The All India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA), an apex body of wineries in India, having more than 70 members, including all the major Indian wineries and wine producers, had proposed to State Government and has succeeded in getting passed a landmark rule to permit sales of wines in walk-in supermarkets.

 

The main cause behind this was to increase the reach of wine in Maharashtra, resulting in an increased consumption of domestic wines.

 

Increased production and consumption of wines will significantly boost the income of Maharashtra farmers. It is noteworthy to say that grapes for wines give the highest realisation to farmers, between Rs 40 to 80 per litre consumed, beer at Rs 12 and spirit at Rs 4 (13% v/v equivalent in all cases) other beverages.

 

This development for the wine industry will have a huge impact on the overall region and will play a major role in rural development and employment in rural and semi urban Maharashtra.

 

Maharashtra can also realise a huge untapped area of revenue in ‘Wine Tourism' which will become a dollar industry given the right environment. International study has also shown that wine consumed in moderation is the least harmful of all alcoholic beverages and is in fact beneficial to health.

 

India has the potential to be a major fruit wine producer with enormous export potential as many Indian wines have won International awards and have brought pride to India. Fruits are grown in every state in India and each state can have its own local wine industry. Fruits such as Jamun, Pineapple, Chikoo, Strawberry, Mango, Cashew apple, kiwi, honey, can also be used to produce wine.

 

To promote ‘fruit wine' production the AIWPA has visited five states in the last few months Delhi, UP, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Kerala and have explained the benefits of fruit wine to the respective state governments, which will result in generating employment and revenue locally. All these states are now recognise this potential and are in the process of releasing friendly wine policies.

 

AIWPA cleared the air on ‘walk in' large format supermarkets of a minimum 100 sq mts (about a 1,000 sq ft to the least), will be permitted to apply for the E4 shelf-in-shop wine licence. Kirana stores will not be permitted to apply as they are not walk-in stores. Study has shown that women have a pleasant shopping experience in supermarkets while purchasing wine as compared to wine shops.

 

Based on data available to AIWPA only 600 walk in supermarkets throughout Maharashtra are eligible to apply, even here maximum area of 2.25 cubic metres can be dedicated to lockable wine shelves, which will be off limits on dry days. The standard distance rule from places of worship and educational institutions will be maintained just as in the case of other liquor retail shops, before the licences are issued.

 

Wine in walk in super markets exists in Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi (till November 2019). Maharashtra will benefit with this move as currently wine is only 1% of alcobev sales in Maharashtra, at only 75 lakh litres per year. The impact of this rule will help small wineries too as they will now have access to the discerning consumers.

The National Centre for Organic Farming (NCOF), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, is the nodal organisation for organic farming in the country. NCOF implements the National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF), to promote production, certification and marketing of organic products. The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), introduced by the Department of Commerce, is aimed at regulation and promotion of organic production for exports.

 

The promotion of exports of organic products is a continuous process. The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), an autonomous organisation under the administrative control of Department of Commerce, has been mandated with implementation of NPOP and export promotion of organic products.

 

APEDA provides assistance to the exporters of organic products under various components of its export promotion scheme. APEDA also undertakes various activities to promote exports of organic products viz. addition of new products under NPOP, making efforts to get NPOP standards recognized by the importing countries, promoting ‘India Organic’ brand through participation in international trade fairs and exhibitions, organising Buyer-Seller Meets (BSMs), organising capacity building and outreach programmes.

 

India’s exports of organic products amounted to $1.04 billion during 2020-21. Organic foodgrains are being exported from the country mainly under the category Cereal & Millets. During 2020-21, 59908 MT of organic products under the category ‘Cereal & Millets’, worth $76 million, have been exported from India under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).

 

Government of India has been promoting Organic farming in the country, including in Bundelkhand and Uttarakhand, through dedicated schemes namely Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER), since 2015-16, to cater to the needs of domestic and export markets respectively.

