The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today informed that that augmentation of capacity is a continuous process.  Food Corporation of India (FCI) continuously assesses and monitors the storage capacity and based on the storage gap assessment, storage capacities are created/hired. FCI augments its storage capacity through following schemes:-

 

1. Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme

2. Central Sector Scheme (CSS)

3. Construction of Silo's under Public Private Partnership (PPP)          mode

4. Hiring of godown from Central Warehousing Corporation                (CWC)/ State Warehousing Corporations    (SWCs)/State                 Agencies

5. Hiring of godown through Private Warehousing Scheme (PWS).

Shri Piyush Goyal, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution and Textiles and The Hon Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Government of Australia have announced reaching an understanding on the Interim agreement and finalizing it in the next 30 days.  The India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) is expected to be concluded in 12 months thereafter. Shri Goyal and Mr. Tehan were addressing a joint press conference after conclusion of the 3-day talks in New Delhi today. 

 

Speaking on the occasion Shri Goyal recalled watching the classic movie ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, which was partially shot in Australia, and portrayed a strong bond of friendship among friends. He said expanding  India-Australia relationship also exhibits a similar strong bond.

CECA FTA is like a ‘Dil Chahta Hai FTA’, which represents the hope, aspiration & ambition of the people of our two great nations.

 

The two nations are expected to sign the Interim Agreement in March 2022.The areas covered under the interim agreement should include goods, services, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, Customs procedure, and Legal and Institutional issues. 

 

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal said that he had very fruitful discussions with his Australian counterpart and significant progress has been made in advancing the FTA between the two nations. Shri Goyal said that India and Australia were natural partners and complemented each other in a variety of ways. The Minister said that discussions between the two nations happened with openness and concern and sensitivity for the issues on both sides.

 

Terming the negotiations as a watershed moment in India-Australia bilateral relationship, Shri Goyal expressed his gratitude to the Prime Ministers of both nations, Shri Narendra Modi and The Hon Scott Morrison for their leadership, guidance and support. He also complimented officers from both sides who worked proactively to build a comprehensive economic partnership which will be a win-win for both, opening up huge opportunities for people of India and Australia.

 

The Minister exhorted that India and Australia are linked by the great Indian Ocean; connected by history, shared inheritances and deeply interlinked destinies.

 

The CECA would be a substantial opportunity for both of economies and a significant moment in the India-Australia bilateral relationship.

 

Both Ministers agreed on the need for a balanced trade agreement that encourages expanded trade and investment flows to the benefit of both of the economies, and reflects a shared commitment to the rules-based international trading system. Ministers also agreed to expeditiously resolve tax-related issues faced by Indian software firms in Australia. 

 

Responding to a question, Shri Goyal said that Quad has brought the four countries, viz. USA, India, Australia and Japan closer and this had also enabled India and Australia to come closer to each other in economic relations as well. 

 

Mr. Dan Tehan also announced that on 21st February, Australia would be open to travelers from all over the world and extended his invitation to Indians to visit Australia. The Minister opined that as a result of MoU, the tourism flows between the two countries will continue to grow and that the education relationship between the two nations would also flourish.  We are looking at mutual recognition of qualifications in Australia so that students can now study in both nations, he said. 

 

Mr. Tehan expressed confidence that the interim agreement would be a significant milestone in relationship between our two countries. He said that the warmth of the relationship between the two nations and the honesty and transparency with which the negotiations happened would certainly help build a very strong and robust economic ties.

The Centre has amended the import policy for moong beans, by moving it from ‘free’ to ‘restricted’ category with immediate effect.

 

A notification issued by the Department of Commerce, dated February 11, said the import policy for moong is revised from ‘Free’ to ‘Restricted’ with immediate effect.

 

Previously, the import of moong beans was allowed under the 'free' category subject to the bill of lading being issued by 31st March 2022 and customs clearance by 30th June 2022.

 

Impacted by the latest policy revision, the pulses trade has urged the Government to reconsider its decision and reinstate the free import policy.

