The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, is driving initiatives to enhance the contribution and share of farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and farmer producer companies (FPCs) in the exports of agricultural and processed food products and has till date registered more than 1000 FPOs and FPCs as APEDA members.
With a dual aim to unlock export opportunities for agricultural and processed food products from the region and to enhance the contribution of FPOs and FPCs in the agri and processed food products, APEDA organised an exposure visit for farmer producer organisations (FPOs) to the UAE. The delegation comprised 47 members, representing FPOs from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand.
During the visit, FPOs visited the Al-Aweer fruit and vegetable market to explore the possibilities and opportunities for Indian agri products specially grown in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Further, the delegation of FPOs visited LuLu hypermarket to understand the requirements and pattern of the purchase in the Dubai market. During the visit, the FPO representatives also met with a good number of buyers and pitched their produce for export. As an immediate outcome, an FPO among the delegation finalised an order of fresh turmeric which was also flagged off to the UAE market. The other FPOs have also been able to get promising leads and are currently in negotiation with the buyers. Thus, more orders are expected shortly.
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To evaluate the benefits of the visit and disseminate its outcomes among farmers, APEDA conducted a capacity-building and experience-sharing programme in Varanasi on March 5, 2024. In the programme, the representatives of FPOs who undertook the visit to the UAE shared their experiences and learnings of the visit among other member farmers. They briefed them about the requirements and regulations to be followed for exporting agri commodities to the UAE market. They also briefly highlighted the potential products which have a significant untapped demand in the UAE market namely mango, green chilli, and okra among others which the farmers of the region could tap. They also encouraged the farmers to implement Good Agriculture Practices (GAP), while farming to enable their produce to meet the regulatory requirements of the importing countries.
Notably, the event also marked the flag-off of a consignment of fresh turmeric to Sharjah, UAE, showcasing the region’s potential for export. Additionally, fresh fruits were exported from Varanasi’s LBSI Airport to the international market, highlighting the region’s expanding export capabilities.
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Operating through its regional wing in Varanasi, and taking forward the above vision, APEDA has identified the Purvanchal region as a model Agri Export Hub, recognising its significance in agricultural trade and has enrolled more than 120 FPOs from the region as its members. Special focus is being given towards enrolment of FPOs dealing in One District One Product (ODOP) and GI products, those which are women and SC-ST led and those from the northeastern region and Himalayan states and landlocked areas. Taking this theme forward, APEDA officers along with departmental subject experts from the Central and state governments sensitised the farmers and other FPOs to the requirements of the agri-export supply chain.
Divisional Commissioner, Varanasi Division, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Kaushal Raj Sharma praised APEDA’s significant efforts in the Purvanchal region, emphasising the exposure visit for farmer producer organisations as an invaluable opportunity facilitated by APEDA. He highlighted APEDA’s role in guiding FPOs towards meeting agricultural export requirements and international standards. He also noted the remarkable progress in agricultural exports, citing an increase from 151 metric tonnes in FY 2021-22 to 702 metric tonnes in FY 2023-24 (April to December), reflecting the positive outcomes of APEDA’s initiatives since 2020.
Abhishek Dev, Chairman, APEDA, emphasised the significance of exposure visits in exploring agricultural export opportunities, underlining their potential to boost national foreign exchange earnings and improve farmer incomes. He remarked on the keen interest shown by FPOs in agricultural export, recognising it as a positive indicator of the region’s capacity to meet international market demands. He highlighted Uttar Pradesh’s rise as the third-largest agricultural exporting state in India (APEDA Basket), attributing this achievement to the region’s deep potential and APEDA’s sustained efforts in enhancing the contribution of land-locked areas in exports.
