The concept of Bio-fortified rice farming is getting popular among farmers in Bihar these days as it is not just nutritious but also helps in increasing the farmers' earning.

 

It is believed that bio-fortified rice has rich contents of nutrition including protein and zinc which is helpful to fight with malnutrition among children especially in a financially backward state like Bihar. 

 

One such initiative was taken in Bihar's Samastipur district where farmers started the cultivation of bio-fortified rice in Kalyanpur-Samartha village.

 

'We have started cultivation of bio-fortified rice in a 2.5 acre land in Kalyanpur- Samartha in Samastipur district as a pilot project and it has given good yield despite adverse situations. It is a new technique introduced in the farming sector not only to enhance the nutrition of a product but also to increase the earning of farmers. We need support from the state government to provide seeds,' a local farmer said.

 

'Over the years, more than 20 districts of North Bihar have been affected by floods every year. Last year, flood water entered into districts like Samastipur, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali. Interestingly, our crops sustained in adverse climatic situations and yielded a good amount of agricultural produce,' he said, while pointing out that the water logged in agricultural fields for extended periods due to choked drains connected with different rivers.

 

'I used one 2.5 acre land for farming and used 50 kg seeds of bio-fortified rice in Samastipur. Besides, the same cultivation is also done in Bela Bilaspur in West Champaran district,' he said. 

 

The farmer was guided by some experts of India Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Bihar origin NRIs related to an USA based forum called Global Indian Scientists and Technocrats (GIST).

 

Sharad Mohan, a Bihar origin NRI based in USA along with some other technocrats were working in the field of technologically upgrading Indian agriculture, had planned such an initiative last year.

 

'We took it as challenge to connect technology with farmers that would not only enhance their income but also help to fight micronutrient deficiency,' Mohan said.

 

The shift from normal farming of paddy to bio-fortified rice may prove to be a boon to the state like Bihar that ranks lowest with more than 48 per cent stunted children in the country.

 

'It could be a good initiative to introduce bio-fortified rice in the mid-day meal program of the state government in schools, Anganwadi centers and different food distribution programs to cater the needs of poor families having undernourished children. The bio-fortified rice has high protein content of 10.1 per cent and Zinc containing 20 ppm as per the claim of National Rice Research Institute Cuttack,' Mohan said.

 

'Bio-fortification could be a step for India's transition from availability and access to nutrition security and eradicating hidden hunger. I firmly believe that Bihari Thali would soon transform into a Nutria-Thali after adoption followed by replication of the practice by the farmers in the state,' he said.

 

'Some of the senior officials Ashok K. Singh, DDG of ICAR has shown special interest in this initiative. He has provided expert views and support for the farming of bio-fortified rice,' Mohan added.

 

'The cultivation of rice would certainly fetch a premium price in the market. It required branding followed by awareness and advertisement at government level to promote this product. Qualitative analysis, especially nutrition aspects mentioned on the packets are key here to promote the product. At present, rice means carbohydrate which the people know. Once they know about the nutrition aspect like protein and zinc, people from across the country and world attract towards it,' said Aditya Satsangi, a USA based agriculture trader and owner of a farm named kisanpro.com.

 

'India is a big market for bio-fortified rice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also pointed out this in his Independence Day speech from Red Fort this year. Besides India, if we target African countries, it would give good export opportunities to generate foreign revenue for the domestic farmers as well,' Rachit Garg, a trader of HFN Mandi said.

 

'We are looking forward to buying bio-fortified rice from farmers of Bihar and selling it off in the countrywide market,' he says.

 

Bihar has good potential to produce bio-fortified rice especially in districts such as Rohtas, Kaimur, Bhojpur, Buxar which are known as 'Dhan Ka Katora' of Bihar. Apart from these districts, the cultivation of rice is being done in all 38 districts as well.

Thailand is likely to offer stiff competition to India in the global rice market this year with its production rebounding from the lows seen in 2019 and 2020. It is India’s only competitor in the parboiled segment of the rice trade. 

 

According to the US Department of Agriculture, Thailand’s rice production during the 2021-22 season is projected at 20.8 million tonnes (mt) compared with 18.8 mt in 2020-21 and 17.65 mt in 2019-20. Production is expected to recover on better availability of water, an issue during 2019 and 2020. 

