India’s merchandise exports during January-June 2022 was USD 235.7 billion  as compared to USD 185.9 billion during the same period of the previous year. India’s merchandise imports during January-June 2022 was USD 361.1 billion  as compared to USD 258.6 billion during the same period of the previous year.            

 

The total merchandise export was USD 421.9 billion during 2021-22 against the export target of USD 400 billion, achieving 105.4% of the export target.

 

The details of the sector-wise export during January-June 2021 and January-June 2022 is given at Annexure. Barring a few sectors, all major sectors show positive trend with an overall growth rate of 26.7%. The government has taken following remedial measures to boost exports:

 

Foreign Trade Policy (2015-20) extended by one year i.e. upto 30-9-2022.

Assistance provided through several schemes to promote exports, namely, Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) and Market Access Initiatives (MAI) Scheme.

Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme has been implemented since 01.01.2021. Rebate of State and Central Levies and Taxes (RoSCTL) Scheme to promote labour oriented textile exports has been implemented since 07.03.2019.

Common Digital Platform for Certificate of Origin has been launched to facilitate trade and increase Free Trade Agreement (FTA) utilization by exporters.

Districts as Export Hubs has been launched by identifying products with export potential in each district, addressing bottlenecks for exporting these products and supporting local exporters/manufacturers to generate employment in the district.

Role of Indian missions abroad towards promoting India’s trade, tourism, technology and investment goals has been enhanced.

Package announced in light of the COVID pandemic to support domestic industry through various banking and financial sector relief measures, especially for MSMEs, which constitute a major share in exports.

 

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

In a major boost towards harnessing the export potential of naturally-grown fresh pineapples of North-Eastern (NE) states, APEDA today organized an in-store export promotion programme in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) to promote Assam's pineapples, which is considered as sweetest in the world, among consumers for wider acceptance in the Gulf countries.

 

The 'in-store promotion show' of pineapples from Assam, which was organized in association with Dubai's largest supermarket group Lulu Group, is part of APEDA's strategy to promote locally produced agricultural products to the international markets.

 

The organic certified pineapples are directly sourced from the farmers of Assam and showcased at the Lulu Hypermarket in Dubai with assistance from APEDA. The showcased pineapples are procured from Hmarkhawlien village under the Lakhipur sub-division in the Cachar district, Assam.

 

At the in-store export promotion show, consumers were offered Assam pineapple to taste the sweetness of the fruit.

 

Speaking on the occasion, APEDA chairman Dr M Angamuthu stressed promoting a processed form of value-added pineapple from north-eastern states to sustain in the global export market for a longer time period.

 

'We need to focus on promoting pineapple sourced from farmers in processed form in the Gulf countries in collaboration with private entities including Lulu Group. It will help farmers in better price realization of their produce,' Angamuthu said, adding that 10-15 aggregators should be identified for expediting hassle-free export from North Eastern states.

 

The NE region is geopolitically important as it shares international boundaries with China and Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh making the NER a potential hub for the export of agricultural produce to neighbouring countries as well as other foreign destinations.

 

Notably, Assam's pineapple is one of the most important tropical fruits grown in the Northeastern Region (NER) and the fibre-rich fruit is cultivated in almost all of the region.

 

With a production of 338.98 MT in 2020-21, Assam ranks second in pineapple production having a share of 18.75 per cent in total production in India.

 

The top ten importing countries of Indian pineapples are UAE, Nepal, Qatar, Maldives, USA, Bhutan, Belgium, Iran, Bahrain and Oman. A quantity of 7665.42 MT of pineapples valued at USD 4.45 million was exported in the year 2021-22.

 

Prior to Assam making a debut in pineapple export to Dubai in 2019, Tripura was the first North Eastern state to export its 'queen' variety of pineapple to Dubai and Doha in 2018. Tripura's pineapple was also exported to Bangladesh in 2020.

 

With the intervention of APEDA, there has been a significant increase in the export of agricultural produce from NE states like Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya in the last few years.

 

The NE region witnessed an 85.34 per cent growth in the export of agricultural products in the last six years as it increased from USD 2.52 million in 2016-17 to USD 17.2 million in 2021-22. The major destination of export has been Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Middle East, the UK and Europe.

 

In the last three years, APEDA organized 136 capacity-building programmes on export awareness across the different parts of NER. The highest, 62 capacity-building programmes were held in NER in 2019-20, while 21 in 2020-21 and 53 such programmes were organized by APEDA in the year 2021-22. Apart from capacity-building initiatives, APEDA facilitated 22 International Buyer-Seller Meets as well as trade fairs in NER in the last three years.

