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HomePosts Tagged "APEDA" (Page 2)
AgroPolicy, Horticulture, India, People, Sustainability, Trade, Vegetables

The government has taken up the task of providing GI tagging to another 20-25 products which will give us an edge in the international markets.

“Expanding business and marketing opportunities for farmers with a well-planned holistic agriculture development is immensely helping Jammu and Kashmir to move towards historic transformation”, said Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department.

ACS said this while addressing a mammoth gathering after inaugurating one day Buyer-Seller meet organised by the department of Horticulture Planning and Marketing (HP&M).

Over three hundred growers and farmers, SHGs, FPOs and entrepreneurs hailing from different parts of J&K participated in the event.

The meet also witnessed great participation of buyers which included big merchants, exporters and multinational companies like Reliance, Big Basket and Amazon. Besides, many potential buyers, exporters, and stakeholders including HFN, Unnati Cooperatives, Uniwool, JKDCUL, Sarweshwar addressed the gathering.

Participating buyers appreciated the initiative of the department which will provide an exclusive opportunity to interact directly with the growers and farmers.

He said that the government has launched a holistic agriculture development programme in J&K. The conceptualization, formulation and approval of the massive transformative mission to reform agriculture and allied sectors in J&K was finalized and translated on ground in just 5 months of time, he added.

Pertinently, the humongous exercise began with the constitution of the Apex Committee under the Chairmanship of Mangla Rai by the Lieutenant Governor and culminated with the finalization of a transformative mission for holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors in J&K with the potential to transform the subsistence agriculture of J&K into sustainable commercial agri-economy.

Atat Duloo said the approved plan comprising 29 project proposals shall push agriculture and allied sectors to a new trajectory of growth with economy, ecology and equity as its guiding pillars, he shared. He also announced that the government has taken up the task of providing GI tagging to another 20-25 products which will give us an edge in the international markets. Besides, a high-level committee has been set up to take steps for export promotion of our significant products.

ACS further shared that the government has recently constituted a Marketing Board for facilitating the regulation of mandis and conferred various powers to the Board and the director of Horticulture, Planning and Marketing, J&K. The unified licensing has been approved as also the declaration of CA stores/warehouses/stores of FPOs/Cooperatives as sub-yards of Mandis for undergoing trade on e-NAM.

He said HP&M has moved towards a transparent e-auction system for the allocation of space in mandis and e-NAM trade has increased from less than Rs 1 crore to over Rs 23 crore in a span of 3-4 months, besides taking lead at the national level in inter-state e-NAM Trade.

Speaking on the occasion, Vanita, DGM APEDA, deliberated upon the initiatives of the organization towards the promotion of J&K agriculture and Horticulture. She informed that APEDA, a first, recently introduced the Mishri variety of cherry to the Singapore market and Kashmir Apples to Hongkong which she termed as new milestones for local products.

Later, a buyer seller interaction session was conducted where participants had a thorough and candid discussion on different aspects related to business promotion.

The government has taken up the task

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Foodgrains, India

Millets market set to grow from its current market value of more than $9 billion to over $12 billion by 2025

To promote shipment of nutri-cereals, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through its apex agricultural export promotion body, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has prepared a comprehensive strategy to promote Indian millets exports across the globe commencing December 2022.

The millets export promotion programme comes at the backdrop of the proposal of India that was supported by 72 countries which lead to the United Nations’ General Assembly (UNGA) declaring 2023 as International Year of Millets (IYoM). The government is currently organising IYoM-2023 at domestic and international level to popularise Indian millets as well as its value-added products across the world and make it a peoples’ movement.

For exports of Indian millets’ promotion, centre has planned to facilitate participation of exporters, farmers and traders in 16 international trade expos and Buyer Seller Meets (BSMs). As per the government’s robust strategy to promote millets, Indian missions abroad would be roped in branding and publicity of Indian millets, identification of international chefs as well as potential buyers such as departmental stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets for organising B2B meetings and direct tie-ups.