 

Marketing and branding have been integral part of organic farming schemes. Assistance of Rs 6800 under PKVY and Rs 5000 under MOVCDNER is provided for marketing, branding and trade. Brand ‘Organic Uttarakhand’ has been developed under PKVY for State of Uttarakhand.

Many Kashmir farmers have been deterred from engaging in saffron cultivation as a result of the selling of cheaper and inferior Iranian saffron in the Indian capital market and throughout the world. Iranian saffron is up to 48% cheaper than Kashmiri saffron, and it controls 95% of the global market. 

 

Saffron Cultivation and Major regions 

 

Saffron is grown mostly in three districts: Pulwama, Srinagar, and Budgam, and covers 3,715 hectares. Pampore, a township in Pulwama district, yields the most saffron in the Region, with roughly 3,200 hectares of land underneath cultivation. Saffron is grown on 165 and 300 hectares in Srinagar and Budgam, respectively Kishtwar is the sole district in the Jammu region to grow the spice on 50 hectares. 

 

When the purple harvest arrives in fall, the flowers are plucked, the crimson red stigma is withdrawn, and the stigma is dried for days until it reduces to the size of a slender thread. Saffron stigmas weigh roughly 2 mg each, and each blossom has three stigmata?usually. 

 

Because of the increased percentage of crocin, a carotenoid pigment that gives saffron its color and medicinal benefits, Kashmiri saffron is of a better grade. It contains 8.72 percent crocin, contrasted to 6.82 percent in the Iranian variant, giving it a deeper color and more medicinal value. 

 

National Saffron Mission and increase in production 

 

The last time Kashmir produced 15 metric tonnes of saffron annually was in 1996 when the average yield was 2.80 kg per hectare and the farmed area was 5,707 hectares. 

 

Saffron output fell by 35% (10.40MT) till?2010, as the planted area reduced to just 3,715 hectares. The Ministry of Agriculture launched the Rs 400.11 crore National Saffron Mission after realizing that the world's most expensive spice was becoming extinct in Kashmir. While the mission was unable to revive the farmland, the government was successful in expanding saffron production in Kashmir. 

 

GI Tagging and Timely Rainfall 

 

According to the Trade Promotion Council of India, India was the fourth-largest importer of Iranian saffron before 2020, with $18.30 million in saffron imported from Iran. The Iranian variety, which sold for Rs 1 lakh per kg, influenced the price of high-quality Kashmiri saffron, which dropped from Rs 2-3 lakh in 2007 to Rs 1 lakh per kg. 

 

Many Kashmir farmers have been deterred from engaging in saffron cultivation as a result of the invasion of cheap Iranian saffron into Indian and international markets. To conserve high-quality Kashmiri saffron, the Geographical Indication Registry approved GI tagging on the saffron with GI number 635 in 2020. The majority of producers had increased yield last year, because of?favorable weather conditions. 'Even the borewells created under the National Saffron Mission were not utilized.' In August, September, and October, saffron requires rainfall, which the valley received on time. 

 

The majority of producers had increased yield last year, because of?favorable weather conditions. 'Even the borewells created under the National Saffron Mission were not utilized.' In August, September, and October, saffron requires rainfall, which the valley received on time. 

 

The Pandemic Worry 

 

The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has granted accreditation to the India International Kashmir Saffron Trading Centre (IIKSTC) in Pampore, providing saffron exports a much-needed boost. 

 

Farmers are especially concerned about lower demand for saffron as a result of the pandemic, despite the increased output. The epidemic, according to the growers, has resulted in losses in the previous two years. According to Abdul Gani, a saffron producer, 'there was a lockout and many of our growers didn't get orders for saffron.' 

 

The National Centre for Organic Farming (NCOF), under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, is the nodal organization for organic farming in the country. NCOF implements the National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) to promote production, certification and marketing of organic products. The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), introduced by the Department of Commerce, is aimed at regulation and promotion of organic production for exports.