 

APEDA also organized a conference on the Export Potential of Natural, Organic and Geographical Indications (GI) Agro Products in Guwahati on June 24, 2022, to tap the abundant export potential of organic agricultural products from Assam and neighbouring states of NER.

 

APEDA aims at creating a platform in Assam for the exporters to get the products directly from the producer group and the processors. The platform will link the producers and processors of Assam and exporters from other parts of the country would expand the base of the export pockets in the North-Eastern states, including Assam and increase the employment opportunities among the people of the state, a press release said.

The Department of Commerce, Government of India is implementing the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) w.e.f. FY 2017-18 with the objective of assisting Central and State Government agencies in the creation of appropriate infrastructure for growth of exports. Under the scheme, financial assistance in the form of grant-in-aid is provided to Central/State Government owned agencies (or their Joint Ventures with major stake-holding by them) for setting up or up-grading export infrastructure in States/UTs. The scheme can be availed by States through their implementing agencies, for infrastructure projects with significant export linkages like Border Haats, Land customs stations, quality testing and certification labs, cold chains, trade promotion centres, export warehousing and packaging, SEZs and ports/airports cargo terminuses. The Scheme guidelines are available at https://commerce.gov.in/trade-promotion/trade-promotion-assistance/.

 

Under the TIES, financial assistance for 27 export infrastructure projects have been approved during FY 2019-20 to 2022-23 (till 19th July, 2022). The State/UT-wise details of funds released during last three years are given at Annexure-I.

 

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

After years of having to export its geographical indication (GI) tagged 'kesar' mangoes to the US via Maharashtra, Gujarat will be able to finally do so from its shores.

 

The state has finally bagged approval from the United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (USDA-APHIS) for an irradiation facility in Ahmedabad.

 

What is more, the irradiation facility - Gujarat Agro Radiation Processing Facility (GARPF) - set up by Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Ltd (GAIC) is the largest among the four in the country in terms of capacity and range of products.

 

Unlike most countries, the US mandates exports of mangoes and other food products to undergo irradiation, a process that disinfects multiple types of flies including Diptera (flies) or Tephritidae (fruit flies).

 

'Not only does it disinfest but also enhances shelf life of fruits and vegetables like mangoes by at least 25-30 days. While Gujarat had bagged GI tag for its indigenous kesar mangoes, the exports to the US were recorded from Maharashtra. But now Gujarat will be able to export directly to the US with the facility getting approved by USDA-APHIS,' said D K Parekh, managing director of GAIC.

 

According to Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) data, India's mango exports to the US stood at 1095.42 tonnes valued at Rs 30.56 crore which fell to mere 1.45 tonnes worth Rs 1.09 lakh before climbing to Rs 16.51 tonnes at Rs 12.77 lakhs in 2021-22.

 

On the other hand, Maharashtra had exported roughly 980 tonnes of irradiated mangoes to the US in 2019-20, of which an estimated 50-60 per cent were from Gujarat due to non-availability of USDA-APHIS approved irradiation plant in the state.

 

'But due to lack of a USDA-APHIS approved irradiation facility in the state, all kesar mango exports from Gujarat to the US went through Maharashtra. Now with this facility getting approved by USDA-APHIS, Gujarat will begin to record these export revenues for the state from 2022-23,' a state government's horticulture department official stated.

 

Moreover, at 1 million curie the facility, operated and maintained by Agrosurg Irradiators Pvt Ltd, is the largest in terms of capacity in the country. Until now, India had three USDA-APHIS approved irradiation facilities, one each in Mumbai, Lasalgaon and Bengaluru.

 

What also sets apart GARPF from the other three facilities in the country is the range of products.

 

Implemented under the guidance and technical support of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT), GARPF is the only facility in India that can irradiate products like onion, potato, cereals, pulses, psyllium husk, pet food, meat, spices, dehydrated onions, dry vegetables, meat products including poultry, eggs, and medical products at a low, medium and high dose as per the requirement.

 

'The irradiation facility in Gujarat has the capacity to disinfest the widest range of products including pulses, spices, medical devices, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh onions, and dehydrated onions, among others. The radiation dose required for each of these products is different, ranging from 40 Grays (Gy) to 25000 Gy. As a result, not just mangoes from other states like UP which so far used to be irradiated at Mumbai can now be done in Gujarat, but also a range of these products from Gujarat and other states,' said Pranav Parekh, executive director of Agrosurg Irradiators Pvt. Ltd.