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

As part of the promotion of Indian millets, APEDA has planned to showcase millets and its value added product at various global platforms such as Gulfood 2023, Foodex, Seoul Food & Hotel Show, Saudi Agro Food, Fine Food Show in Sydney (Australia), Belgium’s Food & Beverages Show, Germany’s BioFach and Anuga Food Fair, San Francisco’s Winter Fancy Food Show, etc.

India’s top 5 millet producing states are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, while the share of export of millets is nearly 1 per cent of the total millet production. Exports of millets from India include mainly whole grain and the export of value-added products of millets from India is negligible. However, it is estimated that the millets market is set to grow from its current market value of more than $9 billion to over $12 billion by 2025. India’s major millet exporting countries are U.A.E, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, the UK and the USA. The varieties of millets exported by India include Bajra, Ragi, Canary, Jawar, and Buckwheat.

Millets market set to grow from

Acts & Schemes – Centre, India, Start ups

Agri startups one of key partners to boost agriculture exports

Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State (Agriculture and Farmers Welfare), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India said that soon an accelerator programme of Rs 500 crore will be started to take forward the successful initiatives of Agri Startups in which DARE, DPIIT, Agri Incubators, agriculture universities, research institutes, investors and other stakeholders will be included.

Choudhary said that there will be a separate division of Agriculture Startup to be set up in the Ministry to be led by Joint Secretary. “A cell will also be created to work as a single window agency to facilitate all the linkages required for agri startups,” he added.

Dr Sudhanshu, Secretary, APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, GoI, emphasised that increasing agriculture exports is a national imperative and Agri startups are potential partners in this journey. Efforts are being made to promote and support agri startups for engagement in agri exports and strengthening of the startup ecosystem.

Agri startups one of key partners to

India, Live Stock, Start ups, Trade

The company is in active discussions with customers from other countries to leverage the demand for “Indian Traditional Plant-Based and Vegan products”

 Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has announced that GREENEST, India’s pioneering plant protein food brand has shipped India’s first plant-based meat export consignment to the USA from Gujarat in India.

The 5,000 Kg consignment consists of GREENEST products (Plant-based Mini Samosas, Hot and Spicy Strips, Momos, Spring Rolls, Nuggets, Grilled patty, and other Vegan products). GREENEST is a pioneer in plant-based protein products and is backed by investors like Better Bite Ventures (a New Zealand based dedicated Alt Protein VC fund), Magnetic, and Sachid Madan (the former Chief Executive of ITC’s frozen snacks business).

“This is just a beginning, and we hope that India with its rich vegetarian heritage will become a hub for the growing global demand for plant-based Vegan products” said Dr M. Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority).

Harpreet Singh, Regional Head, APEDA Gujarat said “APEDA provides assistance to exporters under various components of its schemes such as Infrastructure, quality, and market development. In addition, APEDA also conducts international Buyer Seller Meets (BSM), Virtual trade fairs with importing countries to promote export of agricultural & processed food products. Plant-based vegan food is a burgeoning category with a strong international potential and we see it as one of the key contributors to our packed foods export portfolio from Gujarat.”

Gaurav Sharma, Founder & CEO, GREENEST said, “We have been receiving a large interest from foreign markets for high quality and healthy plant-based foods and GREENEST is happy to take the lead in this endeavour from India. We are confident that on the back of our strong product quality and unique value proposition, these volumes will grow significantly in the months to come. We hope that this opens new opportunities for our friends in India’s plant-based industry.”

“We believe Indian plant-based foods are primed to be a popular category in the global markets and are witnessing a high number of enquiries for ethnic and value-added plant-based meals both from food service operators and retailers. The consignment to US is the first of many more to follow and we are confident that with APEDA’s continuous involvement and support, we will see many more flag offs happening in the times to come,” said Jeet Hirpara, Managing Partner of Wholesome Foods.

