Lok Sabha Question No. 3271 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-21
Subject: Marketing of Agricultural Products
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3271

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 21 ST  MARCH,2023

## MARKETING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

3271. DR. RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK':

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERSWELFARE क ृ षिएवंषकसानकल्याणमंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) the special efforts made by the Government for the successful marketing of fruits, vegetables and processed products in Himalayan States;
- (b) the subsidy being provided by the Governmenton storage and transportation;
- (c) whether  the  Government  is  making  efforts  to  provide  international  market  for these products of farmers; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERSWELFARE

क ृ षि एवं षकसान कल्याण मंत्री

(SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a) and (b):  Agricultural marketing is a state subject and wholesale markets are set up under the provisions of respective State Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)  Act.  However,  in  order  to  reduce  supply  chain,  promote  competition  and encourage  private  sector  investment  in  development  of  value  chain  and  marketing infrastructure of perishable horticultural produce, Department has been pursuing with the States including Himalayan States to de-regulate marketing of these perishables outside the market -yards. Responding to pursuance, all the Himalayan States except Uttarakhand have done so.

The  Agricultural  &  Processed  Food  Products  Export  Development  Authority (APEDA), a statutory body under the administrative control of Department of Commerce,  has  taken  various  initiatives  for  the  marketing  of  fruits,  vegetables  and processed  products  in  Himalayan  states.  Some  of  the  initiatives  are  at  Annexure-I. Further, Financial assistance is being provided for setting up of common infrastructure facilities such as pack-houses, processing units, reefer van etc. in various States across the  country  under  Agriculture  and  Processed  Foods  Export  Promotion  Scheme  of APEDA for the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 TO 2025-26).

Government is implementing Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI), a subscheme  of  Integrated  Scheme  for  Agricultural  Marketing  (ISAM)  across  the  country. Under the scheme, subsidy at the rate of 25% for plain areas and 33.33% for NER, hilly area is available for beneficiaries viz, Farmers, Individuals, Group of farmers/growers, Agri-preneurs,  Registered  Farmer  Producer  Organizations  (FPOs),  Cooperatives,  and state  agencies  etc.  for  development  of  Agricultural  Marketing  Infrastructure  Projects including storage infrastructure.

Government  is  also  implementing  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of Horticulture (MIDH) under which financial assistance is provided for various horticulture  activities  including  post-harvest  management  infrastructure  such  as construction/Expansion/Modernization  of  cold  storages  of  capacity  up  to  5000  MT, purchase  of  refrigerated  transport  vehicle  for  9MT  and  prorate  basis  for  lesser capacity but not below 4MT and market infrastructure such as creation of wholesale market,  rural  primary  market,  functional  infrastructure  etc  in  the  country  including Himalayan  States.  These  components  are  demand/entrepreneur  driven  for  which Government assistance in the form of credit linked back ended subsidy is available through respective State Horticulture Missions.

Besides,  National  Horticulture  Board  (NHB)  is  implementing  a  scheme  namely 'Capital InvestmentSubsidy for Construction/ Expansion/Modernization of Cold Storages and Storages for HorticultureProducts'. Under the scheme, credit linked backendedsubsidy at the rate of 35% of the capital costof the project in general areas and 50% in case of North East, hilly & scheduled areas forconstruction/expansion/modernization  of  cold  storage  and  Controlled  Atmosphere (CA) storage ofcapacity above 5000 MT and up to 10000 MT is available. In case of North  East  region, the units withcapacity above  1000  MT  are  also  eligible  for assistance.

Ministry  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  has  launched  Horticulture  Cluster Development  Programme  (HCDP)  for  selected  high  value  horticulture  crops  through National  Horticulture  Board  (NHB).  This  Programme  is  designed  to  leverage  the geographical specialization of horticulture clusters and promote integrated and market led  development  of  pre-production,  production,  post-harvest,  logistics,  branding  and marketing activities,

Initially  12  clusters  have  been  selected  on  Pilot  basis  for  the  launch  of Horticulture  Cluster  Development  Programme.  Details  of  these  12  clusters  are  at Annexure-III.

