TC Web Desk
In continuation with the trend from the previous year, export of agricultural and processed food products rose by 14% in the first three months of the current fiscal (April-June) compared to the corresponding period last year.
For the year 2022-23, the government had set an export target of $23.56 billion for the agricultural and processed food products basket under APEDA. The initiatives undertaken taken have so achieved 25% of the total annual export target in the first quarter of 2022-23.
According to the quick estimates data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), the overall export of products under APEDA ambit (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) increased to $5987 million in April-June 2022 from $5256 million over the same period of the last fiscal. The export target for April-June 2022-23 was $5890 million. The APEDA basket excludes tea, coffee, spices, cotton and marine exports.
The exports of fresh fruits and vegetables registered a growth of 8.6%, while processed food products like cereals and miscellaneous processed items reported an impressive growth of 36.4% compared to the corresponding months of the previous year. In April-June, 2021, fresh fruits and vegetables were exported to the tune of $642 million which increased to $697 million in the corresponding months of the current fiscal. Other cereals’ export increased from $237 million in April-June 2021 to $306 million in April-June 2022 and the export of meat, dairy and poultry products increased from $1,023 million in April-June 2021 to $1120 million in April-June 2022.
Rice exports witnessed a growth of 13% in the first three months of 2022-23, while the export of meat, dairy and poultry products increased by 9.5% percent and the export of other cereals increased by 29%. The export of rice increased from $2412 million in April-June 2021 to $2723 million in April-June 2022. The dairy products were exported to the tune of $1,120 million in the first three months of the current fiscal from a million in the same period last year.
“We continue to provide technical and financial assistance to various stakeholders in the agricultural goods value chains for boosting exports of unique products from the country. Through creating a necessary eco-system of exports along with collaboration with key stakeholders in the agri-exports value chains, we are aiming to sustain the growth in India’s agricultural and processed food exports in the current fiscal as well,” said M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA.
India’s agricultural products exports had grown by 19.92% during 2021-22 to touch $50.21 billion. This was over and above the growth of 17.66% per cent at $41.87 billion achieved in 2020-21despite logistical challenges in the form of high freight rates and container shortages.
The government has also taken several initiatives to promote products having registered geographical indications (GI) in India by organising virtual Buyer Seller Meets on agricultural and food products with the United Arab Emirates and on GI products, including handicrafts with the USA. In order to ensure seamless quality certification of products to be exported, the government has recognised 220 labs across India to provide services of testing to a wide range of products and exporters.
