Harshit Godha's day included eating avocado while studying for a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at England's Bath University. As a fitness fanatic, Harshit made it a point to incorporate the superfood- Avocado into his diet regularly. 'Whenever I'd come back to India for summer holidays, I'd observe that you don't find decent quality avocados here,' he told a news agency.

 

Avocado Journey of Harshit

Back in the UK, he came into the avocado packing, which revealed that they were imported from Israel. 'It occurred to me that if Israel can produce avocados in such hot weather, we can do it in India as well.' Harshit had made up his mind in 2017, during the final semester of his BBA.

 

As a consequence, he now has a beautiful 5-acre farm where he produces over 1,800 avocado plants, as well as a nursery where he grows an additional 4,000 seedlings.

 

He plans to start an orchard with these plants and sell the fruits three years from now. Meanwhile, the seedlings at his nursery will be exported throughout India by next year, he says.

 

Harshit entered the agricultural industry with the goal of learning everything he could about avocado production in Israel.

 

He began by sending cold emails to the Israeli avocado sector, requesting permission to visit and learn from them. Soon after, a farmer from Kibbutz Maagan, Benny Weiss, welcomed him to his land. Benny is still Harshit's mentor today.

 

Harshit spent a month in Israel on a tourist visa during one of his summer vacations. Although he couldn't work, he went to the farm every morning between 5 and 10 a.m. and meticulously recorded what they were doing. 

 

Now that he was back in India, equipped with the requisite expertise, five acres of family land near Bhopal, and the full backing of his family, he was ready to cultivate avocados. 

 

He traveled to India with his instructor and a supplier to prepare the land. They both looked at numerous spots on his property before settling on one farmland. He observed that increasing techniques in India cannot be replicated exactly as in Western countries.

 

'They have more machine-focused and equipment-heavy procedures since labor is costly and using machinery is more viable.'  Instead, he believes India should emulate Kenya, Uganda, or Tanzania. 'Like India, they have cheap labor.' So, while he borrows certain methods from Israel, he largely follows the Kenyan model.

 

The online documentation of the entire voyage has resulted in countless inquiries concerning the plant and its cultivation. On June 19, he bought another shipment of 4,000 plants of the same five types that he is currently producing himself.

ZIMBABWE and India are keen to strengthen bilateral trade relations for economic development with new opportunities emerging in digital spaces where the Asian giant has become a powerhouse in intellectual property innovations.

 

Government is pushing for Zimbabwe and India to improve their information communication technologies (ICTs) trade cooperation as these relations still lag behind. Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said this as she delivered her keynote address at the 17th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Growth Partnership being held in New Delhi in India.

 

The conference which ended yesterday is designed to strengthen cooperation in the Emerging Global Digital Economy between India and African states. Minister Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe and India trade relations date back to the precolonial era hence there is a need to strengthen economic ties. 'As Zimbabwe, we are fully aware of the business opportunities this latest edition of the Conclave is offering and ushering.

 

My President, His Excellency Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is keenly interested to harness the full economic potential of the Dehli-Harare Axis. We are duty bound to go back to the future of the glory that was our trade links across the short Indian Ocean,' said Minister Mutsvangwa. 'The President extends profound gratitude to the government and the people of the Republic of India for granting us this opportunity to deepen our bilateral relations.

 

This Conclave is convening at a time when two major global events are reshaping the global economy.'

 

She said the Second Republic was keen to tap from India’s technological advancements as it forges towards developing the country into an upper middle-income economy by 2030.

 

Minister Mutsvangwa said India has realised the full benefits of digital economies which has resulted in the financial inclusion for most of its citizens.. 'India has demonstrated prowess in developing the intellectual property of the emerging digital economy.

 

It has exhibited outstanding capabilities in computer software development. The advent of the internet and digital economy has seen New Delhi harness this prowess for the goal of total national digital inclusiveness.

