Food Financial News

Several Indian states plan to integrate trees into mainstream farming systems to improve soil health, capture atmospheric carbon, and diversify rural livelihoods, as crop yields drop due to climate change and land degradation.Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are in the process of launching state-specific agroforestry policies to include tree-based farming as a driver of sustainable economic growth, according to six people aware of the development.The proposed frameworks will ease timber and paper transit regulations, promote high-value tree species, facilitate access to quality planting material, and encourage private sector participation in value chains such as pulp, plywood, bioenergy, and fruit processing, the people said.Nearly 1.7 billion people globally live in regions where crop yields are declining due to human-induced land degradation, posing a direct threat to agricultural productivity and food security, according to The State of Food and Agriculture 2025. Agroforestry—cultivating trees alongside crops and livestock—is increasingly being viewed as a solution to rising input costs, erratic weather patterns, and land degradation.In India, trees outside forests (TOF) account for 8.65% of the total land area of 328.7 million hectares.

food safety monitoring and traceability by improving documentation of production and storage practices, according to the notification, reviewed by Mint.Such daily documentation will help ensure real-time visibility into food-handling practices across the supply chain, a government official said on condition of anonymity. Clearer documentation could also reduce disputes during inspections.The regulator has not specified the implementation date for the new norms and has invited comments until 5 April 2026.The proposal, notified under the WTO’s Technical Barriers to Trade framework, will apply to all licensees under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.Mint's emailed queries to the FSSAI chief executive Rajit Punhani remained unanswered.FSSAI data shows that it has issued licences to over 10 million food business operators (FBOs) with the number of currently active ones at around 4.63 million.An industry representative flagged compliance cost and regulatory friction that will accompany the new norms.“Daily reporting would add another burden on small businesses,” said Vinod Kumar, President, SME Forum that represents micro, small, and medium enterprises in India.

₹1.53 trillion annually.The push was outlined during a meeting chaired by the secretary of the ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI), according to a government statement on Tuesday, and reflects a broader attempt to modernize the farm economy by shifting value creation away from raw produce toward processed and packaged foods. Policymakers say the approach could stabilize farmer incomes, reduce wastage and strengthen exports through investments in infrastructure, technology adoption, and value addition.As India seeks to modernize its agriculture, expanding processing capacity has emerged as a key policy focus.

New Delhi: How much chicory is in your coffee? If you’re not sure or don’t care, you will get to know starting in July, when the percentage of chicory will be displayed quite prominently on coffee powder packs.India’s apex food regulator wants to ensure that customers are aware of the volume of chicory in their preferred brew, according to two government officials and a document reviewed by Mint.In a major overhaul for beverage labelling, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has finalized a new mandate requiring ‘prominent declarations’ on the front of the pack so that blended coffee is not mistaken for 100% pure coffee. Also, the font sizes of these declarations must be proportionate to the logo dimensions, with a 1 July enforcement date.Chicory is a popular additive that provides a darker colour and an earthy taste to the beverage.

India’s plastic bottles industry faces a ₹10,000 crore quandary: investments in a costlier, recyclable, food-grade material risk turning dud as regulatory uncertainty has slowed adoption by beverage makers.India drafted rules in February 2022to make it mandatory for beverage-grade bottles to contain at least 30% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (r-PET). It’s a kind of material that can be fully recycled.

GST cuts to take effect in September. Analysts at JM Financial predicted in September that the price reduction could translate into 9-10% additional volume growth for air-conditioners. As the segment is fiercely competitive, most sellers passed the benefit on to customers.Listed AC makers reported a difficult quarter.

poha becomes 200 calories. Chapatis, dosas and pooris all become data points.When it started in 2012, the idea felt almost premature. India was only beginning to embrace food delivery apps and venture capital was chasing e-commerce and mobility.

luxury; it is a way of life. As soon as they start earning, young Indians are taking their first international trip. There is also a shift in attitude.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Climate Change & You is a fortnightly newsletter written by Bibek Bhattacharya and Sayantan Bera. Subscribe to Mint’s newsletters to get them directly in your inbox. Dear reader, If you own a petrol vehicle, you must be aware by now that the fuel you use is a blend.

Bengaluru: Swiggy’s decision to shut down its standalone 10-minute food-delivery app Snacc underscores the steep financial hurdles of ultra-fast food fulfillment, a format that remains difficult to scale even with simplified operations. Industry executives told Mint that the move highlights the persistent struggle to build a viable business model in a space where multiple platforms are still racing to find a solution.“Speed alone does not make food delivery work.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge is expected to show prices rose faster in December, reinforcing policymakers’ increasing caution on cutting interest rates. The consensus call among economists surveyed by FactSet is that core personal consumption expenditures, which don’t include volatile food or energy prices, rose 0.37% in December from the prior month and 3.0% from a year earlier, up from 2.8% in November.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: A few years back, a fertilizer manufacturer from India carried out an internal survey of farmers in the 40+ age group. A stark finding was that most farmers felt they were not going to bequeath a worthy asset, the plot of land on which they farm, to the next generation.

The first estimates of inflation based on the revised series of India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) were released last week. The new CPI series uses 2024 as the base year. Accordingly, inflation in January was 2.75% (the price index’s increase, i.e., over the same month of 2025), with rural inflation at 2.73% and urban at 2.77%.

The world moves on different wavelengths. Some are high-frequency shocks—wars, emerging technologies, market panics—that spike quickly and dominate our attention. Others are low-frequency forces that move slowly but relentlessly: demographics, globalization, water and food scarcity.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In India today, statistics are no longer confined to official reports or technical briefings. Employment numbers trend on TV.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Legacy FMCG players, long dependent on general trade, are increasingly turning to quick commerce for growth. Quick commerce is still considered a niche and a pathway to growth and fame for premium, digital-first brands.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. BENGALURU : E-retailers are widening the scope of their loyalty programmes to capture everyday spending on food, groceries, and daily essentials, giving reward points a life beyond air miles and luxury splurges.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Swiggy and IPO-bound Zepto's delivery operations inside the national capital's Bharat Mandapam on the inaugural day of the India AI Impact Summit were meant to showcase India's quick commerce prowess before a global audience. Instead, deliveries faltered and orders got cancelled through the chaotic day, with delivery executives as well as security personnel clueless on the hazy entry policies.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. KAMPALA, Uganda—Ten million people face hunger in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s east, and it isn’t because there is no food to be had. It is largely because people can’t get what food there is.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s new consumer price index (CPI) series, released last week by the statistics ministry as part of a huge two-year long exercise to revise key macroeconomic variables, is a marked improvement over the one it has replaced. The CPI’s base year, methodology and coverage have been updated to better reflect what Indian households consume.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For decades, the 'Made in India' label sat uneasily on global retail shelves, signalling an easy pick for discount-hunter. Now, New Delhi is betting that a flurry of newly minted trade deals can flip that script, repositioning the world’s fastest-growing major economy as a producer of premium, high-margin goods to the world’s wealthiest consumers.