The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) on Wednesday authorized the Chhattisgarh State Organic Certification Agency (CGOCERT) to certify organic products after getting them tested from any authorized institution.

 

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey said this would expedite organic farming in the state. After certification, the crop and its produce can be sold within and outside the state with certification from CGOCERT.

 

A.B. Asna, Managing Director, CGOCERT, said the farmers will benefit after certification of organic products.

 

He said that within the country and abroad the demand for aromatic and fortified rice, kodo, kutki and ragi from Chhattisgarh have increased.

 

Fragrant rice and minor millets produced through organic farming, once certified, will fetch more than 100 times the local price. The country will also earn foreign exchange, he said.

The commerce ministry will conduct a series of outreach programmes in various cities, including Hyderabad and Mumbai, to promote the recently signed free trade agreements with the UAE and Australia, an official said. 'The main objective of these programmes is to inform Indian exporters about the export opportunities which these trade agreements will provide to them in both goods and services segments,' the official said.

 

These programmes are planned to be conducted in cities, including Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Agra.

 

They would be organised in close coordination with the respective state governments. Officials from trade or industry ministries of the states concerned as well as those from industry associations and export promotion councils will participate in the programmes.

 

The first in the series of programmes would be conducted in Hyderabad on Saturday.

 

The free trade agreement between India and the UAE is likely to come into effect from May 1 this year, under which domestic exporters of as many as 6,090 goods from sectors like textiles, agriculture, dry fruits, gem and jewellery would get duty-free access to the UAE market.

 

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed by India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February which aims to boost bilateral trade to USD 100 billion in the next five years from current USD 60 billion.

 

On April 2, India and Australia signed an economic cooperation and trade agreement under which Canberra would provide duty-free access in its market for over 6,000 broad sectors of India, including textiles, leather, furniture, jewellery and machinery.

 

Both the pacts would help in promoting trade in services as well.

 

Mumbai-based exporter and Chairman of Technocraft Industries Sharda Kumar Saraf said the India-UAE agreement is also likely to give a boost to bilateral investments from both sides.

 

'Importers in UAE can now set up joint ventures in India to procure goods at competitive terms. Indian manufacturers can get the benefit of importing raw material in India duty free and finishing the final product using excellent infrastructure and cheap finance in UAE,' he said.

 

Saraf said that CEPA has come at the right time when the government of Dubai is in the process of establishing Bharat Bazar in their proposed Traders Market.

 

This is a unique facility wherein Indian exporters will be given office and warehousing space for active and aggressive marketing in Middle East and African region.

 

'These agreements (with the UAE and Australia) are likely to help in providing a quantum jump to Indian exports,' he added.

Despite erratic weather affecting the quantity of the Alphonso, the ‘king of mangoes’, back in the US market after two years

India is one of the largest exporters of fresh mangoes in the world.

 

Last year it shipped more than 21,000 tonnes of fresh mangoes worth Rs 272 crore. Yet, the juicy US market has been out of bounds. Export of Indian mangoes had been restricted by the US since 2020 as the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors were unable to visit India for inspections of the processing facilities due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. Now, mango exports to the US have resumed with the first consignment reaching its shores on April 11. 

 

 

The major export of Alphonso to the US has started from Lasalgaon’s irradiation plant and the first consignment of three tonnes was dispatched last week. About 800 tonnes of mango is likely to be exported from the Lasalgaon centre to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Jersey, California and New York this season.

 

Alphonso mangoes from the Konkan region of Maharashtra have geographical indication (GI) tag for their unique taste, aroma, and colour. While horticulture scientists believe that the Portuguese brought the Alphonso to Konkan, researchers and farmers in the region have a different take. They insist that it is a local product and the Portuguese took it to the world market. Today, Alphonso is pivotal to Konkan’s regional economy. 

 

Sweet hopes  

 

In 2020 before the exports stopped, India send more than 1000 tonnes of mangoes to the US valued at $4.35 million. Exporters are confident of topping that figure this year. ' In the last few years, the demand for Alphonso in the the world market, especially the US has been on the rise before Covid-19 put the brakes. This season exports to the US has resumed and we hope there is no further hurdle' says Ramesh Vichare, a mango grower from Raigad in the Konkan region.

West Bengal is aiming to double exports of agricultural, horticultural and animal-based produce by 2030, and has introduced several enabling policies to fructify the objective, a top state government official said on Thursday.

