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HomePosts Tagged "APEDA"
AgroPolicy, Horticulture, India

This strategic alliance aims to facilitate the seamless integration of Odisha’s premium mango & fresh vegetables produce into international markets.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Directorate of Horticulture with support from Palladium as the technical support unit (TSU) of the Promotion and Stabilization of Farmer Producer Organizations (PSFPO) project joined forces to redefine the market linkage of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in Odisha.

This strategic alliance aims to facilitate the seamless integration of Odisha’s premium mango & fresh vegetables produce into international markets, marking a significant milestone in the agricultural landscape of the region. The PSFPO team facilitated the initiative by working closely with the APEDA officials, exporters and FPOs. The team started off by identifying the suitable clusters and FPOs, followed by visiting the FPOs along and facilitating discussions between the FPOs and the buyers. This was followed by creating an action plan and ensuring smooth coordination to facilitate the off take, adhering to quality standards, storage, handling, packaging and transportation and other logistics requirements.

Through the initiative, the state FPOs marked a significant milestone with the first commercial shipment of fresh produce shipped via Biju Pattnaik International Airport (BPIA) on 15th May 2024. With this, 0.75 metric ton of fresh produce have been shipped to Dubai, with an incremental price realization of 20 per cent -30 per cent for the farmers. Out of this, 0.5 MT of the fresh produce was supplied by Madanamohana Farmers Producer Cooperative Society Ltd., an FPO supported by Harsh Trust from Odapada block of Dhenkanal district. Additionally, 1.22 metric tons of Amrapalli mangoes and Dussehri mangoes from the FPO have been exported to Italy, in the last two days achieving a 40 per cent increase in price realization for the farmers.

On this collaboration, Sitakanata Mandal, Regional head, APEDA, said, “This season we wanted to operationalize the supply of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) to global markets. This has been possible with the partnership with Palladium, the Technical Support Unit under Directorate of Horticulture. We started by identifying the clusters and FPOs to source the fresh produce and the effort culminated in shipment of first commercial shipment of fresh produce shipped via Biju Pattnaik International Airport (BPIA) on 15th May 2024! The efforts put it by the Palladium under Directorate of Horticulture in connecting FPOs of Odisha to the global markets is appreciable.”

While the above marks the beginning export of fresh produce to Dubai and Italy markets, the collaboration has helped create a sustainable market linkage of the FPO with remunerative markets, both domestic and international which have high demand for fresh produce such Mangoes, Okra, Bitter Gourd, and other vegetables through partnerships with exporters and institutional buyers.

“With 800+ FPOs in the state, Odisha has a huge potential for supply of fresh produce to global markets. Palladium works on Marketing System Development (MSD) approach to catalyse income enhancement for the smallholder farmers. Such global market connects initiatives not only boost the confidence of farmer producer organisations from remote parts of the state but also offer opportunities to scale up their supply positions with cost efficient quality control systems in place. Looking forward to connecting more FPOs in Odisha to profitable global markets through sustainable linkages through active participation from the private sector and inclusively transform agribusiness ecosystem in the state of Odisha”, said Biswajit Behera, Associate Director of Palladium.

This strategic alliance aims to facilitate the

Horticulture, Supply Chain, Trade

The container was flagged off by Rajesh Aggarwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Abhishek Dev, Chairman APEDA at MSAMB’s Irradiation Facility Center in Vashi

INI Farms, India’s leading F&V exporter flagged off the first container of ‘Kimaye’ pomegranates to the USA. This is a groundbreaking development for Indian F&V exports as it marks the start of fruit exports to the USA via the sea route. Travelling nearly 20,000 km, this is the longest distance travelled by any Indian fruit in the world!

The outcome is the result of more than year-long joint efforts of APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Industry – GOI, Ministry of Agriculture Govt of Maharashtra, Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB), United States Department of Agriculture APHIS (USDA APHIS), NPPO, Pomegranate National Research Center and INI Farms. This encompassed various initiatives from farm registrations, training & monitoring, air shipment trials, development of sea protocol, static trials for shelf life extension and post-harvest treatment.    