 

While it has bagged the USDA-APHIS approval recently, the facility was set up by GAIC as a multipurpose split type, palletised radiation processing facility for agricultural and processed food products in Ahmedabad under Rashtriya Krushi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) for a project cost of Rs 20 crore in 2014.

 

Going forward, having bagged approval from the US, GARPF is now planning to apply for a similar approval with the Australian authorities since the country too mandates irradiation of mangoes and other exported products.

The government on Friday said wheat stocks in FCI godowns is expected to be 134 lakh tonnes at the start of next fiscal, 80 per cent more than the buffer norm. In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said the central pool stock of wheat as on July 1, 2022 is well above the foodgrains stocking norms.

 

'As on July 1, 2022, Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government agencies have 285.10 lakh tonnes of wheat stock under central pool against the stocking norm of 275.80 lakh tonnes,' he said.

 

In the current 2022-23 marketing year, Goyal said the procurement of wheat has been about 188 lakh tonnes.

 

'...it is expected that even after meeting out the requirement of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (up to September 2022) and Public Distribution System, the projected wheat stock as on April 1, 2023 would be 134 lakh tonnes against the stocking norm of 74.6 lakh tonnes,' the minister said.

 

Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY), 5 kilograms free of cost foodgrains per person is distributed to around 80 crore people covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). This is over and above regular distribution of subsidised NFSA foodgrains (i.e. 35 kg per Antyodaya Anna Yojana family per month and 5 kg per month for priority household beneficiary).

 

The scheme, which was introduced first in April 2020, has been extended till September this year.

 

Goyal pointed out that wheat production estimate was revised to lower side due to early summer this year.

 

Also, there was a rise in global prices of wheat due to various geo-political reasons, he added.

 

'The government is committed to providing for the food security requirements of India first and also support the neighbouring and other vulnerable developing countries which are adversely affected by the sudden changes in the global market for wheat and are unable to access adequate wheat supplies,' Goyal said.

 

Therefore, he said, the central government amended the export policy of wheat from free to prohibited.

 

'As per the available stock and further projections up to April 2023, the country has enough stock of foodgrains to cater to the requiremnet of PDS and other welfare scheme and to meet out any other eventuality,' Goyal asserted.

 

On May 13, the government suspended wheat export with immediate effect.

 

It moved the export of all varieties of wheat, including high-protein durum, from 'free' to the 'prohibited' category. The decision was aimed at controlling the rising prices of wheat in the domestic market.

 

India had exported a record 7 million tonnes of wheat during 2021-22 fiscal.

 

The following Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC)/ Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) have been signed with Japan, Italy, Vietnam and Taiwan:

 

An MoC has been signed between Ministry of Food Processing Industries, GoI, and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan for promotion of investment in the food processing sector including cold chain.

An MoU has been signed between Ministry of Food Processing Industries, GoI and Italy to enhance cooperation in the field of food processing to promote capacity building, skill development, exploring market potential, supply of advanced food processing technologies etc.

An MoU has been signed between the Bureau of Indian Standards of India and the Directorate for Standard, Metrology and Quality of Vietnam for Cooperation in the fields of Standardization and Conformity Assessment.

An MoU has been signed between Ministry of Agriculture &Farmers’ Welfare and Taipei Economic & Cultural Centre, Taiwan for effective cooperation in the field of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, aqua culture and food processing fields.

 

100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is permitted under the automatic route for the food processing sector. Details of FDI in Food Processing sector from ASEAN countries and Taiwan for the last three years 

 

This information was given by Minister of State for M/o Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today

Neither there is a wheat crisis in the country, nor an adverse impact of export ban of the commodity on farmers' income, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed Parliament on Friday. Domestic wheat prices are ruling above Minimum Support Price (MSP) even after the export ban, he said.

 

Tomar, in his written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, said the country's wheat production is pegged at 106.41 million tonnes in 2021-22 according to the government's third advance estimate.

 

The government's third wheat estimate is slightly lower than previous year, but the minister said it is above the average annual wheat production of 103.89 million tonnes achieved during the last five years since 2016-17.

 

In 2020-21, the country's wheat production stood at 109.59 million tonnes.

 

 

According to the minister, 'There is no wheat crisis in the country, as India produces wheat more than its domestic requirement.'

 

In order to manage the overall food security of the country and to support the needs of the neighbouring and vulnerable countries, the minister said the government prohibited export of wheat (on May 13).

