The total foodgrains production in the country is pegged to reach an all-time record high of 316.06 million tonnes as per the Second Advance Estimates of production of major crops for the agricultural year 2021-22, released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Wednesday.

 

The estimated foodgrains production for agricultural year 2021-22 (July-June) is 1.71 per cent higher than 310.74 million tonnes recorded in 2020-21 and the target set for the current year, show the estimates. It shows that wheat production is also expected to reach at the highest ever level of 111.32 million tonnes during 2021-22, which is 1.58 per cent higher than 109.59 million tonnes during the last year. The total production of rice (kharif and rabi both) is also expected to reach an all-time record high of 127.93 million tonnes, which is 2.86 per cent higher than the last year’s rice output of 124.37 million tonnes.

 

In 2021-22, the production of 9 oilseeds–groundnut, castorseed, sesamum, nigerseed, soyabean, sunflower, rapeseed & mustard, linseed and safflower– is estimated to at 371.47 million tonnes, which is 3.34 per cent higher than 359.46 million tonnes recorded during the last year.

 

The rabi oilseed production is expected to reach 133.32 million tonnes in the current year, which is 9.06 per cent higher than the last year’s figure of 122.24 million tonnes. The production of rapeseed & mustard, which is the main rabi oilseed crop, is expected to reach at a record level of 114.59 million tonnes–12.24 per cent higher than last year’s figure of 102.10 million tonnes.

 

The increase in rapeseed and mustard production is significant because the edible oil prices, particularly mustard oil prices, have soared to a record high in recent months. According to the data available on the Ministry’ website, on 16th February, 2022, the all-India average retail price of groundnut oil was reported at Rs 179.42 per kg, mustard oil at Rs 190.11 per kg, vanaspati Rs 141.10 per kg, soya oil Rs 147.39 per kg, sunflower oil 160.83 per kg and palm oil Rs 131.06 per kg. The average retail prices of these six edible oils are higher in the range 10.34% to 30.49% when compared to the prices a year ago.

 

The pulses production is estimated to increase by 5.87 percent to 26.96 million tonnes in 2021-22 from 25.46 million tonnes in the last year. Among pulses, gram production is estimated to reach at 13.12 million tonnes during the current year from 11.91 million tonnes during the last year.

 

In a statement, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the 'new record' of foodgrains production in the country is the 'result of hard work of farmers, efficient research of scientists and farmer friendly policies of the Government.'

 

'Total production of Sugarcane in the country during 2021-22is estimated at 414.04 million tonnes which is higher by 40.59million tonnes than the average sugarcane production of 373.46 million tonnes,' the statement said.

 

The statement further said, 'Production of Cotton is estimated at 34.06 million bales (each of 170 kg) is higherby 1.12 million bales than the average cotton production of 32.95 million bales.'

The stations under Eastern Railway (ER) will promote the prominent products of nearby areas —be it food or goods — and facilitate a smooth supply chain with the help of railways.

For instance, Jaynagar can be the promotional hub for moa (a sweetmeat delicacy of Bengal), Phulia for tant saree, Krishnagore for clay crafts, Bishnupur for Dokra and terracotta art or Khagra for brass utensils. Malda is also being considered as a hub for promoting mangoes and mango-related products.

 

'The idea is to promote the supply chain of local products with the help of the railways and make each railway station a promotional hub by showcasing the product. This will help in developing more efficient logistics for farmers and local entrepreneurs to promote regional products.

Even tourism can be developed revolving around the product,' ER general manager Arun Arora told TOI. In fact, ER had already floated a tender for Phulia as the hub for the unique textile it produces. The surplus railway land will be leased out for the hub and there will be a seamless supply chain of the finished products.

 

Apart from ER gaining goods traffic, the initiative will give a tremendous boost to the local product and local enterprise, said Arora.

 

To further facilitate this, ER has entered into an understanding to use the post office for booking parcels. The ministry of commerce and industry is putting in place an institutional mechanism to propagate ‘One District One Product’ as a movement with the help of all state governments.

Besides, the budget has provision for 100 mega terminals to promote industries and its supply-chain. Two stations have already been earmarked — Janai Road and Maithon. The terminals will be linked with roadways and riverine routes. Asansol and Bandel will have world class makeover.

FSSAI has issued a notice specifying the authorisation mechanism for recycled plastics manufacturers as per the draft Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2022, for permitting the use of recycled plastics as food contact materials.

 

Under the ‘mechanism,’ the operator of a recycling plant shall apply and obtain an ‘authorisation’ from the ‘food authority’ by submitting necessary information in the prescribed proforma. And the ‘authorisation’ will allow such manufacturers to recycle plastic as food contact material while the food authority will have the right to inspect the premises, as and when required.

