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18 Apr, 2022 First batch of mangoes sent to US from Nashik. The first batch of mangoes processed at the Lasalgaon irradiation plant was exported to the USA on Tuesday. The mangoes are being processed at Lasalgaon under the supervision of quarantine inspectors from the USA. As per the norms, irradiation of mangoes is mandatory before exporting them to the USA. India could not export mangoes to the USA for the past two years due to the Covid pandemic. But the export has started again after the 2019 mango season. A Mumbai-based exporter processed 3 metric tonne of Alphonso and Kesar varieties of the mangoes at the Lasalgaon. After processing, the consignment of mangoes was sent by road to Mumbai airport and then exported to the USA by air. The officials at the Lasalgaon plant said they have started processing mangoes from Monday. 'This year, we have plans to process around 680 metric tonne of mangoes,' they added. The country had exported 1,300 metric tonne of mangoes in 2019, which were irradiated at Lasalgaon and Mumbai irradiation centres. Of which, 680 metric tonne were processed at Lasalgaon and the remaining 620 metric tonne at the Vashi plant. The Lasalgaon irradiation plant is owned by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), while the irradiation facility at Vashi is owned by the Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board (MSAMB). Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
18 Apr, 2022 India aims to export 3 mn tonnes of wheat to Egypt in 2022-23. In a major boost to the country’s wheat exports prospects, Egypt, one of the world’s biggest importers of wheat, has agreed to source wheat from India, said the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Friday. Egyptian authorities have put India as one of the origins for this strategic commodity. Meanwhile, officials from agriculture quarantine and pest risk analysis of Egypt visited various processing units, port facilities and farms in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. The Commerce Ministry in a statement said the Egyptian delegation’s visit to India follows several trade talks and meetings with the various wheat importing countries, which are exploring possibilities of sourcing grain from alternate sources as supplies have been disrupted because of the Russia and Ukraine conflict. During his visit to Dubai last month, Union Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had also met Egypt’s Minister of Planning & Economic Development Dr Hala El-Said and discussed India’s readiness to supply high-quality wheat towards ensuring Egypt’s food security. Egypt imported 6.1 million tonnes (mt) of wheat in 2021 and India was not part of the list of accredited countries which can export wheat to Egypt. More than 80% of Egypt’s wheat imports estimated to be close to USD 2 billion in 2021 were from Russia and Ukraine. 'We are aiming to export 3 million tonnes of wheat to Egypt this year,' M Angamuthu, Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA), said. APEDA had earlier communicated to India’s exporters to register with Egypt’s public procurement agency – General Authority of Supplies and Commodities, which manages wheat and sugar imports to the north African country. APEDA will be sending trade delegations to Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon for exploring possibilities of boosting wheat exports from India. India has set a target of a record 10 million tonnes of wheat in the 2022-23 amid rising global demand of the grain because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to estimates by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, India has exported a record 7 mt of wheat in 2021-22 which is valued at $ 2.05 billion. Out of the total shipment around 50 per cent of wheat was exported to Bangladesh in the last fiscal. Growth in wheat exports is driven mostly by the demand from countries such as Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Oman and Malaysia. However, APEDA is making efforts to boost wheat exports to other countries including Yemen, Afghanistan and Indonesia. India had been a relatively marginal player in global wheat trade until 2020-21. India could export only about 0.2 mt and 2 mt of wheat in 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively. The commerce ministry has set up a task force on wheat exports with representatives from various ministries, including commerce, shipping and railways, and exporters under the aegis of APEDA. 'We are working with several other ministries – agriculture, railways, shipping, exporters and state governments to increase our wheat exports significantly in the current fiscal,' Piyush Goyal, minister for commerce and industry, recently said. Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board, which operates Kakinada anchorage port, mostly used for rice exports, has communicated that their facility could be used for wheat exports. Source: theprint.in
