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Thursday / November 21. 2024

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AgroPolicy, Fruits, Horticulture, India, Supply Chain, Trade, Vegetables

The workshop focused on educating FPOs about the processes and opportunities in the export market.

NABARD, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Govt. of Odisha, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Palladium organized a strategy workshop in Mayurbhanj of Odisha for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) on exporting fresh vegetables from Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Balasore districts in north zone of the state. Facilitated by Palladium as Technical Support Unit (TSU) to the Directorate of Horticulture, Odisha, the event aimed to enhance the export potential of fresh vegetables from the region.

The workshop focused on educating FPOs about the processes and opportunities in the export market, with a specific goal of exporting okra, bitter gourd, and long beans to Dubai within the next six months, as per the demand. In last three months, for the first time, eight FPOs exported over 86 quintals of mangoes and fresh vegetables to seven countries in the Middle East and Europe – United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Qatar and UAE.

Many esteemed speakers, including exporters, representatives from NABARD, APEDA, State and district officials from the department and Palladium graced the event. The inaugural session included opening remarks and special addresses from dignitaries, followed by informative sessions led by Dr. Sudhanshu K.K. Mishra (CGM NABARD), APEDA’s Regional Head, Sitakanta Mandal, Palladium’s Associate Director, Biswajit Behera and representatives from export houses. The workshop saw an active interaction of representatives from FPOs with other stakeholders.  Mahila Pragati Farmer Producer Company Limited, a successful FPO from Rayagada, presented its success story and the plan for diversifying into other commodities for export. The all women FPO with over 1900 members has recently been exporting mangoes and fresh vegetables.

Addressing the inaugural session, Dr. Sudhanshu K.K Mishra, CGM NABARD, said “Three areas are key to boost export in the state – strengthening supply to meet market demand, adherence to international quality standards, and role of packaging. The markets are demanding, and only good quality produce will fetch remunerative prices. NABARD along with APEDA, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment and Palladium, will focus on the value-chain development in fruits and vegetables to increase export of fresh produce from the state.”

Biswajit Behera, Associate Director, Palladium said, “Facilitating export of fresh produce from Odisha is one of the key focus areas of the state government as it is facilitating cold-chain facilities across the state to boost export from the state. Palladium is working closely with the FPOs in the state to make the farmers market-ready and the FPOs supply ready”. He further added, “Palladium is facilitating multiple stakeholder consultations to develop concrete action plans and roadmap for export. Moreover, the team is working with the Government, APEDA, NABARD and exporters to identify and bridge the gaps in exporting fresh produce from the state.”

Sitakanta Mandal, Regional Manager APEDA said, “Production planning, infrastructure support and training and handholding FPOs is crucial for strengthening supply of fresh produce from FPOs to international markets. To achieve this, we need to adopt a collaborative approach with the key stakeholders. Our next focus would be to conduct a state-level export sensitization workshop to provide technical handholding to FPOs in Odisha on export process and potential.”

The workshop focused on educating FPOs about

Agrotech

Aditya Sekhri, Associate Director, Strategy & Business Development, Fratelli Wines

The post-pandemic sale of wine has soared and companies are also making the best of it by rolling out new and improved promotional events to rope in newer client bases.  To learn more about the market realities of the Indian wine industry and its business roadmap for the future, AgroSpectrum had an exclusive one-on-one with Aditya Sekhri, Associate Director, Strategy& Business Development, Fratelli Wines Pvt Ltd. Edited excerpts;

What changes would you single out when drawing parallels between the history of India’s wine exports and the present day?

Since it was first established, the export of Indian wines has been a fruitful channel that has successfully brought us into the world arena. Despite the fact that the volume of Indian wine exports is still relatively low in comparison to the sales of domestic wines or imported wines in India, the category has been growing steadily post-COVID and will continue to be a major focus area for all domestic wine producers to make the brands recognised globally. In India, sales of domestic wines or imported wines make up the majority of the market.

Do you feel that the increased focus toward wellness is helping the domestic alcoholic beverages market?

The consumers of today, across all segments of the liquor industry, are a lot more health conscious than they were probably 10 years ago. Given that wine is perceived as a drink that has certain positive effects on one’s health, I believe that the consumption of wine in India should only continue to rise. It is important to educate new wine consumers, despite the fact that this particular factor is only projected to play a supporting role in the anticipated expansion of the wine business.

Could you comment on the rising popularity of Indian wines abroad?

It is heartening to observe the growing popularity of Indian wines in other countries. I believe Indian wines are being exported to somewhere around 20 nations, and I see both the overall volume and this number growing at a good rate year over year (YoY). When it comes to Fratelli, the majority of our exports originate from varieties such as Shiraz, Merlot and Chardonnay.

How does India fare in comparison to other global wine producers?

India has already come a long way, and the gap between us and other global powerhouses is getting smaller every year. However, certain factors, such as more uniform taxation policies across the country and technological improvements on the viticulture side, will enable us to reduce the gap even further.

Is the Indian wine industry leveraging technological knowhow to produce high-quality wines, at par with international brands?

The numerous accolades received by local producers in the past 10 years is a validation of many of the efforts made to make Indian wines equivalent in terms of quality to global powerhouses. In light of this, we at Fratelli are making more use of technology and working harder than ever before, both in the vineyards and in the winemaking facilities, to ensure that we continue to advance and establish new standards for ourselves each year.

What are your expectations from the current government?

The nation’s many stated policies need to become more standardised and competitive in their dealings with the country’s various domestic wine producers.

By Nitin Konde

Aditya Sekhri, Associate Director, Strategy & Business