The container was flagged off by Rajesh Aggarwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Abhishek Dev, Chairman APEDA at MSAMB’s Irradiation Facility Center in Vashi (Navi Mumbai). The event was graced by dignitaries from MSAMB, Regional Plant Quarantine Station (RPQS – MoA&FW), US Consulate and US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), APEDA and NRC Solapur. The consignment of 4200 boxes (12.6 tons) of ‘Kimaye’ pomegranates is set to sail to delight customers in the US

Today, India is the world’s largest producer of pomegranates, with over 2,75,500 hectares of land under cultivation. During the fiscal year 2022-23, the country exported over 60,000 metric tonnes of pomegranates to countries like UAE, the Netherlands, Oman, Bahrain and others. The successful export of pomegranates to the USA opens up a new opportunity for Indian pomegranate farmers and exporters and will open doors to other long-distance markets like Australia.

The container was flagged off by Rajesh

AgroPolicy, India, Organic

APEDA formulates roadmap to push organic exports from Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in a significant move to bolster India’s organic export sector has created a dedicated organic promotion division for the promotion of organic exports. This division is now serving as a focal point for coordinating efforts to amplify the country’s organic export potential.

The agri-promotion body is working towards enhancing Uttarakhand’s organic sector through a comprehensive strategy. APEDA’s plan focuses on enhancing farming practices, optimizing certification procedures, and identifying prime export products. The ultimate aim is to elevate Uttarakhand’s profile as a significant player in the global organic market.

Building on Sikkim’s pioneering status as India’s first fully organic state, APEDA is formulating a strategic roadmap to diversify exports and fortify sustainable practices. Leveraging Sikkim’s unique strengths in the organic realm, the promotion body’s plan aims to elevate its prominence on the international stage.

With successful initiatives underway in Uttarakhand and plans shaping up for Sikkim, APEDA’s vision extends to replicating these strategies in more states. By targeting regions with substantial organic farming potential, the body aspires to create a network of thriving organic export hubs across India.

Further, in an endeavour to bolster the accessibility of organic products in international markets, the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) is undergoing significant updates. The forthcoming revisions in NPOP guidelines aim to harmonize with prominent global regulations and standards, including the EU Regulation. This strategic realignment is crafted with a foresight into ongoing and prospective Mutual Recognition Agreements. A pivotal aspect of this overhaul involves the modernization of NPOP’s IT infrastructure. The revamped IT system is poised to offer a more resilient oversight mechanism, particularly focusing on Certification Bodies and their certified operators. The revamped IT System envisages provisions for geo-tagging of farms and geo-location of inspection visits.

APEDA formulates roadmap to push organic exports

Agribusiness, AgroPolicy, Fruits, Horticulture, India, Trade

A consignment of 20 MT (1540 boxes) of bananas was flagged off under the banner of M/s. Gurukrupa Corporation Pvt., Ltd, the women entrepreneurship which is registered exporter of APEDA.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry facilitated the export of bananas from India to Russia via Sea by M/s. Gurukrupa Corporation Pvt. Ltd. a Mumbai-based exporter of fruits and vegetables regularly exporting fresh fruits and vegetables to the EU and the Middle East.

A consignment of 20 MT (1540 boxes) of bananas was flagged off on 17th February 2024 from Maharashtra by Chairman, APEDA, Abhishek Dev in a collaborative effort with the Central Institute of Sub-tropical Horticulture (CISH). APEDA highlighted the development of sea protocol employed for this shipment by CISH for maintaining the quality of fruit in transit.

Chairman APEDA encouraged more exporters to employ novel methods in shipping new products to new destinations, with APEDA supporting and facilitating these endeavors. He highlighted APEDA’s financial assistance scheme, which now is putting special emphasis on supporting women entrepreneurs. He applauded the contribution of CISH in the development of the sea protocols and congratulated all personnel for a successful flag-off. 

Recently, Russia has shown keen interest in the procurement of tropical fruits from India with bananas being one of them, which significantly is a major Agri import of Russia, which was presently, primarily being imported from Ecquador, in Latin America.

