Wheat production in Ukraine is expected to decline 41 per cent or 13.5 million tonnes year-on-year in the 2022-23 season to around 19.5 million tonnes, said the US Department of Agriculture in its latest report.

 

Reports suggest farming and trading of wheat in Ukraine have been impacted ever since Russia’s invasion of the country earlier this year.

 

In its June report, the US Department of Agriculture projected the country’s wheat crop at 21.50 million tonnes.

 

Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat and its global prices have risen substantially in recent months. Prices in India too are buoyant and are currently trading above the minimum support price.

 

Wheat production in major supplier India is expected to decline 3.3 per cent in 2022-23 to 106 million tonnes from 109.6 million tonnes in 2021-22, the report said.

 

However, wheat production for India has been kept unchanged from its June report.

 

To manage the overall food security of the country as well as meet the needs of the neighbouring and other vulnerable countries, India amended the export policy of wheat by putting its export under the 'prohibited' category.

 

After a ban on exports of wheat grain, the Centre has now put restrictions on the exports of wheat flour (atta) exports and other related products like maida, semolina (rava/sirgi), wholemeal atta, and resultant atta with effect from July 12. 

 

In the past six years, Assam witnessed around 80 percent growth in the exports of agriculture products, mainly to Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Middle East, the UK and Europe. The volume of exports increased from 2.5 million US dollars to 17.2 million US dollars. Items exported are bhut jalakia, lemon, joha rice, black rice, brown rice, zinger, pumpkin, jack fruits, litchi, bean, brinjal, turmeric, betel nut, non-Basmati rice, etc. It led the region's youth to involve themselves in organic farming for quality products for exports.

 

Items exported are bhut jalakia, lemon, joha rice, black rice, brown rice, zinger, pumpkin, jack fruits, litchi, bean, brinjal, turmeric, betel nut, non-Basmati rice, etc. It led the region's youth to involve themselves in organic farming for quality products for exports.

 

APEDA (Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development and Authority) is extending all support to make Assam and the Northeast an Agri-export hub. It made the region registers 85.34 per growth in exports in the past six years. Talking to The Sentinel, APEDA Chairman M Angamuthu said, 'Assam and the Northeast have a favourable climate condition and soil type for growing almost all agricultural and horticultural crops. As most of the states in the Northeast share their borders with Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China, there are possibilities of enhancing exports from the region.'

 

Talking to The Sentinel, APEDA Chairman M Angamuthu said, 'Assam and the Northeast have a favourable climate condition and soil type for growing almost all agricultural and horticultural crops. As most of the states in the Northeast share their borders with Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China, there are possibilities of enhancing exports from the region.'

 

APEDA also signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), with Assam Agriculture University (AAU) to conduct various training programmes on pre-harvest and post-harvest management and other research activities for the promotion of exports from the region. 'Assam lemon is now exported regularly to London and the Middle East. And as of now, more than 50 metric tonnes of lemon have been exported from the state, besides several consignments of litchi and pumpkin to different countries,' Angamuthu said.

 

Tapping the export potential of pork and pork products, APEDA assisted the Assam Government in setting up a modern pork-processing facility at Nazira with a slaughtering capacity of 400 pigs per day. The unit is ready to be commissioned soon. Angamuthu said, 'With intervention from APEDA, Tripura exported jack fruits, and Nagaland exported king chilly to London through a local exporter for the first time. Assam regularly exports its local fruits called 'leteku' (Burmese grape) to Dubai, and Assam betel leaves to London.'

 

Angamuthu said, 'With intervention from APEDA, Tripura exported jack fruits, and Nagaland exported king chilly to London through a local exporter for the first time. Assam regularly exports its local fruits called 'leteku' (Burmese grape) to Dubai, and Assam betel leaves to London.'

India can play a key role in helping global economies manage the supply chain crisis and help the US diversify its economic partnerships, a US state department official said in Chennai on Tuesday.

