The government's thrust on promoting agricultural and processed food products exports from the areas not earlier part of the country's export map is gradually bearing fruits.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) on 11 August 2021 facilitated exports of dehydrated Mohua flower from Chhattisgarh and Himalayan goat meat from Uttarakhand to France and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. To promote exotic fruit like dragon fruit exports, APEDA also organized a promotional event at the Saudi Arabia market.

For the first time, a consignment of dehydrated Mohua flowers was exported to France from Chhattisgarh via sea. The produce was sourced from a forest in the Korba district, Chhattisgarh and processed by APEDA registered Enterprise.

Mahua flowers exported to France were collected mainly by the tribal population from the forest of Korba, Kathghora, Surguja, Pasan, Pali, Churri in Chhattisgarh. Dehydrated Mahua flowers are used for making liquor, medicine and syrup.

For boosting the income of small ruminant farmers, a consignment of processed Himalayan Goat meat sourced from villages of Uttarakhand hills was exported to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The export of meat from Uttarakhand will boost the livelihood of farmers and enhance their economic status. This initiative of APEDA and other organizations will also lead to an increase in the income of farmers of Uttarakhand.

Meanwhile, boosting agricultural exports potential, APEDA, in association with the Indian embassy on 11 August 2021, organized a Virtual Buyer Seller Meet (VBSM) with Lao People's Democratic Republic where key officials and stakeholders from food industries for both the countries participated.

The virtual meet with Laos was the 37th in the series of VBSM organized by APEDA with various countries for boosting exports of agricultural and processed food from India. India mainly exports buffalo meat, marine products, groundnut, cotton, oil meals, animal casing and spices to Laos.

In a significant boost to exports of exotic fruits, APEDA, in association with the Indian embassy, organized a dragon fruit promotion program for the Saudi Arabia market in association with a leading retailer group. Dragon Fruit is also referred to as Kamalam in India.

APEDA recently facilitated dragon fruit exports from Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal to the United Kingdom, King of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The cultivation of dragon fruit requires less water and can be grown in various kinds of soils. Dragon fruit is mostly grown in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. West Bengal is new to taking up cultivation of this exotic fruit.

Image attribution - BAKRAW - Himalayan Goat Meat is a brand conceptualised by the Uttarakhand Sheep, Goat & Rabbit Farmers’ Cooperative Federation Limited [ USGCF], a Government of Uttarakhand organisation working towards the holistic development and growth of the Sheep, Goat and Rabbit Farmers in the state.