India is in the midst of a retail boom. The sector witnessed significant transformation in the past decade - from small unorganised family-owned retail formats to organised retailing. Indian business houses and manufacturers are setting up retail formats while real estate companies and venture capitalist are investing in retail infrastructure. Many international brands have entered the market. With the growth in organised retailing, unorganised retailers are fast changing their business models. However, retailing is one of the few sectors where foreign direct investment (FDI) is not allowed at present. Stakeholders, trading associations, politicians, etc. have given various arguments for and against FDI in retailing. However, such arguments are largely based on perception and there has not been serious academic research in this area. To fill this lacuna, this survey-based study analyses the current retail scenario in India, investigates the growth across different segments of retailing and evaluates the likely impact of allowing FDI on various stakeholders in different retail segments. Experiences of other countries in allowing FDI and its impact are also discussed. Presently, foreign players are entering the market through different routes. The entry process and their perception about the Indian market are analysed. The study investigates the structural, regulatory, fiscal and other barriers affecting the performance of retail trade and suggests reforms for the removal of such barriers. It also provides valuable policy inputs in terms of the time-frame in and the process through which the Indian government can open up this sector to FDI so as to maximise the welfare and minimise the adjustment. It also lists the conditions that may be imposed on foreign retailers if FDI is allowed.

Services sector is the largest contributor to India's gross domestic product (GDP) and GDP growth. The share of services in international trade, foreign investment inflows and employment has increased over time. The share of India's trade in services in its total trade is higher than the global average. Despite the growing importance of services sector to the Indian economy, the country does not have a robust institutional mechanism for collecting information on international trade in services. Non-availability of accurate database is a major hindrance towards framing appropriate policy for promoting services sector exports. In this context, the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), which has been mandated to develop a comprehensive database on India's trade in services, engaged the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), to conduct pilot surveys of four services sectors namely: audiovisual, logistics, professional and telecommunications services; examine the institutional and regulatory framework of trade in services data collection in select countries and make policy recommendations. The findings of the pilot surveys along with the issues faced and the way forward are presented in this report. This report will provide the policymakers a roadmap to develop a robust institutional and regulatory framework for data collection on trade in services, learning from the global best practices. The report will help businesses to understand the country's strengths in export of services and the key export markets. It will provide academics and sector experts a detailed analysis of trade in select services sector.

Globally, there is growing awareness of the adverse impact of chemical inputs on soil, environment and human health. This has prompted both developed and developing countries to shift towards organic farming and organic food products. The Government of India has been actively supporting organic farming through various polices and schemes. India has an advantage of producing organic food products and is among the top 10 global exporters of such products. The domestic market for organic food products is growing at a fast pace. Given this background, the objective of this report is to: (a) understand recent trends and developments in organic farming globally and the scope for the development of organic farming in and export of organic food products from India, (b) identify global best practices in regulations on organic products, (c) examine the measures taken by the Indian government to support organic farming and organic food, (d) identify the issues faced by organic farmers and organic processed food producers, exporters, importers and other supply chain agents, (e) find the policy gaps, and (f) make policy recommendations to the government for the holistic growth of this sector based on global best practices and the country's own requirements. The report is based on the first pan-India primary survey of companies and farmers following different organic certification processes.

India is one of the largest producers of a number of agriculture products in the world. The country ranks second in the production of fruits and vegetables in the world, after China. With a growing domestic population, India is one of the largest consumer bases of agriculture produce. However the actual availability of agriculture produce to Indian consumers is low due to huge wastages in the supply chain. Food supply chain is regarded as one of the priority sectors for the country and the Indian government is actively encouraging foreign investors to invest in sectors such as storage and warehousing, cold chain, packaging, skill development and research and development in food supply chain. The United Kingdom is a crucial partner for investments and collaborations in the sector. Against this backdrop, the report examines opportunities for collaboration and investment by foreign businesses, particularly the UK companies in food supply chain in India. Based on a primary survey in India and in-depth meetings with stakeholders in the UK, this report identifies the barriers faced by the UK businesses and other foreign businesses in India and presents go-to-market strategy for the UK businesses and other foreign companies in India. The report list the incentives, schemes and polices of the Indian government in five areas of food supply chain namely cold chains, storage and warehouses, packaging technology, skill development and R&D. It also makes policy recommendations on how to reduce wastage in the supply chain, benefit farmers, consumers and other stakeholders through modern supply chain technologies, and facilitate more investment inflows from the UK and other countries.

India is one of the largest food and grocery markets in the world and a large consumer of food products. Despite having a rich raw material base for food products, high food price inflation is becoming a major challenge facing the country. There is a shortage of supply due to issues in the food supply chain. The food supply chain is fragmented and only seven per cent of the perishable products are being processed. To counter this, the Indian government is offering several incentives to private and foreign investors in the food processing sector reflecting the government's intention to attract investment. The large and unsaturated Indian market has attracted a number of foreign companies yet the country has not been able to be a part of their global production networks. There is a need for reforms in the food supply chain to enable India to reach out to its unrealised potential. Given this background, this report examines the opportunities and potential for international businesses in the food supply chain of India. The report tries to make international businesses better acquainted with the Indian market by providing detailed information about the central and state governments' policies on the food supply chain. It highlights the barriers faced by international businesses in India and suggests a go-to-market strategy for international businesses. The report identifies the current and potential gains for India from the entry of foreign businesses and makes policy recommendation based on a clear understanding of the expectations and experiences of international businesses in India and global best practices.