 

Weaker baht

 

As a result of the rise in production, Thailand’s rice exports this year are likely to be 31 per cent higher at eight mt tonnes against 6.1 mt last year, said USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) post in Bangkok. Higher exports have been forecast mainly in view of a weaker Thai baht. 

 

'Thailand parboiled rice prices have dropped to match with Indian prices. They are $20-30 more than Indian prices,' said Nitin Gupta, Vice-President, Olam Agro India Ltd. 

 

Currently, Indian parboiled rice 5 per cent broken is quoted at $370-376, while Thailand is quoting $395. 'Thailand’s exports are expected to increase to 8 mt from 6-6.5 mt last year,' Gupta said. 

 

70% of exports to Africa

'Some buyers find it better to buy Thai rice as its quality is rated better than Indian variety. Therefore, volume of exports is likely to increase,' said Vidya Sagar VR, Director, Bulk Logix. 

 

The USDA’s Bangkok FAS Post said Thai parboiled rice was more competitive with Indian parboiled rice and some 44 per cent of exports last year went mainly to South Africa, Benin, Cameroon, and Angola. Of this, 70 per cent was parboiled rice.

 

'Higher domestic price for parboiled rice and problems of transportation have created uncertainty over Indian parboiled exports,' said Sagar.

 

The movement of parboiled rice from Chhattisgarh to Kakinada ports in Andhra Pradesh was affected due to a shortage of rail rakes, though the situation has begun to ease. 

 

On the other hand, the Union Government is procuring parboiled rice in Chhattisgarh at nearly ?20 a kg and offering it to traders at ?24, making things difficult for exporters, the Bulk Logix director said.

 

Stiff internal competition

'There will be a strong demand for (Thailand) white and parboiled rice as traders speculate that Thai rice export prices will remain more attractive than Vietnamese and Indian rice,' said the USDA Bangkok FAS Post.

 

'Indian parboiled exports could also face problems since the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will end in March and some shippers could find it difficult to source,' said an industry source on the condition of anonymity.

 

However, The Rice Exporters Association President BV Krishna Rao said India will be able to take on Thailand in the global rice market. 'The problem for Thailand is that it has only a handful of exporters shipping rice, whereas there are many in India. Also, rice is exported from many ports in India,' he said.

 

While India enjoys a logistical advantage as it is nearer to African destinations, there is intense competition among exporters in the country. 'Indian exporters are trying to undercut one another,' Rao said. 

 

Disadvantages

According to the TREA president, barring countries such as the Philippines and Malaysia Indian rice is now accepted widely in almost all countries. 'Recently, the Commerce Ministry helped conduct a buyer-seller meet with the Philippines Ambassador, who has agreed to look into our request,' he said.

 

The problem with exporting to the Philippines is that Filipinos prefer 'soft' rice which Vietnam supplies, whereas Indian the Indian variety is 'hard'. 

 

On the other hand, Malaysia prefers Pakistan rice, which is easy to blend with domestically-grown rice. 'Pakistan rice is 6.2 mm in length and can be easily mixed with Malaysia’s 6.4 mm rice. Indian rice length is 5.-7-5.8 mm and thus loses out,' Rao said.

 

The TREA president also expects China to buy more broken rice from India, though there were risks of its prices rising in case of a surge in corn prices. 

 

No 1 ranking to continue

However, the Indian rice trade is unanimous that India’s position as the number one rice exporter will remain unchallenged. 

 

'India’s ability to supply both parboiled and regular white rice at competitive prices will also propel exports to Sub-Saharan Africa where imports are projected to grow,' the USDA said.

 

As of February 11, Indian white rice 25 per cent broken is quoted at $347 a tonne compared with Vietnam’s $389 and Thailand’s $403 (both for 5 per cent broken), the International Grains Council data showed. Rice export prices are 12 per cent lower in India, 24 per cent in Vietnam and 25 per cent Thailand year-on-year. 

 

India’s rice exports have also been helped by higher stocks with the Food Corporation of India, which as of January 1 was 22.15 mt of rice and 47.36 mt of paddy (31.72 mt of rice). 