 

The government has identified export clusters across the state to ensure focused processing and higher production, he said.

 

 

There is a huge potential of doubling exports. We need to channelise opportunities and make it happen. The state has done exceedingly well in the agriculture and allied sector, including fisheries, horticulture, food processing and animal resource. A lot of enabling policies have also been brought out by the government, Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi said at the Bengal Global Business Summit here.

 

Dwivedi also unveiled the Agriculture Export Policy of West Bengal-2022' during a special session on international trade on the second and concluding day of the summit.

 

The major exported products from Bengal include rice, potato, vegetables and fruits to countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, Malaysia, UK, Italy, Germany and Sweden, another state government official said.

 

According to the policy document, the state's target is to increase its contribution to India's agriculture and allied products in respect of exports to Rs 20,000 crore in 2028-29 from Rs 6,800 crore in 2018-19.

 

The small landholding pattern and low farmer awareness in West Bengal has often led to limited volumes of different varieties of multiple crops with little or no standardisation. Export-oriented cluster development across the state will be the key to ensuring surplus produce with standard physical and quality parameters to meet export demands, the second official said.

 

Some of the export clusters identified are Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar, Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Nadia, Bankura and Howrah districts, he said.

 

The West Bengal government also plans to establish an Export Facilitation Centre, which will operate from the Office of the Paschimbanga Agri Marketing Corporation Ltd. The centre will handhold and educate budding exporters and facilitate their registration with different government organisations and other institutions, among other functions, he added.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued an advisory and warned against misuse of FSSAI logo and Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC) logo in any form and misrepresentations as a FSSAI employee by persons hired by FoSTaC Training Partner for mobilisation.

 

'Trainers, Assessors, Training Partners, their employees and any other person/entity are hereby warned to not to use FSSAI and FoSTaC logos in any form without permission, failing which they will be blacklisted/banned by FSSAI without any show cause notice. Legal action may also be taken for unauthorised use of FSSAI and FoSTaC logos depending on the nature and gravity of act against the subject or person or entity,' reads the advisory issued by FSSAI.

 

According to the FSSAI, a number of complaints have been received from various Restaurant, Trade Associations, Small Shopkeepers etc., that persons with ID card having FSSAI logo and/or FoSTaC logo on it have been visiting their premises; asking them to show food registration/licence certificate; forcing them to undergo training under FoSTaC to get Food Safety Supervisor (FSS) certificate; and, threatening them with charging heavy penalty for disobey.

 

'It has also come to the notice that pamphlets having FSSAI and FoSTaC logos are being distributed and cash receipts having FSSAI and FoSTaC logos are also being issued by a few training partners. Some of the training partners have been charging membership fees along with FoSTaC course fee which is not allowed,' read FSSAI’s statement.

 

The advisory says that FSSAI has not authorised any FoSTaC training partner, trainer or assessor to use FSSAI or FoSTaC logo on ID cards, pamphlet, brochure, cash receipts, email signature, visiting cards, profile pictures on social media, etc. 'As such unauthorised use of FSSAI and FoSTaC logos in any manner is unlawful and subject to legal action,' the advisory added.

With the vision to promote sustainable trade and create market linkages, a mega buyer-seller meet was organized on 21st April, 2022 at Jammu and Kashmir under One District One Product initiative of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the support of Jammu & Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO).

 

 

The Buyer Seller Meet witnessed the presence of multiple national and International Brands with the cumulative revenue of over Rs 8,000 Crores and having their products available in over a million retail outlets across the world. Sellers, Traders, Farmers, Aggregators from various districts of Jammu & Kashmir showcased their products that are unique to the valley including the world-famous Kashmiri saffron, Himalayan White Acacia Honey, Red shiny Kidney beans, freshly grown organic vegetables and more. 

 

The Buyer Seller Meet provided a platform where different Government departments and institutions came together to boost the trade of selected products. Jammu & Kashmir agriculture and industries department worked together to bring quality products as per market requirement and it was imperative to connect this best-in-class products with renowned brands to improve earning potential of farmers. Collective discussion between all the stakeholders generated innovative ideas on diversification of products such as saffron based dairy products, Walnut based bakery products and more. Focused trade discussions were facilitated between the buyers and sellers which resulted in signing of Letters of Intent for 4 products amounting to INR 1.2 crores.

