
AIAMA to adopt BIS certification for agarbathi industry to benchmark quality
Ambica Ramanjaneyulu, president of the AIAMA, told The Hindu that the apex body was focusing on value addition, premiumisation, innovation, and quality. 'Through this initiative, we aim to instil pride and deepen the sense of belonging among all stakeholders in the agarbathi ecosystem,' said Mr. Ramanjaneyulu, who is also the director of Ambica Agarbathies Aroma & Industries based in Hyderabad.
Addressing the media, Arjun Ranga, immediate past president of AIAMA and MD of Cycle Pure Agarbatti, said, 'Over the years, the global demand for agarbathis has witnessed a significant rise. Our vision is to bring the entire agarbathi fraternity up to speed with the evolving business landscape and more exciting opportunities.'
According to him, India currently produces between 16,000 tonnes and 20,000 tonnes of incense sticks a month, and over two lakh women are employed in the industry. The country exports ₹1,000 crore worth of agarbathis to 120 countries, while 80% of the production is sold in domestic markets. The AIAMA directly and indirectly represents over 800 and 3,000 agarbathi manufacturers, respectively, across the country. Cumulatively, the industry has over 5,000 different agarbathi products.
As a step towards building a holistic ecosystem, the AIAMA will organise a three-day expo and conference scheduled from November 6 to 8 in Bengaluru, which will feature discussions on various issues including policies, employment opportunities, sourcing raw materials, trends around consumer behavior, and new products, packaging innovations and technology upgradation.
'The showcase will feature rare agarbathi samples, iconic photographs, prestigious awards, and other significant memorabilia. It is designed not only to honour the journey of the industry but also to inspire future generations of agarbathi entrepreneurs,' said Mr. Ranga, who is also the chairperson, AIAMA EXPO.
To be spread across 1,20,000 sq. ft, the expo will feature curated seminars that would cover various aspects of the agarbathi industry, including job creation, sourcing of raw materials, research on new fragrances, packaging developments, women empowerment, export opportunities and new-age marketing. The expo would be held in support of the Fragrance and Flavours Association of India (FAFAI), Mumbai; the Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC), Kannauj; and the Essential Oils Association of India (EOAI). Over 5,000 delegates and exhibitors from India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and a few European countries are expected to participate.
Commenting on growth, Mr. Ramanjaneyulu said the industry was witnessing an emergence of newer products like yoga, meditation, and non-prayer niches. The demand for prayer products, especially agarbathis, has seen a sharp increase in the last five years in India and across the globe, found a study done by the AIAMA.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
37 minutes ago
- Time of India
Irish watchdog threatens Elon Musk's X over adult content controls
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Ireland's media watchdog, acting on behalf of the EU, has warned Elon Musk 's social network X that it must enact rules to restrict children's access to adult content by Friday or "face action".The regulator, Coimisiun na Mean, is tasked by the European Union with overseeing compliance by tech giants including X, Meta and TikTok , which all have European headquarters in the Irish authority formally adopted an Online Safety Code in October -- following consultation with the European Commission -- introducing binding rules to protect EU users of video-sharing platforms from harmful were given nine months before the more detailed provisions of the code came into force to allow time for any IT changes that may have been rules, which came into force this week, included an obligation for video-sharing platforms that allow pornography to use effective age assurance to ensure that children are not normally able to access also prohibit the uploading of content such as cyberbullying, the promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders or dangerous challenges, as well as pornography and all the platforms based in Ireland, X is the only one that allows a statement sent to AFP on Thursday, the regulator said that X, formerly Twitter, has not so far complied with the an initial review, the watchdog said it "cannot see any evidence of measures taken to comply with the age assurance requirement"."Non-compliance is a serious matter which can lead to sanctions including significant financial penalties," it said.X did not immediately reply to an AFP request for to the code, breaches carry fines of up to 10 percent of a platform's annual turnover or up to 20 million euros ($23.5 million) -- whichever is regulator also said on Thursday it had "further concerns" about X's compliance with some of the other rules "including but not limited to, the availability of parental controls".It said it "will take further action" if X does not provide evidence of compliance with the code by also said it is continuing to review the compliance of other designated video-sharing platforms to assess their compliance "and will take any further supervisory, investigative or enforcement action required".