Further,  Government  is  implementing  a  Central  Sector  Scheme  Agriculture Infrastructure  Fund  (AIF)  of  Rs.  1,00,000  Crore  to  provide  a  medium-long  term  loan facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest market infrastructure including warehousing  facility  and  community  farming  assets  through  interest  subvention  and financial support.

As  per  the  information  received  from  Ministry  of  Railways,  Kisan  Rail  Scheme was  introduced  by  Indian  Railways  to  enable  the  speedy  movement  of  perishables including  fruits,  vegetables,  meat,  poultry,  fishery  and  dairy  products  from  production surplus  regions  to  consumption  or  deficit  regions.  45%  subsidy  being  granted  by  the Ministry of Railways on transportation of perishables through Kisan Rail.

(c)  and  (d):The  initiatives  taken  by  APEDA  to  provide  international  market  for  fruits, vegetables and processed products are attached at Annexure II.

## APEDA's Initiatives in Himalayan Region

## A.  Initiatives taken by APEDA in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh

## 1.  New Products vis-a-vis New Destinations:

- i. Facilitated  maiden  shipment  of  Almond  oil,  walnut  oil  and  apricot  oil  from  J&K exported to UAE in September, 2022.
- ii. Facilitated shipment of Dried Lavender from the UT of Jammu & Kashmir to UAE during September, 2022.
- iii. Facilitated the maiden shipment export of 20 MT of fresh apricot from Ladakh in 2021  to  Dubai.  Export  of  35  MT  of  fresh  apricot  from  Ladakh  to  Singapore, Mauritius and Vietnam in 2022.
- iv. Promoted export of Gucchi Mushroom of 3 tons worth 3 from Jammu region.
- v. Promoted export of 30 MT of Basmati, non basmati rice from Jammu region.
- vi. Facilitated export of 510 MT walnut from Jammu region.

2.  Buyer Seller Meet/Market Promotion programmes organized IBSM (International buyer sellers meet) on apricot in LehLadakh on 14 th  June, 2022.

## 3.  Capacity Building Programmes in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh

- i. Awareness program for FPOs convergence to exporter in Leh on 25 th  October, 2022.
- ii. Export  awareness  workshop  in  association  with  DGFT  in  Leh  and  Kargil  on 13 th &15 th  March, 2023.
- iii. Canopy management of high value fruit crops of Ladakh in Kargilincollaboration with Horticulture Department Kargil on 14 th  March, 2023.
- iv. Capacity building Program for FPOs, FPO as an Exporter in Baramulla on 29 th September, 2022.
- v. Capacity building program for FPOs, FPC's and Cooperatives for enhancing the quality of Rice for Exports in Anantnag on 3 rd  October, 2022.
- vi. Awareness program for the promotion of Basmati and Non-Basmati Rice in RS Pura Jammu on 17 th  October, 2022.
- vii. Awareness  program  for  FPOs  -  Convergence  to  exporters  in  Jammu  on  1 st November, 2022.
4.  Products  promoted  by  APEDA  from  J&K  and  Ladakh  to  gulf  countries, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mauritius and Vietnam are as follows :
- a) Fruits  and  its  products :  Cherry,  Apricot,  apples,  almond,  walnuts  (whole/kernel) apple chips, walnut oil, almond oil, apricot oil,
- b) Vegetables and its products : Radish, Lotus root, Broccoli, Kashmiri Lal Mirch, white Radish  long,  cauliflower,  Kale,  Turnip,  Karmiri  pickle,  Red  kidney  beans,  Red chillipowder,  fennel  seed  powder,  Poney  Fred  beans,  Gucchi  (Morel)  mushroom, black Carrot, Lal Mirch paste
- c) Agriculture products :  Basmati  rice,  Brown  rice,  Mushkbudji  rice,  Talbeena  Barley Kheer
- d) Special products : Apricot RaksteyKarpo GI tag, Saffron GI tag/ Customized saffron products, Acacia Honey, Multiflora honey, wild forest honey, dried lavender

## 5 . Infrastructures supported by APEDA :

- a) Up-gradation of Food testing laboratory for analysis of food products as per importing  country  requirements: The  project  is  in  process  in  which  Rs.  4.55 crores have been sanctioned for the upgradation of the facility.
- b) Purchase of refeer van for handling fruits and vegetables: The reefer truck has been  allocated  to  a  private  entrepreneur  in  which  funding  of  Rs.  0.27  crores  has been sanctioned by APEDA.