Varun Deshpande, Managing Director at expert non-profit the Good Food Institute India, said, ” GFI India is supporting APEDA in formulating and promoting policy pathways for the export of plant-based foods, while also working with the stakeholders within the sector to ensure that products being exported are competitive with the products available in other markets.”

The company is in active discussions with

Acts & Schemes – Centre, AgroPolicy, Horticulture, India, Supply Chain, Trade

In a move aimed at boosting export of agricultural and food products from Ladakh, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through its export promotion body APEDA is in process of handholding of Apricot value chain stakeholders to enhance export from Ladakh under the brand ‘Ladakh Apricot’.

It is expected that the initiatives of APEDA towards export promotion of Apricots and other agri-products would give a fillip to overall development of the region. The export promotion strategy of APEDA places major focus on canopy management of the apricot orchard/trees obtain a uniform and better-quality harvest of apricots. It would help in sustained marketing, product development, research and development (R&D), enhancement of traceability and brand promotion of apricot, which is one of the important fruit crops of Ladakh and is locally known as ‘Chuli’.

APEDA, in association with UT of Ladakh, is also facilitating towards development of export infrastructures such as setting up of integrated pack house facilities with grading lines, pre-cooling units with cold storages and insulated/refrigerated transportation up to packhouse/exit ports, common infrastructure facilities such as pre-shipment treatment facilities e.g. irradiation, Vapor Heat Treatment, Hot Water Dip Treatment for compliance with Phyto-Sanitary requirements of importing countries.

APEDA is also focusing on strengthening packaging for fresh apricots, transport protocol and Brand Promotion ‘Ladakh Apricots’ for better price realization of apricots of trans-Himalayan Ladakh, which are known for their better quality.

Work on obtaining GI tag for Ladakh apricot is also in process. Notably, bulk of the apricot produced in Ladakh is consumed locally and only a small quantity of it is sold in dried form.

Given that logistics support plays a key factor in export promotion of any product, APEDA is working towards the augmentation of logistics support apricots too through air on the lines of market linkage scheme – PARVAZ and by road to nearest international exit ports for streamlining the exports from the region.

In a move aimed at boosting export

India, Middle East countries, Organic

The Government of Manipur and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) recently organised an in-store export promotion programme in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) for harnessing the export potential of naturally grown, organic certified fresh pineapples of North-Eastern Region (NER).

The ‘in-store promotion show’ of organic certified fibre rich Kwe variety of pineapples from Manipur, was organised at the Lulu hyper market, Dubai’s largest supermarket in association with Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) of Government of Manipur. The event is a part of the government’s strategy to promote locally produced agricultural products in the international markets.

MOMA has supported the sourcing of pineapples directly from the farmers of Manipur. They are procured from Thayong Organic Producer Company Ltd in Imphal East district, Manipur. On the occasion, APEDA chairman Dr M Angamuthu stressed on promoting processed form of value-added pineapple to sustain in the global export market for a longer time period.

“We need to focus on promoting pineapple sourced from farmers in processed form in the Gulf countries through Lulu Group. It will help farmers in better price realisation of their produce,” elaborated Dr Angamuthu. The event was also graced by P Vaiphel, additional Chief Secretary, Government of Manipur. With a production of 134.82 metric tonne (MT) in 2020-21, Manipur ranks sixth in pineapple production having a share of 7.46 per cent in total production in India.

The Government of Manipur and the Agricultural

AgroPolicy, Horticulture, Interaction, Trade

Nitin Gadkari, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister was addressing the Outreach Programme ‘Agriculture Produce and Vegetable Export Opportunities in Vidarbha’ organised by APEDA and Agrovision Foundation in Amravati.

