India will stop importing fruits, vegetables, flowers: Union Minister Chouhan
Bengaluru (PTI): Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said India aims to achieve self-reliance in the production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, asserting that imports in these sectors would no longer be necessary.
Addressing a review meeting with officials at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) here, Chouhan said the focus was on identifying high-demand crops and ensuring their domestic production is profitable for farmers.
Outlining the government’s approach, he said, "Two or three things are our target. We will not import fruits, flowers, and vegetables. We have to become self-reliant in this field."
The Union Minister for Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare noted that India had already made significant progress, calling current production levels "historic.”
Referring to crops previously dependent on imports, Chouhan said, "We were importing avocado; now we have started producing it."
He stressed the need to extend this approach to other emerging crops, adding, "We have to become self-reliant in dragon fruits."
He said officials had been directed to identify fruits that must be produced domestically and to promote their cultivation among farmers.
"I have told officials to identify fruits which have to be produced in India. We will encourage farmers to grow them," he said, underlining that profitability would be the key driver.
"They will take up production only when it is profitable," he added.
On vegetables, Chouhan said India does not face any compulsion to import.
"In terms of vegetables, there is no situation requiring imports," he said.
Highlighting post-harvest challenges, the minister said shelf life remained a major concern for farmers.
"Another problem faced by our farmers is shelf life. They want to increase the shelf life of tomatoes," he said, adding that similar demands were emerging for other crops.
"Now they are demanding an increase in custard apple’s shelf life," he said.
Reiterating the broader vision, Chouhan said self-reliance in agriculture was essential for a self-reliant India.
"For a self-reliant India, we have to be self-reliant in vegetables and flowers as well. We will not import them," he said, adding that research would focus on farmer-friendly varieties capable of delivering profits.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