 

In a statement, Bimal Kothari, Vice Chairman, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) said, 'Based on the 'free' import policy, Indian market participants entered into binding contractual obligations for the import of moong from other countries into India. It was barely two months ago, as of 20th December 2021, that the Government of India allowed the 'free' import of moong, and has now changed that policy overnight. On behalf of all market players, we request the Government of India to reconsider the notification restricting import and reinstate the 'free' import policy.'

 

Further, Kothari said that frequent policy changes create immense financial hardship for Indian market participants, and uncertainty for international counterparts. Such changes are counterproductive for international trade and inconsistent with India’s 'Ease of Doing Business' objective.

 

'Consequently, we request the Government to provide reasonable advance notice to the market before introducing new policies that can hamper existing trade commitments. We are making representation to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry to withdraw this Notification, as Indian importers have contracted cargoes which are presently in transit to Indian ports. If these cargoes are not allowed to be imported, it will create immense financial hardship to Indian companies and chaos in the market,' Kothari added.

 

In its first advance estimates issued on Sept 21 last year, the Agriculture Ministry had pegged the moong output at 2.06 million tonnes, higher than the targeted 2.02 million tonnes and the previous year’s fourth advance estimate of 2.01 million tonnes. However, the trade was expecting a lower crop due the erratic rainfall pattern in states such as Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh among others.

 

In the ongoing rabi season, moong acreage is estimated at 5.13 lakh ha, lower than the normal area for the season of 9.4 lakh ha and previous year’s 7.03 lakh ha.

Agriculture is a State subject. However, Government of India supports and facilitates the StateGovernments through many Centrally Sponsored and Central Sector Schemes to promote modern agricultural technology amongst farmers including small and marginal ones throughout the country to boost agricultural production. Some of the major central schemes aimed at promoting modern agricultural technology amongst farmers include Agriculture Technology ManagementAgency (ATMA) Scheme, Mass Media Support to Agricultural Extension, Kisan Call Centres, Agri-Clinics and Agri-Business Centres, Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM); promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi; establishment of National Agriculture e-Market platform (e-NAM); Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme; Per Drop More Crop (PDMC); Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture; etc.

 

Apart from the above. So far, under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), 729 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) have been established in various districts across the country, where scientists or subject matter specialists are involved in dissemination and demonstration of modern agricultural technology to farmers including small and marginal farmers. Scientists and subject matter specialists of KVKs are regularly trained in various ICAR Institutes, where newer technologies/ crop varieties/ agricultural practices are developed as a result of continuous research process. In turn, scientists and subject matter specialist of KVKs pass on the technologies/ Crop varieties/ Agricultural practices to the farmers in the field.

 

This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha Today.

There are 726 Testing Laboratories for food products in the country as per study conducted by Ministry of Food Processing Industries in 2020-21 and these Laboratories are operational at different levels of operation and testing of food products. Out of these, 585 food testing laboratories have obtained Accreditation as per the international standards i.e. ISO/IEC 17025/NABL. 

 

There are three central sector schemes implemented by Government of India, wherein financial assistance is provided to establish/upgrade Food Testing Laboratories to meet with international standards i.e. ISO/IEC 17025/NABL. The three central sector schemes are (i) Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure implemented by Ministry of Food Processing Industries, (ii) Strengthening of Food Testing System in the Country including provision of Mobile Food testing Lab implemented by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and (iii) Financial Assistance for Quality Development Scheme implemented by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority under Ministry and Commerce and Industries.

 

Government of India does not establish any Food Testing Laboratory on its own. The proposals for Food testing Laboratories received are demand driven and there is no specific state wise target. 

 

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

During 2019-20, the value of India’s agri-exports of principal agri commodities group was Rs.2,52,297 crore which was 1.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices. Despite covid-19 pandemic, there has been 22.8% growth in agri exports at Rs. 3, 09,939 crore with a share of 1.6% to GDP during 2020-21.