There is a huge scope in increasing the export of agricultural produce such as fruits, flowers, vegetables from Vidarbha, but there is a need to adopt new technology and experimentation. Improving the quality of agricultural produce, fulfilling all safety criteria, good packaging is also essential. We have set export target of oranges from 500 Cr to 5,000 Cr in upcoming years with the help of organic farming of oranges and quality hybrids of oranges,” said Nitin Gadkari, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister. Gadkari was addressing the Outreach Programme ‘Agriculture Produce and Vegetable Export Opportunities in Vidarbha’ organised by APEDA and Agrovision Foundation at Rangoli Pearl in Amravati.

Gadkari said that all-out efforts will be made through ‘APEDA’ and ‘Agrovision’to increase exports from Vidarbha. Pravin Pote Patil, MLC,Tarun Bajaj, Director,  APEDA Members Anandrao Raut, Vibha Bhatia,  Dilip Ghosh, Ravi Barotkar, President of Agrovision Foundation, Manish Mondhe, Sridhar Thakare, Dinesh Suryavanshi and others were present.

Joint programme for increasing agricultural exports

 An agreement between ‘APEDA’ and Agrovision Foundation to implement a joint programme for increasing agricultural exports, was signed by Bajaj and Ravi Boratkar President of Agrovision Foundation on the occasion. Speaking further, Gadkari said that experimentation, adoption of new technology is necessary to increase agricultural exports in Vidarbha. It is necessary to increase the quality of the product for export. Good nurseries should be established everywhere, said Gadkari. He asserted the need for efforts to be made to start new and useful things like using drones for spraying fertilisers and medicines. Safety of products is considered an important parameter in the global market and if traces of pesticides are found in agricultural produce, the goods are rejected. Hence, it is necessary to increase the production and maintain the quality only during organic processing to avoid that, said Gadkari and thus advocated experiments to be done at various levels for that purpose.

Gadkari added that good orange nurseries have been developed in Vidarbha and asserted the need to develop more such nurseries. “An experiment is being done by bringing the best orange seedlings from countries like Spain and planting them. Branding is also taking place for the tasty tur dal, a speciality of saline belt,” Gadkari said.

Gadkari informed that a dry port has been started at Sindhi in Wardha district, which will speed up the process. Tarun Bajaj said that orange exports from Vidarbha are on the rise with Bangladesh now they are also exported to the United Arab Emirates. The country’s total export of agricultural products is Rs 4 lakh crore.

Nitin Gadkari, Union Road Transport and Highways

AgroPolicy, India, Trade

Export of products APEDA has increased to USD 5987 million in April-June 2022 from USD 5256 million over the same period of the last fiscal.

Continuing with the trend from the previous year, the exports of agricultural and processed food products rose by 14 percent in the first three months of the current Financial Year 2022-23 (April-June) compared to the corresponding period of FY 2021-22.

For the year 2022-23, the government had set an export target of USD 23.56 billion for the agricultural and processed food products basket under APEDA. The initiatives taken by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry have helped the country in achieving 25 percent of the total annual export target in the first three months of the current fiscal.

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 USD 5987 million in April-June 2022 from USD 5256 million over the same period of the last fiscal. The export target for April-June 2022-23 was USD 5890 million. The APEDA basket excludes Tea, coffee, spices, cotton and marine exports.

The exports of fresh fruits & vegetables registered 8.6 percent growth, while processed food products like cereals and miscellaneous processed items reported an impressive growth of 36.4 percent (April-June 2022-23) compared to corresponding months of the previous year. In April-June, 2021, fresh fruits and vegetables were exported to the tune of USD 642 million that increased to USD 697 million in the corresponding months of the current fiscal. Other cereals’ export increased from USD 237 million in April-June 2021to USD 306 million in April-June 2022 and the export of meat, dairy and poultry products increased from USD 1023 million in April-June 2021 to USD 1120 million in April-June 2022.

Rice exports witnessed a growth of 13 percent in the first three months of FY 2022-23, while the export of meat, dairy & poultry products increased by 9.5 percent and export of other cereals increased by 29 percent.The export of rice increased from USD 2412 million in April-June 2021 to USD 2723 million in April-June 2022.The dairy products were exported to the tune of USD 1120 million in the first three months of the current fiscal from million in the same period last year.