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Luxury cars and bikes to get cheaper with India-UK free trade agreement
India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is likely to boost market access for high-end luxury cars thanks to lower tariffs. However, players like Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) already make 60 percent of the cars they sell in India locally. Possibilities remain to assemble the Defender model in India in the future, given that the car is currently manufactured at the carmaker's Slovakia plant, which is outside the purview of the India-UK FTA. Under the UK-India FTA, tariffs on automotive imports will come down from 110 percent to 10 percent under various quotas (for different powertrains) on both sides. JLR is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of this move. Players like Aston Martin (which sold less than 25 cars in India in 2024, according to market sources), Rolls-Royce, and McLaren are also likely to benefit from the reduced import duty. The quota and the duty structure vary with engine type, and therefore, industry insiders believe these British luxury cars could be cheaper by 50 percent or more. The industry is still studying the fine print of the deal. McLaren has sold around 50 cars in India since 2022, while Rolls-Royce is estimated to have sold around 60 cars in 2023 (the latest data is not available). "We welcome this free trade agreement between the UK and India, which over time will deliver reduced tariff access to the Indian car market for JLR's luxury vehicles," a JLR spokesperson said in a statement, adding that India is an important market for the company's British-built products and represents significant future growth opportunities. In a separate query regarding a change in pricing of imported products into the Indian market, a UK-based spokesperson said, "No decisions have been made on pricing." Interestingly, the remaining 40 percent of JLR cars sold in India include the Defender range, which is manufactured at the Nitra plant in Slovakia and falls outside the scope of this FTA. In a recent interview, Martin Limpert, Global MD for Range Rover, had said that the Defender is a 'very successful' car in the Indian market, and hence it is 'natural' for them to look into local production. 'Defender is a big volume car, very successful for us in the Indian market, so yes, it's natural for us to look into that (local production). We wouldn't exclude it,' he said. At the moment, a few high-value SV models of JLR are imported as completely built units from the UK, which will stand to benefit. Apart from luxury cars, bike enthusiasts can be happy too – players like Triumph, which sell both CKD and CBU models, will stand to benefit. Triumph sold around 30,000 bikes in India in 2024. The success in India is partly attributed to the partnership with Bajaj, which resulted in the introduction of the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X models. Domestic carmakers like Mahindra & Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki, who have European ambitions, also stand to benefit. Maruti sells the e-Vitara in the UK, and Mahindra has plans for European expansion. Anish Shah, Group CEO and MD, Mahindra Group, says, 'At Mahindra, we believe deeply in the power of such cross-border partnerships to unlock economic potential, create high-quality jobs, and accelerate progress in future-facing sectors such as green mobility, clean energy, digital technologies, and advanced manufacturing.' He added that as the Indian industry becomes increasingly global in its footprint and ambition, Mahindra looks forward to contributing meaningfully to this next chapter of UK-India cooperation. The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) welcomed the deal and hoped that it will foster greater market access, technology partnerships, and value chain integration between the Indian and British automotive industries. The deal is expected to benefit the Indian auto component sector through enhanced opportunities for exports, streamlined regulatory processes, particularly in key areas such as electric mobility, precision engineering, and lightweight materials, ACMA President Shradha Suri Marwah said in a statement.
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
EU pushes for trade reset as China's Xi urges ‘proper handling' of disputes, strategic choices
At a shortened summit in Beijing, Xi Jinping urged the EU to manage trade frictions and warned against 'building walls', as leaders clashed over tariffs, Ukraine, and industrial overcapacity, but pledged to cooperate on climate action read more Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Reuters Chinese President Xi Jinping urged top European Union officials on Thursday to 'properly handle differences and frictions' as he criticised Brussels's recent trade actions against Beijing at a tense summit dominated by concerns on trade and the Ukraine war. Expectations were low for the summit in the Chinese capital marking 50 years of diplomatic ties after weeks of escalating tension and wrangling that led to the duration being abruptly halved to a single day at Beijing's request. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China,' Xi told visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, state news agency Xinhua said. He urged the EU to 'adhere to open cooperation and properly handle differences and frictions', after von der Leyen earlier called for a rebalancing of trade ties with the world's second largest economy, saying relations were at an 'inflection point'. 'Improving competitiveness cannot rely on 'building walls and fortresses',' Xi added, according to Xinhua. ''Decoupling and breaking chains' will only result in isolation.' 'It is hoped that the European side will keep the trade and investment market open and refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools,' Xi said. EU trade actions in the past year have targeted Chinese exports of electric vehicles among other goods, and its officials have repeatedly complained about Chinese industrial overcapacity. Xi also warned EU leaders to 'make correct strategic choices', in a further veiled criticism of Brussels' recent hawkish stance on China. 'As our cooperation has deepened, so have imbalances,' von der Leyen told Xi during their meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, according to a pool report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We have reached an inflection point,' she added, urging China to 'come forward with real solutions'. She was referring to the EU's trade deficit with China, which ballooned to a historic 305.8 billion euros ($360 billion) last year. 'We think increasing market access for European companies in China, limiting the external impact of involution, and reducing export controls are important steps forward,' von der Leyen told Premier Li Qiang later, according to a pool report. She described her meeting with Xi as 'excellent'. The two sides also issued a joint statement on climate, reiterating their commitment to new climate action plans across the whole economy. They will boost cooperation in areas such as energy transition, adaptation, methane emissions management and control, carbon markets and green and low-carbon technologies, the joint statement said. 'Lack of impetus' At the start of US President Donald Trump's second term, both sides had more of a consensus in working together to tackle trade challenges from the United States, said Cui Hongjian, a foreign policy professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Recently the situation has changed,' Cui said. 'The EU has continued to compromise with the United States, which means that there is currently a lack of impetus for EU-China ties to become closer.' After intense negotiations, the EU is likely to seal a trade deal with the United States for a broad tariff of 15% on its exports, down from 30% threatened by President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Costa said the EU officials discussed 'at length' their expectations for China to discourage Russia in its war against Ukraine. 'We call on China to use its influence on Russia to respect the United Nations charter and to bring an end of its war of aggression,' Costa told Xi earlier. The run-up to the summit saw tit-for-tat trade disputes and hawkish European rhetoric, such as a July 8 accusation by von der Leyen that China was flooding global markets as a result of its overcapacity and 'enabling Russia's war economy'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a posting on X, however, she struck a more conciliatory tone on Thursday, saying the summit offered an opportunity to 'both advance and rebalance our relationship'. Topics the Europeans were expected to raise in the talks are electric vehicles and China's rare earth export controls that disrupted supply chains worldwide, causing temporary stoppages in European automotive production lines in May. But China's exports of rare earth magnets to the EU surged in June by 245% from May, to stand at 1,364 metric tons, though that was still 35% lower than the year-earlier figure, customs data showed. On Thursday, China's foreign ministry defended the rare earths curbs as being 'in line with international practice', while pledging stronger dialogue and cooperation with relevant countries and regions in the field of export controls.