 

Record rice production of 118.87 mt in 2019-20 and 122.27 mt last season (July-June) has also aided the record shipments.

Algeria’s state grains agency OAIC has issued an international tender to buy milling wheat to be sourced from optional origins, European traders said on Monday.

 

The tender sought a nominal 50,000 tonnes, but Algeria often buys considerably more in its tenders than the nominal volume sought.

 

The deadline for submission of price offers is Feb. 16, with offers having to remain valid until Feb. 17.

 

The wheat is sought for shipment in two periods from the main supply regions including Europe: April 1-15 and April 16-30.

 

If sourced from South America or Australia, shipment is one month earlier.

 

Algeria is a vital customer for wheat from the European Union, especially France, but it has been turning its back on French wheat recently as it seeks to diversify to other suppliers.

 

In its last wheat tender on Jan. 26, the OAIC made a relatively small purchase of 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes expected to be sourced from the Black Sea region after seeking shipment to two ports only.

Bangladesh is one of the  India’s largest trade partner in the region. Trade  Volume is increasing day by day. Even, the bilateral trade between the two countries grew at an unprecedented rate of 14 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Media reports said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral trade was at an unprecedented rate of 14 per cent from 9.46 billion US dollars in 2019 to 10.78 billion dollars in 2021.

 

Bangladesh mainly exports products including readymade garments, jute and jute-processed products, leather-processed products, plastic products, fish, soft drinks, copper and edible oil while goods including rice, raw cotton, onion, motor vehicles, boilers, machinery, milk, dairy products, electronic products and iron were imported from India. There is huge potential to increase the trade Volume between Bangladesh and Indian. There is a huge demand of Indian products in Bangladesh. On the other hand, the demand of Bangladeshi products is increasing day be day. Now Indian consumers want to consume Bangladeshi products. Border markets  are the best example to understand it. 

 

 According to media reports,  India exports to Bangladesh was US$7.91 Billion during 2020 (United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade). In the last one year, Bangladesh-India trade has increased by 94%. At the end of the current financial year, Bangladesh’s exports to India are expected to reach 2 billion for the first time. India is keen to take this trade relationship to a new height.

 

Bangladesh’s stable economic development is creating new opportunities for India’s northeastern states and work on a CEPA trade agreement is ongoing. The two countries are celebrating 50 years of India-Bangladesh friendship and India’s President Ram Nath Kovind completed a successful visit to Bangladesh last year.

 

2021 marks the golden jubilee of the liberation of Bangladesh and fifty years of India-Bangladesh diplomatic ties. India’s President Ram Nath Kovind is currently on a three-day state visit to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17, 2021; this is his first state visit since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. 

 

Speaking on the state of bilateral ties in November, India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh affirmed that India Bangladesh relations are going through a golden phase. As Bangladesh attains 'developing nation' status (upgrading from 'less developed country' status), India has reiterated its commitment to deepen trade and economic ties with Bangladesh as partners rather than competitors. That Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia, with a volume of over US$10 billion, is testimony to this commitment. In the same pursuit, both countries are working to finalize a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

 

Bangladesh’s holistic development is also viewed positively by New Delhi with new opportunities arising along India’s northeast region. Bangladesh and India share a 4096-kilometer-long (2545 miles) international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world, including 262 km (163 mi) in the state of Assam, 856 km (532 mi) in Tripura, 318 km (198 mi) in Mizoram, 443 km (275 mi) in Meghalaya, and 2217 km (1378 mi) in West Bengal.

 

Economic and commercial partnership between India and Bangladesh

According to various Indian and Bangladeshi media reports, Bangladesh may become India’s fourth largest export destination in FY22, jumping five places in two years. This comes as the economic boom of the eastern neighbour continues to fuel India’s exports growth.

 

Indian media outlet ‘Business Standard’ wrote last year that the first seven months of FY22, exports to Bangladesh grew 81 per cent over the same period in the preceding year to $7.7 billion. This makes it India’s fourth largest export market behind the US, UAE and China.

 

Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia and India is the second biggest trade partner of Bangladesh. Bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh has grown steadily over the last decade and the exports of Bangladesh have tripled over the last decade to cross US$1 billion in 2018-19. In FY 2019-20, India’s exports to Bangladesh were US$8.2 billion and imports were US$1.26 billion.