Export of products APEDA has increased to

AgroPolicy, Trade

The NE region witnessed an 85.34 per cent growth in the export of agricultural products in the last six years as it increased from USD 2.52 million in 2016-17 to USD 17.2 million in 2021-22.

APEDA signs a MoU with Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat to conduct various training programmes on pre-harvest and post-harvest management and other research activities to give boost to the export of horticulture products grown in North-Eastern (NE) states, the government is now up with a robust strategy to promote locally produced agricultural products to the international markets. The NE region is geopolitically important as it shares international boundaries with China and Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh making it the potential hub for the export of agricultural produce to neighbouring countries as well as other foreign destinations.

As a result, there has been a significant increase in the export of agricultural produce from NE states like Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya in the last few years. The NE region witnessed an 85.34 percent growth in the export of agricultural products in the last six years as it increased from USD 2.52 million in 2016-17 to USD 17.2 million in 2021-22. The major destination of export has been Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Middle East, the UK and Europe.

To provide potential market linkages, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development and Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, organised field visits of importers to have first-hand information about the qualitative cultivation practices being followed by farmers. Importers were mostly the Middle East, far Eastern countries, and European nations and Australia, etc.

In the last three years, APEDA organised 136 capacity building programmes on export awareness across the different parts of NER. Highest, 62 capacity building programmes were held in NER in 2019-20, while 21 in 2020-21 and 53 such programmes were organised by APEDA in the year 2021-22. Apart from capacity building initiatives, APEDA facilitated 22 International Buyer-Seller Meets as well as trade fairs in NER in the last three years.

APEDA also organised organized conference on the Export Potential of Natural, Organic and Geographical Indications (GI) Agro Products in Guwahati on June 24, 2022 to tap the abundant export potential of organic agricultural products from Assam and neighbouring states of NER.

APEDA aims at creating a platform in Assam for the exporters to get the products directly from the producer group and the processers. The platform will link the producers and processors of Assam and exporters from other parts of the country that would expand the base of the export pockets in the North-Eastern states, including Assam and increase the employment opportunities among the people of the state.

The NE region witnessed an 85.34 per

Agro Universities, AgroPolicy

Training focused on elements of paddy cultivation such as puddling, transplanting, processing, production and export process

More than 150 students from Class IV to Class XII participated and learnt the basics elements of paddy cultivation at the training farm of APEDA promoted Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF) which is situated at Modipuram in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. Students visited the training farm on three different days and learnt the basics of paddy cultivation such as puddling, transplanting, processing, production and export process. The students also learnt the activities like the process of making rice from paddy, de-husking, making steamed rice, production of rice meant for export and extraction of oil from rice and fodder for animals.

Besides, BEDF scientists explained to them the process of Basmati production, processing, storage, the volume of business and export activities. They also learnt about soil health cards management, including green manure crops and experienced the nodules in leguminous crops, including Moong bean and Sesbania and transplanted Basmati crops in the field.

Dr M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA said that the objective of this initiative is to impart practical knowledge to students as well as enhance their understanding of the entire value-chain of rice production to exports, was to support the government’s attempt to. He informed that similar field visits of students will be organized in other parts of the country for imparting practical knowledge on agricultural production systems.

In line with the objective of the NEP, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), organised farming demonstrations and farm training to hone the skills and inculcate practical knowledge of paddy cultivation among students, start-ups and others.

Training focused on elements of paddy cultivation

Foodgrains, Trade

India is among the world’s leading producers of sugar, spices, cereals, milk, fruits and vegetables, red meat, and seafood products. India’s export basket is a diversified mix led by rice ($9.65 billion), wheat ($2.19 billion), sugar ($4.6 billion), beef (1.5 million metric tonnes carcass weight equivalent (CWE) of beef and veal were exported from India in 2021) and other cereals ($1.08 billion); altogether exports of agricultural products (including marine and plantation products) for the year 2021-22 have crossed $50 billion, the highest level ever achieved for agriculture exports. But the country recently saw a ban on wheat exports when there was a turn in the global geopolitical situation. Given the external factors, India’s resources as well as its domestic needs, an important question that arises is how sustainable is this growth in agri-exports? Here, AgroSpectrum tries to find an answer.