18 Apr, 2022 PM Modi to launch India s first dairy community radio Dudh Vani on April 19. During the course of his three-day Gujarat tour, the Prime Minister will inaugurate a potato processing plant, dedicate to the nation an organic manure and biogas plant at Dama, and lay the foundation stone of four gobar gas plants of 100 tonnes capacity. April 17 Dairy farmers in Gujarat will get a voice, quite literally, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates a community radio station (CRS) — Dudh Vani — dedicated to animal husbandry on Tuesday during his Gujarat tour. Set up by the Banaskantha District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union or Banas Dairy, the Banas Dairy Community Radio station will connect over five lakh dairy farmers across 1,700 villages in the State. This is set to become the country's first community radio station dedicated to the cattle-breeders. Source: thehindubusinessline.com
18 Apr, 2022 India gears up to expand food exports in the wake of Ukraine conflict. Commerce Ministry is studying food import requirements of 180 countries and has rushed in with wheat, especially to MENA countries impacted severely by the war. India is gearing up to back Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion earlier this week to US President Joe Biden that India could supply food stocks to the world. The Commerce Ministry has already set in place an internal mechanism to facilitate food exports and get the paperwork ready for related sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) applications. An additional spurt to the ministry’s efforts is provided by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has spurred the demand, especially for Indian wheat exports. Source: thehindubusinessline.com
18 Apr, 2022 Exports of Indian dairy products top $500-million mark, hit eight-year high. Rise aided by rising feed costs, bad weather hit milk output in large producing countries. The exports of Indian dairy products are estimated at an eight-year high in FY22 on robust demand, aided by higher global prices. Provisional data for the first eleven months — April 2021 to February 2022 — indicate that shipments have touched 1.70 lakh tonnes valued at over $552 million, a 93 per cent growth in value and 63 per cent volume growth over the same period a year ago. In rupee terms, exports grew to ?4,115 crore, an year-on-year increase of 94 per cent over ?2,122 crore, as per the DGCIS data. The surge in exports is driven by robust demand for both commodity and value-added dairy products, coupled with a rise in global prices. Trade sources said both co-operatives and private players have seen good growth in exports of dairy products during the year. Source: thehindubusinessline.com
13 Apr, 2022 Record wheat crop, high stocks to help India meet rising global demand This year’s output is pegged at 111.32 million tonnes making it the sixth season in a row producing surplus grains. Bumper harvests and overflowing grain bins will help India to meet wheat import needs of the world's top buyers as Russia's Ukraine invasion hits supplies from the Black Sea region, a top government official said. India, the world's second biggest wheat producer, is prepared to meet any demand from buyers in south Asia and Southeast Asia, and also from countries further afield in Europe, West Asia and North Africa. Ukraine is a major producer of grains but exports have been disrupted since the Russian invasion in February. 'The Indian market has sufficient stocks, and India is in a comfortable position to meet requests from wheat importing countries,' Sudhanshu Pandey, the most senior official at the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, said. India's new season wheat harvest is underway, with this year's production pegged at a record 111.32 million tonnes - making it the sixth season in a row that the country has produced a surplus. PDS supplies India needs at least 25 million tonnes of wheat each year to run a food welfare programme. Last year, the government bought a record 43.34 million tonnes of wheat from domestic farmers, substantially higher than the amount it needs for the welfare programme. This year government purchases are likely to fall because private traders are offering farmers a higher price for wheat than the government's price of ?20,150 a tonne, leaving a bigger surplus for export 'We have to meet our own requirement for the PDS and then the rest is available for global exports,' Pandey said referring to the public distribution system, that supplies around 25 millions tonnes of subsidised wheat to the poor. Pandey said if there is enough wheat for the poor, the Centre is 'happy' to see farmers getting attractive prices from private traders who have been actively buying from growers to meet rising global demand. Wheat stocks at government warehouses totalled 19 million tonnes on April 1, he said, significantly higher than a target of 7.46 million tonnes. Pandey said the government was encouraging wheat exports by asking port and railway authorities to give priority to outbound cargoes. India's wheat exports hit 7.85 million tonnes in the fiscal year to March, an all-time high and a sharp increase from 2.1 million tonnes in the previous year. Sugar surplus Pandey said India's sugar exports are expected at a record 8.2 million tonnes in the current 2021-22 season, higher than last year's 7.2 million tonnes. Indian sugar mills have already contracted to export around 7 million tonnes in 2021-22, he said. Still, India's sugar inventories on Oct. 1, 2022, when the next season begins, are expected at around 7 million tonnes, Pandey said, against 8.2 million tonnes on Oct. 1, 2021. 'This year's (sugar) production is at a record of almost 35 million tonnes, and our domestic requirement is about 26-26.5 million tonnes, so you can very clearly see that we have a surplus from the current year's production. And then we have stocks of 8.2 million tonnes from last year,' Pandey said. Explaining Centre's efforts to cut its reliance on expensive vegetable oil imports, Pandey said the long-term solution lies in raising India's domestic output, and the government is working on a plan to encourage farmers to grow more oilseeds. Source: www.thehindubusinessline.com