## B. Initiatives taken by APEDA in North Eastern Region

APEDA has taken special initiatives to export some of the unique products from NER. Some of the initiatives are as under:

## 1.  New products vis-a -vis New Destinations:

## i. First export consignment of Jackfruit from Tripura to UK

APEDA facilitated the first shipment of fresh jackfruit from Tripura to London in May 2021. Jackfruits were sourced from Tripura based KrishiSanyoga Agro Producer  Company  Ltdand  packed  at  APEDA  assisted  pack-house  at Guwahati, Assam.

## ii. First export consignment of Jackfruit from Tripura to Germany

APEDA  facilitated  the  first  consignment  of  fresh  jackfruit  from  Tripura  to Germany in July 2021.

## iii. First shipment of Burmese Grapes from Assam to UAE

APEDA facilitated a consignment of Leteku (Burmese grape), an exotic fruit rich  in  vitamin  C  and  iron  from  Assam.  The  consignment  was  exported  by APEDA registered exporter M/s Kiega EXIM Pvt Ltd, Assam from Guwahati to Dubai.

## iv. First shipment of Tender Jackfruit and Green Chilli from Assam to UAE

APEDA  facilitated  and  organised  export  of  first  consignment  of  1.5  MT  of tender  jack  fruit  and  0.5  MT  of  green  chilli  from  Dhubri  district  to  Dubai through  M/s.  Fair  Exports  India  Pvt.  Ltd,  Mumbai,  a  division  of  Lulu  Group International.  Prior  to  export,  APEDA  facilitated  the  series  of  meetings  and field inspection for sourcing quality material for exports.

## v. First shipment of  Tezpur Litchi (GI) from Assam to UK

APEDA  registered  exporter,  M/s  Kiega  Exim,  Assam  exported  the  litchi consignment  to  the  UK,  sourced  from  M/s  Agnigarh  Farmer  Producer Company, Sonitpur. Hon'ble Chief Minister of Assam, Dr HimantaBiswaSarma flagged off the consignment. In this regard, APEDA had co-organized  the  buyer  seller  meet  followed  by  a  field  visit  to  assess  the quality of litchis for export.

## vi. First shipment of Assam lemon (GI) from Baksha district, Assam to UK

Due to APEDA's perseverance and effort, APEDA held a series of meeting followed by field visit along with exporters and farmers for the first consignment of Assam lemon from Baksha district through M/s Kiega EXIM, Guwahatisourced from the FPC, M/s Nilachal Agro Producer Company Ltd, Baksha.

## vii. Export of Iron rich Red Rice of Assam to USA

APEDA facilitated a consignment of Iron rich 'red rice' grown in Brahmaputra valley  of  Assam  to  USA.  The  rice  variety  is  also  referred  as  'Bao-dhaan', which is an integral part of the Assamese food. The red rice was sourced and exported by M/s L.T Foods from Haryana.

## viii. First shipment of GI products to Vietnam

M/s  North  East  Farm  Sales  Promotion,  a  start  up  from  Assamexported consignment  of orthodox tea of Assam,  Large Cardamom  of  Sikkim, Dehydrated King chilli of Nagaland and Black rice of Manipur to Vietnam from Guwahati wherein APEDA facilitated the export shipment.

## ix. First  export  consignment  of  King  Chilly  (Raja  Mircha),  a  GI  crop  from Nagaland to London

The first  consignment of fresh ' Raja Mircha '  also  referred  as  king  chilli  was exported  from  Nagaland  to  London  from  Guwahati  airport  in  July  2021 through APEDA's effort. APEDA coordinated with the state Marketing Board in  getting  samples  tested  for  pesticides  and  the  results  were  encouraging since  it  is  grown  organically.  The  consignment  was  sourced  from  Peren district,  Nagaland  and  was  packed  at  APEDA  assisted  packhouse  at Guwahati for exports.

