Continuing the trend from the previous year, the exports of agricultural and processed food products rose by 13 percent in the nine months of the current Financial Year 2022-23 (April-December) in comparison with the corresponding period of FY 2021-22, according to the provisional data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S).

The overall export of APEDA products increased to USD 19.7 billion in April-December 2022 from USD 17.5 billion over the same period of the last fiscal.

The initiatives taken by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) that works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India has helped the country in achieving 84 percent of its total export target for the year 2022-23 in nine months of the current fiscal.

For the year 2022-23, an export target of USD 23.6 billion has been fixed by APEDA for the agricultural and processed food products basket and an export of USD 19.694 billion has already been achieved in nine months of the current fiscal.

As per the DGCI&S provisional data, processed fruits and vegetables recorded a growth of 30.36 percent (April-December 2022), while fresh fruits and vegetables registered four percent growth in compare to corresponding months of the previous year.

Also, processed food products like cereals preparation and miscellaneous processed items reported a growth of 24.35 percent in compare to the first nine months of the previous year.

In April-December, 2021, fresh fruits were exported to the tune of USD 1078 million that increased to USD 1121 million in the corresponding months of the current fiscal.

Exports of processed F&V jumped to USD 1472 million in nine months of the current fiscal from USD 1129 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

The export of pulses has witnessed an increase of 80.38 percent in nine months of the current fiscal in compare to the same months of the last fiscal as the export of lentils increased from USD 242 million (April-December 2021-22) to USD 436 million (April-December 2022-23).

Basmati Rice exports witnessed a growth of 40.26 percent in nine months of FY 2022-23 as its export increased from USD 2379 million (April-December 2021) to USD 3337 million (April-December 2022), while the export of non-Basmati rice registered a growth of 4 percent in nine months of current fiscal. Non-basmati rice export increased to USD 4663 million in nine months of the current fiscal from USD 4512 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

The export of poultry products increased by 91.70 percent and the export of other cereals recorded a growth of 13.64 percent in nine months of the current fiscal. The export of poultry products rose to USD 95 million in nine months of the current fiscal from USD 50 million in corresponding months of the previous year.

Similarly, dairy products recorded a growth of 19.45 percent as its export rose to USD 471 million in April-December 2022 from USD 395 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

Wheat export has registered an increase of 4 percent in nine months of the current fiscal as its export rose to USD 1508 million in April-December 2022 from USD 1452 million in April-December 2021.

Other cereals’ exports increased from USD 764 million in April-December 2021 to USD 869 million in April-December 2022 and the export of milled products increased from USD 188 million in April-December 2021 to USD 255 million in April-December 2022—registering a growth of 35.71 percent in the nine months.

On the achievement, M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, said, “we have been engaged with all the stakeholders such as farmers, exporters, processors and Indian missions to ensure that quality and high value agricultural and processed food products are exported from the country.”

As per the DGCI&S data, the country’s agricultural products exports had grown by 19.92 per cent during 2021-22 to touch USD 50 billion. The growth rate is significant as it is over and above the growth of 17.66 per cent at USD 41.87 billion achieved in 2020-21 and has been achieved in spite of unprecedented logistical challenges in the form of high freight rates and container shortages, etc.

APEDA had scripted a new history by exporting agricultural and processed food products to the tune of USD 24.8 billion in 2021-22, which was around 51 per cent of India's total agricultural goods exports of more than USD 50 billion.

“Through creating a necessary eco-system of exports along with collaboration with key stakeholders in the agri-exports value chains, we are aiming to sustain the growth in India’s agricultural and processed food exports in the current fiscal as well,” Angamuthu, said.

The rise in the export of agricultural and processed food products is the outcome of APEDA’s various initiatives taken for the export promotion of agricultural and processed food products such as organising B2B exhibitions in different countries, exploring new potential markets through product-specific and general marketing campaigns by the active involvement of Indian Embassies.

APEDA has also taken several initiatives to promote products having registered geographical indications (GI) in India by organising virtual Buyer Seller Meets on agricultural and food products with the United Arab Emirates and on GI products, including handicrafts with the USA.

In a bid to give a boost to the export of Indian wine, the APEDA facilitated participation of 10 wine exporters in the London Wine Fair held between June 7- 9, 2022.

APEDA recently organized a conference on the boosting export potential of natural, organic and GI-agro Products from the north-eastern states in Guwahati, Assam. The objective of the conference is to promote the export of natural, organic and GI agro-products grown in Assam and neighbouring states by creating international market linkages.

In collaboration with the Union Territory of Ladakh, APEDA recently organized an International Buyer Seller Meet, which aimed at boosting exports of Apricots and other agri-products from Ladakh. Eighteen entrepreneurs from UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir displayed a range of Apricots and other Agri Products. Twenty buyers from India, USA, Bangladesh, Oman and Dubai participated in this event.

APEDA launched an eight-day-long Mango Festival in the Kingdom of Bahrain on June 13, 2022. At the show, 34 varieties of mangoes from eastern states, including West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha, were displayed at Bahrain's Al Jazira group supermarket.

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 time 34 varieties of mangoes from eastern states have been showcased in Bahrain. On earlier occasions, mango varieties from Southern states like Alphonso, Kesar, Banganpalli, etc were showcased in most of the global shows.

In order to ensure seamless quality certification of products to be exported, APEDA has recognised 220 labs across India to provide services of testing to a wide range of products and exporters.