APEDA opens Raipur office to boost agri & processed food exports from Chhattisgarh

In a significant step towards positioning Chhattisgarh as a major hub for agricultural and processed food exports, the Regional Office of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was inaugurated at Raipur during the 2nd India International Rice Summit held in Chhattisgarh. The inauguration was attended by Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Minister of Medical Education, Government of Chhattisgarh, Shri Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, along with other dignitaries.

Chhattisgarh, with its rich and diverse agri-ecosystem, offers significant export potential across a wide range of products. These include premium non-basmati rice varieties and Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged products such as Jeeraphool Rice and Nagri Dubraj Rice. The State also produces a variety of fruits and vegetables including guava, banana, dragon fruit, jackfruit, custard apple, tomato and cucumber, along with important minor forest produce such as mahua, tamarind, herbal and medicinal plants, providing strong opportunities to expand its presence in global markets.

The establishment of the APEDA Regional Office in Raipur marks an important milestone for Chhattisgarh’s agrarian economy. The new office will facilitate farmers, producer groups, cooperatives and exporters by providing services such as export registration, advisory support, market intelligence, certification assistance, export facilitation, infrastructure development and market linkage support. Recently, the APEDA Regional Office in Raipur also facilitated the export of fortified rice kernels from Chhattisgarh to Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea.

Addressing the occasion, Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai stated that the opening of the APEDA Regional Office in Raipur is a mission to integrate Chhattisgarh’s farmers with the global economy. He highlighted the potential of the State’s farmers, exporters and entrepreneurs in global agri-markets and expressed confidence that Chhattisgarh would emerge as a leader in high-value and sustainable agricultural exports. He thanked Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, for sanctioning the APEDA office in Chhattisgarh based on the request of the State Government, and assured full support to APEDA and the Department of Commerce in expanding exports of agricultural and organic products from the State.

The APEDA Regional Office was inaugurated during the 2nd edition of the India International Rice Summit, organised by the Rice Exporters Association of Chhattisgarh in collaboration with APEDA and other organisations. A two-day Chintan Shivir on rice exports also concluded on the same day, featuring dedicated sessions on export promotion of organic rice and measures to boost exports of non-basmati rice, including GI-tagged rice varieties from India.