## x. Export of Assam Lemon (KajiNemu) having Geographical Indication tag to UK and UAE

Through  the  support  of  APEDA,  M/s  M/s  Kiega  Exim,  Assam  identified farmers in Tinsukia district and started contractual farming with M/s

SeujiPaam, an FPC with buy back guarantee and exported lemons directly to the UK. Over the years, the exporter has associated with many more farmers and FPCs of Assam Lemon for export

## xi. Export of Flat Beans (Lab-Lab Beans) to the UK and UAE

M/s Kiega Exim, Assam tied up with Seujmukhi Agro Producer Company Ltd, an FPC from Darrang district for so urcing of flat beans.

## xii. Export of Natural Honey to USA from Assam

APEDA  assisted  in  strengthening  in-house  laboratory  of  M/s  Salt  Range Foods Pvt. Ltd, Assam in order to meet the importing countries food quality and  safety  requirements  for  exports.  This  is  also  the  first  approved  honey processing  unit  located  in  Assam  for  exports  to  the  USA.  APEDA  has provided  support  in  identifying  FPC's  for  sourcing  quality  honey  from  the region and overcoming procurement and logistics hurdles.

## xiii. Promotion of Trial Shipments through Multi- modal Logistics

APEDA  facilitated  and  assisted  the  First  Trial  Shipment  of  fresh  organic pineapples fro Manipur to Dubai covering multi modal transport mode,  road and  sea  route  inorder  to  explore  new  markets  and  test  marketing  of  new products. About 20 MT of fresh organic pineapples was exported by an FPC turned  exporter  M/s  Thayong  Organic  Producer  Company  Ltd,  Manipur  on 25th July 2022.

## xiv. Export of Assam Lemon to UK from Assam

APEDA facilitated and assisted the First commercial consignment of Assam Lemon (GI) from Baksa, Assam to United Kingdom.

- xv. Export of Joha Rice and Aijung local rice from Assam to Dubai. APEDA facilitated and assisted the commercial consignment of 5 MT of Joha rice (GI) and 5 MT of Aijung local rice from Assam to Dubai.
- xvi. First flagshipment of Khasi Mandarin (GI) from Meghalaya to Abu Dhabi APEDA  facilitated  and  assisted  the  flag-off &  trial  export  flag  shipment  for khasi mandarin-The GI Of Meghalaya for promoting export of Khasi Mandarin (GI) from Meghalaya to Abu Dhabi in December 2022.
- xvii. First flagshipment of Khasi Mandarin (GI) from Meghalaya to Dubai APEDA  facilitated  and  assisted  the  flag-off &  trial  export  flag  shipment  for khasi mandarin-The GI Of Meghalaya for promoting export of Khasi Mandarin (GI) from Meghalaya to Dubai in December 2022.
- xviii. Flag  off  Ceremony  of  2MT  Khasi  Mandarin  (GI  No.  465)  and  Export Shipment

APEDA  in  collaboration  with  Directorate  of  Horticulture,  Government  of Meghalaya  successfully  facilitate  first  consignment  of  flag  off  ceremony  of Khasi Mandarin (GI 465) to Doha and Bahrain, UAE in December, 2022.

## 2.  Buyer Seller Meet/Market Promotion programmes organized in NER

APEDA initiated the efforts to open the export window for NER products by organizing the  first  Conference  cum  International  Buyer  Seller  Meet  (IBSM)  in  the  region  in  the year 2019 in Guwahati, Assam. Since them, APEDA has been organising various such events to showcase the strength of North East Region, to provide a platform for B2B and  B2G  meetings  of  international  buyers  with  the  exporters  and  exporters  with  the progressive farmers/growers to explore the opportunities and prospects of agri-exports from  the  NER.  APEDA  also  organized  field  visits  of  importers  to  have  firsthand information about the qualitative cultivation practices being followed by farmers as part of the buyer-seller meet.

## i. International Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) inGuwahati, Assam

APEDA organized IBSM at Guwahati on 10th March 2022 wherein exhibitors from across the state displayed a wide range of agri-horti products including GI  products such as fresh fruits, vegetables, processed food products, black rice, red rice, joha rice, spices, tea, Coffee,  honey, processed meat, spices & organic  products.  Importers  from  Sri  Lanka,  Dubai,  Bangladesh,  Oman, Netherlands,  Singapore  and  Greece  participated  along  with  exporters  from NER and other states.

