India calls for norms to fix default maximum pesticides residue limit

In a submission to the WTO last week, India said that stringent MRLs can be trade-restrictive and act as non-tariff barriers to international trade, disproportionately affecting exporters from developing countries.

Despite global economic uncertainties, India’s services exports surged by 11.4% to $345 billion in 2023, outpacing China, whose shipments from the sector shrank by 10.1% to $381 billion, as per a UNCTAD report. Key sectors driving India’s growth include travel, transport, medical, and hospitality services. The world’s services exports, exceeding $7.9 trillion in 2023 with […]

India’s engineering goods exports, including steel and machinery, increased by 10.7% YoY to $11.28 billion in March, despite supply issues caused by disruptions in shipping through the Red Sea. In the 2023/24 financial year, engineering goods exports rose 2.13% to $109.3 billion. However, global demand slowdown, Russia-Ukraine war, and Middle East conflict have impacted exports. […]

The Indian government has eased an export ban on white onion exports from three ports. Exporters must obtain a certificate from the Horticulture Commissioner of Gujarat certifying the item and quantity of onion. The exports are allowed from Mundra Port, Pipavav Port, and Nhava Sheva/JNPT Port. The ban was imposed to increase domestic availability and […]

CCI President, Sergey Katyrin, who is currently heading a Russian delegation of entrepreneurs in India, inaugurated the new office by cutting the ceremonial ribbon alongside prominent Indian officials.

India is engaging in discussions with various countries to seek technical assistance for lithium processing, aiming to bolster its emerging lithium mining and electric vehicle industries and reduce dependence on China. The Ministry of Mines initiated talks with Australia and the US last year, along with private companies reaching out to Bolivia, Britain, Japan, and […]

“We have identified 20 products. At present, India’s share is low in global exports. We are working on a detailed action for all these products,” said Rajesh Agarwal, additional secretary, department of commerce, adding that the action plan will be discussed with all the stakeholders including states for further action.

Azerbaijan has been slow in full implementation of INSTC, which has otherwise contributed to increase in India-Russia trade since 2022. Armenia is also interested in developing a branch of INSTC. While the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan route is another branch of INSTC, another branch is the Iran-Caspian Sea route.

Heightened tensions between Iran and Israel are expected to increase freight charges and insurance premiums for shipping vessels on global routes. Ships bound for western European countries and the US are particularly at risk. Freight rates have already risen by about $100 per container for ships going through the Red Sea due to disruptions and […]

At a WTO meeting, they argued that the EU’s safeguard duty – brought into force after the United States in 2018 imposed additional duties on certain categories of steel imports from the bloc – was inconsistent with the global trade body’s rules. WTO members, including India, also criticised similar duties imposed by the United Kingdom.