Agro processing and agricultural exports are now a key trade area and it is a matter of satisfaction that India’s role in global export of agricultural products is steadily increasing. Recent growth rates show that agri-food production is rising faster and export is witnessing accelerated growth. This offers further scope and opportunity for capturing overseas markets to earn foreign exchange and enable producers to earn higher prices for farm produce. This has been made possible largely by rising global commodity prices and also by the Agriculture Export Policy of the Ministry of Commerce and its various export promotion agencies like Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), and commodity boards. Having come this far, we now need to examine how we can carve out a sustainable trajectory for agri-exports that ensures stability for all stakeholders in the ecosystem. AgroSpectrum  spoke to a few experts to understand better.

Sugar export curbs

Latest data released by the sugar industry body, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) stated that as the world’s largest producer and second biggest exporter of the sweetener, sugar exports from India have touched a record 8.6 million tonnes till May of the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year ending September. The country exported a total of 7 million tonnes of sugar in the marketing year 2020- 21, while domestic production stood at 31.19 million tonnes in the same period. This steady rise took a turn just after the centre banned wheat exports. After an intense heatwave hit output and domestic prices hit a record high, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has now placed sugar under the restricted category. The central government has banned the export of sugar effective from June 1. The curbs on sugar export will continue till October 31, 2022.

To read more click: E-Magazine – Agrospectrum India

India is among the world’s leading producers

Trade

The mango show in Bahrain is part of APEDA’s new initiatives to explore international markets for Indian mangoes under the ‘Mango Festival 2022’

In a major boost to the export of mangoes, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) launched an eight-day-long Mango Festival in the Kingdom of Bahrain on June 13 in association with the Indian Embassy and Al Jazira Group.

At the show, 34 varieties of mangoes from eastern states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, are being displayed at eight different locations of Bahrain’s Al Jazira group supermarket. 27 of these varieties have been procured from West Bengal, while two each variety are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and one variety from Uttar Pradesh. All the varieties of mangoes have been directly procured from farmers and two Farmer Producer Organisations. The mango show will continue till June 20, 2022.

All the 34 varieties of Indian mangoes have been displayed at eight different stores of Al Jazira located at Hamala, Mahooz, Zing, Juffair, Budaiya, Adilya, Seef and Riffa in Bahrain. Besides, mangoes as a whole, several mango preparations like mango cake prepared in Al Jazira bakery, juices, different varieties of mango shakes, etc. have also been showcased at the festival.

The mango show in Bahrain is part of APEDA’s new initiatives to explore international markets for Indian mangoes under the ‘Mango Festival 2022’. It’s the outcome of APEDA’s commitment to provide a global platform for Indian mangoes that for the first time 34 varieties of mangoes from eastern states have been showcased in Bahrain.

The mango show in Bahrain is part

Trade

Requests from several countries for importing wheat from India are being processed at the government level

M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, recently stated that the government’s move to restrict wheat exports last month has been primarily focussed on meeting domestic demand while protecting the farmers’ income.

Angamuthu said India has kept its wheat export options open for those developing countries to meet their food security needs after restriction on shipment of wheat was announced last month. Requests from several countries for importing wheat from India are being processed at the government level.

This year, wheat farmers have been immensely benefited in terms of procurement by the government’s agencies at Minimum Support Price (MSP) while a significant chunk of commodity has been sold to private trade at much above MSP.

The decision to ban wheat export was taken to ensure the availability of wheat for the domestic supply chain. Sudden spurt in exports in April created concern over domestic price stability and supply that prompted the government to take the ‘regulatory’ measure like restricting wheat export.