 

The above is a direct outcome of the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self Reliant India). DPIIT, under its initiative of One District One Product is working to ensure such linkages with a string focus on increasing farmers income. With over 700 products cutting across sectors like agriculture, textiles, handicrafts and manufacturing, the ODOP Initiative seeks to select, brand and promote one product from every district of the country. This is marked by a key role – to coordinate, create collaborative networks and enable handholding of buyers and sellers for the larger aim of trade promotion and facilitation.

 

The keynote address for the event was made by Shri. Som Parkash, Minister of State, Ministry and Commerce and Industry with the presence of various dignitaries such as Smt. Sumita Dawra, Additional Secretary, DPIIT; Shri. Navin Kumar Choudhary, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture Production and Farmers’ Welfare along with other subject matter experts from the Agricultural and Horticultural Departments of the Govt. of J&K. 

 

Alongside the Buyer-Seller Meet, an e-commerce onboarding session was also held by one of the leading e-commerce players in the country in order to support J&K based sellers to expand trade into web-based sales. Previously, the ODOP Initiative had facilitated the sale of 6750 kilograms of apples and 2000 kgs of walnuts from Budgam, Kashmir to Karnataka based buyers that were previously importing the same. Through the recognition of unique selling propositions (USP) of various products and keen handholding, the ODOP Initiative seeks to replicate such efforts at a larger scale through its latest mega buyer-seller meet.

The plant-based foods movement is gaining global momentum with the formation of an International Plant Based Foods Working Group (IPBFWG) to support growth of the rising sector.

 

Plant-based food associations from seven regions/countries including India have joined forces to form the working group with a mission to support the development of the sector as it surges in popularity around the world.

 

IPBFWG’s current executive comprises of—Plant-Based Foods Canada(PBFC), US-based Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), European Alliance for Plant Based Foods(EAPF), European Plant Based Foods Association(ENSA), Plant-Based Food Alliance UK, China Plant Based Foods Association and Plant Based Foods Industry Association (India).

 

The working group members will align and coordinate on high-level strategies and initiatives, with the goal of advancing the plant-based food sector around the world, a statement said. The current food system is widely acknowledged as one of the contributors to many of the most pressing issues faced by a global population.

 

Plant-based foods can be a part of the solution to issues that are worry many consumers, companies and governments and offer real advantages when it comes to water use, land use and carbon emissions. Despite its diverse global footprint, the IPBFWG is united in its efforts to bring about a more healthy, sustainable, and humane food system.

 

Siska Pottie, Secretary General, EAPF said, 'The European Alliance for plant-based food is pleased to join forces with other national plant-based food associations, for creating a global network to exchange knowledge and insights. and work support the creation of national plant-based organisations accelerating the global transition towards sustainable plant-based food systems in different continents.'

 

Sanjay Sethi, ED, Plant Based Foods Industry Association said, 'The plant-based food sector is seeing exponential growth, and a lot of effort needs to be taken to provide a level playing field for this nascent but promising industry. With the debut of IPBFWG, we have initiated a coordinated development, and spirits are high and magnificent, just like one big family.'

 

Beyond its seven launch partners, the IPBFWG will be expanding its membership around the world, with more organisations expected to join.

India’s non-basmati rice exports witnessed an astounding growth of 109 % from USD 2925 million in FY 2013-14 to USD 6115 million in FY 2021-22.

 

As per DGCIS data, India exported rice to over 150 countries across the globe in 2021-22. India exported more than USD one million to 76 countries out of the 150 countries reported in 2021-22, It indicates the diversification of India's rice export over the years. 

 

Highlighting the historic achievement in a tweet, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal has said that Modi government’s policies helped farmers to get access to the global markets and also ensure food security.

 

According to the DGCIS data, India had exported non-basmati rice worth USD 2015 million in 2019-20, which rose to USD 4799 million in 2020-21 and USD 6115 million in 2021-22.

 

Registering a growth of 27% in 2021-22, export of non-basmati rice was the top forex earner among all agri-commodities, at USD 6115 million.

 

'In collaboration with our foreign missions, we have coordinated development of logistics as well as focus on production of quality produce, which has boosted India’s rice exports prospects,' Dr M. Angamuthu, Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), said.

 

West African country Benin is one of the major importers of non-basmati rice from India. Other destination countries are Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Cote D’ Ivoire, Togo, Senegal, Guinea, Vietnam, Djibouti, Madagascar, Cameroon Somalia,  Malaysia, Liberia U.A.E.  etc.

