In another milestone under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, India achieved impressive  growth in cereals exports in the 1st three quarters of 2020-21, despite challenges posed by COVID19 pandemic. Cereals exports grew by close to 53% to ₹ 49,832 crore in Apr – Dec 2020-21, compared a year ago period.

Basmati rice exports grew by 5.31% to ₹ 22,038 crore while the non-Basmati segment witnessed a spike in exports by 122.61%  to ₹ 22,856  crore. Wheat exports rose by 456% to ₹ 1,870 crore, while exports of other cereals like millet and maize grew by 177% to ₹ 3,067 crore. Cereals have a share of 48.61% in the total exports under the APEDA basket.  Overall exports of Cereal Products from the country continue to do well.

The  1^stProduct Committee meeting for Floriculture, Seeds and Cereals  was held on 3^rd February 2021 and was Chaired by Dr. M. Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA.   The meeting was joined by the Dr. Shatrughan Pandey, APEDA Authority Member, Mr. Chetan Singh, APEDA Authority Member, Dr. CharuduttaDgambarroMayee, APEDA Authority Member and Senior Officers of APEDA.

The Committee deliberated on the issues related to export promotion of Cereal Products, Floriculture and Seeds and specifically on Non Basmati Rice and Millets, the Nutri Cereals.

Considering the potential of increasing exports of Rice (Basmati Rice and Non Basmati Rice, Millets and Millet products Floriculture and Seed, APEDA is closely interacting withTrade and preparing a perspective Action Plan for increasing export of  Cereal Products, Floriculture and Seeds for a period five years i.e. 2021-2026 to enable all concerned stakeholders for taking necessary action in a time bound manner for achieving the target.

Export Promotion Strategy to boost cereals, floriculture and seeds exports through a multi-year action plan and stakeholder coordination. APEDA will develop a Perspective Action Plan for 2021-2026 to operationalise promotional measures, coordinate with trade stakeholders, and set time bound tasks for concerned parties; the plan targets cereals (including Non Basmati rice and millets), floriculture and seeds as priority sectors for increasing exports through focused interventions and stakeholder engagement.