The financial assistance schemes of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) have contributed to a 47.3% surge in India’s fruit and vegetable exports over the past five years, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The commerce ministry reported that fresh fruit and vegetable exports reached 123 countries in FY 2023-24.
Over the last three years, Indian fresh produce has entered 17 new markets, including Brazil, Georgia, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, the Czech Republic, and Ghana, among others.
This expansion has been facilitated by various measures, such as participation in international trade fairs, active engagement in market access negotiations, and the organization of buyer-seller meets, according to the ministry.
The Department of Commerce, through APEDA, provides financial assistance to its registered exporters for the promotion of scheduled products, including fruits and vegetables, under the Agriculture and Processed Foods Export Promotion Scheme for the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26).
“As a result of these initiatives, the export volume of fruits and vegetables grew by 47.3% between 2019-20 and 2023-24,” the ministry stated.
In terms of value, the growth over the past five years stands at 41.5%.
The major fruit- and vegetable-producing states include Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Karnataka.
The Department of Commerce is working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to prioritize agricultural products for market access negotiations, enabling India to secure new export destinations in recent years.
As a result, Indian potatoes and onions are now being exported to Serbia, baby corn and fresh bananas to Canada, pomegranate arils to Australia, the USA, Serbia, and New Zealand, and whole pomegranates to Australia via irradiation treatment.