Lok Sabha Question No. 302 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-02
Subject: Outcome of BHARATI
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Dr. Kalanidhi Veeraswamy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 302 ANSWERED ON 02/12/2025

## Outcome of BHARATI

## 302. SHRI KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री ) be pleased to state:

- (a) the  objectives  and  expected  outcomes of  the  Building  Holistic  Agri-Food  Responsible Agri-Tech Innovation (BHARATI) initiative launched by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to enable agri-food exports;
- (b) the timeline for the roll-out of the pilot cohort and the number of start-ups selected and their respective categories or focus areas;
- (c) the measures put in place to ensure participation of small and marginal farmers, rural enterprises,  FPOs  and  start-ups  from  under-represented  regions  including  southern States such as Tamil Nadu in the BHARATI programme; and
- (d) the manner in which the Government proposes to monitor and evaluate the initiative's impact on export value, innovation, job creation and the 'Make in India for the World' vision?

## ANSWER

वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्यमंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद )

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a), (b) & (c): BHARATI, which stands for Bharat's Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement, is a new initiative by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), launched with the aim to support startups engaged  in  agri-food  and  agri-tech,  towards  enhancing  agri  exports.  It  is  structured  to complement  and  enhance  industry  and  government-led  incubation  programmes  in  the agriculture, food and food processing sectors, to work on resolution of export challenges related to  new  and  innovative  product  development,  value  addition,  quality  assurance,  perishability, wastage  and  logistics,  to  deliver  scalable,  cost-effective  solutions  to  enhance  India's  global competitiveness.

The initiative was launched in September, 2025 and applications were invited till 10 th  November 2025  on  areas  relating  to  High-Value  and  Innovative  Agri-Food  Products,  Technology-Led Solutions for Export Enablement, Solutions for resolution of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Risks and Compliance Barriers. A total of 100 Startups across the country, will be selected for the pilot cohort, under the structured acceleration programme.

To ensure diverse participation, APEDA engaged with various State and National institutions, incubation  networks,  and  industries,  and  conducted  awareness  programmes  and  outreach sessions for wider mobilisation of eligible participants across the country, including the State of Tamil Nadu. For wider dissemination, a dedicated webspace (https://apeda.gov.in/bharati/) has been created and publicised by APEDA.

- (d): There are defined performance indicators covering export value, innovation, and job creation. The selected startups will be provided inputs and guidance through the acceleration program that will enable them to prepare a 12-month export plan, for their respective business. Similarly, the  progress  on  high-value,  innovative  products,  will  be  evaluated  based  on  their  market acceptance and commercialisation outcomes. For job creation, baseline parameters such as revenue, export turnover and employment numbers for the selected cohort will be monitored throughout the programme period.

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