 

All digital platforms are being systematically integrated so that digital content fully replaces paper and other analogue legacy-based media foundations,' said Minister Mutsvangwa.

 

The Minister said Zimbabwe was also seeking partners in migrating the country’s media from analogue to digital platforms. Minister Mutsvangwa said India-Africa partnerships can also challenge the dominance of Western lending institutions that tend to suffocate African states through high interest rates. 'In the meantime, global capital has since ceased to be a preserve of the mean-spirited cartels of Western finance capitals.

 

I had the pleasure of holding exciting discussions with EXIM Bank India.

 

What a far cry it was to interact without suffocating strictures and desultory lessons that are the bane of Western financial institutions.

 

These official commercial banks are also clearing pathways for even more abundant entrepreneurship of India’s growing private capital,' said Minister Mutsvangwa. She said human capital development is one of Zimbabwe’s major strengths as far as bilateral trade relations are concerned.

 

President Mnangagwa

 

Minister Mutsvangwa said President Mnangagwa’s Government is involved in various economic development projects including production of mild steel which will be sold competitively in the market. 'Zimbabwe is 30 percent complete in building Africa’s largest carbon steel plant in Mvuma-Chivhu-Manhize snug at the centre of the country.

 

I boldly announce that production is slated to start mid-year 2023. Our mild steel will be most globally affordable,' said Minister Mutsvangwa.

 

'The steel plant is perched on 20 billion tonnes of proven iron ore deposits. Essar Steel India conducted the exploration and drilling.

 

Nearby is 97 percent of the outstanding ferrochrome resource of the Great Dyke, the third largest chrome ore resource in the world.' She said Zimbabwe is also home to Africa’s highest quality thermal coal and metallurgical coke deposits. 'The proximity of these key ingredients of mild or carbon steel to the blast furnaces will deliver knock down prices to the end product.

 

 

As part of an action plan to promote the export of ODOP products, a committee will be formed in every district under the chairmanship of the district magistrate.

 

'The District Export Promotion Council will be established to make ODOP entrepreneurs of every district export-oriented. It will provide necessary incentives and support. In order to make ODOP products more competitive and suitable for exports, various schemes are being run by the government,' an official statement said.

 

The district level officials have been asked to create linkages around ODOP products so that their export gets a leg up. The list of activities identified for this include exploring the export potential at the district level, making the products competitive at all levels, providing maximum employment opportunities at the local level with less capital and minimum risk, necessary infrastructure, logistics, financing and so on for creating a conducive environment for exports.

 

It may be noted that the Yogi Adityanath led UP government has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with major e-commerce companies, such as Walmart, Amazon, and Flipkart for the marketing of ODOP products. Under the MoU, necessary training is being provided to enable more ODOP entrepreneurs to register on the e-commerce platform.

 

To ensure the quality of ODOP products and to make them more competitive as per the market demands, MoUs have been signed with the Quality Council of India and the Indian Institute of Packaging. The government also intends to open a branch of the Institute of Packaging in the state soon.

 

The pandemic has certainly brought in a major impact on how people across the country consume their food. Consciousness is rising and with an enhanced focus on health and safety, consumers are now more inclined towards having foods that are produced naturally and are safe and healthy to consume. This change in the consumers’ attitude and lifestyle has prompted the growth of organic food production and marketing in India. This has also encouraged the legislation to improve the safety standards for food and the consumers are willing to pay more for quality food.

 

The conventional livestock production is often criticised with concerns over food safety and the overall animal health; thereby increasing consumers’ demand for foods free of antibiotics and animal additives. Organic livestock farming hence emerged as an effective alternative to conventional farming. In India, there has been an increasing demand for organic foods like organic tea and spices, flour, breakfast cereals, fruits, vegetable, and many others. Now, there is a gradual rise in organic livestock products too, milk, meat and eggs being the most consumed in present times. Apart from the health and welfare of the animals, organic livestock farming also ensures health benefits for the consumers and generates profit for the farmers while maintaining environmental sustainability.