The major export destinations for Indian bananas include Iran, Iraq, UAE, Oman, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Afghanistan, and the Maldives. Additionally, the USA, Russia, Japan, Germany, China, the Netherlands, the UK, and France present India with abundant export opportunities.

The consignment was flagged off under the banner of M/s. Gurukrupa Corporation Pvt., Ltd, the women entrepreneurship is a prolific registered exporter of APEDA. M/s. Gurukrupa Corporation procured bananas directly from farmers of Andhra Pradesh. After harvesting, banana was brought to an APEDA approved packhouse in Maharashtra where it was graded, sorted, packed, boxed and stuffed in containers. The container was transported to JNPT for further voyage to Novorossiysk port, Russia for the final destination at Moscow Russia.

Banana is a major horticultural produce with Andhra Pradesh being the largest banana-producing state in India, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. These five states collectively contribute around 67 per cent to India’s banana production in the fiscal year 2022-23.

Despite being the largest global producer of bananas, India’s exports do not reflect this quantitative evaluation. India’s export share in the global market is only 1 per cent even though the country accounts for 26.45 percent of the world’s banana production (35.36 million Metric Ton). In the fiscal year 2022-23, India exported bananas worth USD 176 million, equivalent to 0.36 MMT.

Within the next five years, Banana exports from India are expected to achieve the target of 1 billion USD. This achievement will ensure an increase in farmers’ income and improve the livelihood of more than 25,000 farmers and is estimated to generate employment for more than 50,000 aggregators directly or indirectly linked to the supply chain. 

A consignment of 20 MT (1540 boxes)

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Trade

With an increase in millet exports from USD 62.95 million in 2021-22 to USD 75.45 million in 2022-23 and with current export of USD 45.46 million from April – November 2023, Millets are gaining popularity in the global market.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has facilitated around 500 startups in marketing and exporting millet-based value-added products. A farmer from Sangrur, Dilpreet Singh, has transformed into an exporter, marking his first export consignment of 14.3 metric tonne of millets, and its products valued at USD 45,803. Chairman, APEDA, Abhishek Dev flagged off the consignment.

The shipment includes ready-to-cook millets derived from Kodo millet, Foxtail millet, Little millet, Browntop millet, and Barnyard millet. Additionally, flours sourced from Ragi, Jowar, Bajra, Foxtail, Kodo, Barnyard, Browntop, Little, and Proso millets were also a part of this unique export endeavour.

With an increase in millet exports from USD 62.95 million in 2021-22 to USD 75.45 million in 2022-23 and with current export of USD 45.46 million from April – November 2023, Millets are gaining popularity in the global market. There is significant increase in the export of cereal preparation including value added millet products registering a growth of 12.4 per cent over the same period last year.

With an increase in millet exports from

Horticulture, India, Supply Chain, Trade

APEDA is working towards exploring new markets for cashews in the international markets of Japan, Saudi Arabia, UK, Spain, Kuwait, Qatar, USA European countries, etc.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority (APEDA), an organisation under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, played an instrumental role as an export facilitator and flagged off its Cashew Nut shipment to Bangladesh, Qatar, Malaysia and the USA to mark National Cashew Day. Bangladesh will be receiving its first-ever shipment of Cashew Nuts all the way from Odisha.

After Côte d’Ivoire, India is the second largest producer and exporter of Cashew Nuts with a share of more than 15 per cent, followed by Vietnam in the world’s cashew export. India’s top export destinations are the UAE, the Netherlands, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the major cashew-producing states in India. India primarily exports Cashew Kernels with small quantities of Cashew Nut Shell Liquid and Cardanol.

With the UAE and the Netherlands remaining as the top export destinations for Indian Cashew Nuts, APEDA is working towards exploring new markets for cashews in the international markets of Japan, Saudi Arabia, UK, Spain, Kuwait, Qatar, USA European countries, etc.

