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The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which promotes exports of agricultural produce, flagged off new and unique produce as many as 27 times in the current financial year 2023-24.
The central agricultural trade promotion agency 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 placed on the ODOP (One District One Product) and (Geographical Indication) GI products, as well as sourcing these exports from non-traditional areas or states. As of today, APEDA scheduled products are being exported to more than 203 countries or territories, worldwide. Some of the notable new flag offs of export shipments are listed below: APEDA is also actively involved in capacity building initiatives for farmers producers organisations (FPOs), as they are increasingly recognised 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 optimise the export process for promising fresh fruits, facilitate efficient transportation and reduce logistics costs. As part of this initiative, trial shipments of mangoes and pomegranates to the US and the European Union are being planned. In a 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. (ANI)
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