 

According to the approved mechanism, the applicants desirous to manufacture food contact material from recycled material need to submit an application form along with a fee of Rs 2,000 and submit the application to the CEO, FSSAI.

 

An official with the FSSAI said that the applications will be scrutinised and an ‘appropriate’ recommendation would be made for the approval within 30 days of the receipt of the application as specified in the guidelines.

 

The applicants would be issued an authorisation letter similar to the approvals issued under the products/claims approvals, with a general condition that the food authority reserves the right to inspect the record, premises, manufacturing and other related facilities of the applicants prior/post authorisation.

Zimbabwe has lifted its ban on genetically modified (GM) corn import for the first time in 12 years. The southern African nation has allowed imports of GM corn to avert famine while battling its worst drought in 40 years.

 

While no official announcement has been made, officials claim that Zimbabwe has previously allowed GM corn imports from South Africa, but the grain is carefully quarantined and milled into cornmeal, a national staple. Currently, cornmeal which is used to make the staple food in Zimbabwe known as sadza, is in short supply across the country. Zimbabwe is in the midst of its worst drought and corn harvest is expected to plunge by more than half this season and there is a likely supply deficit of between 800,000 tons and 1 million tons.

 

Jannie de Villiers, chief executive officer at Grain SA said that Zimbabwe only imports non-GM corn not because of food safety concerns, but due to seed safety concerns. 'They do not want to be dependent on seed from multinational companies,' de Villiers added.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, to be signed during a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan on Friday, is a pathbreaking pact which will unleash the economic potential between India and the UAE, Indian Ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir said on Thursday.

 

The CEPA is likely to boost trade between India and the UAE from USD 60 billion to USD 100 billion in the next five years, Ambassador Sudhir told PTI on the eve of the virtual summit.

 

'It is also expected to result in increased trade in services and mutual investments. CEPA will further deepen our strategic partnership,' he said.

 

According to a statement by the UAE's official news agency WAM, Prime Minister Modi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Al Nahyan will witness the signing of key bilateral strategic agreements during the summit. 

 

This includes the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (UAE-India CEPA), which will usher in a new era of economic cooperation and unlock greater avenues for trade and investment, it said.

 

The two leaders will discuss a range of regional and global issues of mutual concern, as well as ways to establish stronger strategic bilateral ties under the auspices of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed in 2017, it said.

 

'Launched five months ago, the UAE-India CEPA negotiations proceeded swiftly, leading to a landmark agreement in an unprecedented timeframe. Today, the UAE is India's third largest trade partner and accounts for approximately 40 per cent of its trade with the Arab world,' said the statement.

 

Bilateral non-oil trade is anticipated to rise to USD 100 billion within five years.

 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), making an announcement on the summit, said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Modi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Al Nahyan are expected to lay out their vision of the historic and friendly bilateral ties at a time when India is celebrating 75 years of its independence and the UAE marking the 50th anniversary of its foundation.

 

It said that Modi and Al Nahyan, who is also the deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, will discuss bilateral cooperation and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

 

'A major initiative in bilateral relations is the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Negotiations for CEPA were launched in September 2021 and have been completed. The agreement will take India-UAE economic and commercial engagement to the next level,' the MEA said.

 

The CEPA is likely to include areas like trade, investment, goods and services.

 

The MEA said the UAE is India's third-largest trade partner, and bilateral trade and investment ties are expected to see significant enhancements.

 

'Both sides have collaborated closely during the Covid-19 pandemic in critical areas of healthcare and food security. Bilateral trade, investment and energy relations have remained robust.

 

'The two sides are also strengthening their cooperation in new areas of renewable energy, start-ups, fintech, etc,' the MEA said in a statement.

 

India is participating with one of the largest pavilions in the Dubai Expo 2020.

 

In recent years, bilateral relations between India and the UAE have strengthened in all areas, and both sides have embarked upon a comprehensive strategic partnership, the MEA said.

 

Modi visited the UAE in 2015, 2018 and 2019 while the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi visited India in 2016 and 2017.

 

Ministerial visits between the two sides have also continued, including three visits of the external affairs minister and a visit of the commerce and industry minister to the UAE in 2021.

 

The UAE is also home to over 35 lakh Indians who have been playing a key role in overall cultural and people-to-people ties between the two sides.

To boost domestic supplies of lentils (masoor) and ensure that its retail prices do not spiral out of control, India will enter into agreements with Russia and Kazakhstan for imports of the key pulses variety under long-term contracts. The memorandums of understanding (MoUs) would facilitate imports of lentils by private traders.

 

These agreements will follow similar arrangements with Mozambique, Myanmar and Malawi for import of other varieties of pulses, namely tur and arhar.

 

Sourced told FE that after the deliberations with Russia’s and Kazakhstan’s officials, the agriculture ministry is working out plant quarantine modalities before these MoUs are entered into.

