India’s rice production for 2024-25 is likely to be a record as farmers have expandedd the acreage under paddy in the ongoing kharif cropping season, while widespread monsoon has led to higher reservoir levels raising the prospects for the rabi season.

India’s total exports (Merchandise and Services combined) for August 2024* is estimated at USD 65.40 Billion, registering a negative growth of (-) 2.38 percent vis-à-vis August 2023. Total imports (Merchandise and Services combined) for August 2024* is estimated at USD 80.06 Billion, registering a positive growth of 3.45 percent vis-à-vis August 2023.

India and the UK are expected to hold the next round of talks for a proposed free trade agreement in October to resolve the pending issues and close the negotiations, a senior official said on Tuesday. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said the officials of the UK are briefing their new ministers about the proposed free trade agreement (FTA).

Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the government's decision to impose 20 per cent import duty on edible oils will help domestic farmers who will get better prices for their oilseed crops. With cess, the import duty will be 27.5 percent, he told reporters here.

The ninth round of negotiations for the India-European Union (EU) free trade agreement (FTA) is scheduled to be held between September 23-27 in New Delhi.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held wide-ranging discussions with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Daniele Giovanni Cassis on bilateral ties, with a focus on leveraging the trade agreement between India and four-nation European bloc EFTA, which includes Switzerland, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Ram Nath Thakur along with Ambassador of India to Brazil Shri Suresh Reddy and Joint Secretary (NRM), Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare participated in the G20 Agriculture Ministerial Meeting held in Cuiabá, Brazil on 12th -14th  September 2024.

India has implemented a series of measures to facilitate the exports of certain farm goods and limit imports of vegetable oils ahead of local elections in two states where farmers form an influential voting bloc.

The Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR) at Puttur in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district has developed software to help farmers and the institutes that supply plants to the former.