Soil health and water management: prioritise sustainable, climate resilient agricultural practices to secure farmer incomes and production.
Restoration of topsoil health, optimized water use and climate change response are the principal challenges for Indian agriculture, and are presented as priorities to sustain productivity and farmer livelihoods. Government programmes cited to strengthen farmer income and profitability include Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Fasal Bima Yojana, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Soil Health Card, Kisan Credit Card, eNAM and an Agriculture Export Policy to expand market access.

Export competitiveness strategy seeks to revitalise trade via sector-specific action matrices and streamlined digital export procedures.
Commerce Ministry is implementing a coordinated export competitiveness strategy using sector-wise, commodity-wise and territory-wise action matrices informed by inter-ministerial and stakeholder consultations, with ministerial monitoring and engagement to address constraints with revenue and environmental authorities. The Ministry will launch an agri export policy to enable surplus agricultural production to reach global markets and DGFT is digitizing export procedures, removing hard-copy requirements, upgrading IT infrastructure, and planning online training for first-time exporters to streamline export facilitation.

Agriculture export policy to establish agro-specific zones and boost organic market access for farmers.
The Government is preparing an Agriculture Export Policy to establish agro-specific zones to expand exports, double farmers' incomes, and reduce food wastage, with a focus on niche organic markets; the policy builds on India's organic production, NPOP certification, existing export volumes and destination markets, and promotion through events like BIOFACH India.

Phytosanitary requirements revised to permit non-basmati rice exports after inspections and facility clearances under bilateral MoU.
Clearance of additional rice mills expands exporter eligibility for non-basmati rice after facility inspections and registration under a bilateral memorandum that amended the existing phytosanitary protocol; certification and compliance with the revised sanitary and phytosanitary standards are required to enable consignments.

Bilateral trade cooperation expands sectoral partnerships and technology transfers, leveraging services liberalisation to boost India-Vietnam commerce.
High-level bilateral talks aim to strengthen bilateral trade cooperation by expanding sectoral partnerships in IT, cybersecurity, healthcare and biotechnology, aviation, shipping, nuclear energy for peaceful uses, remote sensing, electronics and new materials, and by promoting agri and food trade through trade-promotion activities like Indusfood. The meeting emphasises leveraging services liberalisation to enhance labour mobility, providing technological assistance for socio-economic and logistics development, and using TPCI's trade facilitation role to coordinate investment, capacity-building and promotional tie-ups to increase two-way commerce.

Export promotion through trade exhibitions expands market access and commercial tie ups for Indian construction exporters in Mexico.
A Trade Promotion Council-led delegation of 45 Indian exhibitors in construction sectors is showcasing products at Expo Cihac in Mexico City to increase brand exposure, expand market access in Mexico and Latin America, and stimulate exports. The initiative emphasizes using the exhibition and the parallel Source India Mexico programme to pursue export promotion, joint ventures, technology transfer, and marketing tie ups, particularly to grow ceramic product exports where current shipments to Mexico remain comparatively limited.

Trade deficit widens as imports outpace exports, driven by higher oil imports and provisional services data.
Merchandise exports declined month on month in September 2018 in dollar terms though cumulative April-September exports rose; imports increased substantially in September and cumulatively, driven in large part by a sharp rise in oil imports and higher commodity imports, producing a wider overall trade deficit for April-September 2018 19. Services data used are provisional (April-August) from RBI with an estimated September addition; the combined merchandise and provisional services position yields an enlarged overall deficit, and all September figures are subject to revision by RBI.

Export growth leads mid year trade update, showing broad based gains while dollar terms reflect a base effect dip.
Mid-year assessment reports robust merchandise export growth in April-September 2018, stronger in Rupee terms and positive in US dollar terms; Non petroleum and Non Gems & Jewellery exports also rose, showing breadth. September 2018 exports increased in Rupee terms but declined marginally in US dollar terms due to a base effect from September 2017. Major commodity groups with positive monthly export growth include petroleum products, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles and plastics. Imports expanded over April-September and in September, and the merchandise trade deficit for the periods is reported, with September's deficit the lowest in five months despite high oil prices.

RCEP negotiations: members urged to intensify market talks and meet the Package of Year End Deliverables.
Ministers in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership reviewed progress, welcomed narrowing of gaps and urged intensified market negotiations to meet the Package of Year End Deliverables. On the margins, bilateral consultations were held to advance talks and secure support for concluding the agreement; Singapore requested India's help in expediting negotiations and the next Trade Negotiating Committee session was scheduled to continue negotiations.

Improved connectivity will expand bilateral food and beverage trade between India and Bangladesh and ease regional integration.
Improved connectivity and trade facilitation are presented as the primary mechanism to expand bilateral commerce between India and Bangladesh, emphasizing food and beverage export opportunities in items like fruits, pulses, rice, tea, turmeric and sugar. Reconstruction of traditional river waterways and development of new transport routes are identified as infrastructural measures to reduce indirect routing, strengthen direct trade corridors, and improve access to India's North Eastern States, while events and buyer delegations (such as Indus Food) are framed as platforms to match demand and supply.