## ii. International Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) in Dibrugarh

Conference cum International Buyer Seller Meet was organized at Dibrugarh, Assam in association with Dept. of Industries & Commerce, Govt. of Assam from  24-25th  March  2022.  Buyers  from  Bangladesh,  Nepal,  exporters  from across the country attended the meet.

## iii. International Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) in Shillong, Meghalaya

In a move aimed at realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Vocal for  Local'  with  an  emphasis  on  'Aatmanirbhar  Bharat',  APEDA  organized International Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) in Shillong, Meghalaya on 29 th  March 2022.  Buyers  from  Sri  Lanka,  Nepal,  Bhutan,  Bangladesh,  Singapore, Malaysia,  Greece,  United  Arab  Emirates,  Muscat  and  European  countries actively  participated  in  the  first  of  its  kind  Buyer  Seller  Meet  post-Covid-19 period in Meghalaya.

## iv. International Buyer Seller Meet (IBSM) at Itanagar, Arunachal

APEDA  organised  one-day International Buyer Seller Meet (IBSM) at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh on 24th May 2022. The event was inaugurated by  Shri  Pema  Khandu,  Hon'ble  Chief  Minister  of  Arunachal  Pradesh  along with  Shri  TageTaki,  Hon'ble  Minister  of  Agriculture,  Horticulture,  Animal Husbandry  &  Veterinary  and  other  dignataries.  More  than  20  buyers  from

India,  the  USA,  Australia,  Ghana,  Indonesia,  Bhutan,  Myanmar  and  Nepal participated in the BSM.

## v. APEDA Co-organised Buyer Seller meets for Tezpur Litchi (GI) with the district agriculture officeSonitpur, Assam on 19 th  May, 2022.

## vi. International Buyer Seller Meet (IBSM) at Gangtok, Sikkim

APEDA in association with Govt. of Sikkim organised an International Buyer Seller Meet at Gangtok, Sikkim on 18th October 2022 to promote export of organic agricultural & processed food products of Sikkim. 10 importers from Oman, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Indonesia, Singapore & Japan and 15 exporters from India participated in the event. Stalls displayed a wide range of organic agriculture products from Sikkim and other Northeastern states.

## vii. APEDA  organised  a  Workshop  cum  Buyer  Seller  Meet  for  export  of potential agri products from MizoramAizawl, Mizoram on 24th November 2022

## viii. APEDA organized an Awareness Program on Millet Exports Cum Buyer Seller Meet- Guwahati

APEDA  in  association  with  Federation  of  Industry  &  Commerce  of  North Eastern Region (FINER) organized an Awareness Program on Millet Exports Cum Buyer Seller Meet- Guwahati, Assam on 9th November 2022.

## ix. In-store export promotion programme of fresh organic pineapples from Assam in Dubai, UAE

APEDA organized an In-store export promotion programme in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 23 rd  July 2022 to promote Assam's pineapples for wider  acceptance  in  the  Gulf  countries.  The  'In-store  promotion  show'  of pineapples  from  Assam  was  organized  in  association  with  Dubai's  largest supermarket  group  Lulu  Group  as  a  part  of  APEDA's  strategy  to  promote locally  produced  agricultural  products  to  the  international  markets.  The showcased  pineapples  were  procured  from  Hmarkhawlien  village  under Lakhipur sub-division in Cachar district, Assam.

## x. Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) at Khanapura, Guwahati

APEDA in association with Govt. of Assam organised a Buyer Seller Meet at Khanapura,  Assam  on  4th  February  2023  during  the  Expo  One  -  Organic Expo  to  promote  export  of  organic  agricultural  products  of  North  East Regions.  Approximately,  40  exporters  across  the  country  and  200  FPO groups participated in the Buyer Seller Meet.

## 3.  Capacity  building  programmes  in  NER  on  exports,  food  processing,  value addition and packaging

There  are  increasing  number  of  entrepreneurs  and  Startups  from  the  region    for which  APEDA  has  been  conducting  several  training  programmes  on  export procedures, food processing, food packaging in collaboration with institutes such as the  Assam  Agriculture  University  (AAU),  Central  Food  Technological  Research

Institute  (CFTRI),  Indian  Institute  of  Food  Processing  Technology  (IIFPT),  Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) etc. APEDA organized 136 capacity building programmes  on  export  awareness  across  the  different  parts  of  NER.  Apart  from capacity  building  initiatives,  APEDA  facilitated  22  Buyer-Seller  Meets  as  well  as trade fairs in NER in the last three years.

