The Ministry of Commerce & Industry on Tuesday informed that Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) organised more than 27 flag offs in the current financial year i.e. FY23-24 to promote the export of ODOP and GI products to newer destinations.
APEDA exported the products to several new destinations including the export of Guava from Baramati, Maharashtra to UAE, Colocasia from Pakur, Jharkhand to Singapore, Varanasi’s Marigold to Sharjah and more.
In addition to promoting agricultural produce, APEDA also engages in capacity building initiatives for FPOs as they are increasingly recognized as essential aggregators of farm produce, pivotal in streamlining the supply chain and ensuring efficient market access for farmers.
As per the Ministry, APEDA has transformed 119 FPOs/FPCs into exporters over a period of five years.
APEDA has APEDA has taken agricultural exports to a remarkable figure of USD 26.7 billion in the fiscal year 2022-23 from USD 0.6 billion in exports during 1987-88 through various efforts and initiatives.
The agri-export promotion body in collaboration with the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), has embarked on a proactive initiative to develop sea protocols tailored for the export of fresh produce to long-distance markets. This strategic endeavour aims to optimize the export process for promising fresh fruits, facilitating efficient transportation and reducing logistics costs.
As part of this initiative, trial shipments of mangoes and pomegranates to the USA and the European Union are being planned. In a significant breakthrough, bananas were successfully shipped by sea to the Netherlands in November and to Russia in January. The implementation of sea protocols is poised to enable a quantum increase in exports of items such as bananas, mangoes, pomegranates, and other fresh fruits and vegetables, further enhancing India’s presence in international markets.