International sourcing fosters access for Indian F&B suppliers to global retail chains via an export-focused trade fair.
Indusfood-II is an export-focused trade facilitation initiative organized to connect Indian F&B suppliers with international buyers through direct B2B meetings, delegation visits, and discussions on long-term supply or investment agreements. The event aims to promote market access for value-added and bulk Indian food products by establishing direct contacts with major global retailers and strategic purchasers seeking supply arrangements for food security and processing industries.

Methanol cooking fuel adoption as a safe, cannister-based LPG substitute promising local production, cost savings and reduced fuel imports.
Launch of a methanol cooking fuel programme deploying cannister-based stoves via a 500-household pilot and planned multi-state scale-up, linked to domestic methanol production expansion and technology transfer to enable large-scale stove and cannister manufacturing. The system is presented as a safe, regulator-free alternative able to substitute conventional cooking fuels and to allow low-ratio blending of a methanol derivative with LPG, with stated cost and transport advantages supporting import substitution and pollution reduction objectives.

Free Trade Agreements' tariff concessions limit India's export access to China; study urges negotiating parity and exploiting market gaps.
The study analyses India's rising trade deficit with China by examining bilateral merchandise trade at HS 6 digit level, China's MFN tariffs, and tariff concessions China granted to competing partners on 200 products; it assesses whether those concessions impede India's export share and explores services export opportunities using Revealed Comparative Advantage and Trade Complementarity Index, and potential gains from the US-China trade standoff.

SEZ policy reform seeks to transform zones into Employment and Economic Enclaves to boost jobs and WTO compatibility.
The Committee sought to revise the 2000 SEZ policy to ensure WTO compatibility, boost manufacturing competitiveness, expand SEZs to include specified services, maximize use of vacant land, and align SEZs with other industrial and coastal initiatives. It proposed transforming SEZs into Employment and Economic Enclaves (3Es), an integrated ecosystem focused on ease of doing business, quality and infrastructure improvements to reduce costs and support large-scale manufacturing employment.

Monetary policy: repo rate held at 6.5% with calibrated tightening to target 4% CPI while supporting growth.
The MPC maintained the policy repo rate at 6.5 per cent and adopted a stance of calibrated tightening to achieve the medium-term CPI inflation objective of 4 per cent within a +/-2 percentage band while supporting growth, noting upside inflation risks from rising crude prices, input cost pass-through, MSP and HRA effects, and downside growth risks from tighter global financial conditions.

Domestic production drive to boost availability, diversify exports and attract capital inflows to support industrial expansion.
The meeting, chaired by the Commerce Minister, directed Secretaries of multiple ministries to raise domestic production through improved capacity utilization and capacity creation, pursue export diversification to address the merchandise trade deficit, and coordinate with fiscal and monetary authorities to increase capital inflows to support production expansion.

Export promotion strategy coordinates ministries to boost priority sectors through credit support, incentives and trade facilitation.
An inter ministerial export promotion strategy targets nine priority sectors with commodity wise and territory wise short and long term action points subject to high level monitoring. The plan calls for coordinated engagement of line ministries, Export Promotion Councils and regional trade associations, exploration of barter and collaborative exports, attraction of relocating industries via regulatory simplification, and a focus on labour intensive SEZ job creation. Policy measures include pursuing priority sector status for export credit, enhanced credit and interest subvention allocations, continuation of SEIS/MEIS, and trade facilitation steps such as removal of pre import conditions and CGST rule amendments, all within WTO commitments.

Phytosanitary protocol expansion allows conditional export of non basmati rice to China after registration and certification of mills.
The amended phytosanitary protocol between China's customs authority and India's agriculture department extends export approval to non basmati rice, establishing inspection, certification and registration requirements for eligible Indian mills; nineteen processors were registered and a commercial consignment has been arranged for delivery to a Chinese state food purchaser, creating conditional market access for registered exporters under the protocol.

Tariff increases on non essential imports to curb trade deficit; higher basic customs duty applies from the notified effective date.
Increase in the basic customs duty has been imposed on nineteen specified imported goods-including household appliances, components, consumer electronics, footwear, tyres, diamond and gemstone products, jewellery, plastics articles, travel goods, and aviation turbine fuel-to curb non essential imports and narrow the current account deficit; revised duty rates take effect from the notified effective date and notifications are being issued.

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement discussions aim to enhance bilateral trade, investment and regulatory cooperation between India and Bangladesh.
Ministers agreed to pursue a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement study and establish a Bangladesh-India CEO Forum with sectoral subgroups to enhance trade and investment; to fast-track Border Haats and improve Land Customs Stations and clearance at Petrapole-Benapole; to address test-certificate recognition for BSTI subject to accreditation and interim measures; to examine anti-dumping concerns with industry consultations; and to cooperate on capacity building, connectivity projects and adherence to a rules-based multilateral trading system.