News Brief
India's Fruits And Veggies Go Global: Exports Surge By 47.3 Per Cent with APEDA's Strategic Push
Fruits and vegetables - representative image (Domokus/Pixabay)
India has recorded a 47.3 per cent rise in fruit and vegetable exports between 2019-20 and 2023-24, as per the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, and reported by The Economic Times.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has played a key role in this expansion by offering financial assistance under various export promotion programs.
Government Support Boosting Export Infrastructure
Highlighting APEDA’s contribution, the ministry stated, "APEDA's financial assistance schemes boost 47.3 per cent surge in India's fruit and vegetable exports", ET reported.
Under the Agriculture and Processed Foods Export Promotion Scheme, APEDA provides financial aid for developing packhouses, grading units, pre-cooling chambers, cold storage, and temperature-controlled transport.
It also supports treatment methods like hot water dipping, vapour heat treatment, and irradiation to meet international quality norms.
To improve product quality, APEDA finances laboratory testing equipment, quality control systems, and portable devices for monitoring farm-level data.
Additional measures include testing of soil, water, and pesticide residues to align with importing countries’ safety protocols.
Over the past three years, India has secured access to 17 new markets, including Brazil, Georgia, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) and APEDA are working on identifying specific agricultural products for expanding exports into priority markets.
The government is also formulating sea transport protocols to cut logistical costs and facilitate higher shipment volumes, stating, "Development of Sea protocols for horticulture products to reduce logistic expenses and to enable larger volume of exports."
The government continues engagements with importing nations to streamline facility approvals and meet phyto-sanitary norms.
These negotiations are backed by Indian embassies, ensuring smooth trade operations and hassle-free market entry.