## 4.  Organised  Exposure  visits    for  FPOs/Farmer  Groups  /State  Government Officers

APEDA facilitated onsite visits to Maharashtra to acquaint the exporters and state officials  from  NERon  the  export  requirements,  export  oriented  farming,  pack house, irradiation unit, vapour heat treatment plant, packhouse,  centre for perishable  cargo  (CPC)  modern  food  processing  units  etc.  to  enhance technical skills for export requirements. State officials and exporters from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura have undertaken the onsite exposure visit.

## 5.   Promotion of organic products from NER

## Establishment of State owned Certification Body for organic products

In  order  to  expand  the  organic  certification  activities  in  the  North  Eastern  States, APEDA is encouraging the States to establish State owned Certification Bodies for obtaining accreditation under NPOP and has provided training programmes to state officials involved in organic mission.

## 6.  Promotion of unique Geographical Indications (GI) from NER

Various initiatives have been taken by APEDA to promote the unique GI Products from the  region  such  as  organizing  buyer  seller  meet,  awareness  workshop.  Geographical Indications becomes a powerful tool depicting its uniqueness and distinct characteristics to a product.

- i. Training and  awareness  programmes  for  farmers, exporters and  other stakeholders  on  importance  of  the  GI  products,  registration  process  and requirements for GI and about quality production was held in Guwahati on 31 st May 2022.
- ii. APEDA  organized  Conference  on  export  potential  of  Natural,  Organic  and Geographical Indications (GI) agro products in Guwahati on June 24, 2022 to tap  the  abundant  export  potential  of  natural,  organic  and  GI  agricultural products from Assam and neighboring states of NER.  On the 2nd day of the event, demonstration techniques on Natural Farming was organised with the support of Directorate of Horticulture and Food Processing, Govt. of Assam.
- iii. APEDA  in association with Foundation for Innovative Packaging and Sustainability (FIPS) as 'Knowledge Partner' organized the National Conference  on  Export  Worthy  Natural  Packaging  of  Natural,  Organic  and Geographical  (GI)  Agro-Products  at  Assam  Administrative  Staff  College, Guwahati on 30th June, 2022.
- iv. Exclusive  buyer  seller  meet  was  held  with  exporters  and  importers  for  GI products such as Joha Rice of Assam, Chak - Hao (Black Rice) of Manipur, Tezpur Litchi of Assam, KajiNemu of Assam, Assam KarbiAnglong Ginger of Assam.

## 7.  Promotion of Natural Packaging for exports

APEDA organized the natural packaging workshop in Guwahati on 30 th  June 2022 to  create  awareness about the availability of natural agricultural crops and their utilisation as packaging materials among the consumers, as North east is blessed with rich biodiversity, abundant natural resources.

## 8.  Promotion of export of Pork and Pork products

APEDA has developed guidelines for export of fresh and processed pork with the help of National Research Centre on pig.

APEDA organized training program on scientific rearing of pig for processing for export at block level in Assam in association with Assam Livestock and Poultry Corporation  (ALPCO),  Govt.  of  Assam  in  order  that  local  farmers  can  supply quality material for export.

## 9.  MoU  between  APEDA  and  Assam  Agriculture  University  for  capacity building programmes in Assam

APEDA signed a MoU with Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat in March 2022 to conduct various training programs for promotion of export from the state and in this regard, training programmes are under way.

## 10.  In-store  export  promotion  programme  of  fresh  organic  pineapples  from Manipur in Dubai, UAE

APEDA organized in-store export promotion show for Manipur's pineapple on 3rd September  2022  with  Dubai's  largest  supermarket  Lulu  Group  with  support  of Manipur  Organic  Mission  Agency  (MOMA),  Govt.  of  Manipur  Organic  certified pineapple  was  sourced  from  Thayong  Organic  Producer  Company  Ltd,  Imphal East (FPC), Manipur.

## 11.  Infrastructures supported by APEDA

## i. Setting up of the first integrated Pack house as per Europe standards

APEDA  supported  a  private  exporter  in  setting  up  the  first  pack  house  in Assam under its financial assistance scheme. This is the only pack house in NER approved as per the European standards.