13 Apr, 2022 Waves of transformation through Apple Farming in NER UNDER THE Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Apple is one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world. Due to the favourable agro-climatic conditions of the North Eastern Region, low chilling Apple varieties have great potential. In order to tap the opportunity, the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS), Shillong, has taken the initiative to introduce and promote apple in the region. The initiative was launched in the year 2018 with the financial support from the North Eastern Council (NEC), Ministry of DoNER, Govt. of India. The initiative received an overwhelming response from the farming community and as well as from the various government and non-government agencies. Based on the success, the North Eastern Council (NEC), Ministry of DoNER, Govt. of India continued their support and launched the second phase of the project Promotion of Low Chilling Apple Plantation in NER of India in the year 2020-21. The NERCRMS, in collaboration with the Ziro Valley Charity Mission Society (ZVCMS), Arunachal Pradesh, organised a capacity building programme on the Management of Apple Orchard and Distribution of Organic Fertilizer & Bio-Pesticides in the ZVCMS Office in Lempia, Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh. Accordingly, 23(twenty-three) beneficiaries were identified from various Community Based Organizations (CBOs). They were trained on the scientific use of organic fertiliser and pesticides to enhance the quality of their harvest. Mr. Hibu Dante, Horticulture Development Officer, Ziro, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, presided over the training programme as the resource person. Mr. Dante applauded the initiative of NEC, MDoNER, GoI in empowering the farming community of Ziro. He stated that the training has been beneficial for the CBO members in developing their skills and competencies required to start micro-enterprises. He also encouraged the organizers to implement more such projects in the near future. At the end of the programme, the beneficiaries also received necessary supplements for their orchards. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi ji, North East India is witnessing a new era of peace, progress and prosperity. The Ministry of DoNER, led by the Hon’ble Union Cabinet Minister Shri. G. Kishan Reddy, is making determined efforts to empower Kisaan Shakti of NER. Through such initiatives, the waves of transformation is reaching to the farmers and making them economically self-sustainable. Source: pib.gov.in
13 Apr, 2022 Farmers adopting natural farming may get a higher assistance of ?32,500/ha The assistance will be provided over four years and the target is to bring in 5-6 lakh ha of additional area under natural farming by 2026 The Centre will soon raise the assistance on 'natural farming' by more than two-fold to Rs.32,500 per hectare in three years, making the subsidy at par with what organic farmers currently receive. The Agriculture Ministry has already finalised the Rs.2,500 crore proposal on natural farming and it may soon be sent to Cabinet for approval, sources said. Under the plan, assistance will be provided over four years and target is to bring in 5-6 lakh hectares of additional area under natural farming by 2026, sources said. Until now, government-assisted natural farming area has reached 4.09 lakh hectares for which Rs.49.81 crore has been disbursed in eight States including Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala. About 290 districts account for consumption of 85 per cent of fertilisers used in the farm sector and the government will not promote natural farming in these areas due to a possible fall in production, sources said. Hike in assistance The proposed increase in assistance has come on the suggestion of Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, a major architect of the Centre’s push for chemical-free farming. He proposed that farmers practising organic and natural farming receive the same subsidy. Earlier, support of assistance for natural farming was drawn from Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP), which was introduced as a sub-scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) in 2020-21. Each farmer under the scheme gets Rs.12,200/hectare for three years for cluster formation, capacity building and continuous handholding. In the 2022-23 Budget, both the BPKP and PKVY have been subsumed under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). Branding the products Initially, the focus will be on tribal and other such areas which have been traditionally practising natural farming so that soil in those regions are protected from harmful impact of chemicals, an official said. The Agriculture Ministry has recently set up a committee to recommend standards for products to be produced through adoption of natural farming. The Ministry was also considering to rename the current National Centre for Organic Farming (NCOF) as National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming. The earlier proposal to create a separate Board on natural farming was learnt to have been dropped as a top official was not in favour of the same. 