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Economic Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Niti Aayog withdraws paper on GM crop imports, signals govt's hard line on biosafety
The Niti Aayog has withdrawn a working paper that proposed allowing imports of genetically modified (GM) soybean and corn from the United States, signalling the government's firm position against opening India's market to transgenic food products over biosafety concerns, as per move comes despite US pressure in trade talks to ease what it sees as a non-tariff barrier, and despite Niti Aayog's own assessment that such imports could be allowed without harming domestic paper, Promoting India-US agricultural trade under the new US trade regime, was released in May and co-authored by Ramesh Chand, a Niti Aayog member, and senior adviser Raka Saxena. It suggested that GM corn could be imported for ethanol blending and for by-products such as Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles. 'US corn is cheaper and can be used to meet India's biofuel targets without disrupting local food and feed markets,' the authors the paper carried a disclaimer that the views were personal, its removal from the think tank's website reflects the government's reluctance to shift policy on GM food crops. At present, India permits commercial cultivation of only one GM crop — transgenic cotton, which is a non-food commodity. The government's position aligns with the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which has consistently opposed both the cultivation and import of GM food products. The SJM has, in the past, found common cause with several left-leaning farm groups on this issue. The withdrawn paper had also suggested a 'dual-track' approach to agricultural trade negotiations with the US, pushing for selective imports of non-sensitive items that do not compete with local production, such as almonds, pistachios, and enjoys a surplus in agricultural trade with the US, a gap that has widened over the years. Between 2004 and 2024, India's farm exports to the US grew nearly fivefold, from $1.18 billion to $5.75 billion. Imports from the US rose faster, from $291 million to $2.22 billion over the same period.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Niti Aayog withdraws paper on GM crop imports, signals govt's hard line on biosafety
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Niti Aayog has withdrawn a working paper that proposed allowing imports of genetically modified (GM) soybean and corn from the United States, signalling the government's firm position against opening India's market to transgenic food products over biosafety concerns, as per move comes despite US pressure in trade talks to ease what it sees as a non-tariff barrier, and despite Niti Aayog's own assessment that such imports could be allowed without harming domestic paper, Promoting India-US agricultural trade under the new US trade regime, was released in May and co-authored by Ramesh Chand, a Niti Aayog member, and senior adviser Raka Saxena. It suggested that GM corn could be imported for ethanol blending and for by-products such as Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles. 'US corn is cheaper and can be used to meet India's biofuel targets without disrupting local food and feed markets,' the authors the paper carried a disclaimer that the views were personal, its removal from the think tank's website reflects the government's reluctance to shift policy on GM food present, India permits commercial cultivation of only one GM crop — transgenic cotton, which is a non-food commodity. The government's position aligns with the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which has consistently opposed both the cultivation and import of GM food products. The SJM has, in the past, found common cause with several left-leaning farm groups on this withdrawn paper had also suggested a 'dual-track' approach to agricultural trade negotiations with the US, pushing for selective imports of non-sensitive items that do not compete with local production, such as almonds, pistachios, and enjoys a surplus in agricultural trade with the US, a gap that has widened over the years. Between 2004 and 2024, India's farm exports to the US grew nearly fivefold, from $1.18 billion to $5.75 billion. Imports from the US rose faster, from $291 million to $2.22 billion over the same period.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Niti withdraws paper on GM crops import from US, signals govt stand
NEW DELHI: The Niti Aayog's recent withdrawal of its working paper, which had suggested opening up import of genetically modified (GM) soybean and corn from the US, has given a peek into India's red-line on transgenic food items. Though the US, during its trade negotiations with India, considered the stand as one of the non-tariff trade barriers, India preferred not to open up its market for GM food items over biosafety concerns, notwithstanding its primary think tank arguing in favour of import of transgenic soybean and corn without harming domestic production. The working paper on 'promoting India-US agricultural trade under the new US trade regime', released in May, had suggested that GM corn may be imported for ethanol blending and its by-products, like Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles. "US corn is cheaper and can be used to meet India's biofuel targets without disrupting local food and feed markets," said the authors - Raka Saxena and Ramesh Chand - of the working paper. Chand is member, Niti Aayog, while Saxena is senior adviser at the think tank. Although the paper used a disclaimer terming the content as personal views of authors, its recent withdrawal from the think tank's website reflects govt's thinking on the issue of GM products. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Are The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo India currently allows commercial cultivation of only transgenic cotton, a non-food farm item. Govt's stand is in sync with RSS-affiliate Swadeshi Jagaran Manch's opposition to the cultivation and import of GM farm products. In its opposition to transgenic food items, the SJM has even joined hands with several left-leaning farm groups in the past. The working paper had pitched for a "dual-track" approach while negotiating the trade deal on agricultural items with the US and appeared keen on opening the country's market to specific non-sensitive imports of farm products that do not face direct competition from local producers, such as almonds, pistachios, and walnuts. India has maintained a surplus in agriculture trade with the US and it has increased over time. India's agricultural exports to the US grew nearly fivefold between 2004 and 2024, from $1.18 billion to $5.75 billion, while imports however, grew faster - from $291 million in 2004 to $2,218 million in 2024.
