With a focus on direct exports, APEDA transforms 119 FPOs/FPCs into exporters over a period of five years

APEDA develops sea protocols to boost exports of fresh produce, reduce logistics costs

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has taken a number of steps to ensure that more and more of its Scheduled products are exported to newer destinations. In this regard special emphasis is towards the ODOP and GI products, and also to source these exports from non-traditional areas/states. As on date, APEDA scheduled products are being exported to more than 203 countries/territories, worldwide. To give this a further fillip, more than 27 flag offs were organised in the current financial year. Some of the notable new flagoffs of export shipments were:

Product	Origin	Export destination
Guava	Baramati, Maharashtra	UAE
Bananas	Baramati, Maharashtra	Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Russia
Potatoes	Purvanchal	UAE
Khasi Mandarin Orange	Meghalaya	Dubai
Colocasia	Pakur, Jharkhand	Singapore
Assam Flat Beans and Lemon	Assam	London
Water chestnuts	Varanasi	UAE
Marigold	Varanasi	Sharjah
Cashew nut	Odisha	Bangladesh, Qatar, Malaysia, USA
Fresh vegetables	Uttarakhand	Kingdom of Bahrain
Pongal Hamper	Nilakottai, TN	Abu Dhabi
Lemon, Mango and Mixed pickles	Karnataka	UAE
Millets	Punjab	Australia

APEDA is also actively involved in capacity building initiatives for FPOs as they are increasingly recognized as essential aggregators of farm produce, pivotal in streamlining the supply chain and ensuring efficient market access for farmers. With a focus on enabling direct exports, APEDA has transformed 119 FPOs/FPCs into exporters over a period of five years. Through tailored support and guidance, these FPOs have enhanced their capabilities to navigate global markets, amplifying the presence of Indian agricultural products on the international stage.

The agri-export promotion body in collaboration with the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), has embarked on a proactive initiative to develop sea protocols tailored for the export of fresh produce to long-distance markets. This strategic endeavour aims to optimize the export process for promising fresh fruits, facilitating efficient transportation and reducing logistics costs. As part of this initiative, trial shipments of mangoes and pomegranates to the USA and the European Union are being planned. In a significant breakthrough, bananas were successfully shipped by sea to the Netherlands in November and to Russia in January. The implementation of sea protocols is poised to enable a quantum increase in exports of items such as bananas, mangoes, pomegranates, and other fresh fruits and vegetables, further enhancing India's presence in international markets.

Export promotion of ODOP and GI products expanded through FPO exporter conversion and sea protocols enabling long-distance shipments. APEDA has implemented export-promotion measures prioritising ODOP and GI products and non-traditional sourcing, organising over 27 flag-offs to expand destinations. It has transformed 119 FPOs/FPCs into direct exporters through capacity-building, and, in collaboration with research institutes, is developing sea protocols for long-distance fresh-produce shipments to reduce logistics costs and enable trial shipments to major markets.