NEWS BUlletin from Indian Society For Sustainable Agriculture And Rural Development
-----------------------------
1. Arcadia, Mahyco in commercial license agreement
BIO-FUEL & Food Riots-----
2. PM concerned over price rise, criticizes bio-fuel factor
3. UN agencies caution about food riots in near future
India-Africa---------
4. Africa wants India to be a stakeholder in development
5. India offers duty-free access to African LDCs
On GAIF-----
6. India to host Global Agro-Industries Forum
7. GAIF : Agro-industry to boom in global market
8. IFAD plans 3 new projects; to focus on Hindi belt
9. $2 million bamboo project to benefit India
10. Exporters feel $200-bn target may be far-fetched without govt help
11. USDA, APHIS to inspect Indian mango imports
12. Biscuit makers call for VAT cut
------------------------------------------
Arcadia, Mahyco in commercial license agreement
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , April 14, 2008 at 1906 hrs IST
Posted online: Monday , April 14, 2008 at 1906 hrs IST
New Delhi, April 14 Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., a US-based agricultural technology company, and Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company Ltd. (Mahyco), the producer of first Bt cotton seeds in India on Monday announced that they have concluded a multi-crop, multi-technology research and commercial license agreement focused on India and other South Asian countries. Under the agreement, Mahyco will have access to Arcadia 's nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and salt tolerance technologies in several key crops in the region.
The comprehensive agreement between Arcadia and Mahyco involves bringing Arcadia 's advanced agricultural technologies to a region that is experiencing rapid population growth and is challenged by options for increasing food production.
According to the reports of the World Bank and some UN agencies agriculture is the second-leading source of global greenhouse gas and nitrogen fertilizer represents a significant cause of these emissions. Arcadia 's NUE technology claims that it can significantly reduce nitrogen fertilizer requirements and salt-tolerance technology can reduce the need for fresh water resources for irrigation. The expected result is high-yielding crops with a lower impact on the environment.
"Globally, there are significant challenges associated with providing an adequate amount of food in ways that minimize negative impacts on the environment. India is one of the places where these challenges are evident and require serious action," said Eric Rey, president and CEO of Arcadia.
"Nitrogen use efficiency will bring great benefits to Indian farmers by providing better yield under existing conditions or leading to lowering of nitrogen fertilizer applications in some areas and still maintaining yields. More and more Indian soils are affected by various abiotic stresses and this technology holds promise to allow cultivation even in these adverse conditions. MAHYCO is looking forward to bringing these technologies for the benefit of the Indian farmer," said Usha Zehr of Mahyco
--------------------------------------
------------
PM concerned over price rise, criticizes bio-fuel factor
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/PM-concerned-over-price-rise-criticizes-biofuel-factor/295210/0
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Thursday , April 10, 2008 at 1856 hrs IST
Posted online: Thursday , April 10, 2008 at 1856 hrs IST
New Delhi, April 10: The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed deep concern over the rising commodity and food prices both at the global level and in the country.
He held the bio-fuel programme also responsible for the same. He also expressed concerns over the impact of climate change.
Addressing the Global Agro-Industries Forum here on Thursday, the Prime Minister said, "The world as a whole is faced with a situation where rising demand for food is not being met with a similar supply side response. Further, the situation is becoming more complex due to the alternative uses being developed for food crops - I refer here to the growing demand for bio-fuels."
"Owing to galloping oil prices, bio-fuels are being seen in many quarters as attractive substitutes for imported hydrocarbon fuels. Some see them as a greener alternative, although there may be more than one view on that. Many countries are actively promoting the development of bio-fuels. It is particularly worrisome that the new economics of bio-fuels is encouraging a shift of land away from food crops. What this has done is that for the first time, there is a direct linkage between oil prices and food prices. Food Markets have got interlinked to oil Markets, making food policy - making extremely complex as well as uncertain," he said.
The Prime Minister was awarded with the Agricola Award by the FAO Director-General, Jacques Diouf Singh said that in India too was deeply concerned about rising commodity and food prices. Sharply rising food prices can slow down poverty alleviation, impede economic growth and retard employment generation. The global Economy can also be hurt by this process.
