India's fruit & veg exports up 47.3% due to APEDA schemes

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India's exports of fruits and vegetables have seen a significant increase of 47.3 per cent between the financial years 2019-20 and 2023-24. This significant increase is due to financial support schemes provided by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) under the Department of Commerce. "APEDA's financial assistance schemes have boosted India's fruit and vegetable exports by 47.3 per cent," the ministry said in an official statement.

APEDA has been supporting exporters through various initiatives under the Agricultural and Processed Food Export Promotion Scheme. It provides financial assistance to set up necessary export facilities such as packhouses with grading and packing lines, pre-cooling units, cold storage, refrigerated transport and irradiation, steam heat treatment and treatment facilities like hot water dip treatment. This infrastructure helps to ensure that exported fruits and vegetables meet international quality standards.

Financial assistance is given to purchase laboratory testing equipment, set up quality management systems, and use handheld equipment to track farm-level data to enhance product quality. It also includes testing of water, soil and pesticide residues to meet the stringent requirements of importing countries.

The Ministry also said that APEDA assists exporters in increasing their reach by participating in international trade fairs, organizing buyer-seller meetings and developing better packaging standards. To further enhance market access, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) and APEDA have identified key products and target countries on which focused trade negotiations will be held.