The demand for cashew products has been on the rise, and to see the industry evolve and thrive is a heartening moment. The growth is a testament to the hard work of the farmers, processors, and exporters.

As soon as Cashew Nut and its product has come in the ambit of APEDA, it has been engaging with the stakeholder of Cashew Nut sector to address the various issues and challenges facing the industry in the form of modernization and the processing facilities, logistics, quality and strict international competition.

In the future, APEDA may intervene in the automation of the cashew industry. Training of professionals, registration of cashew processing units, and a traceability system will be formulated for cashew, replicating peanuts. APEDA will disseminate cashew-related information to stakeholders. APEDA is dedicated to continually exploring innovative methods, leveraging technology, and strengthening trade relations to ensure that Indian cashew products reach every corner of the world.

APEDA is working towards exploring new markets

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Trade

Present arrangement of 1200 USD/MT in place till a decision is taken on the FOB value.

The Government of India has taken a series of measures in order to check the domestic prices of rice and ensure adequate availability for domestic consumers.  One of the measures being that contracts for Basmati rice exports with the value of USD 1200 per MT and above only may be registered for issue of Registration – cum – Allocation Certificate (RCAC) effective from 25th August 2023. This measure was necessitated as the Government had received credible field reports regarding misclassification and illegal export of non-basmati white rice, exports of which have been prohibited with effect from 20th July 2023. It had been reported that non-basmati white rice was being exported under the HS code of Basmati rice.

Now, the new crop of Basmati has started arriving and there is generally a decline in prices when the new crop starts arriving.  Based on the representations received from the Rice Exporter Associations that the high FOB value is adversely affecting the export of basmati rice from the country, Minister, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution had attended a consultative meet with the basmati rice exporters. Based on the discussions in this meeting, review of Free on Board (FOB) price of contract for issue of RCAC by APEDA for export of basmati rice is under active consideration of the Government. The present arrangement will continue until an appropriate decision is taken by the Government.

Present arrangement of 1200 USD/MT in place

Horticulture, India, Supply Chain, Trade

The initial shipment was sent from Ghazipur to the UAE and was flagged off virtually by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Chairman Abhishek Dev

Purvanchal, located in eastern Uttar Pradesh, has made its first-ever export of banana plant derivatives to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Along with fruits and vegetables, the leaves and flowers of the plant were also exported. The initial shipment was sent from Ghazipur to the UAE and was flagged off virtually by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Chairman Abhishek Dev from the Lal Bahadur Shastri International (LBSI) Airport in Babatpur, Varanasi.

The export of banana fruits, flowers, and leaves is mainly dominated by South India. However, Purvanchal farmers are now also making a name for themselves in the international market for this agricultural product. In August this year, there was a 10 metric ton increase in exports compared to the same month last year. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) attributes this success to the supportive policies of the Yogi government and the hard work of the farmers. Purvanchal banana leaves and flowers are now gaining acceptance in foreign countries.

APEDA’s Varanasi Regional Office announced that with the support of the Yogi government, fruits and vegetables from India are now available in foreign markets. In particular, bananas from Ghazipur will be exported with their leaves and flowers, marking the first time all three are being exported together.

 Apart from this, Amda, Karonda, Bhindi and Parwal have also been exported to the UAE in recent times.

In August 2022, 81 metric tons of vegetables and fruits were exported from Varanasi airport, while last month, the export was increased to 91 metric tons.

The initial shipment was sent from Ghazipur

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Start ups

FICCI PwC Knowledge Report: Propelling India’s millet sector towards a sustainable future, was released in FICCI Millet Conclave ‘Shree Anna’.

Dr Sudhanshu, Secretary, APEDA, highlighted the emergence of more than 80 startups in the millet sector within the past year and a half, responsible for developing well-packaged products, and acknowledged the innovation from large retail organisations.  Dr Sudhanshu was addressing the FICCI Millet Conclave ‘Shree Anna’.

Dr Sudhanshu emphasised the need for continuous efforts to provide guidance and support to small entrepreneurs and startups in the millet area, recognising the need for handholding rather than focusing solely on large export houses. In addition, he stressed sustaining the momentum after the launch of the campaign and expressing the commitment to take it to the next level.