 

Dilawar Syed, the US state department's Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs, TOI that India can play a big role in plugging the gaps in emerging areas such as semiconductor production, pharma R&D and renewable energy. 'Some large iconic companies based in the Silicon Valley are thinking about sourcing their semiconductor production [from] here,' Syed said. Among other causes, Russia's invasion of Ukraine was wreaking havoc on supply chains, he noted, causing energy insecurity, food insecurity. 'Around 83 ships and 2 million tonnes of grains are stuck in Black Sea due to Russia's blockade,'he said. Syed is in Chennai as part of his ongoing visit to Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan to build commercial and economic ties in the region. In the 75th year of the US' diplomatic relationship with India, he said they specifically picked Chennai for the visit to highlight new-age sectors often overlooked. He has been meeting startups, members of academia and other US and Indian businesspersons in Tamil Nadu to discuss areas of partnership.

 

He said he was specifically impressed by his visit to the TICEL biopark (a facility developed by the Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO) in association with TIDEL Park) for pharma and biotech R&D and believes Silicon Valley's biotech sector could benefit by collaborating with such entities here. He also stressed on creating an enabling environment for large and small US companies to operate in India. 'Protection of IP [intellectual property] is a key focus area for us and we have communicated that feedback to the government here,' he said.

 

The official has a private sector career spanning over two decades. He was CEO at Lumiata, and earlier was the president of Chennai-born Freshworks. 'I am personally very excited about the SaaS industry here in India and Chennai. Global products are being built in India and that's great for India and Chennai, which is emerging as the SaaS capital of India,' he added.

India's central bank this week introduced a new mechanism for international trade settlements in rupees, aiming to promote exports and facilitate imports.

 

Besides promoting international use of the local currency, many exporters and economists see the measure as a way to promote trade with countries that are under Western sanctions, such as Russia and Iran.

 

Moscow has been discussing with India, Iran, Egypt and some other countries ways to remove dollars and euros from commercial transactions.

 

Following are key facts about India's plans for settlement of international trade in rupees.

 

HOW WILL THE SYSTEM WORK?

 

To settle international trade transactions in rupees, a foreign bank will need to open a vostro account - an account that a correspondent bank holds on behalf of another bank - with an authorised Indian bank.

 

Indian banks would need prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India to act as correspondent banks.

 

Indian importers of goods or commodities such as oil or coal would make payments to these accounts in rupees. The accounts could then be used to pay Indian exporters in the local currency.

 

Surplus from vostro accounts could be used to invest in government bonds, and payment for projects and investments, the RBI said.

 

WHICH COUNTRIES ARE LIKELY TO USE THE NEW MODEL?

Exporters' bodies said RBI's move would help support trade with countries under sanctions, mainly Russia and Iran, and with African and South American countries - and neighbouring Sri Lanka - that have little access to hard currencies.

 

The RBI has not however explicitly named countries for which new mechanism could be used.

 

Exporters have been lobbying to Indian government to set up such a mechanism, along the lines of an earlier system introduced in 2012 to trade with Iran after the United States and other western countries imposed financial sanctions.

 

EXCHANGE RATE

The exchange rate between the Indian currency and those of trading partners will be market-determined, and settlement will take place in rupees.

 

Banks will be allowed to provide letter of credits, bank guarantees, and offer advance payments to exporters for trade transactions.

 

CURRENT SYSTEM OF PAYMENT

Currently, international transactions are mostly settled in foreign currencies, such as U.S. dollars, British pounds, euros or yen. Payments in rupees are allowed only for some neighbouring countries, like Nepal and Bhutan.

 

Indian companies usually pay for imports in foreign currencies, while exporters get paid in foreign currency and convert into rupees in most cases.

 

IMPACT ON TRADE WITH SANCTIONED COUNTRIES

Traders have welcomed the new mechanism, which they hope will increase engineering, pharmaceutical and foodgrain exports to Russia and some other countries by at least few billion dollars this year, while making crude oil imports cheaper.

