India's pricing, product competitiveness help top 5 agri exporters

India’s pricing and product competitiveness help top 5 Agri exporters – APEDA

With its pricing and product competitiveness, as well as agriproduct production, India aims to rank fourth or fifth in agri-exports by 2030, according to M. Angamuthu, Chairman of APEDA.

Angamuthu said in his special address on ‘Agriculture Exports: striking a balance with domestic demand in meeting the $60 Billion target’ on Friday at the businessline Agri-Business and Commodities Summit in New Delhi, ‘We have not only price competitiveness, but also production and product competitiveness.’ India’s product range and quantity cannot be compared to those of other countries.

The agricultural export competitiveness index focuses on product range, cost-effectiveness, and price competitiveness.

According to the EAC Chairman, policies are established in Parliament and legislatures that represent exclusively the opinions of major farmers.

He claims that India, which was ranked 12th in agro exports four years ago, has now risen to eighth place. He stated that India, which is currently in seventh place, expects to be in fourth or fifth place by 2030.

Bayer is the summit’s main sponsor, with NCDEX serving as an exchange partner and Tata Chemicals, Rallis India Ltd., APEDA, Olam Agri, NSE and SSVM Institutions, and the Department of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka, serving as associate sponsors. The event’s banking partner is the State Bank of India, its real estate partner is Casagrand, and its knowledge partner is the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

Angamuthu estimates that India’s agricultural exports will reach $50 billion in 2021–22. The country, which used to sell to about 100 countries a few years ago, now exports to about 200. India is the main country in the agro-export basket. It is responsible for 40% of all rice trade in the world.

In terms of other commodities, particularly animal products, India accounts for about half of the world market. The country offers almost 700 different products. He said that improving the selection of products has been a goal for the past seven years.

FPOs serve as sourcing points

He talked about the role of FPOs (farmer-producer organizations) in agri-exports and said that they are now a point of origin for exports. FPOs are the most important export factor. He explained that they function as aggregators in addition to sourcing.

The GI product

He said that there is a focus on promoting GI (geographic indication) items and that about 150 of them have been picked out for this reason. The country has sent over 100 GI items to various countries. ‘There was a lot of positive feedback where we have a solid advantage for our GI solution,’ he said.

In the last year, the country’s organic product exports have surpassed $1 billion. The country has a lot of potential in this industry, and it wants to promote natural products, vegan products, and so on. He added that government programs like PLI and Gati Shakti Yojna are also assisting with exports.

He said that the country has been able to export about 15% of its grape crop thanks to the cluster model for exporting horticultural products. This strategy is also being tested for banana and mango exports, he said.

An approach based on technology

He emphasized the government’s technology-driven strategy to encourage agro exports, stating that technologies such as blockchain, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence are being employed in this area. ‘There are numerous technology-driven platforms where we may promote our Agri and food products,’ he explained.

He emphasized the importance of promoting a start-up ecosystem to enhance agro exports, stating that over 500 firms are working on food items. Millets alone have produced over 100 new businesses/startups.

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