"We in the developing world will of course be seriously hurt by it. Efforts to promote reforms and more open economies would be derailed in the face of persistent food shortages and rising food prices. In most developing countries, food prices are the kingpin of the price structure. A steep rise in food prices will make inflation control more difficult and can thereby hurt the cause of macro-economic stability. The constituency for economic reforms, so necessary to stimulate economic growth, would also diminish. Pressures would mount for restrictive trade practices," he said.
The Prime Minister said that though modern technology had certainly widened the options available to our farmers and planners, yet, the world seemed to be facing the prospect of food shortages and rising food prices.
"I believe that in the near future, this is going to be one of the most urgent challenges of our times. Therefore, it is important that the world community tackles this problem head-on. We need a Second Green Revolution. We need new technologies, new organisational structures, new institutional responses and, above all, a new compact between farmers, technologists, scientists, administrators, businessmen, bankers and consumers. The global community and global agencies must fashion a collective response that leads to a quantum leap in agricultural productivity and output so that the spectre of food shortages is banished from the horizon once again" he said
Singh said that institution building, capacity building, empowering farmers through investment in their capabilities were the kind of interventions needed. Even in promoting agri-business and agro-industries the model should combine the economics of small farms with the economics of mass production and modern marketing, he said and added, "I sincerely believe that some of the solutions to the problems of Indian agriculture are to be found outside agriculture."
On Wednesday the Union Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar had announced launching of a pilot project with a budget of Rs 400 million for promoting agro-industries
------------------------------------
UN agencies caution about food riots in near future
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 1931 hrs IST
Posted online: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 1931 hrs IST
New Delhi, April 9: The chiefs of UN agencies – FAO, UNIDO and IFAD – have cautioned about food riots in the near future if corrective steps were not taken in time. They expressed concerns over the rising food prices across the world.
Briefing mediapersons in New Delhi on Wednesday, the director-general of UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Jacques Diouf said: "World food prices have risen 45% in the last nine months and there are serious shortages of rice, wheat and maize."
He singled out bio-fuel programme as one of the major contributing factor to the global price rise as it has caused diversion of farmland from food to fuel crops and the prices of bio-fuels which scaled up in tandem with the prices of fossil fuels in turn affected the food prices.
The heads of the three UN agencies are here in India to participate in the meeting of the Global Agro-Industries Forum.
Diouf also said that the climate change has had its impact like droughts, floods and natural calamities at places. He called for smoothening of the demand-supply chain. He informed that global food stocks were at historic low since 1980s. He said that another reason for the price rise was the high GDP growth rate in populous countries like India and China where rise in disposal income had caused a change in life style and increased demand.
The FAO chief suggested that the governments should step up their investments in agriculture, particularly in irrigation, storage, feed and livestock, infrastructure and mechanism for ensuring sanitary and phytosanitary measures. "The critical situation of today is due to the wrong policies pursued in the last 20 years," he said.
Regarding global market he said that it should ensure a level playing field and should not be distorted by subsidies and high tariffs.
The UNIDO Director-General, Kandeh K Yumkella said, "industry can play a major role in post-harvest management, processing and in supply of inputs."
The president of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Lennart Bage said that his organization was ready to fund projects for ensuring food security and increasing income of farmers.
-----------------------------------------------
------------
Africa wants India to be a stakeholder in development
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 0003 hrs IST
Posted online: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 0003 hrs IST
India is looking upon Africa for opportunities in trade and investment and also for its support in international Politics like gaining permanent membership in the UN security council. But Africa has made clear that it wants India's support for development. There are areas where Africa needs India's support in the development of its agriculture and rural employment, healthcare, education, mining and IT.
Before the ongoing First India-Africa Summit in Delhi, the Indian industry made two such recent attempts to woo Africa—one was the conference on Africa-India agriculture and seafood organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) in February, this and the other a conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership in March, 2008 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Exim Bank.