 

However, exports will be allowed on the basis of permission granted by the cental government to other countries to meet their food security needs and based on the request of their governments, he added.

 

Asked if export ban has affected income of wheat growers, Tomar said: 'There are no adverse impact on income of wheat growing farmers because despite ban on wheat export, farmers are getting good remunerative prices.'

 

 

The country had exported a record 7 million tonnes of wheat in the fiscal 2021-22.

 

The Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security of Mauritius, Mr. Maneesh Gobin, called on the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, in New Delhi today. The two leaders agreed that both countries will work more closely with other countries in the matter of Food Security.

 

 

In the meeting, Shri Tomar said that India's relations with Mauritius have been very strong and these relations are not only political and commercial, but also cultural and spiritual. Shri Tomar said that the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, is very serious about the Agriculture sector and many concrete steps have been taken to take it forward and India has achieved self-sufficiency in food grains production to meet not only its domestic needs but also exported to other countries.

 

Mr. Gobin said that he has family ties with India and about 60 per cent of the Mauritius people are of Indian origin. He urged forming an alliance in the matter of Food Security, as initiated by the Prime Minister Shri Modi with respect to Solar Energy. Mr. Gobin lauded the work of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and also requested for an agreement with it. Shri Tomar elaborated upon the role of ICAR in the development of Indian Agriculture and mentioned the role of its affiliated Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), agricultural universities and more than 100 other institutions. He asked the Mauritian leader to prepare the framework for the MoU, so that it could be considered.

The European Union has proposed separate chapters on sustainable food systems, energy and raw materials in its free trade agreement (FTA) with India. Part of the proposal has sought profitable food systems, inclusion of environmental performance, methane emissions measurement standards and facilitating trade and investment in energy and raw materials.

 

Officials said intense negotiations are expected on these issues that have been included for the first time in India's trade agreements. The second round of talks is scheduled for September.

 

EU said a sustainable food system is 'profitable throughout (economic sustainability); has broad-based benefits for society (social sustainability); and a positive or neutral impact on the natural environment (environmental sustainability), including climate change.' ET has reviewed the text of the proposal.

 

EU has also suggested an annual action plan to monitor progress by establishing objectives and milestones.

 

Tough negotiations ahead

'EU's proposal that food systems should be profitable, but our Public Distribution System is not. India will have to safeguard its interests on PDS and minimum support price if such an obligation kicks in,' said an expert on trade issues.

 

Similarly, the EU proposed 'reducing the use of antimicrobials, chemical pesticides and fertilizers, improving animal welfare and promoting sustainable food production methods and practices, such as organic farming,' which experts said, may have an implication on India's dairy produce and meat exports.

 

In the chapter on energy raw materials, the EU has said that for production of renewable energy, the two sides 'shall not adopt or maintain any measure including local content requirements affecting the other party's products, service suppliers, investors or enterprises.'

After imposing a ban on wheat exports, the Centre announced restrictions on the exports of wheat flour (atta) and other related products like maida, semolina (rava / sirgi), wholemeal atta and resultant atta. The decision will come into effect from July 12.

 

In view of the same, the Centre on Monday, July 18 issued a notification detailing the method to submit requests seeking the approval of the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) for atta export. 

 

According to the process, exporters would be required to submit the purchase order or copy of the invoice along with documentary evidence in case the firm is ISO 22000 compliant.

 

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), however, shared that the export of maida, semolina (rava, sirgi), however remains free without any condition.

NOC from IMC for wheat flour export

 

The notice states that exporters, in order to export atta, will have to get the required NOC from IMC for which they will need to submit request in ANF 2N application form (meant for export licence for restricted items) only through the online module of DGFT along with a processing fee of Rs 1,000.

 

Their applications will be taken up by the IMC in its weekly meetings every Thursday.

 

'In addition, export of all shipments approved by IMC shall be allowed subject to issuance of Quality Certificate by Export Inspection Council,' the DGFT said, adding that the quality certificate will be mandatory for export of atta. Also, it would have to be produced before the custom authorities for export clearance.

 

It must be noted that the permission of IMC for export of wheat flour will have a validity of three months only.

 

Meanwhile, the DGFT notification issued on July 6 makes it mandatory for all exporters to seek prior permission from the inter-ministerial committee on wheat export before undertaking any outbound shipment.

 

Global supply disruptions in wheat and wheat flour have created many new players and have led to price fluctuations and potential quality-related issues, the DGFT said. The notification said it is imperative to maintain the quality of wheat flour exports from India.