Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)

{GS3 – Agri – Exports} APEDA

Context (PIB | PIB): India’s agricultural exports reached USD 53.1 billion, with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) contributing a significant 51% of India’s Agri-exports.
Fresh fruits along with processed vegetables, Miscellaneous processed items, Basmati Rice, and Fresh Vegetables saw substantial growth.
- Namely, Bananas, Lentils (dried and shelled), Fresh eggs and Kesar and Dasheri Mango.
- Basmati rice’s top 5 export destinations: Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the USA, and the UAE.

Organizing B2B exhibitions in different countries.
Exploring new potential markets through product-specific and general marketing campaigns with the active involvement of Indian Embassies
- For example, natural, organic, and Geographical Indication (GI) tagged agro products.
Export basket has been expanded to over 200 countries.
Significant expansion in fruit export, now serving 111 countries.
- For example, APEDA facilitated the export of bananas from India to Russia recently.

APEDA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
It was established under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act of 1985.
It is the apex body for agricultural export promotion in India.
Objective: To develop and promote the export of scheduled products.
The products specified under the APEDA ACT are called scheduled products, and exporters of such scheduled products are required to register under APEDA.
Scheduled products include fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, etc.
It provides financial assistance, information, and guidelines for the development of scheduled products.
In addition, APEDA has been entrusted with monitoring sugar imports.
APEDA serves as the Secretariat to the National Accreditation Board (NAB).
It plays a crucial role in accrediting Certification Bodies for the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).
- Organic Products for export are to be certified only if Produced, Processed and Packed as per the standards laid down in the document of NPOP.
Headquarters: New Delhi.

Development of industries relating to the scheduled products for export.
Registration of persons as exporters of the scheduled products.
Fixing standards and specifications for the scheduled products for exports.
Carrying out inspection of meat and meat products in slaughterhouses, processing plants, storage premises, conveyances, or other places where such products are kept or handled.
Improving packaging of the Scheduled products.
Improving marketing of the Scheduled products outside India.

Banana is a tropical crop & a major horticultural produce.
Favourable climatic conditions:
- Temperature range: 15ºC – 35ºC
- Relative humidity: 75-85%.
- Altitude: prefers tropical humid lowlands (but grown from the sea level to 2000m).
- Rainfall: Four months of monsoon (June to September) with an average of 650-750 mm.
Threats:
- Chilling injury occurs at a temperature below 12ºC.
- High-velocity winds that exceed 80 km /hr. damages the crop.

Soil requirement:
- Deep, rich, loamy soil with a pH between 6.5 – and 7.5 is most preferred for banana cultivation.
- A soil that is neither too acidic nor too alkaline, rich in organic material with high nitrogen content, adequate phosphorus level and plenty of potash is good for bananas.
- Saline solid, calcareous soils are not suitable for banana cultivation.
Varieties grown:
- Dwarf Cavendish, Robusta, Monthan, Poovan, Nendran, Red banana, Nyali, Safed Velchi, Basrai, Ardhapuri, Rasthali, Karpurvalli, Karthali and Grand Naine etc.
- Grand Naine, an imported variety from Israel, is gaining popularity due to its tolerance to abiotic stresses and good quality bunches.
Andhra Pradesh is the largest banana-producing state in India, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
- These 5 states contribute around 67 percent to India’s banana production in FY 2022-23.
Despite being the largest global producer of bananas, India’s exports do not reflect this.
- India’s export share in the global market is only 1% even though the country accounts for 26.45 per cent of the world’s banana production (35.36 Million Metric Tons).