The Indian government is in the process of developing action plans for 20 agricultural products, including banana, mangoes, potato, and baby corn, aiming to enhance their export. Rajesh Agarwal, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, indicated that these plans are expected to be finalized within the next 3–4 months. The initiative involves collaboration with various stakeholders and state entities.
Highlighting the potential of these commodities in global markets due to their quality and production standards, Agarwal emphasized the goal to increase India's global export share from 2.5% to approximately 4-5% in the forthcoming years.
The list of targeted commodities also encompasses fresh grapes, guava, pomegranate, watermelon, onion, green chili, capsicum, okra, garlic, groundnut, alcoholic beverages, cashew nut, and other products, with a combined global import value of USD 405.24 billion in 2022, against India's exports of USD 9.03 billion. Key markets with significant export potential for these items include the US, Malaysia, Canada, Russia, Germany, France, Korea, China, Indonesia, Japan, Italy, Belgium, and the UK. The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is spearheading these action plans.
Additionally, APEDA is collaborating with various institutes to establish sea protocols for items like bantam ginger, pineapple, mangoes, and oranges to facilitate sea route shipments, which are predominantly transported via air routes currently. This shift aims to reduce logistics costs and increase the export volume of horticultural produce to distant markets.
Source: newsdrum.in