The India-Africa Project Partnership Conclave, which had the participation of about 500 delegates from 33 African countries, including 37 ministers and two vice presidents, namely Ali Mohamed Shein from Tanzania and Alhaji Aliu Mahama from Ghana, called upon India to not only be a shareholder, but a stakeholder in development of the continent.
The reports of the World Bank and UN systems have suggested that Africa needs to usher in a green revolution to increase its farm production and productivity. There are also reports which say that African agriculture suffered on account of unilateral opening up for imports at the instance of the World Bank and the IMF. As a result many food self-sufficient countries became net importers.
African agriculture is largely organic and yet its produce does not get premium prices the global organic market offers. The continent has many ethnic niche farm products produced by rural folks. Afitin, mustard fermented with nere (parika biglobosa) seeds, is nutritive with its high contents of glucose and iron. Afitin is mainly produced by women in peri-urban areas in Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Gambia, Nigeria. Attieke—cassava-based semolina with high energy value—is a niche product of Cote d'Ivoire.
In Cameroon, the niche farm product is Bibolo, sticks of cassava with glucid content. Beer made of malt red sorghum called Dolo is a favourite drink in Burkina Faso. In Ghana, Gari is produced from dry-fried grated cassava which has high glucid content. Dried fish with high protein content called Keccax is nutritious food item in Senegal. The traditional red palm oil product in Benin is more healthier than industrial refined palm oil due to its higher beta-carotene content. The sour milk production in Senegal is highly nutritive with its protein and vegetable fat content.
The continent needs support to rejuvenate its agriculture. The cotton growers are in a problem as cheap exports do not fetch remunerative prices as the global prices are depressed by heavy subsidies given in the US. The cocoa growers are not paid well by the multinationals in the trade who purchase raw produces at cheap prices and sell the finish product, coffee, at a premium price in the global market. These issues still remain unresolved in the WTO negotiations....
-------------------------------------------
India offers duty-free access to African LDCs
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Tuesday , April 08, 2008 at 1937 hrs IST
Posted online: Tuesday , April 08, 2008 at 1937 hrs IST
New Delhi, April 8: India would give duty free access to goods from 34 least developed African countries which includes cotton, cocoa, aluminum ores, copper ores, cashew nuts, cane sugar, readymade garments, fish fillets and non-industrial diamonds. This is viewed as a gesture of goodwill and soft diplomacy to woo the continent for trade and investment.
Inaugurating the first India-Africa Summit in Delhi on Tuesday, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh announced a duty free tariff preference scheme for 50 least developed countries (LDCs). He also that India and Africa work towards the establishment of an India-Africa Volunteer Corps, involving the youth in development work that is devoted to development work. India wished to see the 21st century as the century of Asia and Africa with the people of the two continents working together for promoting inclusive globalization, he said.
Singh said : "We recognize the crucial importance of market access in ensuring the development dimension of international trade. Accordingly, I am happy to announce a duty free tariff preference scheme for LDCs on the occasion of this Summit. Under this scheme, India shall unilaterally provide preferential market access for exports from all 50 LDCs, 34 of which are in Africa. The scheme will cover 94% of India's total tariff lines. Specifically, it will provide preferential market access on tariff lines that comprise 92.5% of global exports of all LDCs. Products of immediate interest to Africa which are covered include cotton, cocoa, aluminum ores, copper ores, cashew nuts, cane sugar, ready-made garments, fish fillets and non-industrial diamonds"
The Prime Minister said that trade and industry should be co-opted in the process of growth and development in Africa. India had acquired considerable experience in undertaking projects in different African countries through extension of concessional lines of credit by the EXIM Bank of India. He said that Aid to Africa budget for implementing projects critical areas of human resources development and capacity building would be enhanced and undertake projects against grants in excess of $ 500 million.
"We will strengthen local capabilities by creating regional and pan-African institutions of higher education, especially in sciences, information technology and vocational education and investment in research and development in renewable forms of energy, and agricultural development, " Singh said.
He also assured to enhance opportunities for African students to pursue higher studies in India. As an immediate measure, he proposed to double the long-term scholarship for undergraduates, postgraduates and higher courses and increase the number of training slots under technical assistance programme from 1100 to 1600 every year.
