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Friday / October 11. 2024
HomePosts Tagged "Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA)"

Fresh Turmeric and Mixed fruits consignments flagged off to UAE by FPOs in Varanasi.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, is actively driving initiatives to enhance the contribution and share of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) / Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) in the exports of Agri and processed food products and has till date registered more than 1000 FPO/FPC’s as APEDA Members.

With a dual aim to unlock export opportunities for agricultural and processed food products from the region and to enhance the contribution of FPO’s/FPC’s in the Agri and Processed food products, APEDA organized an exposure visit for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to the UAE. The delegation comprised 47 members, representing FPOs from UP, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.

During the visit, FPO’s visited the Al-Aweer fruit and vegetable market to explore the possibilities and opportunities for Indian agri products specially grown in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Further the delegation of FPOs visited LuLu Hypermarket to understand the requirements and pattern of purchase at Dubai market. During the visit, the FPO representatives also met with a good number of buyers and pitched their produce for export. As an immediate outcome, an FPO among the delegation finalized an order of fresh turmeric which was also flagged off to the UAE market. The other FPO’s have also been able to get promising leads and are currently in negotiation with the buyers. Thus, more orders are expected in the near future.

To evaluate the benefits of the visit and disseminate its outcomes among farmers, APEDA conducted a capacity-building and experience-sharing program in Varanasi on 5th March 2024. In the program, the representatives of FPOs who undertook the visit to the UAE, shared their experiences and learnings of the visit among other member farmers. They briefed them about the requirements/regulations to be followed for exporting agri commodities to the UAE market. They also briefly highlighted the potential products which have a significant untapped demand in the UAE market namely Mango, Green Chilly, Okra etc. which could be tapped by the farmers of the region. They also encouraged the farmers to implement good Agricultural practices (GAP), while farming so as to enable their produce to meet the regulatory requirements of the Importing countries.

Notably, the event also marked the flag-off of a consignment of fresh turmeric to Sharjah, UAE, showcasing the region’s potential for export. Additionally, fresh fruits were exported from Varanasi’s LBSI Airport to the international market, highlighting the region’s expanding export capabilities.

Operating through its regional wing in Varanasi, and taking forward the above vision, APEDA has identified the Purvanchal region as a model Agri Export Hub, recognizing its significance in agricultural trade and has enrolled more than 120 FPO’s from the region as its members. Special focus is being given towards enrolment of FPO’s/FPO’s dealing in ODOP/GI products, those which are Women & SC/ST led and those from the NER/Himalayan States and landlocked areas.

Chairman APEDA, Abhishek Dev, emphasized the significance of exposure visits in exploring agricultural export opportunities, underlining their potential to boost national foreign exchange earnings and improve farmer incomes. He remarked on the keen interest shown by FPOs in agricultural export, recognizing it as a positive indicator of the region’s capacity to meet international market demands. He highlighted Uttar Pradesh’s rise as the third-largest agricultural exporting state in India (APEDA Basket), attributing this achievement to the region’s deep potential and APEDA’s sustained efforts in enhancing the contribution of land-locked areas in exports.

Fresh Turmeric and Mixed fruits consignments flagged

With a focus on direct exports, APEDA transforms 119 FPOs/FPCs into exporters over a period of five years.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has taken a number of steps to ensure that more and more of its Scheduled products are exported to newer destinations. In this regard special emphasis is towards the One District One Product and GI products, and also to source these exports from non-traditional areas/states. As on date, APEDA scheduled products are being exported to more than 203 countries/territories, worldwide. To give this a further fillip, more than 27 flag offs were organised in the current financial year.

APEDA is also actively involved 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. With a focus on enabling direct exports, APEDA has transformed 119 FPOs/FPCs into exporters over a period of five years. Through tailored support and guidance, these FPOs have enhanced their capabilities to navigate global markets, amplifying the presence of Indian agricultural products on the international stage.

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.

With a focus on direct exports, APEDA

APEDA would promote Indian agri- products across the GCC as the LuLu Group has its presence across the GCC, Egypt, India and the Far East with 247 LuLu stores in operation and 24 shopping malls.

To boost exports of agricultural products to the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCCs), the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global retail major Lulu Hypermarket LLC. The MoU, which is aimed at promoting Brand India globally was signed in the presence of Chairman, APEDA, Abhishek Dev and Chairman-cum-Managing Director of LuLu Group, Yusuf Ali MA at the World India Food (WIF) 2023 on November 3, 2023, in New Delhi.

With the MoU, APEDA would promote Indian agricultural products, including Millets across the GCC as the LuLu Group International (LLC) has its presence across the GCC, Egypt, India and the Far East with 247 LuLu stores in operation and 24 shopping malls. The LuLu Group is the fastest growing retail chain in the Middle East and Asia.

The MoU will also facilitate promotional activities for APEDA’s scheduled products with the LuLu Hyper market retail chain. As per the MoU document, Lulu Group will actively promote and showcase a wide range of products in APEDA basket of agricultural and processed food products in their retail outlets.

A dedicated shelf space (special sections or aisles) will be allocated within LuLu Group’s stores to display APEDA’s products prominently and to enhance their visibility. APEDA and LuLu Group will engage with consumers through interactive events, sampling/tasting campaigns, season specific campaigns for fruits and vegetables, new product launch and the promotion of products arising from Himalayan/North Eastern States, organic products, etc.

