SOURCE: Livemint
In a major boost to India’s exports of Geographical Indications (GI) certified agricultural produce, a consignment of fibre and mineral rich ‘Jalgaon Banana’ has been shipped to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
About 22 tonne of the GI certified banana was sourced from farmers of Tandalwadi village in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, a cluster identified under the new agri export policy.
In 2016, GI certification for the bananas of the region was registered with Nisargraja Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Jalgaon. India’s banana exports have been rising sharply because of adoption of farm practices on par with global standards.
Exports grew both in terms of volume as well as value to 1,950,000 tonnes (Rs660 crore/USD88.94 million) in FY20 from 1,340,000 tonnes (Rs413 crore/USD55.66 million) in FY19. In FY21 so far, the country has exported 1,910,000 tonnes of the nourishing fruit worth Rs619 crore (USD83.41 million).
India is the world’s leading producer of bananas, accounting for 25% of global output. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh contribute more than 70% to the country’s banana production.
“APEDA promotes exports of agricultural & processed food products by providing assistance to the exporters under various components of its scheme such as Infrastructure Development, Quality Development and Market Development. In addition, APEDA also conducts international Buyer Seller Meets, Virtual trade fairs with importing countries to promote agricultural & processed food products,” the commerce ministry said in a statement.
As part of the agriculture export policy, 46 unique product clusters have been identified for export promotion. Shipments have taken place from several of these clusters for the first time, including those of fresh vegetables and mangoes from Varanasi and black rice from Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh, the statement said.
India counts the US, China, Bangladesh, UAE, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran, and Malaysia as its largest markets for agriculture produce. Exports to most of these destinations have grown, with the highest growth coming from Indonesia at 102.42%, followed by Bangladesh at 95.93%.