The two-day Summit is slated to come out with two documents --- Delhi Declaration and Africa-India Framework for Cooperation. Singh said that the partnership would be anchored in the fundamental principles of equality, mutual respect and benefit.
Meanwhile the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has conducted a survey which shows that the buoyant trade between India and Africa, reckoned at US$ 25 billion in 2006-07, can be doubled to US$ 50 billion in five years if the government zeros in on a 9-point package of measures, including setting up of an Africa Promotion Council, entering into preferential trade agreements, strengthening trade promotion cells in Indian missions and incentivising exports, particularly project exports.
The study - Strengthening Economic Engagement between India and Africa – captured the responses from 41 Companies many of whom are actively engaged in business with Africa. The participating Companies present the entire gamut of industries ranging from automobiles, food processing, ceramics, oil and gas, infrastructure, agri-bio products, farm equipment and machinery, sanitary-ware, electrical equipment and machinery, textiles, apparel and gems and jewellery. The turnover of the Companies that participated in the survey ranges from Rs. 20 million to Rs. 10,80,000 million....
------------------------------------------
India to host Global Agro-Industries Forum
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , April 07, 2008 at 1949 hrs IST
Posted online: Monday , April 07, 2008 at 1949 hrs IST
New Delhi, April 7: The four-day meeting of the Global Agro-Industries Forum (GAIF) is slated to begin here from Tuesday. The GAIF-2008 with the theme – Improving Competitiveness and Development Impact – is being organized by the first time by UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the Union ministries of agriculture, food processing industries and commerce and industry.
About 500 delegates from 100 countries, including senior government officials, leaders of food industry and scientists are slated to participate in the event
Briefing mediapersons the FAO director for rural infrastructure and agro-industries, Geoffrey C Mrema said : "The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh will be conferred with the FAO's highest award – Agricola Medal on April 10 by the FAO director-general, Jacques Diouf."
The event will have three plenary sessions, 12 round tables, 5 regional strategy workshops. It would be formally inaugurated by the Union agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar on April 9.
UNIDO director Sergio M Miranda-da-Cruz said : "Our effort is encourage small and medium sized industries in rural areas so that wastages can be avoided and value addition done and thereby farmers benefit."
The secretary in the Union agriculture ministry, PK Mishra said that it would a good opportunity to discuss development of Indian agriculture in global context. The most important thing was to provide marketing infrastructure for farm produces, he said.
Rene Frechet of IFAD said that his organization was helping seven projects across the world.
The director-general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Mangla Rai said that exchange of ideas would help a great deal in formulation of future policies.
------------------------------
------------
GAIF : Agro-industry to boom in global market
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 0010 hrs IST
Posted online: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 0010 hrs IST
New Delhi, Apr 8 Several experts have called for making agro-industries competitive in the liberalised global market at a discussion of the Global Agro-Industries Forum (GAIF) here on Tuesday.
GAIF meeting is being hosted for the first time jointly by FAO, UNIDO, IFAD in collaboration with the Indian government.
John Wilkinson of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil said, "Urbanisation and economic growth have transformed domestic Markets of developing countries into principal source of expansion for global agrifood system. Increasing importance of trade in processed agricultural products is observed worldwide and its share in global agricultural trade has increased from 27% in 1980-81 to 38% in 2000-01. Export and domestic Markets offer significant opportunities. However, issue of quality, food safety and logistical considerations have placed a premium on agro-industrial management and supply system coordination, indicating that food Companies in the developing countries need to gear up to face competition and seize the opportunity."
When questioned about the rising global food prices caused due to the bio-fuel programme and other related factors causing a problem for the poor net food importing countries, Wilkinson could not provide a satisfactory explaination.
Ralph Christy of Cornell University said that agro-industries need supportive business climate and enabling environment to be competitive. Such environments should be analysed with reference to the level of risk and uncertainty agro-industries face and the capacity of the state in shaping the environment for successful business.