APEDA also facilitated signing of MoUs of Arunachal Pradesh Marketing Board, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology, Jammu and Meghalaya Agricultural Marketing Board with Lulu group aimed at boosting exports potential from Himalayan and North Eastern states.

The promotional activities will enable maximum dissemination of information and awareness about the benefits of ethnic, unique, and GI- tagged agri-products to the consumers in the destination country. Further feedback from consumers will be actively sought to improve product offerings. The MoU also stated that APEDA and LuLu Group would jointly work to explore opportunities to facilitate the export of agri products through its international network of stores, thereby expanding the global reach of Indian agricultural products and accessibility to consumers.

Both APEDA and LuLu Group would jointly facilitate export-oriented promotional programmes such as Buyer-Seller meets (BSM), R-BSMs/B2B meetings, trade fairs/road shows in association with the Indian Missions abroad and concerned stakeholders.

LuLu Group will provide its assistance in the labelling of products according to the requirements of different importing countries, the MoU paper said, adding that both the parties would mutually decide the commercial matters and applicable terms.

APEDA would promote Indian agri- products across

The plant-based meat market is projected to range from $283 million to $880 million (Rs 2194 crore to Rs 6824 crore). Although the Indian plant-based meat market is currently in its nascent stage, it has already established its position in the market. The market is still small at around Rs 300 crore, but it has the potential to grow 8-10 times and reach Rs 3,500 crore by 2026. Let’s take a closer look at the buoyant plant-based meat space.

The plant-based food sector presents an incredible opportunity to India for the long term by effectively and efficiently utilising natural resources and adding value through processing. It can cater towards the populations living and working in cities as well as those in rural settings, who increasingly have access to cold chains and supermarkets. It can leverage the unique strengths and qualities of its indigenous crops.

The export market for India’s plant-based sector is projected to be significant by 2030, with the plant-based meat market expected to be larger than that of milk, as per a report by the Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA). The plant-based meat market is projected to range from $283 million to $880 million (Rs 2194 crore to Rs 6824 crore). Although the Indian plant-based meat market is currently in its nascent stage, it has already established its position in the market. The market is still small at around Rs 300 crore, but it has the potential to grow 8-10 times and reach Rs 3,500 crore by 2026. Let’s take a closer look at the buoyant plant-based meat space.

In September 2022, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Authority (APEDA) facilitated the export of first consignment of plant-based meat products under vegan food category from Nadiad in Kheda district in Gujarat to California, the United States of America (USA) in a move to boost exports of unique agricultural processed food products. The first shipment has vegan food products like momos, mini samosas, patties, nuggets, spring rolls, burgers, etc. The shipments were exported by Greennest and Wholesome Foods. 

Stressing on exploring new foreign destinations, APEDA Chairman, Dr M Angamuthu said that APEDA is working towards promotion of plant-based meat products in a big way without disturbing the conventional animal-based meat export market. The APEDA has planned to promote a variety of vegan foods products, including pancake, snacks, cheese, etc, to the countries of Australia, Israel, New Zealand and others in coming months.

With the growing popularity of vegan food products in developed countries, the plant-based food products have a huge export potential in the international market due to the high nutrient value of the vegan food products. Due to its rich fiber and lesser cholesterol contents, vegan food products are becoming alternative food products across the globe.

APEDA has taken number of export promotion activities and initiatives, by way of development of virtual portals for organising Virtual Trade Fairs, Farmer Connect Portal, e-office, HortiNet Traceability system, Buyer Seller Meets, Reverse Buyer Seller Meets, product specific campaigns etc. APEDA has been closely working with the state governments for creating infrastructure and promotion of export from the state. APEDA assists in upgradation and strengthening of recognised laboratories for export testing and residue monitoring plans. APEDA also provides assistance under the financial assistance schemes of infrastructure development, quality improvement and market development for boosting export of agricultural products. 

However, the plant-based meat industry in India is facing challenges such as product pricing, lack of awareness among farmers and consumers, research and development in key ingredients and technology and funding. A robust distribution infrastructure is needed to accelerate growth in the sector. Focus on product innovation aimed at improving palatability while optimising costs will help the industry maintain healthy growth.

As a major stockholder in the plant-based meat industry value chain, the agriculture sector can grow along with the plant-based meat industry with the help of government initiatives such as public procurement that can provide assurance to farmers and manufacturers participating in a new market. Increasing access and exposure to plant-based foods and fostering access to the market for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can also help.  Additionally, subsidies for key ingredient crops can bolster production of the strategic ingredients for plant-based foods.

Incentivising farmers and manufacturers, expanding access, and ensuring smaller businesses can participate in the sector will accelerate growth and innovation in the near-term and strengthen the sector in the long-term. Soy flour, concentrates and isolates, along with other ingredients like gram flour, mung bean protein and spices, are almost always locally sourced from within the country. New research is ongoing on incorporating ingredients like millets, rice, chickpeas, mushroom and jackfruit into plant-based meats. Thus plant-based meat is adding value to the processing of Indian agricultural produce.

To read more click on:https://agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine

The plant-based meat market is projected to