 

Officials said that since the domestic consumption of pulses, especially lentils, in Russia and Kazakhstan are negligible, they want to import annual commitments so that farmers there would be encouraged to grow the variety of pulses, which has one of the largest shares in India’s pulses imports basket.

 

According to commerce ministry data, India imported 1.11 million tonne (mt) of lentils out of total pulses imports of 2.26 mt in 2020-21. In the current fiscal, around 6.5 lakh tonne of lentils have been imported so far.

 

Trade sources said that domestic production of lentils has not kept pace with rising demand and the government has been resorting to imports, mostly from Canada and Australia, to augment domestic supplies.

 

As per the second advance estimates of foodgrains production released by the ministry of agriculture on Wednesday, India’s lentil production is estimated at a record 1.58 mt in the 2021-22 crop year (July-June).

 

Because of dry weather conditions last year in Canada, production in 2021 has declined by 35% to 40%. Also, the global container crisis is adversely pushing up the time duration for shipment from Canada and Australia.

 

At the same time, transit time from Russia’s and Kazakhstan’s consignments for Indian ports is 25-30 days, much quicker than consignments from Canada.

 

'The MoUs with Russia and Kazakhstan will open doors for India to work with two more origins and reduce dependence on Canada or Australia for the lentils imports,' Harsha Rai, director, Mayur Global Corporation, a global brokerage firm said. In 2021, the government had approved a one-time import of lentils from Russia for a six-month term, provided they meet India’s phytosanitary norms.

 

India signed an MoU with Mozambique for import of 2 lakh tonne of tur or arhar annually for five years, when the retail prices of tur skyrocketed to `200 a kg in 2016. This MoU was extended for another five years in September 2021.

 

In 2021, India entered into MoUs with Malawi and Myanmar for the import of 50,000 tonne and 1,00,000 tonne of tur per annum, respectively, till 2025.

 

India met 10-12% of its domestic consumption through imports. In anticipation of domestic shortfall in the output in May 2021, India had put import of tur, urad and moong varieties of pulses under ‘open’ from ‘restricted’ category earlier till March 2022.

India’s sugar exports in the first four months of the sugar season 2021-22 have jumped 242 per cent on robust demand. Shipments during October-January period stood at 31.5 lakh tonnes as compared to 9.2 lakh tonnes in the same period last year, according to the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), the apex trade body.

 

Indian exporters have contracted around 50 lakh tonnes of the sweetener for exports, so far. Further, it is reported that over 8 lakh tonnes of sugar is in pipeline to be exported in February 2022.

 

Further, ISMA said that sugar output till mid February was up 5.6 per cent at 220.91 lakh tonnes, as compared to 209.11 lakh tonnes in the same period last year. Out of 516 sugar mills that had started crushing in 2021-22 sugar season, 13 sugar mills have stopped their crushing operations so far. Last year, 496 sugar mills were in operation, out of which 32 had stopped crushing on the corresponding date last year.

 

In Maharashtra, the sugar production till Feb 15 was 14 per cent more at 86.15 lakh tonnes as compared to 75.46 lakh tonnes in the same period last year. However, in Uttar Pradesh, the sugar production in the current season is trailing last year’s levels. As of mid-Feb, the sugar output in UP was about 9 per cent lower at 59.32 lakh tonnes as compared to 65.13 lakh tonnes in the same period last year.

 

In Karnataka, the sugar output was higher by 15 per cent at 44.85 lakh tonnes till mid-Feb as compared to 39.07 lakh tonnes. Also in Gujarat, the production was higher at 6.91 lakh tonnes (6.55 lakh tonnes in same period last year), while in Tamil Nadu the production has increased to 3.60 lakh tonnes (2.47 lakh tonnes). The remaining States of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Odisha have collectively produced 20.08 lakh tonnes till mid-Feb.

 

Ethanol requirement, allocation

 

On the ethanol front, ISMA said that out of the requirement of 95 crore litres given by the oil marketing companies (OMCs) in the fourth 4 cycle, about 39 crore litres have been offered by the suppliers. OMCs are currently examining the bids and are expected to do the allocations shortly. However, for the 2021-22 Ethanol supply year, OMCs have already allocated about 385 crore litres of ethanol from different feed stocks.

India is likely to export at least 80% of its products to the UAE duty-free once the bilateral free trade pact comes into effect.

 

The country would be able to export textiles worth an additional $2 billion in the next two years and treble the plastics exports to the UAE under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which the two sides will sign on Friday, said people aware of the matter.

 

The pact is aimed at increasing bilateral trade to $100 billion in the next five years, from $60 billion now. It is also expected to create more than 500,000 jobs in India's gems and jewellery, textiles, engineering products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automobiles, leather, sports goods and furniture sectors, as per industry estimates.