Reflecting on the past one and a half years, Shubha Thakur, Joint Secretary (Crops, Oil Seeds), Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare noted the significant growth of startups in the millet sector, which has captured the attention of the highest levels of government. She emphasised the importance of making the millet movement a mass movement in India and globally. 

The programme also saw the felicitation of winners of the 2nd Edition of Millet Startup Awards and Millet Idea Competition of Higher Education Students on “Creating India’s Millet Revolution: Game-Changing Idea”. 

On occasion, FICCI PwC Knowledge Report: Propelling India’s millet sector towards a sustainable future, was released. Speaking on the report, Shashi Kant Singh, Partner at PwC India, outlined the policy implications for the next 10 to 15 years, production aspects, awareness creation, innovation, and market development for millets.

Speaking on occasion, TR Kesavan, Chairman of the FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE, passionately advocated for integrating millets into the regular diet, emphasising its multifaceted benefits, including nutritional value, climatic resilience, and income generation for farmers. He highlighted the challenges in cultivation, the need for mechanisation, and the importance of making millets profitable.

In his address, Dr Khader Vali, known as the Millet Man of India, passionately advocated for millets to eliminate various diseases. He emphasised that millets go beyond nutrition, offering a unique solution to global health challenges. Dr Vali highlighted the sustainable cultivation of millets, which requires minimal water, and lamented the disappearance of many traditional varieties. His insights served as a call to action, urging a reconnection with millets, recognising their unparalleled health benefits, and promoting sustainable cultivation. 

 Ravinder Balain, President South Asia at Corteva Agriscience, highlighted the United Nations’ declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millet on India’s proposal and the Indian government’s subsequent initiatives to raise awareness about millets.

FICCI PwC Knowledge Report: Propelling India’s millet

Horticulture, India, North America, Supply Chain, Trade

The consignment was air-shipped from the Vashi market in Navi Mumbai to New York as part of a pilot project

In partnership with the National Plant Protection Organisation of India, US-APHIS, the Maharashtra government, and the Agriculture Marketing Board and National Research Centre on Pomegranate, APEDA facilitated the export of the first trial consignment of pomegranate to the US by air route. The shipment, consisting of 150 boxes (450 kg) of the ‘Bhagwa’ variety of pomegranate with high antioxidant content from Maharashtra, was transported by APEDA-registered INI farms, one of the largest exporters of fruits and vegetables in India. Bhagwa, the most popular pomegranate variety in India, has gained significant demand. The consignment was air-shipped from the Vashi market in Navi Mumbai to New York as part of a pilot project.

In 2017-18, the US banned Indian pomegranate due to concerns over fruit fly infestation in the pomegranate seeds. However, after the Indian government’s efforts to address the issue with the US, the ban was lifted in 2022 once quality standards were met.

According to APEDA, Indian pomegranate production is growing at a rate of 20 to 25 per cent annually, with increasing demand both domestically and in the export market. India is a significant player in destinations such as Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and is known for its unique pomegranate varieties. UAE is the largest importer of Indian pomegranates, accounting for approximately 32 per cent of Indian global exports. As India produces pomegranates year-round, its production basket is larger than in other countries.

The consignment was air-shipped from the Vashi

Agrotech, Company News, Environment, India, Sustainability

Pune-based Agritech startup Nutrifresh aims to reduce the carbon footprint and promote sustainability initiatives through focussed initiatives

Pune-based Agritech startup Nutrifresh is focused on reducing the carbon footprint and promoting sustainability. Environmental sustainability is essential for protecting natural resources, mitigating climate change, preserving biodiversity, supporting human health, and promoting social well-being. It also plays a critical role in mitigating the effects of climate change.

