Page 27 - Trade

Over 70 WTO nations agree to take additional obligations in services sector

India would benefit from a move of over 70 nations like the UK, UAE and Australia that have agreed to take on additional obligations in the services sector under an agreement of the WTO, an official said on Tuesday. These WTO (World Trade Organisation) members are taking the additional obligations under the General Agreement on Goods in Services (GATS) to ease non-goods trade among themselves and extend similar concessions to all other members of the WTO. These obligations under their schedules in GATS seek to mitigate unintended trade restrictive effects or measures relating to licensing requirements and procedures, qualification requirements and procedures, and technical standards among themselves, the official added. The disciplines will be applied on a "most-favoured nation" principle, meaning that they will benefit all WTO members. It will also benefit Indian professional companies which will now have equal opportunity to access markets in these 70 countries, if they meet the

Russia puts six months ban exports of gasoline with effect from March 1

The ban, first reported by Russia's RBC, was confirmed by a spokeswoman for Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, President Vladimir Putin's point man for Russia's vast energy sector

'Thermal coal imports falling first time since pandemic on domestic output'

Lower Indian appetite for imports could further pressure prices, even as miners grapple with a 70% plunge from record highs that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Apparel industry needs to focus on synthetic fabrics to boost exports: GTRI

The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that due to weak synthetics, India's apparel industry is a horse running with one leg tied

Govt expresses concerns in WTO meet over unilateral protectionist measures

India on Monday expressed "serious" concerns in a WTO meeting in Abu Dhabi over increase in the use of trade protectionist measures by certain countries in the name of environment protection. The remarks assume significance as the country has earlier flagged issues over the European Union's (EU) decision to impose carbon tax (a kind of import tax) on sectors such as steel and fertiliser; and adoption of deforestation regulation by the 27-nation bloc. Speaking at a session on sustainable development and policy space for industrialisation, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said developing countries require flexibility in the existing WTO (World Trade Organization) agreements to overcome the constraints faced by them in their industrialisation. He also expressed concerns on the concerted attempt by the developed countries to club long-standing development issues like policy space for industrial development with new issues of 'Trade and Industrial policy'. The CBAM (Carbon Border ...

Govt seeks solution to long-pending food stockpile issue at WTO meet

India on Monday called on WTO members to find a permanent solution to the long-pending public food stockpile issue, saying it is directly related to achieving the sustainable development goal of zero hunger by 2030. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) should not negotiate rules on non-trade-related subjects like climate change, gender, and labour and rather these should be addressed in respective intergovernmental organizations. "I re-emphasize that the development agenda would remain incomplete without a permanent solution on public stockholding (PSH) for food security purposes which is directly related to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030, Goyal said. This continues to be a long-pending issue for the last few decades and despite having a clear mandate agreed by the members in the past, finding a permanent solution on PSH remains an unaccomplished agenda on which we have to deliver in MC13. Trade

Yellow peas import allowed after registration under monitoring system: DGFT

Import of yellow peas is allowed after registration under the import monitoring system with immediate effect for all consignments where bill of lading (shipped on board) is issued on or before April 30, according to a commerce ministry notification. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said the import is permitted without the MIP (Minimum Import Price) and port restriction conditions. However, the imports are subjected "to registration under the import monitoring system, with immediate effect for all import consignments where bill of lading (shipped on board) is issued on or before April 30, 2024," the DGFT notification said. During April-December this fiscal, the import of yellow peas stood at USD 5.43 million. It was USD 0.14 million in 2022-23.

India should become green energy exporter by 2047 to attract capital: Kant

Addressing at the 'Raisina Dialogue 2024', Kant said today's challenge is climate change and the World Bank needs to become a climate bank

Amul's golden jubilee: Modi calls for making it biggest dairy firm globally

A co-operative which started in FY1973-74, already saw its revenue at Rs 72,000 crore in FY23 and exports its products to more than 50 countries

Govt extends the interest equalization scheme until June 30, 2024

The scheme, inaugurated on April 1, 2015, was originally slated for a five-year duration until March 31, 2020

IMEC has potential to create more opportunities: Albanian foreign minister

Hasani, who is in the national capital to attend the Raisina Dialogue, said the India Middle-East Economic Corridor (IMEC) has the potential to create more market opportunities

Govt negotiates trade, investment agreements with open mind: Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said India negotiates trade and investment agreements with fairness and open mind and takes care of interest of people. He also said countries that are negotiating Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and investment pacts with India should keep in mind that New Delhi offers huge market to them in terms of demand and business opportunities. "I can assure you that India negotiates with fairness, with an open mind... India also takes care of its wider and larger interest in the long run," he said at the CII India-Europe conclave. FTAs, or Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), or agreements on geographical indications, will have to stand the test of fair, equitable, and balance agreements as the level of economic developments varies, he said. "We will have to respect the very different opportunities that are offered by India vis-a-vis the offer on the table from other countries," he said, adding that India is one of the fastest growing .