- ii. APEDA assisted packhouse at Amingaon, Guwahati&Karimkanj, Assam

The  packhouse  at  Amingaon,  Assam  is  operational  under  the  Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) and leased to a private exporter. The unit is funded by APEDA under its common infrastructure scheme.

- iii. Pack House for Fruits and Vegetables at Karimganj, Assam is under the Assam  State  Agricultural  Marketing  Board  (ASAMB),  Assam,  funded  by APEDA under its common infrastructure scheme.
- iv. Export  oriented  pork  processing  unit  at  Nazira,  Assam APEDA  had facilitated  setting  up  of  a  meat  processing  unit  of  Assam  State  Livestock Development Corporation (ALPCO) in Nazira, Assam under the TIES scheme of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt of India.
- v. Multipurpose  cold  storage  plant  at  Champhai  in  Mizoram is  under  the Department of Horticulture, funded by APEDA under its common infrastructure scheme.
- vi. Walk-in-type-cold room at Lengpui Airport, Aizwal is under Mizoram Small Farmers  Agribusiness  Consortium  (MSFAC),funded  by  APEDA  under  its common infrastructure scheme.
- vii. Pack house at Aizwal is  under  New  land  use  policy  Implementation  Board (NIB), now under the Agriculture Dept,funded by APEDA under its common infrastructure scheme.

## Initiatives/  strategy  undertaken  by  APEDA  to  provide  International  Markets  for Fruits, Vegetables and Processed Products which includes Himalayan Region

1.  Financial  assistance  is  provided  under  Agriculture  and  Processed  Foods  Export Promotion  Scheme  of  APEDA  for  the  15 th   Finance  Commission  Cycle  (2021-22  TO 2025-26) in three broad areas, namely

-  Scheme for infrastructure Development
-  Scheme for Quality Development
-  Scheme for Market Promotion

2.  Development of Common Infrastructure for agri exports: APEDA provided financial assistance  for  setting  up  of  common  infrastructure  facilities  such  as  pack-houses, processing units, reefer van etc. in various States across the country.

3. APEDA promotes unique GI/ organic products from Himalayan region which includes apple from Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

4. Collaboration with Missions/ Embassies: APEDA has been regularly interacting with the  Indian  Missions  abroad  which  enabled  to  tap  the  opportunities  in  the  importing country's requirements arising on account of the COVID pandemic.

- a) Virtual Trade Fairs (VTFs) - To overcome the adverse impact of COVID-19 and to sustain the existing markets, APEDA took the pioneer step and introduced its own   platform through in-house  team for organizing Virtual Trade Fairs to establish contact between Indian exporters and importers.
- b) Virtual  Buyer  Seller  Meets  -  To  leverage  on  the  opportunity  due  to  COVD  19 situation, APEDA organized virtual buyer seller meets in association with Indian Missions abroad promoting exports of APEDA mandated products.
- c) Export  promotion  of  GI  products-  In  its  endeavour  to  promote  export  of agricultural products inherent to India, APEDA  has  taken  initiative to  promote mangoes having registered  geographical  indications  (GI)  in  India  by  organising Virtual Buyer Seller  Meets on Agricultural and Food products GI.

4. APEDA's e-Governance System: To facilitate exports and strengthen the backward linkage,  APEDA  has  implemented  Traceability  system  such  as  HortiNet  for  potential fruits  and  vegetables  and  mangoes  primarily  for  export  to  EU  countries  for  farmer registration and traceability from farm to exports.

5.  Packaging  Development:  Besides  providing  financial  assistance  to  its  member exporters  under  its  Market  Development  Scheme  for  using  international  standards  of packaging,  APEDA  in  association  with  Indian  Institute  of  Packaging  has  developed packaging standards and specifications for potential fruits and vegetables.

6. Scheme for recognition of Horticulture Pack house: APEDA launched a comprehensive pack house recognition scheme for export of fruits and vegetables with the objectives to improve the quality of the produce. Around APEDA has registered 171 pack  houses  for  processing  of  fresh  fruits  and  vegetables  for  export  of  identified markets.