 

According to survey, presently 186 countries across the world are involved in organic farming and the total organic farmland throughout the globe covers an area of more than 71.5 million hectare. In India the total area of organic farmland is over 1.5 lakh hectare. Being one of the largest livestock sectors, India accounts for almost 12 per cent of the total livestock population of the world.

 

While the organic crop production and certification system is well-established in India, the organic livestock and poultry sector is also steadily growing. Various organisations and research institutes in the country like Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have extensively been promoting organic livestock farming and working on easing the certification process.

 

With the organic farming sector in nascent stage and growing steadily in India, it opens a new vista of opportunities for entrepreneurs in all spheres of its value chain including production, certification, value addition, marketing and consumption. The organic products in the market come with premium pricing as its target audience is wellness conscious and won’t hesitate to pay some extra bucks for healthy and quality products. This increases the profit margin of all players in the organic value chain.

 

The sector also holds an array of opportunities for the veterinarians who are specialised in both traditional and ethno-veterinary practices. The steady growth of the sector has also opened opportunities for others directly or indirectly connected with the organic livestock farming sector like organic certification agencies, inspection executives, organic livestock production process advisors, organic product quality testing, wholesale and retail marketing, establishment of organic product outlets, and export of organic meat, organic milk, and organic eggs.

Egypt's state grains buyer is believed to have bought an additional 120,000 tonnes of Russian and French wheat in direct negotiations with trading houses on Thursday, traders said.

 

This followed a previous purchase in direct talks on Wednesday of about 640,000 tonnes of wheat mostly at $403 a tonne c&f.

 

Traders gave these estimates of Thursday’s purchase with seller, tonnes sold, shipment period and c&f price: Aston: 30,000 tonnes Russian, Aug. 20-Sept. 5 at $402.50 Viterra: 60,000 tonnes Russian, Aug. 20-Sept. 5 at $402.50 Sierentz: 30,000 tonnes French, Nov. 1-15 at $402.00 As no international tender has been issued, GASC is not officially announcing the result of the talks.

 

Reports are based on estimates from traders and more detailed assessments of tonnes bought and prices are still possible later.

 

GASC on Tuesday had also rejected offers in an international tender for the same shipment periods but in which Egypt's traditional supplier regions in the Black Sea and Europe were excluded, with only wheat from the United States offered at $443 a tonne c&f.

 

The latest deal continues heavy buying by GASC in direct deals without formal tenders being issued.

India's rice export prices edged up this week as sowing of crop for the new season trailed the previous year in key growing areas, while flash floods ravaged supplies of the grain in Bangladesh.

 

Top exporter India's 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $362 to $368 per tonne, up from last week's $361 to $366.

 

'Demand is weak, but prices are firm since paddy planting is not picking up,' said an exporter based in Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

 

India's farmers have planted 12.85 million hectares with the grain so far this season, farm ministry data showed last Friday, down 17% from the same period last year due to scanty rainfall in key growing areas.

 

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Bangladesh, flash floods destroyed nearly 254,000 tonnes of rice, affecting over 400,000 farmers, according to an estimate from the country's agriculture ministry.

 

The south Asian nation's government, struggling to contain soaring domestic prices, allowed private traders to import around one million tonnes of rice after slashing the import duty on it. However, prices of the staple grain for Bangladeshis have stayed elevated.

 

Vietnam's 5% broken rice was offered at $415-$420 per tonne on Thursday, unchanged from a week ago.

 

'We have slowed down paddy purchases from farmers, waiting for the harvest to peak,' a trader from Ho Chi Minh City said.

 

Domestic paddy prices, however, edged lower on new supplies from the summer-autumn harvest, traders said, adding that frequent rains during harvest have affected paddy quality.

 

'We are still waiting for buying signals from customers in major markets, including Philippines and China,' another trader in the city said.

 

Thailand's 5% broken rice prices remained around $420 per tonne for the third straight week.