Mahendra Shah of the Austria-based international institute for applied system analysis said that public private partnership in infrastructure has yielded some results, but such partnership should be extended to promote agro-industrialisation.
-----------------------------------
------------
IFAD plans 3 new projects; to focus on Hindi belt
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , April 14, 2008 at 1935 hrs IST
Posted online: Monday , April 14, 2008 at 1935 hrs IST
New Delhi, April 13 : In keeping with its strategy of focusing on improving rural people's access to economic and social resources, the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), a UN agency, plans to assist three new projects in Rajasthan, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
''The project details are in different stages of finalisation and will be launched in the next three to five years. This year onward, we have planned to concentrate in the Hindi belt,'' said IFAD president, Lennart Bage, who was recently in India to participate in the first Global Agro-Industries Forum conference in Delhi.
In Rajasthan, the project would aim at mitigating poverty in the western part of the state, while the project for sustainable livelihoods in coastal fisheries will be implemented in West Bengal. Another project for sustainable livelihood is slated to start in the suicide-prone districts of Maharashtra.
IFAD has financed 21 programmes in India since 1979, including a highly concessional loan of about $565 million. At present, IFAD has seven ongoing loan programmes extending assistance of about $200 million to seven programmes in 11 states. These include the north-eastern region community resource management project for upland areas, Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh tribal development programme, Orissa tribal empowerment and livelihoods programme, livelihoods improvement project for the Himalayas, Post-Tsunami sustainable livelihoods programme and Tejaswini rural women's empowerment programme.
According to IFAD's country report, Portraits of Resolve, the Orissa project changed the lives of the tribals along the Muktikhana Jhola catchment area in Kalahandi district after 36 structures were built in the area to prevent flash floods. This project also generated 300 wage-days of labour. LIPH has increased the livelihoods of Thangrain village in Meghalaya.
IFAD report also records success stories about land-water management, development of agriculture in crops like paddy, potato, tomato, chilli, mango, papaya, sapota and jackfruit in Paharsingh Birhor Tola in Angara block in Ranch plateau and increased fodder availability, water management and use of bio-gas and vermicompost in two villages – Kerkhoripara and Junapara – in Jashpur district in Chhattisgargh under JCTDP. The report also contains how micro-finance and women's self help groups help to better livelihood options.
-----------------------------------
------------
$2 million bamboo project to benefit India
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 1937 hrs IST
Posted online: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 1937 hrs IST
New Delhi, April 9: An ambitious and innovative $2 million project launched in New Delhi aims at strengthening India's role as a leader in the world cane and bamboo industry.
The four-year project was launched by the Union minister for the development of northeastern region, Mani Shankar Aiyar at a function in the presence of the UNIDO Director-General Kandeh Yumkella.
The project will be implemented with effect from May 2008. UNIDO will be the executing agency, with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), North Eastern Council and Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) as the coordinating and counterpart agencies. Of the total project cost of $ 2,307,373, the donor contribution of India is $ 1,868,472 from DIPP, NEC and DC (Handicrafts); and $ 196,000 as UNIDO's contribution.
Describing bamboo as a promising agro-commodity and an economic lifeline for the people of the region, Yumkella said the project would be an excellent opportunity to further strengthen long-term cooperation between UNIDO and its three Indian partners in this important endeavour, namely DIPP, NEC and DC (Handicrafts), all of whom were convinced that bamboo could be a major vehicle for rural agro-commodity based livelihood development.
The first phase of the project was successfully implemented during 2000-2004 leading to the creation of the Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre. This would now be developed as an international hub and service provider for the global cane and bamboo sector. Phase 1 of the project had created awareness about the value and industrial potential of bamboo in the North East through training and transfer of know-how. Phase 1 had a positive impact on poor rural communities by increasing their capacity to earn a living through processing of bamboo products, especially handicrafts.
Phase 2 of the project, which complements strategies of the National Mission on Bamboo Applications of the Indian government and the North-Eastern Regional Bamboo Mission, will reach out even further to the communities and contribute to rural livelihoods by organising cane and bamboo farmers and producers into associations; and extending supply chains from plantation management and pre-processing to industrial processing and marketing.