Keeping the interest of farmers as the top priority, the government allowed them to sell their wheat at higher prices at above MSP to private traders across several mandis besides procuring wheat at MSP across all the key grain growing states including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The Government had regulated wheat export from May 13, 2022 which changed the market dynamics, preventing speculative wheat trading and cooled down the inflationary trend of the price of wheat and products made out of it in the domestic market.

Requests from several countries for importing wheat

AgroPolicy, Trade

33 GI agricultural products from 12 states were displayed at the fair

Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) launched a variety of millet products for all age groups at affordable prices ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 15 at the AAHAR food fair.

All the millet products launched by APEDA are gluten-free, 100 per cent natural and patented. The launched products are cream biscuits, salt biscuits, milk biscuits, ragi peanut butter, jowar peanut butter, jowar upma, pongal, khichadi and millet malts (jowar, ragi, bajra).

APEDA also launched a variety of “Millet in Minutes” products under the category of Ready-to-Eat (RTE) such as Upma, Pongal, Khichadi, Noodles, Biryani, etc, which is a breakthrough in the food sector as it’s the first RTE millet product in the market to cater fast-paced world at their convenience in a healthy way.

All the RTE products are vacuum processed without any additives, fillers and preservatives. Nutrition value is retained as original with a shelf-life of 12 months in ambient temperature.

The APEDA is also working in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to increase cultivation area, production and productivity of millets, including bajra, jowar and ragi.

The 36th edition of AAHAR was jointly organised by APEDA and the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) at Pragati Maidan. In view of the nutritional value of the millets, the government has notified millets as nutri-cereals in April, 2018. The millets are a rich source of protein, fibre, minerals, iron, calcium and have a low glycemic index. In March, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has declared 2023 as International Year of Millets.

In line with the theme of APEDA’s pavilion, – ‘To promote GI products for export’, the apex body to promote agricultural products put on display 33 GI agricultural products at AAHAR. The APEDA also released two booklets which include a catalogue on Agri and Food GI products (APEDA scheduled) and a brochure on Indian GI mangoes.

The 33 GI products which were on display to attract the attention of over 100 buyers from 40 countries are Punjab’s Basmati Rice, Karnataka’s Gulbarga Tur Dal, Maharashtra’s Sangli Raisin, Kolhapur Jaggery, Ajara Ghansal Rice, Sindhudurg & Ratnagiri Kokum, Vengurla Cashew and Waigaon Turmeric; Assam’s Boka Chaul, Joha Rice, Karbi Anglong Ginger; Manipur’s Chak-Hao and Kachai Lemon, Mizoram’s Ginger and Chilli, Sikkim’s Large Cardamom, Nagaland’s Naga Mircha, Kerala’s Navara Rice, Pokkali Rice, Kaipad Rice, Palakkadan Matta Rice, Himachal Pradesh’s Kala Jeera, Chulli Oil, West Bengal’s Gobindabhog Rice, Tulaipanji Rice, Bardhaman Sitabhog, Bardhaman Mihidana, Banglar Rasogolla, Rajasthan’s Bikaneri Bhujia and Odisha’s Kandhamal Haladi.

AAHAR is a part of the series of export promotion initiatives taken by APEDA, which works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to showcase agricultural and processed food products to the global players in the food and beverages industry as the fair is visited by a large number of importers from different parts of the world.

Apart from AAHAR, APEDA also organises national events like Organic World Congress, BioFach India, etc to promote agri-exports. Notably, more than 150 food and agri Products have been registered as GI by the GI Registry till March 2022, out of which 123 GI products fall under APEDA’s category.

Also, APEDA created dedicated stalls for exporters from North East Region (NER) and Himalayan states/UTs like Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, women entrepreneurs, Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs), Start-Ups and exporters of millets and millets products. More than 40 participants participated under these categories and each category will have dedicated stalls in the APEDA pavilion.

33 GI agricultural products from 12 states