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India's exports of agricultural and allied products from India recorded over nine percent increase touching Rs 27,111.41 crores (US$6.03 billions) in 2004-05 from Rs 24, 844.48 crores (US $5.4 billions) during 2003-04.
The increase was over 11 percent in dollar terms. Agricultural and allied products that showed substantial increase in exports were rice, pulses, tobacco, spices, nuts and seeds, cashew, guar gum meal, castor oil and processed food items, an official release said.
Exports of milk and milk products, too, have increased 65 per cent during this period.
The agro products and food processing sector in India has a turnover of approx Rs 2800 billion, out of which value added food products consist of semi processed and ready-to-eat packaged food which accounts for approximately Rs 60 billion.
India has the largest livestock population in the world, produces about 200 million tons of different food grains every year; it is the largest producer of tea and milk in the world, the second largest producer in the world of rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, wheat and cashew. The country also has the best in organic produce in the world.
India's agric sector has logged this growth despite having faced a number of barriers in the international markets, especially the US, Europe and China.
Some of these barriers are major non-tariff barriers like difficult product and testing standards, environment and labour issues, equivalence delays, traceability, patent infringement, risk analysis and precautionary principles.
Key products on India's exports menu included rice and rice products, including Basmati and non-Basmati rice varieties, fresh Onions and various other fresh vegetables, various fruits like fresh mangoes, fresh grapes, vegetables seeds like dried nuts (walnuts), floriculture & mango pulp, pickle, chutney and other processed fruits & vegetables, buffalo meat, sheep / goat meat, poultry products, dairy products, animal casings, processed meat, groundnuts, guargum, jaggery & confectionery, cocoa products, cereal preparations, alcoholic & non alcoholic beverages, miscellaneous preparations, milled products etc. etc.
As per 2003-04 figures, India was exporting approximately 3880454.67 tonnes of agro products and processed foods worth Rs 14184.16 crores.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Malaysia, United States, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Philippines, Kuwait, Germany and Nepal continue to be the biggest importers of Indian agric products as per 2003-04 figures.
As per data available with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority of the Indian government, Saudi Arabia was the topmost importers of Indian food products with a trade volumes standing at Rs 147539 lakhs with UAE following at Rs 115515 lakhs and Malaysia at Rs 94,112 lakhs.
The total agric exports to United States during 2003-04 were worth Rs 82,260 lakhs.
Meanwhile, India's exports of gemstones and jewellery increased 29 percent to US$13.7 billion during the fiscal 2004-05 while the export value of chemical products reached US$12.6 billion as compared to last year's figure of US$9.9 billion.
India has recorded the highest increase in the export of oil in the current fiscal year with the value of US$6.7 billion, almost doubling the previous year's figure.
One major potential market for Indian agricultural and food exports is Pakistan with whom the Indian government has been actively pursuing a favourable cross-border trade regime.
In fact, Pakistan has already opened its markets for Indian food products in May this year though in a limited way.
As on date, Indian agricultural exports to Pakistan have been swinging around the figure of Rs 3,000-4,000 marks. India is also actively pursuing with Pakistan the possibility of a trade route to Afghanistan, which too holds immense potential of boosting India's agricultural exports significantly. |