 

In 2020-21, India shipped non-basmati rice to nine countries - Timor-Leste, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Eswatini, Myanmar and Nicaragua, where exports were carried out for the first time or earlier the shipment was smaller in volume.

 

India’s thrust on expanding port handling infrastructure, development of value chain involving key stakeholders along with efforts to explore new opportunities in countries or markets for rice exports in the last couple of years have led to a huge spike in rice exports.

 

Notwithstanding logistical challenges posed by COVID19 pandemic, India continues to expand its rice exports footprint in the African, Asian and European Union markets, thus having the largest share in global rice trade. The robust global demand also helped India’s growth in rice exports.

 

The major rice producing states are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam, and Haryana.

 

As per Second Advance Estimates for 2021-22, the total production of Rice during 2021-22 is estimated at record 127.93 million tonnes, which is higher by 11.49 million tonnes than the last five years’ average production of 116.44 million tonnes.

 

However, as per second Advance Estimates for 2021-22, total food grains production in the country is estimated at record 316.06 million tonnes which is higher by 5.32 million tonnes than the production of food grain during 2020-21. Further, the production during 2021-22 is higher by 25.35 million tonnes than the previous five years’ (2016-17 to 2020-21) average production of food grains.

 

Notably, India is the world’s second-largest rice producer after China. The record exports would enable the rice producers to reduce their stocks and would also benefit the farmers as the increased demand for Indian Rice is likely to improve their realizations. The significant rise in agri-exports is also seen as a testimony of the government’s commitment to increase farmers’ income by boosting exports of agricultural and processed food products of the country.

India is likely to set an ambitious export target of around $800 billion for goods and services for 2022-23, almost 19.5% higher than $670 billion clocked in 2021-22. The targets - of $450-480 billion for merchandise and $350 billion for services - were discussed in a series of meetings that commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal had with exporters on Wednesday.

 

India's goods exports touched a record $420 billion in 2021-22, exceeding the government's target by about 5% and up 40% on-year while services exports touched $250 billion.

 

'These are consultative meetings and the targets are yet to be fixed,' said an official. Exporters raised the issue of high prices of inputs as buyers are now reluctant to raise prices proportionately due to sufficient inventory and lack of demand.

 

 

Restoration of the Market Access Initiative scheme for opening of warehouses overseas, easing of visa requirements for inbound tourism and a revised Transport and Marketing Assistance scheme for certain agricultural products in view of the opportunity in farm exports from the Russia-Ukraine crisis were also taken up, according to sources.

 

'Despite a rise in Covid cases globally, there is an expectation that travel and tourism will grow this year,' said an industry representative.

India's agricultural exports reached Bradmanesque proportions in 2021-22 as they crossed $50 billion mark as rice, wheat, pulses, cereals, fruits & vegetables as well as meat supplies to other countries rose significantly during the fiscal.

 

Experts have attributed booming exports to the fact that India mainly trades with countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, which are closer and therefore easier to trade with.

 

In addition to this, the fact that there has been a bumper harvest of the abovementioned commodities in the past two years, has also given the leeway to raise exports.

 

Also due to affordable prices of these commodities, Indian exports have picked up as demand is huge, market watchers opine.

 

As government started distributed food under its Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana to the poor after the onset of Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, demand for key commodities like wheat and rice got muted, leading to fall in their prices.

 

This gave the government the opportunity to export them to nations where demand was high.

 

Subsequently India's export of all these commodities has seen a huge jump year-on-year basis.

 

 According to Commerce Ministry data, rice export was the major forex earner at $9,654 million during 2021-22, as it grew 9.35 per cent from corresponding fiscal's $8,829 million.

 

Wheat exports too touched an all-time high of $2,118 million in 2021-22, growing by a huge 273 per cent from 2020-21 when it was $567 million.

 

Cereals' exports saw a growth of 53 per cent at $1,083 million in 2021-22 over corresponding period's $705 million.

 

Export of pulses reported a growth of 34 per cent touching $358 million in 2021-22 from $265 million in 2020-21.

 

Dairy products saw a steep growth of 96 per cent as they stood at $634 million in 2021-22 against $323 million in 2020-21.

 

Export of poultry products rose to $71 million in 2021-22 from $58 million in the previous fiscal.

 

Sheep and goat meat export was up by 34 per cent at $60 million in 2021-22 from $44 million in the previous year.