 

Ministry of Food Processing industries (MoFPI) is implementing a Central Sector umbrella scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) since 2016-17 to support creation of modern infrastructure projects, setting/upgrading the food manufacturing units, value chain development in perishables, backward and forward linkages etc. Also, MoFPI is implementing centrally sponsored "PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme" for providing financial, technical and business support for upgradation/setting up of 2 lakh micro food processing units in a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore. The Scheme adopts One District One Product (ODOP) approach to reap the benefit of scale in terms of procurement of inputs, availing common services and marketing of products. Besides, under the aegis of DA&FW, Rs. one lakh crore ‘Agri infrastructure fund’ has been provided for post-harvest infrastructure for farmers. Also, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) is being implemented to ensure forward and backward linkage through a cluster approach with the active participation of all stakeholders.

 

As per the study report conducted under ICAR-CIPHET, Ludhiana, the harvest and post-harvest losses of major cereals ranged from 4.65 - 5.99 %, pulses ranged from 6.36 - 8.41 %, oilseeds ranged from 3.24 - 9.96% ,fruits ranged from 6.70 % to 15.88%; vegetables ranged from 4.58% to 12.44% fish, meat and milk the losses were 10.52%, 2.71% and 0.92% respectively.

 

This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha Today.

In another sign of the deepening economic relationship between India and the United States, bilateral trade in goods between the two countries crossed the $100 billion mark in 2021, making it the largest volume of goods trade in a calendar year in India-US economic history. This also represents an almost 45% jump from 2020, and while US trade with its top 15 partners increased over the past year, the single biggest jump was with India.

 

\According to figures released by the US Census Bureau, India-US bilateral goods trade was worth $113.391 billion from January to December 2021. India exported goods worth over $73 billion, and imported goods worth a little over $40 billion dollars.

 

In 2020 – an unusual year because of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and subsequent economic restrictions – trade fell to a little over $78.2 billion, from the high of $92.1 billion in 2019. India had then exported goods worth $57.8 billion and imported goods worth $34.2 billion.

 

Placing the figures in perspective, Richard M Rossow, the Wadhwani chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the foremost expert of the bilateral economic relationship in Washington DC, said that bilateral trade has been on an upward trajectory for 20 years, and shrunk year-on-year only three times since 2002.

 

'While we should certainly pause to celebrate the milestone of crossing the $100 billion in bilateral trade, it is not far off the overall trajectory of the trade relationship in this period.' The 45% jump, he said, was due to the 'deep trough' in 2020, as both India and the US dealt with the initial onslaught of the coronavirus.

 

Mukesh Aghi, president and chief executive officer of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), said that a key reason for the spike in Indian exports to the US was the concerted increase in demand in the US market.

 

'The US has seen consumption-driven growth in the past year. There was pent-up demand for items such as jewellery and electronics which has got channelled in the last six months. The fact that US companies have also sought to diversify their supply chains has played a role too. Electronic component markets have moved production to India. For instance, Apple now exports a million smart phones from India to the United States every month.' The challenge, he added, was to sustain the momentum.

 

When asked what had driven the spike, Rossow said that while the details of which products drove the record-breaking year was not clear yet, the push by the Donald Trump administration to sell American hydrocarbons to India had been a key factor in enabling greater trade.

 

'A decade ago, the US had nearly zero exports of natural gas, coal, or crude oil to India. Today these three are all among the 10 biggest export categories. US imports from India are more balanced, with good increases in trade among a range of categories. But a few stand out as over-performers such as furniture, aluminium, and food products.'

 

India’s principal goods exports to the US are precious and semi-precious stones, drugs and pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, cotton fabrics, garments, marine products, iron and steel products, electrical equipment and auto components. And its primary import was crude oil (the biggest import head in 2021, some $10.39 billion worth). India also imports pearls, coal, chemicals, gold, paper, and precious stones from the US.

 

Recently, the US approved imports of mangoes and pomegranate from India, and secured New Delhi’s approval to supply of cherries, alfalfa hay, pork and pork products into India, according to an Indian government official who asked not to be named.