 

 The two countries now should concentrate on people-to-people contact, trade, business and connectivity as the issues became increasingly important for the two sides. India could be a major supplier of yarn and cotton to the garment industry in the near future.

 

A deeper economic and trade engagement becomes all the more relevant, given the success of phenomenal and uninterrupted supply chains during the pandemic. An augmented connectivity infrastructure is imperative to actualize the bilateral trade and investment potential between the two countries. India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has recognized five focus areas to bolster bilateral economic ties – technology, connectivity, entrepreneurship, health, and tourism. Bangladesh is also important for aiding India’s connectivity in the Southeast Asian region through Chittagong and Mongla ports.

 

Indian and Bangladeshi companies signed agreements worth nearly $10 billion for Indian investment, mainly in the power and energy sectors, during a visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April 2017.

 

And with Indian economic zones coming up at Mongla and Mirsarai, the amount of FDIs from the neighbouring nation is bound to increase manifold.

 

Both India and Bangladesh are also working towards holding the first meeting of the India Bangladesh CEOs Forum to provide policy level inputs in various areas of trade and investment and also to facilitate exchanges among the business communities of both the countries. Additionally, a bilateral textile industry forum has also been constituted to facilitate cooperation in the textile sector.

 

According to the data of media outlets, With Bangladesh being the central pillar of India’s Neighbourhood First policy, Dhaka is New Delhi’s largest trade partner in South Asia and bilateral trade between the two countries grew at an unprecedented rate of 14 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic. the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral trade was at an unprecedented rate of 14 per cent from 9.46 billion US dollars in 2019 to 10.78 billion dollars in 2021. Joint energy space is steadily emerging, India and Bangladesh’s electricity grids are interconnected from east and west with more than 1160 megawatts of powers way across from India and Bangladesh.The ?346 crore Pipeline Project, signed in 2018, will connect Siliguri in West Bengal in India and Parbatipur in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. The work on the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, a project that will enable the two countries to integrate their energy needs, is progressing well and could be inaugurated next year. ( The NDTV, the Hindu, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla )

 

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, the trade between India and Bangladesh crossed $10 billion. . India had sent over one crore COVID-19 vaccines to the country and has extended concessional credit lines of about $8 billion, the highest for any single country. India is also developing two Indian economic zones at Mirsarai and Mongla. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to 50 young entrepreneurs from Bangladesh will further augment our ties. Over 350 Indian companies are now registered in Bangladesh. The India-Bangladesh CEO Forum will meet soon for the first time, even as the two countries work towards finalising a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to deepen trade and economic ties as partners rather than competitors.

 

India stands 'shoulder to shoulder' with the country’s leadership and people in their development journey.

 

Noting that India-Bangladesh supply chains worked uninterrupted through the pandemic, Improving connectivity is 'imperative' for expanding and realising the potential for bilateral trade and investments. The two countries’ leaders have brought Delhi and Dhaka closer and can together bring economic prosperity to South Asia. ( The Hindu, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal)

 

India and Bangladesh have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a high-speed diesel pipeline from Nonmilitary in Assam to Parbatipur in Bangladesh, a joint venture between Numaligarh Refinery Limited and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation. As an indication of goodwill, an initial consignment of 2200 ton of diesel has already been transported from Siliguri in West Bengal to Parbatipur in 50 wagons by the Indian Railways

 

Furthermore, India-Bangladesh cooperation in the power sector too has become an important aspect in this bilateral relationship. Bangladesh is currently importing 1160 MW of power from India. The Joint Working Group (JWG)/Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on power provides an institutional framework to promote bilateral cooperation in cross border trade of electricity.

 

How is India aiding Bangladesh as a development partner?

 

Presently, Bangladesh remains India’s biggest development partner. Over the past eight years, India has extended three Lines of Credits (LOC) to Bangladesh, amounting to US$8 billion for development of infrastructure in various sectors, including roads, railways, shipping, and ports. Additionally, India has also been providing grant assistance to Bangladesh for various infrastructure projects, including construction of Akhaura-Agartala rail link, dredging of inland waterways in Bangladesh, and construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.