 

'Almost all sensitivities have been taken care of. It is a win-win deal for both the sides. Around one lakh jobs are expected to get created in the UAE,' said an official, who did not wish to be identified.

 

India is keen to get duty-free market access for its fresh and frozen bovine meat, cheese, spices, certain organic chemicals and paper products. Sports goods and furniture exports to the UAE could also get zero-duty access while India's plastic exports could rise to $1.3 billion from about $418 million at present. Industry had identified about 1,100 products, including washing machines, ACs, refrigerators, spices, tobacco, cotton fabrics, textiles and leather, whose exports it wanted to increase through the pact. 'We expect exports of plain and studded gems and jewellery to increase to $10 billion by 2023 and double thereafter in the next five years,' said the official.

 

Industry has sought abolition of 5% import duty on the exports of gold, silver and platinum jewellery from India to the UAE, as exports of these goods shrank to $1.18 billion in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In December last year, the UAE lifted a ban on import of eggs and other poultry products from India, conceding a long-standing demand.

 

Negotiations for the CEPA were launched in September 2021, India's first such trade deal in the Gulf region. It is likely to cover areas such as goods, services, rules of origin, digital trade, government procurement and investment.

 

The UAE is India's third largest trade partner. It was India's second-largest export destination after the United States in the previous fiscal, with exports amounting to about $29 billion.

India and Germany on Wednesday signed a work plan for cooperation to strengthen quality infrastructure, reduce technical barriers to trade, enhance product safety and strengthen consumer protection.

 

The work plan 2022 was signed during the virtually held 8th annual meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure, led by the Indian Ministry for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

 

Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh and Deniela Bronstrup, Director General, Digital and Innovation Policy at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) were present in the meeting.

 

'A Work Plan for the Year 2022 was agreed upon and signed by both sides…,' an official statement said.

 

The areas identified for collaboration include mobility, energy, circular economy, smart farming/ agriculture, medical devices, digitalisation (artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0 and other new technology areas), machinery safety, medical devices and equipment and market surveillance.

 

Speaking in the meeting, India’s consumer affairs secretary underscored the importance of a well-established and robust quality infrastructure which consists of standardisation, technical regulations and market surveillance for the success of the government’s initiative to transform India into a global manufacturing hub.

 

Stating that Germany is an important and trusted partner for India, the secretary expressed hope that the Work Plan 2022 signed virtually during the meeting would pave the way forward for collaboration towards well functioning and resilient systems of quality infrastructures.

 

He urged involvement of all the relevant stakeholders, such as different ministries, standardisation bodies and industry to learn from each other’s approaches on different aspects of quality infrastructure.

 

Germany’s Bronstrup said despite the challenging period, both sides continued cooperation under the framework of the Working Group.

 

'This is a great sign of strong relations between Germany and India and that both sides can draw benefits from exchange of information and expertise on issues of mutual interest to support bilateral trade,' he said.

 

The German side shared their initiatives at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and requested support for the German candidate for the position of Director Standards at ITU.

 

A publication — ‘United in Quality and Safety’ — was released providing information about the quality infrastructure in Germany and the European Union.

 

Outcome of the Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) study conducted by the German side was also shared.

 

As per the GQII report, India is placed at seventh position on standardisation aspect, ninth for accreditation activities and 19th for metrology related activities.

 

India scored 95.6 out of 100 and is ranked at 10th place in the world for overall quality infrastructure environment in the country, the statement said.

 

This was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Digitalization and sustainability: key factors for an effective and modern Quality Infrastructure’ and a session on ‘Focus areas for cooperation within the Indo-German Working Group in 2022’.

 

The Working Group meets annually since 2013, and identifies areas of cooperation to support and strengthen quality infrastructure taking into account needs and requirements of relevant stakeholders from diverse technology areas so as to support bilateral trade.

The apex food authority has issued a direction regarding the declaration of percentage contribution to Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for different age groups on the label of the product.

 

It has clarified that in case of food for specific age group or physiological condition, respective RDAs may be considered for the purpose of labelling.

 

According to the FSSAI, 'It is clarified that in the case of foods which are targeted to a specific age group or physiological condition, respective RDAs may be considered for declaring per serve percentage (%) RDA based on the recommended dietary allowance specified by the Indian Council of Medical Research.'

 

FSSAI, in a statement, has pointed out that it had received representations from the stakeholders regarding declaration of percentage contribution to RDA in case of foods targeted to specific age groups.

 

It is pertinent to mention that the Labelling and Display Regulations 2020, stipulate labelling of nutritional information per 100g or 100ml or per single consumption pack of the product and per serve percentage contribution to RDA calculated on the basis of 2000kcal energy, 67g total fat, 22g saturated fat, 2g trans fat, 50 g added sugar and 2000mg of sodium (5g salt) for average adult per day, on the label.