APEDA aims for export growth, sends farmers to Dubai for int’l market insights

A group of 47 farmers, associated with 35 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), recently visited Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to gain insights into the international market scenario for agricultural produce. The team explored the potential of the international market for their agricultural products including fruits and vegetables.
“Recently, we visited Dubai and learned about time management, the necessity of the international market, packaging, and measures required to maintain product quality,” shared Ramkumar Rai, a farmer and director of the farmer producer company in Ghazipur, who was one of the 47 farmers who visited Dubai.
Rai shared his experiences of the foreign visit with fellow farmers and top officials at a programme organised at the Divisional Commissioner Auditorium in Varanasi on Tuesday. Rai also lauded the Agricultural and Processed Foods Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) for its role in facilitating exports in the state, including organising this capacity-building and exposure trip for farmers abroad.
Various agricultural products, including fresh fruits and vegetables such as green chilies, mangoes, okra, potatoes, water chestnuts, cranberries, bananas, jimikand, ivy gourd, bottle gourd, pointed gourd, arvi, and ginger, as well as fresh marigold and rice, have been exported.
Chairman of APEDA, Abhishek Dev, stated that so far, more than 702 metric tons of vegetables have been exported from the Varanasi region, which needs to be increased further.
He noted the keen interest of FPOs in agricultural exports as a positive sign for the region, reflecting its deep potential to meet international market demands. This has led to UP becoming the third-largest agricultural exporting state in India, after Gujarat and Maharashtra.
CB Singh, deputy general manager of APEDA for U.P., Bihar, and Uttarakhand, stated that 47 farmers from the three states—UP, Bihar, and Uttarakhand— visited Dubai from February 25 to March 1. Of these, 40 farmers were from UP, five from Bihar, and two from Uttarakhand.
During the tour, the farmers visited several hypermarkets and the prominent Al Abeer market in the Gulf Region. They interacted with exporters, understood the requirements of the international market, and observed agricultural products from around the world.
Divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma expressed satisfaction with the work being done by the regional office of APEDA.
Sharma said: “In coordination with the Administration, APEDA is organising sensitization programmes and international-level buyer-seller meets. The efforts and initiatives of APEDA since 2020 in the region are yielding results, with exponential growth in agricultural exports—from 151 MT in the fiscal year 2021-22 to 702 MT in the year 2023-24 (April to December).”
He emphasised that to further increase exports in the future, facilities have been enhanced at the dedicated freight corridor and airport. He stressed the need for continuous work in this direction, maintaining quality consistently.
Sharma encouraged farmers to promote organic farming continuously. He urged everyone to work collectively to elevate the entire region to new heights.
He flagged off a consignment of 1600 kg of fresh turmeric from Chunar, Mirzapur (U.P.), and 1100 kg of fresh fruits from Thakurganj, Bihar, from Varanasi airport to the UAE.