 

Further, High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) also form an important part of India’s developmental assistance to Bangladesh, with India having funded 68 HICDPs, including construction of, academic buildings, cultural centers, skill development and training institutes, student hostels, and orphanages etc. in Bangladesh. 16 additional HICDPs are being implemented.

 

Although there is a huge trade deficit between Bangladesh and India. As a big partner, India has been enjoying the major trade volume but India should consider this with its highest sincere consideration. Bangladesh is a well trusted ally of India. India should give more duty free access of Bangladeshi products.

 

This growing trade and economic ties are very important for the two fraternal ties. India and Bangladesh are really eternal friends. Their bondage is based on strong neighbourly spirit. However, this growing trade and economic ties will definitely benefit the people of the two countries. India and Bangladesh can benefit from growing trade and economic ties. We hope that thus bilateral growing trade and economic ties reflects better bilateral understanding. 

India is becoming the new global market for millets. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje shared that as the demands are increasing, India has become a global market for this nutritious crop.

 

India is an important consumer, and producer of nutri-cereals in the world. Nutri-cereals refers to a group of crops comprising sorghum (Jowar), pearl millet (Bajra), finger millet (Ragi/Mandua), and small millets like little millet (Kutki), kodo millet (Kodo), barnyard millet (Sawa/Jhangora), foxtail millet (Kangni/Kakun), and proso millet (Cheena). UNGA Adopts Resolution to Mark 2023 as 'International Year of Millets'.

 

International Year of Millets

 

The Government of India had proposed to the United Nations for declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYoM). This would create domestic and global demand and also provide nutritious food to the people. 72 countries supported India’s proposal and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets in March 2021.

 

In 2018, India celebrated the National Year of Millets. Further, with the help of research and development, the government is also popularizing nutri-cereals. It has established 3 Centres of Excellence (CoE) and also supports start-ups and entrepreneurs in developing recipes and value-added products that promote the consumption of millets.

 

Millets in India

 

Millets are a rich source of protein, fibre, minerals, iron, calcium and have a low glycemic index. Nutri-cereals are grown in arid and semi-arid tracts under low rainfall (200-600 mm) conditions. These are known for their nutrient-rich content and characteristics like drought tolerance, photo-insensitivity, resilience to climate change, etc.

 

Millets are grown in about 21 states in the country including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana.

 

5th largest exporter

 

India is now the 5th largest exporter of millets globally. Nearly 41% of total global production was met by India in 2020. In 2020-21, it exported millets worth US $26.97 million.

 

India major export destinations are Nepal, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, the UK, Yemen, Oman, and Algeria. Nepal (US$ 6.09 million), the UAE (US$ 4.84 million), and Saudi Arabia (US$ 3.84 million) were the top three importers of millets from India in 2020-21.

 

The production of millets increased from 14.52 million tonnes in 2015-16 to 17.96 million tonnes in 2020-21. The production of bajra also increased from 8.07 million tonnes to 10.86 million tonnes during the same period.

 

Government’s support

 

The Indian government notified millets as nutri-cereals in April 2018. Then to facilitate the movement of the millets, it revised guidelines for the movement of surplus production of millets to other states. A provision of inter-state transportation of surplus millets has been incorporated via the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to cater for advance demand placed by the consuming state before the start of procurement.

 

On 20th December 2021, NITI Aayog also signed a Statement of Intent with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to support India in taking a global lead in knowledge exchange using the opportunity of 2023 as an International Year of Millets. It also aims at building resilient livelihoods for small-holder farmers and adaptation capacities to climate change and transforming food systems.

India's merchandise exports in January rose 25.28% from a year earlier to $34.50 billion, buoyed by higher outbound shipments of engineering goods, petroleum products and gems and jewellery, data released by the commerce and industry ministry on Tuesday showed.

 

Though the trade deficit widened to $17.42 billion as against $14.49 billion in January 2021, it was at a five-month low. Imports increased 23.54% to $51.93 billion during the month though gold imports shrank 40.52% on-year to $2.4 billion.

 

'The fall in mobility and the demand for gold with the onset of the third wave (of Covid) and the associated restrictions, helped to pull back the merchandise trade deficit to a five-month low at $17.4 billion in January 2022,' said Aditi Nayar, chief economist at ICRA.