 

Some commodity traders said they were in touch with buyers in Russia, and expect to use the mechanism in coming days.

 

India's exports to Iran almost doubled after the setting up in 2012 of a mechanism to partly settle trade in rupees, while it got oil supplies at a discounted price.

 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FOR INDIA?

The RBI's move could marginally narrow India's widening trade deficit by reducing the price of commodity imports, analysts said, noting that imports of crude oil from Russia have surged in recent months.

 

But government officials said India would move cautiously on internationalising the local currency given associated risks for the economy, such as high exposure to global shocks, asset bubbles and exchange rate volatility.

To give boost to the export of horticulture products grown in North-Eastern (NE) states, the government is now up with a robust strategy to promote locally produced agricultural products to the international markets. The NE region is geopolitically important as it shares international boundaries with China and Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh making it the potential hub for the export of agricultural produce to neighbouring countries as well as other foreign destinations.

 

As a result, there has been a significant increase in the export of agricultural produce from NE states like Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya in the last few years. The NE region witnessed an 85.34 percent 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.

 

To provide potential market linkages, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development and Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, organised field visits of importers to have first-hand information about the qualitative cultivation practices being followed by farmers. Importers were mostly the Middle East, far Eastern countries, and European nations and Australia, etc.

 

In the last three years, APEDA organised 136 capacity building programmes on export awareness across the different parts of NER. Highest, 62 capacity building programmes were held in NER in 2019-20, while 21 in 2020-21 and 53 such programmes were organised 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 organised organized 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 processers. The platform will link the producers and processors of Assam and exporters from other parts of the country that 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.

 

APEDA signs MoU with Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat to conduct various training programmes on pre-harvest and post-harvest management and other research activities for the promotion of export from the region.

 

The APEDA promoted GI products from NER like Bhut Jolokia, Assam Lemon, etc drew the attention of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi who had mentioned it during his Maan Ki Baat programme. Assam Lemon is now exported regularly to London and the Middle East and as of now, more than 50 MT of Assam Lemon has been exported. Several consignments of litchi and pumpkin have also been exported by APEDA from Assam to different countries.

 

'Assam and the other states of North East Region have a favourable climate condition and the soil type for growing almost all agricultural and horticultural crops. As most of NER’s boundaries are shared with nations like Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and China, there are possibilities of enhancing exports from the region,' APEDA Chairman Dr M Angamuthu said.

 

During Covid-19 period, APEDA continued to push its export plans through Virtual Buyer Seller Meet in association with the Embassy of India located in different countries with exporters and FPOs/FPCs from NER regarding the sourcing of pineapple, ginger, lemon, orange, etc. APEDA also organised Virtual Trade Fairs during the pandemic and facilitated the export to foreign countries.

 

APEDA has also planned to undertake several other projects like capacity building of 80 budding entrepreneurs and exporters from the region, the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) and the state govt. officials, organize skill development and training in food processing, value addition on horticultural produce, etc.

 

APEDA has also planned to facilitate capacity building to officials of the Assam Agriculture Department and selected officials would be sent in batches to Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

 

APEDA also extend its support for branding and promotion of North East products such as KIWI Wine, processed foods, carrying out a wet sampling of Joha Rice Pulao, Black Rice kheer, etc.

 

As a part of capacity building, APEDA organised skill development programmes for manufacturers, exporters and entrepreneurs to utilise the local produce for value addition and export. Training programmes are being held in different states of the Northeast in association with the Central Food Technology Research Institute, Mysore (CFTRI) and Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT).

 

APEDA also facilitated a workshop on Food Quality and Safety Management for Export of Processed Food Products from NER at Ri Bhoi in Meghalaya and Dibrugarh in Assam for boosting exports of agricultural and processed food products from NER through sustainable food value chain development.

 

With the APEDA’s intervention, Tripura’s Jack fruit was exported to London, and Nagaland’s King Chilli to London through a local exporter for the first time. Also, Assam’s local fruit called Leteku (Burmese Grape) was exported to Dubai and Assam’s Betel leaves have been regularly exported to London.