 

'This is as per a recent agreement between the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for implementing the ‘2 Vs 2’ agri-market access,' he added.

 

Another official familiar with the bilateral relationship said that the spike in trade was also a product of the concerted Indian attempts to deepen economic ties with a range of American economic stakeholders – be it through extensive commercial engagement or facilitating business-to-business exchanges or working to get commitments by major American corporates to source material from India or proactively leveraging the sentiment in the US to diversify from China.

 

A third official pointed out that the trade figures also firmly rebut the impression of India turning inwards and protectionist, and in fact, show that its outwards economic engagement, on its own terms, will only increase.

 

While India is working with Australia, the UK, the European Union, Canada and the US to push through larger trade arrangements, any major free trade agreement is unlikely, especially with the US, given the domestic political mood in Washington against trade pacts.

 

When asked if the increase in India-US trade showed that both countries have found ways to deepen ties while circumventing established formats, Rossow said, 'Trade deals are helpful to boost trade ties, but far from essential. In recent decades, nations such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China managed to become major global trade players without vast networks of trade deals. It does, however, feel like our nations continue to defy gravity. Both governments have taken protectionist steps in recent years, both globally and towards each other. Whether this continued growth in trade can be sustained in light of anti-trade policies remains to be seen.'

Six South Asian nations, including India, are set to benefit from a new USD$ 21.5 million (EUR 18 million) funding from the European Union (EU), which will help to accelerate climate-smart, inclusive infrastructure investments in their regions.

 

IFC, the largest global development institution, focused on the private sector in emerging markets, will implement the project under the program,Accelerating Climate-Smart and Inclusive Infrastructure in South Asia (ACSIIS).

 

ACSIIS is a five-year program (2021-2026) to help spur investments in energy, water, waste management, transport, logistics, and green buildings to benefit people and businesses in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. ACSIIS would leverage $ 850 million of private sector investments in the region.

 

The impact of COVID-19 on investments in infrastructure has been widespread and severe. Investment commitments in infrastructure with private participation in 2020 dropped by an unprecedented 52 percent from 2019 levels. IFC estimates that South Asian countries can unlock more than US$3 trillion of climate-smart investment opportunities by fully meeting the national targets under the Paris Agreement by 2030.

 

'Attracting private capital for climate-smart infrastructure in a sustainable and inclusive manner will be critical for post-COVID-19 recovery in South Asia,' said Hector Gomez Ang, Regional Director for South Asia at IFC.

 

'The EU's support for the program could not come at a better time as it is vital to act now to unblock obstacles to spurring sustainable infrastructure projects. This program will leverage IFC's experience and expertise in supporting climate-smart infrastructure development in the region,' he added.

 

The program will also support the development of climate-smart investments in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, health, and education while focusing on key themes such as cities, gender, and green finance. The latest initiative builds on IFC's previous partnership with the EU to support the Eco-Cities Program in India and other programs in the region.

 

'The ACSIIS project will support a green and inclusive recovery in South Asia. We are happy to see the existing EU cooperation in India broadening into a regional intervention with multi-sector coverage, in line with the objectives of the EU Green Deal, to promote sustainable development, the fight against climate change and the transition to renewable energy,' said Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the European Union to India and Bhutan.

 

'This initiative will make a positive contribution to sustainable connectivity, supporting the EU engagement in key sectors to build a greener future,' he added.

 

Through ACSIIS, IFC will support early-stage market development to address key market-wide constraints, as well as deliver project-level technical advice to structure sustainable infrastructure investments for the target countries. The program will also support capacity building of private and government sectors to improve their ability to design, structure, and implement sustainable infrastructure projects. Several of these components are part of IFC's Upstream strategy, which aims to create markets in the most challenging environments, laying the foundation for future investment projects.

 

IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday that India is the fastest growing economy despite the pandemic and asserted that the government managed the economy well.

