NEWS Bulletin from Indian Society For Sustainable Agriculture And Rural Development
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On GMOs----
1. Genetic panel again draws SC ire for not obeying verdict on GM
On TRADE ISSUES----
2. India, China & Korea to adopt one norm to certify goods
3. Coir exports increase Rs 97 cr in 2006-07
4. Fruit exports to ease soon
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Genetic panel again draws SC ire for not obeying verdict on GM
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Saturday , October 27, 2007 at 0053 hrs IST
New Delhi, Oct 26 The Supreme Court on Friday issued a showcause notice to Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to explain as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for approving field trials of new genetically modified (GM) crops.
The apex court gave four weeks time to GEAC to respond. On September 13, petitioners Aruna Rodrigues and PV Satheesh had filed a petition against three members of GEAC-chairman BS Parsheera, co-chairman, CD Mayee and member-secretary Ranjini Warrier for deliberately disobeying the explicit orders of the Supreme Court passed on September 22, 2006, May 8, 2007 and August 1, 2007. The petitioners urged that the fresh approval of field trial of GM crops by GEAC amounted to the contempt of court.
The three-member bench consisting of Chief Justice KG Balakrishanan, justice CV Ravindran and justice Sirpurkar, however, exempted the three GEAC members from making personnel appearances in the court.
"We have agrued that the fresh approval of field trials of GM crops does not amount to the contempt of court. The order passed on September 22, 2006 was subsequently modified and the GEAC's approvals are not violative of the court's orders," said the advocate for the government, Amrinder Sharan Prashant Bhushan.
The advocate for the petitioners, however, seeking a moratorium on GM crops maintained that GEAC's action was a clear violation of court's orders.
The petitioners, Aruna Rodgrigues and PV Satheesh argued that flowing from the September 2006 (and subsequent) orders, there is an injunction on large scale trials of Bt Brinjal along with an injunction on new events/new products of GM food crops as well as Bt Cotton and on all 'new approvals'. Approvals provided by GEAC do not fall under the Court orders, they argued.
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India, China & Korea to adopt one norm to certify goods
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Thursday , October 25, 2007 at 2317 hrs IST
Posted online: Thursday , October 25, 2007 at 2317 hrs IST
New Delhi, Oct 25 In a first of its kind move, India, China and Korea will soon adopt a common set of operational rules for the certification and verification of the origin of goods.
This will be done at the Ministerial Council of Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) will be held in Goa on Friday.
The Council, hosted by commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath, will have the participation of over 30 delegates headed by the respective ministers or vice ministers from the six APTA participating states, comprising Bangladesh, China, India, the Republic of Korea, Lao PDR and Sri Lanka.
The most important task on the Ministers' agenda is the launch of the Fourth Round of Tariff Negotiations which when completed will deepen and widen trading relations among the six participating states.
Together with membership expansion that is expected, to follow in the upcoming years, APTA is emerging as the only truly regional trade agreement that links east, southeast and south Asia, and is thus becoming an important platform for regional economic cooperation and integration.
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Coir exports increase Rs 97 cr in 2006-07
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Saturday , October 27, 2007 at 0057 hrs IST
Posted online: Saturday , October 27, 2007 at 0057 hrs IST
New Delhi , Oct 26 India 's exports of coir products have increased from Rs 350 crore in 2002-03 to Rs 605 crore in 2006-07. In 2006-07 alone the exports increased by Rs 97 crore. With the hope of further boosting the exports of coir products, the nodal promotional agency, Coir Board has decided to promote Indian coir products in international exhibitions abroad and as well as within the country.
"We have planned to host the 5-day India International Coir Fair-2007 at Kochi in Kerala from December 7, this year. We will arrange buyer-seller meeting. About 125 importers from leading countries like US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Poland, UAE, Australia and Holland are expected to participate in the event," said the Coir Board chairman, AC Jose.
According to Jose the event is slated to generate a business amounting to $ 25 million. "It would be an unique opportunity as the event would synchronise with the 7 th Commonwealth India Small Business Competitiveness Development Programme," said Jose.
India and Sri Lanka account for 90% of world production of coir products. Indian coir products are exported to about 97 countries across the globe. Australia , Latin America , eastern Europe, Russia , African countries are nascent and nubile markets for coir products. At present US imports 41% percent of Indian coir products followed by European Union with 40%.
Coir industry contributes significantly to the Kerala economy as 80% of exports come from this state. Other major coconut producing states are Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam and the union territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry . The coir industry employs 6.4 lakh workers. According to Jose , India has transferred coir technology to GCC countries. South Africa imports geo-textiles from India in a big way.
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From The Fields Page in The Indian Express
Fruit exports to ease soon
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Friday, October 26, 2007 at 0000 hrs
Posted online: Friday, October 26, 2007 at 0000 hrs
New Delhi, Oct 25: The export of fresh fruits and vegetables is likely to become hassle-free soon. The Government nodal agency, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), is mediating direct contact between Indian exporters and overseas retailers and aggregators.
Under the Direct-to-Retailer Export Promotion Programme, exporters are required to develop backward linkages with farmers for implementing the good agricultural practices for meeting the quality norms of overseas importers. As per the programme, the mode of transportation, storage, grading, value addition, processing and packaging too would be as per the specifications of the overseas importers.
After APEDA commissioned the services of Technopak to contact overseas importers, it managed to get in touch with 30 retailers and 28 aggregators in 12 countries, namely Germany, Italy, Greece, Belgium, UK, Sweden, France, Netherland, Spain, Portugal, Denmark and Turkey. Importers in Poland, Russia and Hungary were also contacted. Most of these countries follow EurepGAP standards.
"We have received letters from 30 overseas importers expressing their willingness to buy fruits and vegetables from India on a sustained basis. Nineteen others have verbally communicated their willingness. We have, therefore, planned a big buyer-seller meet in Delhi in February next year," says outgoing APEDA Chairman K.S. Money.
According to Money, leading Indian companies like ITC, Godrej, SICAL, Mahindra Shub Labh, Essar Agrotech, Global Green Company, Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers, Heritage Foods, Namdhari Fresh, Dabur Foods, Bharti Fieldfresh, Khet Se Agri Produce and DSCL have already registered.
The leading overseas retailers keen to participate include Carrefour, El Corte Ingles, E Leclerc Siplec, Edeka, Sainsbury, Eroski, Dansk Supermarket, Auchan, Metro, Migros, Modelo Continante, Plus Retail, Superunie, Tesco and ICA. Among the global aggregators who are interested are Danisco, Everfresh AB, Nature's Table, Saba Frukt & Gront AB, Community Foods, Ardo NV, Crops NV, Siatapoulos, Deas SA, Anaco Greeve International, Hage International, Valstar, Netra Agro BV, Scandimeat, Good Food Group, Le Cabanon, Interterra, Martin and Costa, Navimpex, Couniniotis Group, Dirafrost, Refreshco Holding and Symrise.
Money said that APEDA had proposed a series of measures aimed at simplification of procedures for documentation and clearances of perishables for export. "These proposals are now being vetted by the Law Ministry," he said.
It has been proposed to give exporters a choice for multiple certifying agencies and multi-skilled regulatory agencies will be set up to facilitate multi-document clearances. Rationalisation of documentation will be done through a single export document and rationalisation of charges and single-point payment system will be introduced. Touch points would be reduced to a bare minimum through web enablement and EDI enabling cash management system and information retrieval mechanism would be carried out under a single roof. A multi-channel export route for perishables under an autonomous regulatory authority would be set up.
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