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Business Standard
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Niti Aayog paper on India-US trade deal goes offline, raising questions
The paper called for lower tariffs on soybean and corn from the US, both of which would be genetically modified, while their byproducts could hurt the domestic processing industry and ethanol makers Delhi Listen to This Article It was around May 30, when India's leading think tank and policy-setting body, the Niti Aayog, uploaded a working paper on India-US trade titled 'Promoting India-US Agricultural Trade Under the New US Trade Regime'. The paper, written by Raka Saxena and Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand, both well-known names in the field of agriculture, evoked strong reactions from a section of farmers' groups as well as some industry associations. Now, just about a month after its publication, the paper no longer exists on the Niti Aayog website. While the paper continues to be listed, the accompanying document is no longer
Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Lower duty on edible oils, nuts; target growth in spice, rice in US deal: Niti Aayog
India should offer concessions on agricultural products from US such as edible oils and nuts where domestic supply gaps exist, and explore duty concessions to boost high-performing exports — including shrimp, fish, spices, rice, tea, coffee, and rubber — in the US market during the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, a Niti Aayog working paper has argued. The need for calibrated negotiations on agricultural trade relations between India and the US arises as India has traditionally maintained relatively high tariffs on politically sensitive agricultural sectors to protect farmers, but the US, under President Donald Trump, has been aggressively pushing for greater market access and lower tariffs, posing a challenge for developing countries such as India. The working paper dated May said India can offer some concessions to the US in the 'import of soybean oil' to meet US demands to reduce the trade imbalance, without harming domestic production, as India is the largest importer of edible oil in the world and the US has a huge export surplus of soybean. 'Import soybean seed from US 'We should also explore the option of importing soybean seed and using it for extracting oil in the coastal areas, then selling the oil in the domestic market and exporting the meal, for which there is adequate overseas demand. This will avoid genetically modified (GM) feed entering the Indian market,' the paper, authored by Senior Adviser at NITI Aayog, Raka Saxena, and Member of NITI Aayog, Ramesh Chand, said. 'Similarly, corn may be imported for ethanol blending, and its by-products — like Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) — can be entirely exported to avoid GM feed in the country. US corn is cheaper and can be used to meet India's biofuel targets without disrupting local food and feed markets,' the paper said. Notably, soybeans and corn are among the US top exports to China, where a trade war may affect agricultural trade between the two countries. According to a Reuters report, US soybean exports may drop 20 per cent and prices could plunge if the United States and China fail to resolve their trade dispute, limiting US soybeans from accessing their largest market. Ease US apple imports 'Indian producers already enjoy supply advantages in commodities like rice and pepper. High tariffs on such products by India, which are regularly exported by the country, can be easily lowered or even removed in the bilateral trade accord. Such tariffs are not relevant for trade with countries like the US,' the paper said. The Niti Aayog paper said India can consider lower tariffs on agricultural commodities where either domestic production is small or imports do not compete with domestic production due to different quality grades and seasons. 'For example, US apples sell at a premium price in Indian retail markets due to different quality, long shelf life, and off-season availability.' Boost exports of fish, spices & coffee 'India should negotiate more access to the US market for high-performing exports like shrimp, fish, spices, rice, tea, coffee, and rubber. India earns approximately $5.75 billion annually from agri-exports to the US. Expanding this through duty waivers or TRQs should be part of trade talks,' the paper said. The authors said that US is expected to remain a big market for export of surplus food from India and all efforts need to be made to keep favorable environment for export to US. 'This should include strategic opening for US imports into India to achieve larger gains in exports. The ongoing negotiations between the two countries for a bilateral trade accord seem to be the best option for resetting long term trade relationships'. 'Export basket should emphasize both, traditional products like fishery and rice sold in large volume and a large number of high value products, differentiated products, ethnic products, attribute-based products, health foods, processed food etc. which are individually small but cumulatively quite large,' the paper said. In the last 10 years, India's agricultural exports to the US grew nearly fivefold, from $1.18 billion to $5.75 billion and the share of the US in India's total agricultural exports saw a slight decline, dropping from 11.5 per cent in 2004 to 9.8 per cent in 2024. Meanwhile, India's agricultural imports from the US increased even faster, rising from $291 million in 2004 to $2,217.9 million in 2024. Ravi Dutta Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, covering policy issues related to trade, commerce, and banking. He has over five years of experience and has previously worked with Mint, CNBC-TV18, and other news outlets. ... Read More