 

'Our recovery has been fastest and sustained among all economies...,' she said, adding that the recovery momentum will continue in the coming year. She said the government had focussed on capital expenditure because of its multiplier effect on the economy and to restore growth. 'The Indian economy is projected to grow at 9% in the next financial year; the US is expected to grow at 4%,' she said, replying to the debate on the budget in the Lok Sabha.

 

On divergence in growth estimates in the Economic Survey and the budget, she said the survey had used advanced estimates of the Central Statistics Office that had not taken into account the impact of the third wave of the pandemic. Sitharaman said the government thought it better to spend taxpayer money on capital expenditure, citing a Reserve Bank of India study that said every rupee so spent brought a return of Rs2.45 in the first year and Rs3.14 in the second.

 

The finance minister observed that while the government is borrowing money for capital expenditure, it is ensuring that revenue expenditure is rationalised, which she said will grow by slightly over 3% in FY23, showing a visible deceleration.

 

'MGNREGA is Demand-driven'

 

Sitharaman countered allegations that the government has curtailed allocation on social security schemes, specifically the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). 'MGNREGA is a demand-driven programme. As and when there is demand, through the supplementary demand for grants, we give the additional required amount,' Sitharaman added.

 

She said banks had sanctioned loans worth Rs3.1 lakh crore under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme for the MSME sector that was impacted by disruptions due to the pandemic. The scheme has been extended till March 2023. 'Those MSMEs who still want to benefit out of it are welcome to use it...the amount of loan sanctioned under the ECLGS is Rs3.1 lakh crore and guarantee space is still Rs1.4 lakh crore,' she said in her 100-minute reply.

 

Andhakaal and Amritkaal

 

Hitting out at the Congress party, Sitharaman said that the UPA term was India's 'Andhakaal', citing double-digit inflation, poor management of foreign direct investment and rampant corruption.

 

She claimed the government had managed the economic crisis better than UPA's management of the global financial crisis in 2008-09 despite Covid being one of the worst events India had faced so far. She quoted data on key macroeconomic indicators after the financial crisis of 2008 and pandemic years to highlight better management of the pandemic-induced crisis.

 

'We Managed Economy Much Better'

 

'Today, in spite of the crisis, reduction of GDP, Consumer Price Index is well contained, we have managed the economy much better,' the FM said, noting that despite disruption to the supply chain, inflation in 2020-21 was 6.2%, whereas in 2008-09, it was 9.1%.

 

The finance minister enlisted the initiatives and schemes of the Narendra Modi government, including Jan Dhan, rural electrification and Gati Shakti, adding: 'All these schemes are paving a way towards Amritkaal.'

 

Sitharaman highlighted the fact that 44 unicorns - startups with a valuation of $1 billion or more - have been identified in India between 2020 and 2021. 'They have created wealth. They showcase India's talent and innovation,' she said. The government, she said, had removed 25,000 compliances and repealed 1,500 laws for ease of doing business.

 

BSNL and Umbrella

 

The finance minister said the revival of BSNL is due to the policies followed by the Modi government, while non-cooperative measures followed by the UPA had led to the decline of BSNL's market share to 7.16% from 19% in 2015.

 

Defending the duty hike on umbrellas, Sitharaman said around 25 million umbrellas were being imported from one country and the measure will support the domestic industry.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had comprehensive talks over lunch with Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehran Wannon here on Thursday and discussed ways to further deepen India-Australia trade ties.

 

'Had comprehensive talks over lunch with my good friend and Australian Trade Minister @DanTehanWannon in New Delhi,' said Piyush Goyal in a tweet on Thursday.

 

The two leaders also held talks to further intensify economic cooperation between the two countries.

 

'We had an engaging discussion on ways to further deepen India-Australia economic and trade ties,' Goyal added in the tweet.

 

The talks with the Australian Minister comes at a time when Australia is set to host the Quad Foreign Ministers' Ministerial Dialogue on Friday in Canberra which will see the participation of the Foreign Ministers of the US, India, Australia and Japan.