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The government has cut the minimum export price (MEP) on natural honey from USD 2,000 per tonne to USD 1,400 per tonne till the end of this year, according to a notification. Exports below this MEP are not permitted. "MEP on natural honey is revised from USD 2,000 per metric tonne to USD 1,400 per metric tonne with immediate effect, till December 31, 2025," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification. The MEP was introduced in March 2024. The major exporting destinations are the US, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The Centre has rolled out the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) for promoting scientific beekeeping for the holistic growth of the sector. The main honey producing states are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab, Bihar and Rajasthan. In 2023-24, India exported the commodity worth USD 177.52 million.
Solvent Extractors' Association (SEA) on Wednesday urged the government to lift the export ban on de-oiled rice bran to allow clearance of surplus stock. De-oiled rice bran is used as feed primarily for cattle and poultry. "The ban has left processors struggling to dispose of de-oiled rice bran, forcing many to shut down operations or cut capacity - impacting both the rice milling industry and rice bran oil production," SEA said in a statement. The government imposed the ban on July 28, 2023, and has extended it multiple times - most recently in February 2025, through September 30, 2025. "We have urged the government to evaluate the wide-ranging economic, agricultural, and environmental benefits of lifting the ban," the Mumbai-based trade body said. SEA argued that exporting surplus de-oiled rice bran would allow efficient clearance of stock, enable sustained processing, improve capacity utilization, maintain vegetable oil production, increase employment and foreign exchange ...
There is a potential to increase exports of food, beverages and marine products to USD 100 billion in the next 4-5 years as huge demand is there for these goods in the global markets, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. Interacting with the food and beverage industry players, the minister also suggested the companies focus on quality, nutrition and sustainability. "I hope to see a 3-digit mark, a USD 100 billion mark, in our food, beverages, marine products and agri exports in the next 4-5 years," Goyal said. He further said this is not an ambitious target and the industry should work together to take the exports to this level. To enhance the quality of production, the government is looking at expanding testing laboratories in the country. The interaction was held on the sidelines of the Indusfood 2025 exhibition in Greater Noida.
The government plans to establish Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)-free zones in eight states to boost exports of animal products, according to a senior government official. Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, announced the initiative at the workshop that concluded on August 30 on the issue of animal infectious disease prioritisation, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in collaboration with the department. "We've made significant progress in tackling four critical diseases: FMD, Peste des Petits Ruminants, Brucellosis, and Classical Swine Fever under the National Control Programme," Upadhyaya said. The government "plans to establish FMD-free zones in eight states, where advanced vaccination efforts are underway", she said. This strategic move is expected to pave the way for expanded export opportunities for Indian animal products, enhancing the country's global market presence, she added. The three-day workshop resulted
The country's sugar production dipped 2.48 per cent to 22.36 million tonnes till February 15 of the ongoing 2023-24 marketing year, as per the industry body ISMA's latest data. Sugar production stood at 22.93 million tonnes in the year-ago period. Sugar marketing year runs from October to September. In its second estimate, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) has projected sugar output to decline by 10 per cent to 33.05 million tonnes in the current 2023-24 marketing year as against 36.62 million tonnes in the previous year. According to ISMA, sugar production in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu remained lower till February 15 of the ongoing marketing year. However, sugar output in Uttar Pradesh -- the country's second largest producer of the sweetener -- was higher at 6.77 million tonnes as against 6.12 million tonnes in the period under review. The production in Maharasthra -- the country's largest producing state of sugar -- was down at 7.94 million tonnes t
The ban on exports of wheat will continue as India has to ensure adequate supplies of the foodgrain for its domestic market and keep the inflation at check, Union minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He said that the procurement of wheat has started and the numbers for the first week of buying are "very" satisfactory. "I could believe that we will have a good harvest despite the unseasonal rains...We do believe that we will have to ensure adequate supplies for the Indian market and once the procurement period is over, we believe that it will be important that inflation is also contained in the country and therefore it is important that the wheat exports continue to remain banned," the commerce and industry and consumer affairs, food and public distribution minister told reporters here. He is here on a two-day visit to meet leaders and businesses in order to enhance economic ties between India and Italy. India, the world's second-largest wheat producer, banned wheat exports in Ma
The Centre is aiming at nearly doubling seafood exports to USD 14 billion by 2025, a Union minister said on Wednesday. Seafood exports are showing a positive trend this fiscal with three per cent growth in volume, she said. "In 2021-22, the (seafood) exports figure was worth USD 7.76 billion, which was 17 per cent of our agriculture shipments. We have a target to achieve USD 14 billion by 2025," Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said. She was speaking here at the inauguration of the India International Seafood Show 2023. India's commitment towards safe and sustainable seafood production for export will lead the way for enhancing foreign direct investment, thereby contributing to the Make in India' initiative, Patel said. "We are also proceeding in a favourable manner with our Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with different important-export destinations. "India, today, has become one of the most preferred and one of the very big seafood baskets for the w