Seminar on organic and horticulture sector organised at India pavilion in EXPO2020 Dubai

Discussions were held on how to set a 10 per cent export share in the global fruits and vegetable market by 2030

India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai hosted a seminar on ‘Indian Organic and Horticulture Sector–Moving Up the Value Chain’ as part of the ongoing ‘Food, Agriculture and Livelihood’ at EXPO2020 Dubai.

The seminar, to deliberate on the opportunities and huge export potential that the Indian agriculture sector offers, saw participation from the representatives of the government and private sector.
In his opening remarks, PK Swain, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, said, “In ‘Rising India’, agriculture is a dominant sector which contributes significantly to the Indian economy. With 15 agro-climatic zones, rich soil, mineral-rich water, and is driving the volume, variety, and quality. India is on its way to becoming the food basket of the world and is offering both food and nutritional security with good agricultural practices to the world.”

Applauding the expansion of the sector in the country, Swain said, “India is scripting history with the enchanting growth trajectory of organic horticulture.” He also urged the global investors to invest in the agriculture supply chain and take advantage of FDI policies introduced by the government in the sector.

Dr B Rajendra, Minister (Agriculture), Embassy of India, Rome and Italy & Representative, FAO said, “We need to put a lot of effort in ensuring the quality of our organic horticulture produce and take advantage of such global platforms to expand our export avenues.”

Priya Ranjan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare said, “To ensure the quality of our organic produce, we need to have a robust system of certification and the Government of India has anchored two systems of certification for the organic products.”

He further emphasised that appropriate phytosanitary protocols need to be ensured for better acceptability of Indian organic and horticultural products. “We envisage targeting 10 per cent export share in global fruits and vegetable market by 2030,” he added.

It is pertinent to point out that despite the pandemic, India’s organic exports grew 51 per cent over 2019-20 levels. India’s organic exports stood at 8,88,180 MT in 2020-21.

K Srinivas, Partner, Food & Agribusiness, KPMG, said, “India is ranked amongst the top ten exporting countries in agriculture and the overall exports have been growing at an extremely significant rate. Despite the pandemic challenges, we were able to achieve this feat and it strengthens India’s positioning as an exporter globally.”

Emphasising the export-focussed strategy for the promotion of organic and horticulture produce, Srinivas said, “This platform is helping us initiate conversation around awareness and capacity building with investors to make prominence of India in horticulture space. Adoption of good agriculture practices, enhanced farm gate infrastructure, higher investment in R&D, and digital integration are some of the strategies that will play important role in promoting India’s horticulture exports.”

The ‘Food, Agriculture and Livelihood’ fortnight will conclude on March 2.

Discussions were held on how to set