 

The promotion of exports of organic products is a continuous process. The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), an autonomous organisation under the administrative control of Department of Commerce, has been mandated with implementation of NPOP and export promotion of organic products. APEDA provides assistance to the exporters of organic products under various components of its export promotion scheme. APEDA also undertakes various activities to promote exports of organic products viz. addition of new products under NPOP, making efforts to get NPOP standards recognized by the importing countries, promoting ‘India Organic’ brand through participation in international trade fairs and exhibitions, organising Buyer-Seller Meets (BSMs), organising capacity building and outreach programmes etc.

 

India’s exports of organic products amounted to USD 1.04 billion during 2020-21. Organic foodgrains are being exported from the country mainly under the category Cereal & Millets. During 2020-21, 59908 MT of organic products under the category ‘Cereal & Millets’, worth 76 million USD, have been exported from India under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).

 

The Government of India has been promoting Organic farming in the country, including in Bundelkhand and Uttarakhand, through dedicated schemes namely ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) since 2015-16 to cater to the needs of domestic and export markets respectively. Marketing and branding have been integral part of organic farming schemes. Assistance of Rs 6800/ ha under PKVY and Rs 5000/ ha under MOVCDNER is provided for marketing, branding and trade. Brand ‘Organic Uttarakhand’ has been developed under PKVY for the State of Uttarakhand.

 

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

As many as 51 projects have been sanctioned under the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) till the end of January and out of that, 13 projects are already completed, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. The government is implementing this scheme from 2017-18, with the objective of assisting central and state government agencies in the creation of appropriate infrastructure for the growth of exports.

 

Under the scheme, financial assistance in the form of grant-in-aid is provided to central/ state government-owned agencies for setting up or upgrading export infrastructure.

 

'The scheme has been further extended for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 with a total outlay of Rs 360 crore.

 

'A total of 51 projects having grant components of about Rs 548 crore have been sanctioned under TIES till the end of January 2022,' Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

 

Replying to a separate question, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade initiated the process of developing the portal as a national single window system (NSWS).

 

Envisioned as a one-stop shop for taking all the regulatory approvals and services in the country, NSWS was soft-launched in September 2021.

 

'Currently, IT portals of 19 ministries/ departments and 13 states' single-window systems have been linked with the NSWS portal,' he said.

 

Ministries linked with the portal include corporate affairs, environment, forest & climate change, labour & employment, food & public distribution, consumer affairs, health & family welfare, commerce, telecommunications, and information & broadcasting.

 

The 13 states are Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

As 2023 has been announced as the International Year of Millets, India’s agri export promotion body, APEDA, wants to expand the country’s export footprint in 100 countries from current 50 countries, in the next two years. Besides, it is working on strategies to boost overall agriculture products’ exports in countries other than top buyers.

 

'Currently, our products are going to about 190 countries from about 150 countries a decade agob The challenge is to improve the volume in other than the top 10 countries while sustaining tgrowth in major buying nations,' said M Angamuthu, chairman of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

 

The world’s millets market is estimated to grow to over $12 billion by 2025 from the current $9 billion.

 

Although India’s shares in the production of millets is around 41 per cent with an annual output of about 12 million tonnes (mt), the country’s exports were 87,558 tonnes in 2020-21, up by 16.32 per cent from 75,274 tonnes in the previous year. The bulk of India’s exports – as much as 60 per cent – go to Nepal, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The share of top ten countries in the total volume is 87 per cent.

 

In the top millets importing countries like Indonesia, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Italy and Brazil, India’s presence is nearly zero, and these markets can be tapped with higher focus, trade sources said. While Millets, both as raw materials and in the form of value-added products, should be exported, the Centre should roll out an export-centric production incentive in partnership with State governments, an exporter said, as it would also help in crop diversification.

 

According to ITC Trade Map, India dropped to the fifth position in global trade as its export fell to $26.73 million in 2020 from $30.82 million in 2019, while Ukraine moved to fourth position with $29.79 million. But, there is a big gap between India and the US, which is at number two with $ 58.15 million exports. Canada is top exporter with shipments valued at $ 93.16 million.

 

During the Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, 'Support will be provided for post-harvest value addition, enhancing domestic consumption, and for branding millet products nationally and internationally.'

