Agri, processed food products exports surge 16 pc to USD 17.43 bn in Apr-Nov

By Shailesh Yadav
New Delhi [India], December 30 : The exports of agricultural and processed food products went up 16 per cent in the eight months (April-November) of the current financial year 2022-23 over the corresponding period of FY2021-22.
According to the provisional data by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI and S), the overall export of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) products increased by 16 per cent growth in terms of USD during April-November 2022 to USD 17.43 billion from USD 15.07 billion over the same period of the last fiscal.
The initiatives taken by the Apeda that work under the ministry of commerce and industry have helped the country in achieving 74 per cent of its total export target for the year 2022-23 in eight months of the current fiscal.
For the year 2022-23, an export target of USD 23.56 billion has been fixed for the agricultural and processed food products basket and an export of USD 17.435 billion has already been achieved in eight months of the current fiscal.
As per the DGCI and S provisional data, processed fruits and vegetables recorded a 32.60 per cent growth in April-November 2022, while fresh fruits registered four per cent growth, against the corresponding period of the previous year. Also, processed food products like cereals and miscellaneous processed items reported a 28.29 per cent growth, against the first eight months of the previous year.
In April-November 2021, fresh fruits were exported to the tune of USD 954 million that increased to USD 991 million in the corresponding months of the current fiscal. Exports of processed fruits and vegetables (F&V) jumped to USD 1,310 million in eight months of the current fiscal from USD 988 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.
The export of pulses has witnessed an increase of 90.49 per cent in eight months of the current fiscal in compare to the same months of the last fiscal as the export of lentils increased from USD 206 million during April-November 2021-22 to USD 392 million in April-November 2022-23.
Basmati rice exports witnessed a 39.26 per cent growth in eight months of FY2022-23 as its export increased from USD 2,063 million in April-November 2021 to USD 2,873 million during April-November 2022, while the export of non-Basmati rice registered a growth of 5 per cent in eight months of current fiscal. Non-Basmati rice export increased to USD 4,109 million in eight months of the current fiscal from USD 3,930 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.
The export of poultry products increased by 88.45 per cent and the export of other cereals recorded a 12.90 per cent growth in eight months of the current fiscal. The export of poultry products rose to USD 82 million in eight months of the current fiscal from USD 43 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.
Similarly, dairy products recorded a growth of 33.77 per cent as its export rose to USD 421 million in April-November 2022 from USD 315 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.
Wheat export has registered an increase of 29.29 per cent in eight months of the current fiscal as its export rose to USD 1,508 million in April-November 2022 from USD 1,166 million in April-November 2021.
Other cereals' exports increased from USD 619 million in April-November 2021 to USD 699 million in April-November 2022 and the export of livestock products increased from USD 2,665 million in April-November 2021 to USD 2,709 million in April-November 2022.
On the achievement, M Angamuthu, Chairman, Apeda, said, "We have been working with all the stakeholders such as farmers, exporters, processors to ensure that quality agricultural and processed food products are exported from the country."
The rise in the export of agricultural and processed food products is the outcome of various initiatives taken for the export promotion of agricultural and processed food products such as organising business-to-business (B2B) exhibitions in different countries, exploring new potential markets through product-specific and general marketing campaigns by the active involvement of Indian Embassies.
Several initiatives were also taken to promote products having registered geographical indications (GI) in India by organising virtual buyer-seller meets on agricultural and food products with the United Arab Emirates and on GI products, including handicrafts with the US.