 

Tapping the export potential of pork and pork products, APEDA assisted the Assam Govt in setting up a modern pork processing facility at Nazira which has a slaughtering capacity of 400 animals per day. The unit is ready and set to be commissioned soon.

 

APEDA organised a training programme on the promotion of organic pork export from Sikkim, which is an organic state of India, in association with the State Animal Husbandry Department. APEDA has also developed guidelines for the export of fresh and processed pork with the help of NRC on pigs located at Rani, which is near Guwahati. In the NER, Sikkim is the first state to have an organic certification agency, which was established in 2016 with the support of APEDA.

Marking the official launch of the eastern section of the North-South railway corridor, the first rail transit cargo from Russia to India entered Iran on Tuesday through the Sarakhs border crossing. Carrying 39 containers, the Russian transit train left Chekhov station on July 6, traveling 3,800 kilometers through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to enter Iran.

 

The cargo will be transported to Bandar Abbas port in southern Iran through a 1600 km rail route to finally be sent to India's Nhava Sheva Port via sea, reported Tehran Times. The Russian train was allowed into the Iranian border in a ceremony attended by First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber along with transport, oil, industry, and agriculture ministers as well as the vice president for science and technology.

 

Speaking at this ceremony, Mokhber stressed the Iranian government's determination for expanding trade with neighbouring countries, especially in the transit sector, reported Tehran Times 'The transit capacity of the country has increased to 20 million tons and by planning and taking appropriate measures, transiting 300 million tons of commodities per year can be reached,' said Mokhber. The North-South Corridor consists of three route sections, namely East, West, and Middle.

 

Iran and Russia are also cooperating in the maritime sector to use the Caspian Sea to shorten the transit route from Russia to India. International North-South Transport Corridor is a corridor to increase trade between India and Russia.

 

 

The government has developed a strong strategy to promote locally produced agricultural products to international markets in order to boost the export of horticulture products grown in North-Eastern (NE) states. The Northeast region is geopolitically significant because it shares international borders with China, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bangladesh, making it a potential hub for agricultural produce export to neighbouring countries as well as other foreign destinations.

 

As a result, agricultural exports from NE states such as Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Meghalaya have increased significantly in recent years. In the last six years, the NE region's agricultural product exports increased by 85.34 percent, rising from USD 2.52 million in 2016-17 to USD 17.2 million in 2021-22. Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, and Europe have been the top export destinations.

 

To provide potential market links, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development and Authority (APEDA), which is part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, organized field visits for importers to learn first-hand about farmers' qualitative cultivation practices. Importers primarily came from the Middle East, Far East countries, European nations, and Australia, among others.

 

APEDA has organized 136 capacity-building programmes on export awareness across NER over the last three years. The most capacity-building programmes were held in NER in 2019-20, with 62, followed by 21 in 2020-21 and 53 by APEDA in 2021-22. Aside from capacity-building initiatives, APEDA has organized 22 International Buyer-Seller Meets and trade fairs in NER over the last three years.

 

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

 

APEDA plans to establish a platform in Assam for exporters to obtain products directly from the producer group and processers. The platform will connect Assam's producers and processors with exporters from other parts of the country, expanding the base of export pockets in the North-Eastern states, including Assam, and increasing employment opportunities for the state's people.

 

APEDA signs an agreement with Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat, to conduct various training programmes on pre-harvest and post-harvest management, as well as other research activities to promote regional exports.

 

The APEDA promoted NER GI products such as Bhut Jolokia, Assam Lemon, and others, which caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who mentioned it during his Maan Ki Baat programme. Assam Lemon is now regularly exported to London and the Middle East, with more than 50 MT exported to date. APEDA has also exported several consignments of litchi and pumpkin from Assam to various countries.

 

'Assam and the other North East Region states have a favourable climate and soil type for growing almost all agricultural and horticultural crops.' Because most of the NER's borders are shared with countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and China, there is potential for increased exports from the region, according to APEDA Chairman Dr M Angamuthu.