 

Angamuthu said APEDA has already signed an MoU with Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR) for export oriented production of millets and for making a strategy for their promotion in the international market. It has organised many virtual buyer-seller meetings where officials of Indian embassies were also present during this pandemic.

 

With an increasing demand for gluten-free food products across the globe, particularly after the pandemic, millets have found place in the kitchen as a preferred items because they contain calcium, iron and fibers which help fortify essential nutrients in children.

India’s merchandise export in January 2022 increased by 23.69% to USD 34.06 billion over USD 27.54 billion in January 2021; records increase of 31.75% over USD 25.85 billion in January 2020.

 

India’s merchandise export in 2021-22 (April-January) rose by 46.53% to USD 335.44 billion over USD 228.9 billion in 2020-21 (April-January); marks an increase of 27.0% over USD 264.13 billion in 2019-20 (April-January).

 

Value of non-petroleum exports in January 2022 was USD 30.33 billion, registering a positive growth of 19.4% over non-petroleum exports of USD 25.4 billion in January 2021 and a positive growth of 33.81% over non-petroleum exports of USD 22.67 billion in January 2020.

 

The cumulative value of non-petroleum exports in 2021-22 (Apr-Jan) was USD 287.84 billion, an increase of 37.59% over USD 209.19 billion in 2020-21 (Apr-Jan) and an increase of 25.8% over USD 228.8 billion in 2019-20 (Apr-Jan).

 

Value of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports in January 2022 was USD 27.09 billion, registering a positive growth of 20.1% over non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports of USD 22.56 billion in January 2021 and a positive growth of 36.92% over non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports of USD 19.79 billion in January 2020.

 

The cumulative value of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports in 2021-22 (April-January) was USD 255.69 billion, an increase of 34.95% over cumulative value of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports of USD 189.47 billion in 2020-21(April-January) and an increase of 29.18% over cumulative value of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports of USD 197.94 billion in 2019-20 (April-January).

Bangladesh's state grains buyer has issued an international tender to purchase 50,000 tonnes of milling wheat, traders said on Wednesday.

 

The deadline for submission of price offers is Feb. 14, they said.

 

Bangladesh has issued a series of wheat and rice tenders in recent months. The country is importing grains to bolster reserves after extreme weather, from floods to heatwaves, damaged crops.

 

Price offers in the latest wheat tender are sought on CIF liner out terms, which include ship unloading costs for the seller.

 

The shipment is sought 40 days after the date of contract signing. The wheat can be sourced from any worldwide origins except Israel and is sought for shipment to two ports, Chattogram and Mongla.

The new law for special economic zones (SEZs) will comply with the global trade rules of the WTO and it will have a single-window clearance system besides world-class infrastructure and easy customs procedures, Commerce Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam said on Wednesday.

 

The government on Tuesday proposed to replace the existing law governing SEZs with a new legislation to enable states to become partners in the 'Development of Enterprise and Service Hubs' (DESH).

 

The existing SEZ Act was enacted in 2006 with an aim to create export hubs and boost manufacturing in the country. However, these zones started losing their sheen after the imposition of a minimum alternate tax and the introduction of a sunset clause for the removal of tax incentives.

 

Explaining the rationale behind the new law, the secretary said India needs large industrial manufacturing zones, which have world-class infrastructure so that those places become manufacturing hubs of the future.

 

'We are in the process of drafting a SEZ 2.0... We will recast the SEZ Act in the next couple of months.

 

'This new Act will lead to the revival of activities in SEZ areas. They will be manufacturing for both international and domestic markets,' he told reporters, adding that in the next few months, contours of the new law will be ready.

 

'The new SEZ Act will be WTO-compliant and will have a single window (clearance system). High-class infrastructure will be there and more benefits will be there,' he said.

 

A dispute settlement panel of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO) in its report on October 31, 2019, has ruled that India's export-related schemes (including SEZ scheme) are in the nature of prohibited subsidies under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and are inconsistent with WTO norms.

