues in time.
 
In the previous sugar season 2020-21, about Rs. 92,938 crores cane dues were payable, out of which Rs. 92,710 crore has been paid & only Rs. 228 crore arrears are pending. In the current sugar season 2021-22, out of cane dues payable of Rs. 1,15,196 crores about Rs. 1,05,322 crores cane dues have been paid to farmers, as on 01.08.2022; thus, 91.42% cane dues have been cleared which is higher than earlier seasons. 
 

India - largest producer & second largest exporter of sugar in the world:
 
India has surpassed Brazil in the sugar production in the current sugar season. With the increase in the production of sugar in past 8 years, India apart from meeting its requirement for domestic consumption has also consistently exporting sugar which has helped in reducing our fiscal deficit.  In last 4 sugar seasons 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 & 2020-21, about 6 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT), 38 LMT, 59.60 LMT & 70 LMT of sugar has been exported. About 100 LMT of sugar has been exported till 01.08.2022 in the current sugar season 2021-22  & exports likely to touch 112 LMT.
 
Sugarcane farmers & sugar industry now contributing in energy sector:
 
India’s 85% requirement of crude oil is met through imports. But with a view to reduce import bill on crude oil, to reduce pollution & to make India Atmanirbhar in petroleum sector, Government is pro-actively moving ahead to increase production & blending of ethanol with petrol under the Ethanol Blended with Petrol programme. Government is encouraging sugar mills to divert excess sugarcane to ethanol which is blended with petrol, which not only serves as a green fuel but also saves foreign exchange on account of crude oil import. In sugar seasons 2018-19, 2019-20 & 2020-21, about 3.37 LMT, 9.26 LMT & 22 LMT of sugar has been diverted to ethanol. In current sugar season 2021-22, about 35 LMT of sugar is estimated to be diverted & by 2025-26 more than 60 LMT of sugar is targeted to be diverted to ethanol, which would address the problem of excess sugarcane as well as delayed payment issue because farmers would get timely payment.
 
Government has fixed target of 10% blending of fuel grade ethanol with petrol by 2022  & 20% blending by 2025.
 
Till year 2014, ethanol distillation capacity of molasses based distilleries was only about 215 cr litres. However, in past 8 years due to the policy changes made by the Government, the capacity of molasses based distilleries have increased to 595 cr litres. Capacity of grain based distilleries which were about 206 cr litres in 2014 have now increased to 298 cr ltrs. Thus, the overall capacity of ethanol production has doubled in past 8 years from 421 cr ltrs in 2014 to 893 cr ltrs in July’ 2022. Government is also extending interest subvention to sugar mills/ distilleries for loans availed from banks for augmentation of ethanol production capacities. About 41,000 cr investment is being made in ethanol sector which will create employment opportunities in rural areas.  
 
In ethanol supply year (ESY) 2013-14, supply of ethanol to OMCs was only 38 crore litres with blending levels of only 1.53 %. Production of fuel grade ethanol and its supply to OMCs has increased by 8 times from 2013-14. In ethanol supply year 2020-21 (December - November), about 302.30 cr ltrs of ethanol has been supplied to OMCs thereby, achieving 8.1% blending levels. In the current ESY 2021-22, we have been able to achieve 10.17% blending levels. More than 400 cr ltrs of ethanol likely to be supplied by sugar mills/ distilleries for blending with petrol in the current ESY 2021-22 which will be 10 times in comparison to supplies in year 2013-14.  
 
Sugar industry becoming self-sustainable:
 
Earlier, sugar mills were dependent primarily on sale of sugar to generate revenues. Surplus production in any season adversely affects their liquidity leading to accumulation of cane price arrears of farmers. Government interventions were made from time to time to improve their liquidity. However, in past few years due to Central Government’s proactive policies including encouragement to export surplus sugar & to divert sugar to ethanol, the sugar industry has now become self-sustainable. 
 
Since, 2013-14 about  Rs. 49,000 crore revenue generated by sugar mills from sale of ethanol to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). In the current sugar season 2021-22, about Rs. 20,000 cr revenue is being generated by sugar mills from sale of ethanol to OMCs; which has improved liquidity of sugar mills enabling them to clear  cane dues of farmers . Revenue from sale of sugar & its by-products, ethanol supplies to OMCs, power production from bagasse based cogeneration plants & sale of potash produced from press mud   has improved topline & bottom line growth of sugar mills.
 
The measures taken by the Central Government and FRP enhancement have encouraged farmers to cultivate sugarcane and facilitated continued operation of sugar factories for domestic manufacturing of sugar. Due to proactive policies made by the Government for sugar sector,  India is also now becoming atmanirbhar in energy sector.

 


 Source:  pib.gov.in
03 Aug, 2022 News Image Non-Basmati Rice, Sugar, Wheat, Other Cereals, Mollases & Raw Cotton the biggest gainers in agri exports basket in last three years.
Under the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC), beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) can get their quota  of subsidized food-grains from any electronic point of sale device (ePoS)- enabled fair price shops of their choice by using their existing ration card with biometric authentication. ONORC is implemented in all the States and Union Territories making food security portable throughout the country. Under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), about 79.7 crore beneficiaries in the country have been covered by States/UTs through NFSA ration cards. The Department regularly pursue with concerned States/UTs to cover maximum eligible persons/households up to their respective NFSA ceiling limits.                                                    
The demand of organic agro-product from India is consistently increasing in the global market. As such, the quantity of Indian organic products exported during 2020-21 was 8.88 lakh MT as against 6.38 lakh MT during 2019-20 which amounts to 39.18% increase in export from India indicating considerable increase in demand of Indian agricultural products.
 
National Food Security Mission (NFSM) is being implemented with the objective of increasing food grain production through area expansion and productivity enhancement in the identified districts of the country. Under NFSM, assistance is given through state governments to farmers for interventions like cluster demonstrations on improved package of practices, demonstrations on cropping system, distribution of seeds of High Yielding Varieties (HYVs)/hybrids, improved farm machineries/resource conservation machineries/tools, efficient water application tools, processing & post-harvest equipments, cropping system based trainings etc including plant protection measures, nutrient management/soil ameliorants for improving soil productivity and control of pest incidence. The mission also provides support to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) & State Agricultural Universities (SAUs)/Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) for technology back stopping and transfer of technology to the farmers under supervision of Subject Matter Specialists/Scientists. KVKs are also assisted for production of Certified Seeds of Pulses & Nutri-Cereals in the project Supported under NFSM.
 
The quantity of agriculture products exported from India during last three years is as follows:
 

Products

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

QTY

QTY

QTY

AYUSH AND HERBAL PRODUCTS

92241

120558

126112

CASHEW

84373

70110

75450

CASHEW NUT SHELL LIQUID

4605

3735

4943

CASTOR OIL

593907

734336

715209

CEREAL PREPARATIONS

342648

403985

415533

COCOA PRODUCTS

27432

25776

27323

COFFEE

257032

245209

333098

COTTON RAW INCLD. WASTE

657808

1213980

1258626

DAIRY PRODUCTS

111171

118334

191954

FLORICLTR PRODUCTS

16949

15695

23695

FRESH FRUITS

834835

973177

1166440

pib.gov.in