7.  Quality  development  programmes:  In  order  to  attain  quality  of  the  produce  to  be exported, APEDA has recognized 213 Labs across India to provide services of testing to wide range of products

8. Pre and post harvest manuals for exports of fruits: Pre harvest manuals of mangoes for  production  and  post  harvest  manuals  for  handling  of  mangoes  of  export  potential were  developed  in  association  with  the  ICAR  institutions  and fruits  and  vegetables exporters  Association.   These  manuals  are  facilitating  the  growers,  exporters  and traders in maintaining the basic quality and safety requirements of fruits and vegetables for exports.

9.  Promotion of GI tagged, indigenous, ethnic agricultural products  - Keeping in mind the Hon'ble PM's call for 'vocal for local' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', APEDA has been focussing on promotion of exports of locally sourced GI tagged as well as indigenous, ethnic agricultural products.

10. Opening of Market Access & Export Promotion in International Markets: APEDA has played an important role in opening up of new market for agricultural products in the recent past.

11. Sensitisation/Capacity Building/Training programs -Series of Capacity Building/training  programs  have  been  carried  out  in  the  Agri  Clusters'  and  States  in association with the State departments, SAUs, KVKs for the FPOs/FPCs/SHGs/exporters in order to provide linkage of the Farmer groups to exports and to promote the entrepreneurs for becoming prospective exporters.
12. Synergy with Line Ministries for cluster development - Efforts have been made for having  a  synergy  with  the  identified  Clusters  of  MoA&FW,  MoFPI  and  DGFT.  The cluster  development  activities  are  being  aligned  with  the  Clusters  of  MIDH  (NHB) identified  under  the  Horticulture  Cluster  development  program  and  ODOP  (PMFME) scheme of MoFPI for seeking a convergence with their financial assistance schemes.

13.  Organization  of  promotion  programme:  To  promote  Indian  fruits  in  International market, promotional programmes are organized in potential countries in association with respective Embassies.

14. Constitution of Export Promotion Forums: For more focused approach and to ensure greater participation and role of exporters in export promotion and bring focus on the issues/challenges  /bottlenecks  faced  in  production  and  export,      Export  Promotion Forums  have  been  constituted  for  certain  fruits  for  making  a  strategy  for  promoting export.

15.  Supply  of  high  quality  input  material  -Under  the  AgriExport    Policy,  14  product clusters  spread  across  in  6  states  dedicated  to  horticulture  products  have  been identified  and  looking  at  the  success  of  these  clusters,  State  Governments  are approaching APEDA & Ministry of Commerce for approval of more and more product based  clusters.    APEDA  has  been  able  to  arrange  MOU  between  FPOs/FPCs  with exporters for organizing procurement of quality produce directly by FPC for exports.

16. Prevention of Pest and diseases and Pesticide Residue Control - To overcome the challenge  of  managing  pest  and  diseases,  Government  of  India  and  the  state government have come out with the SOPs for producing pest free horticultural produce in  their  region.  In  this  regard,  all  the  organizations  have  ascertained  to  associate themselves with APEDA for addressing the concerns of farmers and exporters.

17. Market Access and forward linkages - The horticulture produce in India is subject to competition in International markets from Asian countries like China, Japan, Thailand, Philippines  etc.    The  absence  of  bilateral  agreements  between  major  importers  and India has also proved to be disadvantage.  APEDA proposes aggressive negotiations for bilateral agreement for turning the table in favour of India.

Details of identified 12 clusters under Cluster Development Programme

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|   S. No. | Crop        | Identified Clusters              | State                           |
|----------|-------------|----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|        1 | Apple       | 1.Shopian 2.Kinnaur              | Jammu &Kashmir Himachal Pradesh |
|        2 | Mango       | 1.Lucknow 2.Kutch 3. Mehbubnagar | Uttar Pradesh Gujarat Telangana |
|        3 | Banana      | 1.Anantpur 2.Theni               | Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu       |
|        4 | Grapes      | 1.Nasik                          | Maharashtra                     |
|        5 | Pineapple   | 1. Siphahijala                   | Tripura                         |
|        6 | Pomegranate | 1.Solapur 2.Chitradurga          | Maharashtra Karnataka           |
|        7 | Turmeric    | 1. West Jaintia Hills            | Meghalaya                       |

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