 

India has appealed at the WTO's appellate body against this ruling.

 

Currently, SEZs account for about 20 per cent of India's total merchandise exports. Originally, SEZs came up to take advantage of tax benefits but after the imposition of the sunset clause, those incentives are no longer there for the past two years to any new units.

 

'So, there is a need to move beyond SEZ Act,' Subrahmanyam said, adding that the Centre will partner with states so that they become part of DESH.

 

Giving hint about provisions that could become part of the new law, he said there can be a single-window clearance system for both central- and state-level clearances and for that, 'we may even think of putting states on the approval bodies either at state or regional level'.

 

He also informed that today, about 20,000 hectares of SEZ land and about 10 crore sq feet of built-up area is vacant in SEZs.

 

Some other issues raised by the industry about SEZs include the matter of payments. Payments for goods sold from SEZ to the domestic market are made in the rupee but for services, it is in dollars. Products sold from SEZ in the domestic market attract customs duties.

 

Talking about the Budget, the secretary said several measures are announced for the export sector.

 

About the gems and jewellery sector, he said import duty on cut and polished diamonds and gemstones to five per cent and zero on sawn (or raw) diamond will help make India jewellery hub of the world.

 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of small-value jewellery is traded on e-commerce, a lot of these orders are happening online. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has made it clear that in the next couple of months, by June, the government will come out with easy e-commerce rules for gems and jewellery business, he said.

 

He also said that exemptions are being provided on items such as embellishment, trimming, fasteners, buttons, zipper, lining material, specified leather, furniture fittings and packaging boxes that may be needed by bonafide exporters of handicrafts, textiles and leather garments, leather footwear and other goods.

 

Explaining it, he said some big companies in the US or Europe specify about the kind of buttons or threads they want in their clothes and for that, Indian exporters have to import these goods, which were earlier subjected to duty and now these items have been exempted.

 

A lot of customs duties on chemicals have been reduced and that will enable exports, he said adding customs duties has also been rationalised for the electronics sector and this move would boost domestic manufacturing.

 

'I think there is a fair amount of understanding between commerce and finance (ministries) that actually reducing tariffs on inputs helps exports a lot. So, having a very high tariff regime does not help and I think that message is coming through very clearly in the Budget,' the secretary said.

An ancient Chinese royal food - black rice - has made its way to Pakistan and it has the potential to fetch three times greater export revenue for the country. These are the views of a grower, Rehan Khoso, who has successfully cultivated this rice variety in Jacobabad - the border area of Sindh and Balochistan - after conducting prior research.

 

In an interview with The Express Tribune, he mentioned that this variety of rice, being a royal food, was once forbidden for the common people.

 

Underlining the health benefits of the variety, he explained that black rice contained 28 antioxidants. He was of the view that the variety had a huge export potential, as India had been exporting this type of rice on a large scale since 2017.

 

'Rice is the second biggest export product of Pakistan after textile,' he underlined and sought government’s support to exploit the full potential of the new variety and fetch foreign exchange.

 

'As of now, Pakistan does not have a full-fledged domestic market for black rice and it takes a lot of effort and money for export,' he said.

 

'The basic thing is to get seeds to the farmers and they will grow it by themselves as hybrid varieties are getting popular here,' Sindh Abadgar Board Vice President Mahmood Nawaz Shah told The Express Tribune. 'Although these seeds are more expensive and untested, they are increasingly becoming popular now owing to their high-yielding capability,' he underlined. 'There is no doubt that if the government supports this new variety of rice, it will fetch significant export revenue for Pakistan,' noted Agriculture Republic Co-founder Aamer Hayat Bhandara.

 

He was of the view that black rice had a huge demand in the international market. 'Thus, Pakistan has a massive export potential if this variety is cultivated successfully across the country.'

 

The government should scale up the research platforms and link them with farmers to get the desired results, he suggested. 'We must opt for hybrid crop varieties due to their robust demand in global markets,' he stressed, adding that such varieties would support the farmers, exporters and government in terms of revenue.