“By reducing energy consumption, promoting renewable energy, reducing transportation emissions, practising sustainable agriculture, reducing waste, and preserving natural habitats, we are contributing to reducing the carbon footprint and promoting a sustainable future for all. Additionally, these measures can also have benefits for farmers, including increased crop yields and reduced input costs,

“Speaking about our key achievements, we have 150k Kgs of production capacity per month across farms and the fresh produce is delivered within 24 hours in the service areas. Our total area with active hydroponic production is 33 acres. We have served around 15K households across Mumbai & Pune regions,” said Bina Khan, Board Advisor & Investor, Nutrifresh Farm Tech India Pvt Ltd.

One key sustainable aspect that Nutrifresh focuses on is efficient resource utilisation. This includes optimising water usage, minimising the use of pesticides and fertilisers, reducing energy consumption, and ensuring proper waste management.

Co-founded by two Agripreneurs, Sanket Mehta and Ganesh Nikam, Nutrifresh’s aim is to supply consistent pesticide-free Hydroponic produce that is nutrient-rich to the Indian consumer year-round. Nutrifresh is committed to quality and is one of the few farmers with ISO, FSSAI, APEDA, HACCP, and GLOBAL GAP certifications. As an Agritech startup operating for the last three years under Nutrifresh Farm Tech India Pvt Ltd.’s operations in Pune and Mumbai currently running a 33-acre farm, we are into soilless and hydroponic cultivation.

Nutrifresh now sells its products to over 100 B2B aggregators in India and modern trade aggregators and delivery partners such as Nature’s Basket, Big Basket, Swiggy, Kissan Konnect, Star Bazaar and Zomato Hyperpure. It has an established protected cultivation facility that uses high-quality seeds from Israel and the United States, where the air is given in controlled amounts, water is RO-cleansed, and nutrients are water-soluble. From seed procurement to germination, nursery, harvesting, packaging, and finally delivery to the end user, the entire production is under control. The produce is delivered to the consumer within 24 hours of harvest, demonstrating that the supply chain is fully linked and in sync to ensure consistency of freshness.

Pune-based Agritech startup Nutrifresh aims to reduce

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Trade, World

MoU to help promote millets and value-added millet products in international markets

In a move to harness the export potential of millets to the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCCs), the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) which works under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lulu Hypermarket LLC.

APEDA aims to promote millet products and value-added products around the world in association with Lulu Group, which is an international retail hypermarket chain that operates stores and shopping malls across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, India and the Far East.

As per the agreement, the Lulu Group will facilitate promotional activities for millet products and enable the country to display millets and its value-added products, ready to eat products in international retail chains by sourcing it from Farmer Producer Organisations, Farmer Producer Companies, women entrepreneurs and startups.

APEDA will facilitate manufacturers to send various samples of millet products to Lulu Hypermarkets, which will be showcased at its various stores. APEDA, in association with Lulu Group, will also provide assistance in the labelling of the products in accordance with the requirement of different importing countries.

As a part of its series of events for the promotion of the International Year of Millets (IYoM) 2023, APEDA is organising export promotion activities for millets in 16 International Trade Fairs, including Gulfood 2023.

India has exported millets worth $ 46.05 million from April-November 2022-23 and the UAE is the major importing country of Indian millets. The signing of the MoU will facilitate APEDA’s strategy to promote the export of millets and its value-added products in West Asian countries to achieve the overall set target of USD 100 million for the export of millets and its value-added products by 2025.

The MoU was signed between Dr Tarun Bajaj, Director of APEDA and Salim VI, the Chief Operating Officer of LuLu Group in presence of APEDA Chairman Dr M Angamuthu, Consul General of India Dr Aman Puri and M.A. Yusuff Ali, the Chairman & Managing Director of Luu Group.

Speaking on the occasion, APEDA Chairman M Angamuthu said, “It’s a good opportunity to boost our exports as India has very distinctive traditional varieties of millets which are loved by health-conscious people. The export of millets will help in increasing the income of farmers.”

APEDA has also planned to organise millet promotional activities in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Sydney, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America by facilitating the participation of different stakeholders from India in some of the significant food shows, Buyer Seller Meets and Road Shows.