 

Chemicals, cotton yarn, handlooms and textiles were the other top performing export sectors.

 

'Out of these, almost all of them were labour-intensive sectors contributing majorly to the exports basket, which itself is a good sign, further helping job creation in the country,' said A Sakthivel, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations.

 

Cumulatively, exports increased 46.73% to $335.88 billion during April 2021-January 2022, from $228.92 billion in the year-earlier period.

 

Imports in the 10 months grew 62.65% to $495.75 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $159.87 billion.

 

Prahalathan Iyer, chief general manager, research & analysis, at India Exim Bank, said the country's export performance has been promising with the monthly exports remaining above $30 billion since the beginning of the fiscal year.

 

'The imports have been above $50 billion in the last five months; the trade deficit is likely to touch the peak level of $190 billion witnessed in FY13,' he said, adding that the trade surplus generated under the services sector is likely to be offsetting the deficit by more than $100 billion.

 

Non-petroleum, non-gems & jewellery (gold, silver & precious metals) imports, an indicator of the strength of domestic demand, grew 31.33%.

RED Delicious and Royal Delicious were the first apple varieties introduced in Himachal Pradesh by Samuel Stokes around a century back. From these traditional plants that can grow up to 30 to 35 feet and yield 40 to 60 boxes in their prime, the transition to the latest spur and high-colour strain varieties, which is already underway, could gather greater pace this year. The trigger would be the inadequate snowfall in the lower and middle apple belts, despite abundant snowfall at higher altitudes, leading to the traditional varieties performing below par at low and middle elevations.

 

For more than a decade now, snow has been receding from the low and middle apple belts. While an elevation of 4,500 feet to 5,500 feet is classified as the low belt, 5,500 to 7,000 feet is the middle belt, and above that, the high belt. Earlier, when it snowed in the higher reaches, these elevations would receive substantial snowfall too. It’s no longer the case. 'Over the past decade or so, a decline has been observed in snowfall in low and middle heights. Climate change and meteorological factors are the major reasons behind the receding snowfall,' says Surender Paul, Director, Indian Meteorological Department, Himachal Pradesh.

 

In the absence of abundant snow, the ‘chilling hours’, over 1,000, required by the traditional apple varieties are difficult to meet. Also, the absorption of nutrients by the soil and eventually by the plant is also impaired. As a result, the traditional varieties are struggling to produce quality fruit at these heights. This has forced growers to switch to modern varieties that need comparatively much less ‘chilling hours’.

 

'We received just 3-4 inches of snow this year. The traditional ‘delicious’ varieties are not performing at low heights, and people are rushing towards the latest ones,' says Pratap Chauhan, an orchardist from Kotkhai, who has an orchard at an elevation of 5,000 feet. 'Not many are considering the traditional varieties for elevations less than 7,000 feet,' he adds.

 

Compared to the new varieties, though, the lifespan of traditional varieties is very long. There are trees that are almost 80 years old.

 

Horticulture expert SP Bhardwaj believes the shift to newer varieties is the need of the hour. 'It’s an intelligent decision. At these heights, the traditional plants are struggling to produce the fruit with good colour and size. On the other hand, the newer varieties have no such issues and are fetching better prices,' says Bhardwaj. 'Also, all varieties suffer from genetic degradation after a certain period of time, leading to a decline in the quality of fruit. So, it’s imperative that apple growers move to the latest varieties.'

 

The shift, though desired, is easier said than done. The input cost is much more, especially at the outset, in newer varieties. The investment includes expenditure on irrigation, associated structure and hail nets. Compared to the traditional varieties, the new ones demand more care. 'It’s easy to replace a few plants, but when you need to replace the whole orchard, especially if one is switching to rootstocks, the cost is very high,' says Dikshit Chauhan, an orchardist from Jubbal.

 

The government does offer some support in the form of subsidies on plants, anti-hail net, irrigation, etc, but the budget seems to run short. In certain areas, people have been waiting for net subsidy for a decade.