 

During the Covid-19 period, APEDA continued to push its export plans through Virtual Buyer Seller Meet in collaboration with the Embassy of India located in various countries with exporters and FPOs/FPCs from NER regarding the sourcing of pineapple, ginger, lemon, orange, and other fruits and vegetables. During the pandemic, APEDA also organized Virtual Trade Fairs and facilitated export to foreign countries.

 

APEDA also intends to carry out several other projects, including the capacity building of 80 aspiring entrepreneurs and exporters from the region, the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), and state government officials, as well as the organization of skill development and training in food processing and value addition on horticultural produce.

 

APEDA organized skill development programmes for manufacturers, exporters, and entrepreneurs as part of capacity building to use local produce for value addition and export. Training programmes are being held in various Northeast states in collaboration with the Central Food Technology Research Institute, Mysore (CFTRI), and the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT).

 

APEDA also facilitated a workshop on Food Quality and Safety Management for Export of Processed Food Products from NER in Ri Bhoi, Meghalaya, and Dibrugarh, Assam, with the goal of increasing exports of agricultural and processed food products from NER through the development of a sustainable food value chain.

 

With the APEDA's assistance, Tripura's Jack fruit and Nagaland's King Chilli were exported to London for the first time via a local exporter. Also, Assam's Leteku (Burmese Grape) fruit was exported to Dubai, and Assam's Betel leaves were regularly exported to London.

 

APEDA assisted the Assam government in establishing a modern pork processing facility at Nazira with a slaughtering capacity of 400 animals per day in order to capitalize on the export potential of pork and pork products. The unit is complete and will be commissioned soon.

 

In collaboration with the State Animal Husbandry Department, APEDA organized a training programme to promote organic pork export from Sikkim, India's organic state. With the assistance of the NRC, APEDA has also developed guidelines for the export of fresh and processed pork from pigs located in Rani, near Guwahati. Sikkim is the first state in the NER to have an organic certification agency, which was established in 2016 with the help of APEDA.

To give a boost to the export of horticulture products grown in North-Eastern (NE) states, the government is now up with a robust strategy to promote locally produced agricultural products to the international markets.

 

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

 

As a result, there has been a significant increase in the export of agricultural produce from NE states like Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya in the last few years, stated a government release.

 

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.

 

To provide potential market linkages, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development and Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, organised field visits of importers to have first-hand information about the qualitative cultivation practices being followed by farmers. Importers were mostly the Middle East, far Eastern countries, and European nations and Australia, etc.

 

In the last three years, APEDA organised 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 organised 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 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 processers. 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.

 

APEDA signed MoU with Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat to conduct various training programmes on pre-harvest and post-harvest management and other research activities for the promotion of export from the region.

 

The APEDA promoted GI products from NER like Bhut Jolokia, Assam Lemon, etc drew the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had mentioned it during his Maan Ki Baat programme. Assam Lemon is now exported regularly to London and the Middle East and as of now, more than 50 MT of Assam Lemon has been exported. Several consignments of litchi and pumpkin have also been exported by APEDA from Assam to different countries.

 

'Assam and the other states of North East Region have a favourable climate condition and the soil type for growing almost all agricultural and horticultural crops. As most of NER’s boundaries are shared with nations like Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and China, there are possibilities of enhancing exports from the region,' APEDA Chairman Dr M Angamuthu said.

 

During the COVID-19 period, APEDA continued to push its export plans through Virtual Buyer Seller Meet in association with the Embassy of India located in different countries with exporters and FPOs/FPCs from NER regarding the sourcing of pineapple, ginger, lemon, orange, etc. APEDA also organised Virtual Trade Fairs during the pandemic and facilitated the export to foreign countries.

 

APEDA has also planned to undertake several other projects like capacity building of 80 budding entrepreneurs and exporters from the region, the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) and the state government officials, organize skill development and training in food processing, value addition on horticultural produce, etc.