MoU to help promote millets and value-added

AgroPolicy, Climate, Environment, India, Organic, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Trade

Currently, Sikkim grows organic farm produce worth Rs 8 crores and it will grow up to Rs 8000 crores gradually by 2030

Sikkim is India’s first 100 per cent organic farming state and the government is planning to export agricultural organic produce from Sikkim, currently, Sikkim grows organic farm produce worth Rs 8 crores and it will grow up to Rs 8000 crores gradually by 2030, said Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Textiles and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, at the Asia Economic Dialogue in Pune.

Pune International Centre (PIC) a Pune-based think tank and Ministry of external affairs has organised Asia economic dialogue a three days conference. Experts from various fields participated in the forum.

Goyal said that to Sikkim make organic farm products export hub, the government plans to set Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Agricultural Processed Food Products Export Authority (APEDA) unit in Sikkim.

He said, “While the developed world is the largest contributor to climate change, they are preaching to us today about what we should be doing despite us being only 2.5 per cent of contributors to carbon emissions. The government has focused on addressing climate change as a responsible global citizen. We are promoting circular economies so that we recycle our waste. We are among the top five performing nations in addressing climate change goals. We are also promoting products like sustainable textiles.”

Currently, Sikkim grows organic farm produce worth

India

Trade opportunities and way forward to upscale the export of GI and traditional bananas from India

ICAR- National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), New Delhi jointly organised a two-day consultative workshop on ‘Export of GI and traditional bananas: Present scenario, trade opportunities and way forward’ during 21-22 December, 2022 at Tiruchirappalli to upscale the export of GI and traditional bananas from India.

The Chief Guest, M Angamuthu, IAS, Chairman, APEDA, New Delhi appreciated the efforts of ICAR-NRCB, FPOs, and banana farmers’ efforts to conserve the GI and traditional bananas. He stressed the need to utilise the varietal diversity of bananas by using cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, and precision farming for extending export to more than fifty countries shortly.

The Special Guest, C Samayamoorthy, IAS, Agricultural Production Commissioner praised Tamil Nadu for cultivating diverse, traditional banana cultivars resistant to various biotic and abiotic stresses.  He also assured the support of the Tamil Nadu State Government for promoting exports of bananas.

The Special Guest, Rajalakshmi Devaraj, IDAS, Addl DGFT, Chennai underlined that under the District Export Hub Program, 11 districts from Tamil Nadu were selected in which Tiruchirappalli district was identified for banana export.

V Geethalakshmi, Vice Chancellor, TNAU, Coimbatore stressed the importance of soil management by following strategies such as precision farming, micro-irrigation, and fertigation, etc.

K M Indiresh, Vice-Chancellor, UHS, Bagalkot informed that under One District One Product (ODOP) program, in Karnataka, two regions were identified for promotion of bananas particularly value added products.

V B Patel, ADG (Horticultural Science -II), ICAR, New Delhi urged to enhance the productivity and improve the quality of bananas.

While presiding the inaugural session R Selvarajan, Director, ICAR-NRCB, mentioned that value of banana exports tripled from Rs 430 crores to 1300 crores during 2018-2022 and there is a great opportunity to export GI tagged and traditional banana cultivars in view of increasing demand for those cultivars. He applauded the Sirumalai and delta region farmers of Tamil Nadu for cultivating and protecting the GI-tagged and traditional cultivars of banana.

On this occasion, six publications were released and three awards were conferred to different stakeholders in banana production system viz., Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Jalgaon, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation, Thottiyam and Tamil Nadu Hill Banana Growers’ Federation.

More than 300 participants attended the export workshop and an exhibition was also organised wherein more than 100 varieties and landraces of bananas were displayed.

Plenary session of the workshop was held on 22 December, 2022. M K Shanmugasundaram, IAS, Development Commissioner, MEPZ,SEZ, Chennai was the Chief Guest and D K Agarwal, Registrar General, PPV &FRA, New Delhi and Alex Paul Menon, IAS, Joint Development Commissioner, MEPZ, SEZ, Chennai were the Guests of Honour.

Trade opportunities and way forward to upscale