 

'The market has been quiet. We can sell it here and there. Supply is not an issue,' a trader in Bangkok noted.

The India-UK trade talks are on track. Speaking to media after signing two MoUs and a framework agreement with UK, Commerce Secretary B. V. R. Subrahmanyam said that the India-UK FTA negotiations would be concluded by 31st August and after internal approvals on both sides, the agreement would be ready to be signed as per convenience of the both leaders. 'Irrespective of party in power in UK, the logic of FTA with India is irreversible,' he added.

 

Earlier, Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, Commerce Secretary, Government of India and Mr. James Bowler, Permanent Secretary, Department of International Trade, United Kingdom; India and the UK signed two MoUs on mutual recognition of educational qualifications including maritime education and a Framework Agreement on health care work force.  These agreements will facilitate closer alignment on education between India and UK, enhance short-term bilateral mobility and ensure mutual recognition of qualifications.

 

These agreements are part of the commitments made by both parties under the Enhanced Trade Partnership' (ETP) launched by the Prime Ministers of both countries on 4th May 2021 to unleash the trade potential of the partnership by doubling trade by 2030 and reducing market barriers to trade in key sectors.  Following the launch of ETP, both sides had also launched negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement on 13th January 2022. The 5th round of negotiations, which is hosted by India, is currently underway in Delhi. The meeting also took stock of the progress made towards the signing of FTA.

 

The MoU on Education was signed by Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Department of Higher Education on behalf of Government of India. This MoU provides for mutual recognition of educational qualifications and duration of study undertaken by students within duly approved and recognized higher education institutions in the two countries. On a reciprocal basis, Indian Senior Secondary School/Pre-University Certificates will be considered suitable for entry into UK higher education institutions. Similarly, the Bachelor degree, Master’s degree and Doctoral degree of India and the UK will also be considered equivalent to each other. Apart from encouraging student mobility, the mutual recognition of qualifications would also promote excellence in higher education through cooperation, academic and research exchanges.

 

The MOU on maritime education qualification was signed by Shri Amitabh Kumar, Director General of Shipping on behalf of Government of India.   This MoU will pave the way for the two governments to mutually recognize the certificates of maritime education and training, competency and endorsements of seafarers issued by each other. The MoU will prove beneficial for employment of seafarers of both the countries and would make them eligible for employment on ships of either party. India being a seafarer supplying nation with large pool of trained seafarers, it is expected to be significantly benefitted by the MoU.

 

From Indian side, the Framework Agreement on Healthcare Workforce was signed by Ms. V. Hekali Zhimomi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Agreement include cooperation on Nursing & Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), training of healthcare professionals and measures to bridge the skill gap. The agreement will facilitate the recruitment and training of nurses and AHPs from India by UK in a streamlined manner. Given the shortage of nurses in the UK, the agreement will benefit both the sides.

 

Former Vice Chairman of Niti Aayog Arvind Panagariya on Thursday highlighted the way forward for India when negotiating free trade agreements and their role in the global economy. He was speaking at a programme on 'Openness to Trade: Economic and Policy Considerations' for the secretaries in the central government.

 

The programme was organised by the Department of Commerce (DoC), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

 

It is part of the initiative by the Prime Minister to create better awareness at senior levels in government about the importance of trade and the role played by exports in accelerating growth, the ministry said in a release.

 

At the inaugural session, Panagariya, currently a professor of economics at Columbia University, emphasised the importance of export-led growth and the need for revisiting the strategy on import substitution, factors influencing export competitiveness, and the role of FTAs in trade liberalisation, it added.

 

He also highlighted the way forward for India when negotiating FTAs and their role in the global economy, the release added.

 

According to the statement, Rajiv Gauba, Cabinet Secretary, highlighted the role of FTAs and government's interventions, such as PLIs (Performance Linked Incentive), ODOP (One district one product), in achieving India's goal of a USD 5 trillion economy and the need for stronger inter-ministerial cooperation and coordination.