India has one of the highest concentrations of bamboo in the world, and it is a vital element of India's North Eastern region comprising the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. It is a lifeline resource that generates jobs, skills and relevant technologies, as well as general economic well-being, while contributing to environmental enhancement and rural development.
UNIDO has been involved in numerous bamboo projects in developing countries and stands at the forefront of job creation and poverty alleviation through development of bamboo industries around the world....
--------------------------------------------
Exporters feel $200-bn target may be far-fetched without govt help
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , April 14, 2008 at 1936 hrs IST
Posted online: Monday , April 14, 2008 at 1936 hrs IST
New Delhi, Apr 13 Exporters feel a lot needs to be done by the government at the policy level if the export target of $200 billion set by the government for the year 2008-09 is to be achieved. Exports in 2007-08 are likely to miss the target of $160 billion and beat around $155 billion. Appreciation of the rupee, the depreciation of the dollar, high interest rates, spiralling oil price, withdrawal of GSP benefits to India by some countries, slowdown in the global Economy pose a challenge to Indian exporters.
At home are government policies for discoursing exports in certain commodities by withdrawal of DEPB benefits for exports over 50 commodities and banning exports of cement and some agro commodities, with a view to augment their availability in the country and to rein in the price inflationary trend.
Assocham president Venugopal N Dhoot has termed that $200 billion export target as "too ambitious to achieve."
The annual supplement to the Foreign Trade Policy announced last Friday, tried to address the problems of the exporters by extending DEBP benefits on exports of remaining commodities till May 2009, assured interest at 6% for delayed refunds, reduction of customs duty for import of capital goods to 3%, lowering of average export obligation under EPCG scheme, income tax exemption to 100% EOU beyond 2009, additional duty-free credit of 2.5% under Videsh Krishi and Gram Udyog Yojana, additional credit of 5% for Sports good industries, special focus initiative for IT, and enhance incentive of 2.5% under the focus products scheme.
The president of the All India Rice Exporters' Association, Vijay Setia said, "As Pusa-1121 is not defined as Basmati rice, it is considered non-Basmati rice and exporters are not allowed to export it as exports of non-Basmati rice is banned. The global price of Pusa-1121 is around $1,300 a tonne, higher than the MEP for Basmati rice at $1200 a tonne. The production of Pusa-1121 is around 400,000 tonne and its exports would not have any consequences on food security."
The director of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industries (CITI), DK Nair said, "The government should consider garments as a focus product for exports to Latin American countries and Japan." The commerce minister, Kamal Nath has invited feedback from the industry on focus products and focus area scheme.
According to the commerce secretary, GK Pillai, the commerce ministry would be suggesting to the 11th Finance Commission to consider deducting the amount of levies and taxes imposed by states on exportable commodities while making allocations. This measure would discourage states from imposing taxes and levies on exportable commodities, he said....
---------------------------------------------
USDA, APHIS to inspect Indian mango imports
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , April 14, 2008 at 2018 hrs IST
Posted online: Monday , April 14, 2008 at 2018 hrs IST
New Delhi, Apr 11 As Indian mangoes are on its way to the US, the agriculture and processed food export development authority (APEDA) has invited senior inspectors from USDA and animal and plant health inspection service (APHIS) to oversee irradiation facility in the country and certify export consignments as per agreed protocol.
Between April 9-10 about 1,080 boxes of Alphonso and Kesar mangoes weighing 3800 kg has been dispatched to Chicago. Also 1,275 boxes of same mangoes weighing 4,460 kg has been sent to New York and 420 boxes of mangoes weighing 1,470 kg destined for Atlanta.
The US assured to grant market access to India mangoes when president, George Bush, visited India in 2006. It was agreed that Indian mangoes should be irradiated to meet the sanitary and phytosanitary norms of that country. Accordingly the irradiation treatment facility of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) was proposed and APEDA was appointed as the coordinator for integrating the entire chainlinking.
"We have invited senior inspectors from USDA and APHIS to oversee irradiation treatment facility and certify export consignments through designated agencies," said the APEDA chairman,A K Tripathi.