 

Importing trouble

 

While the farmers may have found a way to deal with the changing climatic conditions, they are struggling to stay afloat amid a deluge of imported apples, particularly from Iran. Due to the heavy arrival of Iranian apple this year, there is no demand for the local apples that were stored during the running season (when the harvest is still on, or has just finished). 'Both farmers and arhtiyas have suffered huge losses on stored apple this year. The market is flooded with cheap Iranian apple and our people are forced to sell their produce at throwaway prices,' says NS Chaudhary, president of the state arhtiya sangh. 'This will have an adverse impact on the next season. The arhtiyas, suffering losses, will struggle to clear payments and both growers and traders will be scared to store the fruit next year. And if the entire produce comes to the market at one time, the prices will crash.'

 

While apples are imported from a number of countries, the import from Iran is particularly troublesome. 'The problem with the Iranian apple is the volume and the cost at which it is reaching the Indian market. It’s available for as low as Rs40-60 per kg,' says Lokender Bisht, an apple grower from Rohru.

 

Earlier, it was routed via Afghanistan-Pakistan (under SAFTA) to avoid import duty. With the regime change in Afghanistan, the by-road arrival has significantly dropped. Now, it’s coming through the sea but it is still available at cheap prices because of the rampant under-invoicing and low cost of production in Iran, Bisht adds. The growers feel that doubling the import duty from the current 50 per cent would give some elbow space to the local apple.

 

The ever-increasing cost of production has pushed the local apple into a weak position against the Iranian apple. As per the rough estimates of growers, the per kg cost of production has reached around Rs30. 'An apple box is fetching more or less the same price as in 2010. The input cost, however, has increased manifold. The cost of insecticides, pesticides, fertilisers and packaging material has seen a sharp rise, the subsidies are shrinking or closing down altogether, the transport and labour charges have also increased significantly. All this has led to a massive decrease in profit margins,' says Dikshit Chauhan.

 

And last but not the least, the growers believe the marketing of the fruit needs a big thrust. 'The government must find a market where we can export fruit. Some efforts were made last year to explore the market in the Middle East; these need to continue,' says Harish Chauhan, president of the Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Growers Association. 'There’s an urgent need to set up processing plants and small controlled atmosphere (CA) store facilities in the apple belt. This would go a long way in saving the growers from market forces and ensuring a remunerative price for their produce,' he adds.

 

Algeria's state grains agency OAIC has issued an international tender to buy milling wheat to be sourced from optional origins, European traders said on Monday.

 

The tender sought a nominal 50,000 tonnes, but Algeria often buys considerably more in its tenders than the nominal volume sought.

 

The deadline for submission of price offers is Feb. 16, with offers having to remain valid until Feb. 17.

 

The wheat is sought for shipment in two periods from the main supply regions including Europe: April 1-15 and April 16-30.

 

If sourced from South America or Australia, shipment is one month earlier.

 

Algeria is a vital customer for wheat from the European Union, especially France, but it has been turning its back on French wheat recently as it seeks to diversify to other suppliers.

 

In its last wheat tender on Jan. 26, the OAIC made a relatively small purchase of 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes expected to be sourced from the Black Sea region after seeking shipment to two ports only.

India and the UAE are likely to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) on February 18, news agency PTI reported on Monday. Under the deal, both the countries could give duty-free access to a number of products from different sectors.

 

In September last year, Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal and his counterpart Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi had formally launched negotiations on the India-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

 

Under FTA, two trading partners reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. Also, they liberalise norms to enhance trade in services and boost investments.

 

'The India-UAE agreement is ready and it would be signed on February 18,' the news agency quoted a source as saying.

 

Bilateral trade between India and the UAE stood at $43.3 billion in 2020-21. Exports were $16.7 billion and imports aggregated at $26.7 billion in 2020-21.

 

Speaking on India-UAE trade deal, Piyush Goyal last week had said 'we hope to make some announcements very quickly'. Recently, he said the UAE is a gateway to all of Africa and many other parts of the world.

 

The UAE also has a huge Indian diaspora, and a large market for products like textiles, gems and jewellery, leather, footwear and food items, which are labour oriented sectors, he had said. 

 

The commerce ministry in September last year said the UAE is currently India’s third-largest trading partner with bilateral trade in 2019-2020 valued at $59 billion. The UAE is also India’s second-largest export destination after the US, with exports valued at approximately $29 billion in 2019-2020. 