 

APEDA has also planned to facilitate capacity building to officials of the Assam Agriculture Department and selected officials would be sent in batches to Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

 

APEDA also extend its support for branding and promotion of North East products such as KIWI Wine, processed foods, carrying out a wet sampling of Joha Rice Pulao, Black Rice kheer, etc.

 

As a part of capacity building, APEDA organised skill development programmes for manufacturers, exporters and entrepreneurs to utilise the local produce for value addition and export. Training programmes are being held in different states of the Northeast in association with the Central Food Technology Research Institute, Mysore (CFTRI) and the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT).

 

APEDA also facilitated a workshop on Food Quality and Safety Management for Export of Processed Food Products from NER at Ri Bhoi in Meghalaya and Dibrugarh in Assam for boosting exports of agricultural and processed food products from NER through sustainable food value chain development.

 

With the APEDA’s intervention, Tripura’s Jack fruit was exported to London, and Nagaland’s King Chilli to London through a local exporter for the first time. Also, Assam’s local fruit called Leteku (Burmese Grape) was exported to Dubai and Assam’s Betel leaves have been regularly exported to London, stated a government release.

 

Tapping the export potential of pork and pork products, APEDA assisted the Assam Govt in setting up a modern pork processing facility at Nazira which has a slaughtering capacity of 400 animals per day. The unit is ready and set to be commissioned soon.

 

APEDA organised a training programme on the promotion of organic pork export from Sikkim, which is an organic state of India, in association with the State Animal Husbandry Department. APEDA has also developed guidelines for the export of fresh and processed pork with the help of NRC on pigs located at Rani, which is near Guwahati.

 

In the NER, Sikkim is the first state to have an organic certification agency, which was established in 2016 with the support of APEDA.

The new Australian government supports the trade pact signed with India, and they are expected to soon approach their parliament for approval of the agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said. India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) signed in April needs ratification by Australian parliament before its implementation.

 

'I met minister Mr Don Farrell, who looks after trade in the new (Australian) government, and he has confirmed that they will be taking the Indus-ECTA to parliament very soon and they support the agreement and would like to further expand their engagement with India in the months and years to come,' Goyal told PTI.

 

The agreement, once implemented, will provide duty-free access to the Australian market for over 6,000 broad sectors of India, including textiles, leather, furniture, jewellery and machinery.

 

Goyal had earlier said that the agreement would help in taking bilateral trade from USD 27.5 billion at present to USD 45-50 billion in the next five years.

 

Under the pact, Australia is offering zero-duty access to India for about 96.4 per cent of exports (by value) from day one. This covers many products that currently attract 4-5 per cent customs duty in Australia.

 

Labour-intensive sectors, which would gain immensely include textiles and apparel, few agricultural and fish products, leather, footwear, furniture, sports goods, jewellery, machinery, electrical goods and railway wagons.

 

Australia is the 17th largest trading partner of India, while New Delhi is Canberra's 9th largest partner. India's goods exports were worth USD 6.9 billion and imports aggregated to USD 15.1 billion in 2021.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified 20 referral laboratories. The number has increased from 13 initially to 17 and now 20 labs were conferred the ‘referral lab’ tag.

 

The role of referral lab comes after the FBO (food business operator) files an appeal against the testing results of a ‘sample’ by the primary food testing lab.

 

The list of 20 FSSAI notified Referral Food Laboratories along with their FSSAI Registration Number and corresponding Gazette Notification has been released by the FSSAI.

 

Previously, the food authority had also clarified that the referral laboratory cannot test a ‘sample’ of the food product in question, if it has done testing of the same sample as a primary laboratory. The lab can only perform one function of a primary laboratory or referral lab, for a single sample.

 

There are  many food laboratories notified by the FSSAI that perform dual roles of primary as well as referral laboratory and the appeal against the primary testing results, cannot be entertained by the same laboratory as referral lab.