'It is a new concept, branding has to be done as a premium product over organic if natural farming is to succeed. Only a separate Board can do justice looking after export opportunities as done in case of coconut,' said an expert. The current BPKP scheme emphasises on exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs and promotes on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching, use of cow dung-urine formulations and plant-based preparations. Allocation under RKVY has been tripled to Rs.10,433 crore for 2022-23 from Rs.3,712.44 crore (BE) in current fiscal and the hike is over five-times from the revised estimate. Source: www.thehindubusinessline.com
13 Apr, 2022 Egypt eyes adding India as a wheat import origin this month- Ministry CAIRO, April 12 (Reuters) - Egypt's Supply Ministry has confirmed that it is considering this month adding wheat from India to 16 other national import origins accepted by its state grains buyer, as it seeks to shore up purchases disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A delegation from Egypt's Agriculture Ministry is in India 'looking at phytosanitary measures and examining Indian grains in preparation for the accreditation of India as a wheat import origin,' the Supply Ministry said in a statement to Reuters. Egypt, often the world's top wheat importer, usually buys the grain via tenders set by its state grains buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC). Purchases go toward heavily subsidised bread available to more than 60 million Egyptians. GASC's tender book currently has 16 accredited wheat import origins, including Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany, Kazakhstan and the United States. The most recent addition, Latvia, was added last November. GASC often prefers Black Sea wheat because of its proximity, quality and competitive prices, usually forgoing offers from other origins. In its last tender, a rare U.S. wheat bid was offered but was not purchased. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February has driven up global wheat prices and disrupted Black Sea shipping, though wheat shipments from Russia continued in March. Future purchases of Indian wheat would depend on suppliers 'offering competitive bids at unique prices in GASC's tenders, as well as on the quantities offered,' the Supply Ministry said. India is looking to take advantage of the gap in the wheat export market left by the Ukrainian crisis. Despite surplus wheat stocks, logistical bottlenecks and quality concerns have previously stymied India's efforts to sell large volumes on the world market. 'Since the Egyptian delegation is here, it very clearly means that they are serious about (buying wheat from India),' Sudhanshu Pandey, the top official at India's food ministry, told Reuters. Egypt has been working to diversify its purchases, holding talks with France, Argentina, and the United States. The government is studying different ways to purchase wheat, according to several traders, including by issuing limited origin tenders or direct purchases outside the tender framework. On Monday, GASC issued a limited tender to purchase wheat of European origins only. It cancelled two tenders shortly after the Ukraine war started. It is unclear whether the government will initiate direct purchases, but traders have said the process could be hindered by Egypt's regulatory framework. Source: www.reuters.com
13 Apr, 2022 EAM Jaishankar meets USTR Katherine Tai, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo EAM Jaishankar and USTR Katherine Tai took stock of India-U.S. trade ties, discussed the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war on global trade and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Continuing his engagement with the Biden administration , following Monday’s ‘2+2’ event, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had meetings with U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. According to the U.S. Government readout, Mr. Jaishankar and Ms. Tai took stock of India-U.S. trade ties, discussed the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war on global trade and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (a framework, proposed by the Biden administration, for economic cooperation in the region, on issues such as emerging technologies and supply chains). The two Ministers agreed that the Trade Policy Forum — which was re-launched after a gap of four years in November 2021 — held “substantial promise” for reducing trade barriers, including in agricultural goods. Last year’s forum resulted in Indian mangoes and pomegranates getting market access to the U.S., and American pork, pork products, alfalfa hay and cherries getting access to Indian markets. Source: www.thehindu.com
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