 

India was the UAE’s second-largest trading partner in 2019, with bilateral non-oil trade valued at $41 billion. The UAE is the eighth-largest investor in India, having invested $11 billion between April 2000 and March 2021, while investment by Indian companies in the UAE is estimated to be over $85 billion.

 

India's major exports to the UAE include petroleum products, precious metals, stones, gems and jewellery, minerals, food items such as cereals, sugar, fruits and vegetables, tea, meat, and seafood, textiles, engineering and machinery products, and chemicals. 

 

India's top imports from the UAE include petroleum and petroleum products, precious metals, stones, gems and jewellery, minerals, chemicals and wood and wood products. India imported $10.9 billion of crude oil from the UAE in 2019-2020.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which celebrated its 36th Foundation Day on Sunday, has taken a giant leap in making the landlocked Purvanchal (eastern UP) a new destination of agri-export activities.

 

The export of the first trial shipment of 14metric tonne (MT) green chilly was facilitated by APEDA from Varanasi to Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port in December 2019. 'And, there has been no looking back since then. For the first time, from Varanasi 3MT fresh vegetables was exported to London, 3MT fresh mangoes to Dubai, 1.2MT fresh mangoes to London, 520 MT regional rice to Qatar and 80 MT regional rice to Australia during the Covid pandemic in 2020, after APEDA’s intervention,' said APEDA’s regional in-charge and AGM Dr CB Singh.

 

According to him, major export from India occurs from coastal areas like Maharashtra and Gujarat. Working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the APEDA has taken several initiatives in making eastern UP region as a new destination of agri-export activities through development of Varanasi Agri-Export Hub (VAEH). He said that the Varanasi region, where negligible agri-exports used to take place because of lack of basic infrastructure, is now abuzz with activities which has given a boost to exports. After the intervention of APEDA,

 

Varanasi region has recorded exemplary changes in the export scenario and registered many first-of-its-kind achievements in a very short span of time. The APEDA has identified potential districts of Uttar Pradesh to be covered under the VAEH. The Purvanchal division covers districts of Varanasi, Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Basti, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Chandauli and Sant Ravidas Nagar.

 

'With the active intervention of APEDA, about 20,100MT of agri- produce have been exported from Purvanchal region in the last six months.

Out of these shipments, about 5,100 MT fresh fruits and vegetables and 15,000 MT of cereals have been exported to Vietnam, Gulf nations, Nepal and Bangladesh by all modes of transportation,' Singh told TOI, adding that Varanasi and nearby areas witnessed an export of around 12 MT, 22 MT and 45 MT in October, November and December, respectively in 2021.

 

Also, around 125 MT goods have been exported through waterways from Varanasi and nearby areas. As Varanasi is a territory based in the plains of river Ganga, it has rich nutritional composition of soil with ample amount of fertility which leads to production of good quality agri-produce. Besides, Varanasi region also has reputed institutions of central and international level such as Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

 

He said that Varanasi has an airport, but it was not active in terms of export of agricultural products directly. Currently, the Varanasi region has a number of exporters.

 

Exports of agricultural products is now being undertaken through air route due to establishment of robust quarantine as well as custom clearance facilitation centre at Lal Bahadur Shastri International (LBSI) Airport.

 

APEDA has organised more than 30 capacity building programmes in the entire Varanasi region followed by eight international buyer-seller meets, which has provided a platform for the exporters to market their food products in the global marketplace.

 

According to Singh, in order to monitor the product and production, a project of AI tech is also being considered for approval.

The government is also considering to replicate the Varanasi model in the Gorakhpur region of Purvanchal as the geography, demography and few other parameters are common in both the places.

 

The newly established international airport in Kushinagar may play a vital role in triggering the export. The DDU Gorakhpur University, Indian Institute of Seed Science, Mau are the institutions actively working towards promotion of agri- activities in the region.

 

Singh said that the APEDA has also approved three projects for comprehensive grain and nutritional quality profiling of non-Basmati Rice, value added products from rice and rice-based food systems. An APEDA-funded project for integrated IT solutions to enhance Agri Export in the Varanasi region is under process