According to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, there is a great potential for boosting exports of fruits and vegetables from Vidarbha region of Maharastra. Stating that GI-tagged Nagpur orange is grown in more than 70,000 hectares in Amravati Region, Gadkari said there is huge potential for export of Nagpur oranges and other citrus fruits from the region.
Since Nagpur orange is a GI product, it can also be sold at a premium, he pointed out. However, he also urged the scientists that more R&D needs to be done for this sector in terms of increasing the yield, varietal improvement and value addition.
Gadkari stated that while exports of Indian mandarin have doubled in the last two years, a large the export increase can be achieved only through required R&D and value addition. The minister appreciated the efforts of APEDA in terms of capacity building of the stakeholders, required infrastructure development, quality up-gradation and promotions abroad. He urged APEDA to organize more capacity building programs for the stakeholders for getting the required information and knowledge.
Exports of citrus fruits from India in 2019-20 stood at Rs 3.29 bln (€39.5 mln) and reached Rs 5.9 bln (€70.8 mln) in 2020-21. The main markets were Bangladesh, Nepal, UAE and Bhutan, among others.
Source: theprint.in
Photo source: Nl-nl.facebook.com