 

He said that Covid has made India realise the pitfalls of depending on one country and one source.

 

The participants of the first session included secretaries from several ministries/ departments of the central government.

The facility is first in Gujarat & fourth in India to get USDA-APHIS approval for mangoes and pomegranates.

 

The United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) has approved an irradiation facility — Gujarat Agro Radiation Processing Facility (GARPF) set up by Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Ltd (GAIC) near Ahmedabad.

 

This will enable radiation for horticulture crops and encourage exports.

 

USDA-APHIS team, facilitated by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) conducted an audit of GARPF, post which the USDA-APHIS granted its approval to the plant at Bavla in Ahmedabad on July 2, 2022. The total area of the facility is 6,750 sq m with a capacity to irradiate Mangoes at 6 MT/Hr.

 

 

The unit became the first plant in Gujarat to get USDA-APHIS approval for the export of mangoes and pomegranates.

 

Irradiation process

As per the norms, irradiation of mangoes is mandatory before exporting them to the US. The irradiation process is conducted under the supervision of quarantine inspectors from the US. 'Mangoes will be exported directly from Gujarat after this approval,' a statement said.

 

GAIC had set up a 1,000-kilocurie (kCi) multipurpose split type, palletised radiation processing facility for agricultural and processed food products at Bavla under Rashtriya Krushi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) at an approximate cost of ?20 crore in 2014.

 

The facility — implemented under the guidance and technical support of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT) — 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.

 

DK Parekh, Managing Director, GAIC stated that the government of India has declared Kutch as a mango cluster under the Cluster Development Scheme. This facility will go a long way to support the exports of mangoes from Gujarat.

 

In 2019-20, Maharashtra exported approximately 980 tonnes of irradiated mangoes to the US which as per estimates 50 -60 per cent of mangoes were from Gujarat because of the non-availability of USDA-APHIS approved irradiation plant in the State.

 

Encouraging easy transport of fruits

The latest facility, located closer to the upcoming Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) will encourage easy transport of fruits to the hinterland and for exports directly from Gujarat.

 

Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Ltd is the owner of three key Infrastructure facilities (required for export of Mangoes) like Integrated Pack House, Gamma Irradiation Facility, and Perishable Air Cargo Complex in one district.

 

After USDA-APHIS approval of the facility, the irradiation facility can leverage the existing infrastructure of the State and achieve a synergy between the quality of mangoes, reduction in wastages and cost of transportation.

Bhutan's Minister of Economic Affairs, Shri Loknath Sharma called on the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi today. During this meeting, Shri Tomar said India has extended all-out cooperation to Bhutan in the Agriculture sector and will continue to help in every possible way.

 

Welcoming the Bhutanese delegation, Shri Tomar expressed happiness over the longstanding friendly relations between the two countries, and said that Bhutan was the first country Shri Narendra Modi visited after becoming the Prime Minister, which underlines our strong relationship.

 

'India has been generously cooperating to enhance this friendship. The trade partnership between the two countries has also strengthened and India is in favour our ties should deepen further. The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and other Ministries have been taking decisions constructively towards Bhutan. We are also working on opening up Indian markets for various agricultural products from Bhutan. On the request of Bhutan, it has been allowed to export ginger to India and potato export for one more year,' said Shri Tomar.

 

He assured that both the countries will continue to work together in the Agriculture sector and keeping in view the internal and external situation, we will take a positive approach to Bhutan's request as and when required.

 

The Bhutan Minister Shri Sharma thanked India for its cooperation in various matters including the supply of sugar to Bhutan. He said that the issues of Agriculture are important for us and that he has come to India to enhance the friendship between the two countries. Shri Sharma expressed his thanks for India's support to Bhutan's request regarding ginger and potato exports. He urged that Bhutan’s request for export of arecanut (Supari) to India should be considered at the earliest and trade in fruits and vegetables should continue in the present form and bilateral ties should grow through the free trade.