TC Web Desk
Exports of agricultural and processed food products rose by 25% within the first six months of the current financial year (April-September) in comparison to the corresponding period of last year, according to the provisional data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S). The overall export of Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) products increased to $13,771 million in April-September 2022 from $11056 million over the same period of the last fiscal year.
The initiatives taken by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through APEDA have helped the country achieve 58% of its total export target for the year 2022-23 within six months of the current fiscal. For the year 2022-23, an export target of $23.56 billion has been fixed by APEDA for the agricultural and processed food products basket and an export of $13.77 billion has already been achieved in these six months of the current fiscal.
As per the DGCI&S provisional data, processed fruits and vegetables recorded a significant growth of 42.42%, while fresh fruits registered 4% growth as opposed to corresponding months of the previous year. Also, processed food products like cereals and miscellaneous processed items reported a growth of 29.36% compared to the first six months of the previous year.
In April-September, 2021, fresh fruits were exported to the tune of $301 million, which increased to $313 million in the corresponding months of the current fiscal. Exports of processed F&V jumped to $1,024 million in six months of the current fiscal from $719 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.
The export of pulses has witnessed an increase of 144% in Q2 of the current fiscal in comparison to the corresponding months of the last fiscal as the export of lentils increased from $135 million last year to $330 million in this fiscal. Basmati rice exports witnessed a growth of 37.36% in six months as its export increased from $1,660 million to $2280 million, while the export of non-Basmati rice registered a growth of 8% in Q2 of current fiscal. Its export increased to $3207 million in six months from $2969 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.
The export of meat, dairy and poultry products increased by 10.29% and the export of other cereals recorded a growth of 12.29% in six months of the current fiscal. The poultry products alone registered a growth of 83% as its export rose to $57 million within the half-year bracket of the current fiscal from USD 31 million recorded for the corresponding months of the previous year. Similarly, dairy products recorded a growth of 58% with exports rising to $342 million in Q2 of the current fiscal from $216 million in Q2 of the previous year. Wheat export registered an increase of 136% in Q2 of the current fiscal, grossing $1,487 million in April-September 2022 from $630 million last year.
Export of other cereals increased from $467 million in April-September 2021 to $525 million in April-September 2022 and the export of livestock products increased from $1,903 million in April-September 2021 to $2,099 million in April-September 2022.
“We have been working with all the stakeholders such as farmers, exporters, and processors to ensure that quality agricultural and processed food products are exported from the country,” said M Angamuthu, Chairman, of APEDA.
As per the DGCI&S data, the country’s agricultural products exports had grown by 19.92% in the latest FY of 2022 to touch $50.21 billion. The growth rate is significant as it is over and above the growth of 17.66% at $41.87 billion achieved in the previous financial year and has been accomplished despite unprecedented logistical challenges in the form of high freight rates and container shortages, etc.
APEDA had scripted a new chapter by facilitating the export of agricultural and processed food products worth $25.6 billion in 2021-22, which was around 51% of India’s total agricultural goods exports of more than $50 billion.
“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,” Angamuthu, said.
To ensure seamless quality certification of products to be exported, APEDA has recognised 220 labs across India to provide services of testing to a wide range of products and exporters.