India, Canada discuss collaboration in science, technology sector

India and Canada on Wednesday discussed collaboration as well as joint ventures in areas like electric vehicles, cyber physical system, quantum technologies, green hydrogen fuel and deep ocean mining. A high-level Canadian delegation led by Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan province, held discussions with Science & Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on partnerships in areas such as clean technologies, bioeconomy, bio-based materials for different applications, food & agriculture technologies, affordable healthcare including pharmaceuticals and biomedical instrumentation. Singh categorically mentioned 'Global Biofuels Alliance' (GBA), an initiative by India as the G20 Chair last year, bringing together the biggest consumers and producers of biofuels to drive development and deployment of biofuels. Welcoming the Canadian delegation, Singh said 23 lakh Indian diaspora were reinforcing Indo-Canadian relations and contributing to the development of both the nation. Moe said the ...

India's lentil imports from Canada surge despite diplomatic strains

After Trudeau's comments, Indian lentil buyers slowed purchases from Canada, fearing that New Delhi or Ottawa could impose barriers on trade

US-India partnership to grow no matter who wins election: Trade group

As the US and China compete, Washington and New Delhi have come closer to collaborating on critical areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and space

WTO meet: Govt to oppose continuation of moratorium on e-comm trade duties

India is not in favour of further continuation of moratorium on customs duties on e-commerce trade at the WTO's meeting in Abu Dhabi later this month as it is impacting the developing countries, an official said on Tuesday. The official said that there is a work programme on e-commerce trade and the members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) should continue to discuss the issue under that. "We are not in favour of extension. We are in favour of continuation of the work programme. There is a need to look at the subject from a development dimension and not from the eyes of big tech companies," the official said. There is a need to discuss the scope of moratorium as there are revenue implications because of it. As per estimates, the potential tariff revenue losses to the developing countries are about USD 10 billion every year. For India, it could be over USD 500 million every year. "There is a need for a clear definition of e-commerce trade. We need policy space for the sector,"

Ship attacked in Gulf of Aden at risk of sinking, say Yemen's Houthis

The Iran-aligned Houthis have made repeated drone and missile strikes since November in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, drawing US and British bombing against them

Crude oil steadies as demand jitters counter conflict in West Asia

The March contract for U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, which expires on Tuesday, was up 7 cents at $79.26 in tepid trade while the WTI April contract slipped 13 cents to $78.33

Tea exports decline by 1.17% to 207.14 mkgs in first 11 months of 2023

Tea exports from India have declined by 1.17 per cent to 207.14 million kgs in the January-November period of 2023, according to official data. The country shipped out 209.60 mkgs of tea during a similar 11-month period of the previous year. During the calendar year 2022, the total tea exports were 231.08 mkgs. Region-wise, exports from North India, comprising primarily the states of Assam and West Bengal, stood at 125.27 mkgs, down from 132.21 mkgs in the comparable periods of 2023 and 2022 respectively, the Tea Board data said. Shipments from South India during the first 11 months of 2023 increased to 81.87 mkgs from 77.39 mkgs in the previous similar period, according to the data. Industry sources said that the dip in exports was due to the volume loss in the Iran market due to payment problems. The Iranian market constitutes 20 per cent of India's total tea exports after the Commonwealth of Independent States bloc. The sources also said the export scenario for the full calen

Chinese minister says trying to cut country out of trade would be mistake

China's foreign minister told a gathering of international security policy officials Saturday that trying to shut China out of trade in the name of avoiding dependency would be a historic mistake. Wang Yi spoke at the Munich Security Conference. Host Germany wants to avoid over-reliance on trade with an increasingly assertive China and diversify its supply of key goods in an approach it calls de-risking. That's in line with the approach of other industrial powers in the Group of Seven, which has stressed that it doesn't seek to harm China or thwart its development. Beijing has criticized the strategy. Today ... more people have come to realize that the absence of cooperation is the biggest risk, Wang said through an interpreter. Those who attempt to shut China out in the name of de-risking will make a historical mistake. The world economy is like a big ocean that cannot be cut into isolated lakes, he added. The trend toward economic globalisation cannot be reversed. We need to wor