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India today asked Lebanon, a Middle East country, to explore possibility of importing sugar, wheat and vegetables like potato and tomato from India.
This was among key issues which Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh discussed in a meeting with visiting Lebanon Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb here.
In the meeting, Singh said “Lebanon imports from other countries of the world agricultural items such as fresh potatoes and tomatoes, durum wheat and sugar in which India has potential to export to Lebanon.”
The Minister requested the Middle East country to “explore possibilities for importing of these and other items from India to enhance bilateral trade between the two countries,” an official statement said.
Besides, India also urged Lebanon to avail investment opportunities in India in setting up of mega food parks and cold chain for ensuring better supply chain.
Emphasising cooperation in farm sector, Singh said that the two countries can also explore institutional cooperation for exchange of information on research and development and transfer of technology and know-how.
The Lebanon Agriculture Minister sought easing of visa procedures to boost bilateral trade.
In a separate meeting organised by industry body FICCI, Lebanon said it was keen to export its wine to India but sought India to cut customs duty and other taxes on it.
“We want to boost trade ties with India. In case of wine, customs duty in India is very high. There should be a good level of customs duty so that we can market better,” said Henri Atallah, Advisor to Lebanon Farm and Commerce Minister.
There is a need to address this issue, he added and said Lebanon is keen to export olive oil, honey, dry fruits and other items besides wines.
Echoing views, Labanon Wine Market Association official Zafar Chaousi said that the customs duty and other tariff on wine in India comes to as high as 220 per cent.
Lebanon’s annual wine production is around 9 million bottles, of which 40 per cent is exported to countries like the US and European nations, he added.
In 2013—14, India’s total export of agri-commodities to Lebanon was $69.41 million and during the same period agricultural import from Lebanon was $0.47 million.
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