India is the largest producer of mangoes in the world (around 14 Million Tons) with an over 50% share of world production. However, a large quantity of the mango produced is consumed in the areas of production.
Mangoes come in many shapes, sizes and colours. In fact, even when it comes to flavour, aroma and taste, there is a wide variety to choose from. Being a versatile fruit there are numerous usages to it. The raw fruit is used for preparing pickles, chutneys (spices or otherwise flavoured paste in fresh or preserved form) and fruit drinks. The drink prepared from the unripe green fruit is as delicious as the one prepared from ripe mangoes. Both in the unripe and the ripe form, the fruit is synonymous with nutritional value.Mango is most popular as a table fruit. Its fresh pulp is added to fruit salads, ice-creams, milk shakes and other desserts.
Major commercial varieties of mangoes like Dushehari, Alphonso, Kesar, Banganpalli, Langra, Chausa, Mallika, Swarnrekha and Totapuri are available for exports. APEDA is a link for arranging promotion of both fresh and processed mango products in international market. Particularly to USA, there is a scope of establishing large export base as we have native Asian population already exposed to strong flavour and characteristic of Indian mango. Indian mangoes becoming more popular over the South American and Caribbean varieties presently available in USA due to its mango taste, aroma and flovour.
APEDA helps Indian exporters in comprehensively addressing issues relating to the entire supply chain. This is achieved by adopting an end-to-end approach for integrating the entire process right from the stage of production till it reaches the market. This entails identification of farmers, ensuring the availability of inputs, extension of pre-harvest, harvest and post harvest technology, strengthening of infrastructure and marketing of the produce.
To meet the quarantine requirements, protocols have been developed for export of fresh mangoes from India to USA through process of irradiation treatment, which has been standardized to maintain the quality and health, safety and hygiene standards at various stages of the supply chain....
--------------------------------------------
Biscuit makers call for VAT cut
Commodities Bureau
Posted online: Saturday , April 05, 2008 at 2307 hrs IST
Posted online: Saturday , April 05, 2008 at 2307 hrs IST
New Delhi, Apr 4 The biscuit manufacturers have threatened that they would be constrained to raise the prices of their products by 10% within a month if the value added tax (VAT) is not reduced from the existing 12.5% to the level of 4% as existing for products like bread, bhujia, namkeen, jam, jellies and fruit juice.
They have appealed to the chairman of the empowered committee on VAT, Asim Dasgupta, chief ministers and finance ministers of all states. The empowered committee on VAT is slated to meet on April 7, 2008.
The president of the Indian Biscuit Manufacturers' Association (IBMA), BP Agarwal addressing the mediapersons on Friday said: "the biscuit industry, particularly those in the small and medium sector, is burdened with the steep increase in prices of raw materials like wheat flour and vegetable oil. Biscuit is a price sensitive high volume low margin industry. Increase in production of biscuit is estimated to around 20%, if VAT is reduced to 4%."
He informed that Gujarat and Kerala have recently imposed 10% surcharge on VAT and many states were charging local levies like entry tax, purchase tax and local development tax. West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have resorted to differentiating biscuits made by registered and unregistered units under Factories Act and also between branded and unbranded biscuits. Such measures are unjustified; he said and urged the state government to make biscuits available to the poor at cheaper prices by lowering taxes and levies. About 40% of the biscuit industry is in the unorganized sector.
Biscuit industry witnessed a growth of 17% in 2007-08 after stagnating around 13-14% growth rate in the last 4 years. It picked up momentum in the first half of 2007-08 on account of exemption from central excise duty on biscuits with MRP up to Rs 100 per kg. In the first six months of 2007-08 biscuit production was 944,000 tonne. In 2006-07 production was 1.614 million tonne. About 15% of the production is exported, according to IBMA data.
----------------------------------------
------------
between 2007-09-19 and 9999-99-99 <!--6--><hr size=1></hr> Messenger blocked? Want to chat? <a href="http://in.rd.
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
.
__,_._,___
