Workshop cum Buyer Seller Meet organized at Aizawl to promote organic agricultural products of Mizoram and North Eastern Region
Consignment of Hatkora (citrus)
from Mizoram exported to London; Another consignment to be exported to
Bangladesh
North Eastern Region witnesses an 85.34 percent growth in the export of
agricultural products in the last six years; Export increases from USD 2.52
million in 2016-17 to USD 17.2 million in 2021-22
As a part of
its strategy to give a boost to the export of organic agricultural products of
Mizoram and North Eastern Region (NER),Centre through Agricultural and
Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) organized
Workshop-cum-Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) at Mizoram University in Aizawl.
After the BSM, a consignment of Hatkora (local variety of
citrus) sourced from farmers of Mamit district of Mizoram was exported to
London and another consignment of Hatkora is being exported to Bangladesh.
APEDA, which is the apex agricultural products export
promotion organization under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government
of India, organized the buyer seller meet in association with Ministries of
Agriculture, Commerce & Industries, Govt of Mizoram and North Eastern
Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC).
The BSM was organized to promote the exports of the
potential agri-horti products from Mizoram and provide market linkage to
farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Farmer Producer Companies from
the north-eastern state.
The potential crops for the export from Mizoram are
pineapple, hatkora (citrus), dragon fruit, oranges, passion fruit, squash,
anthurium flower, Mizo Ginger, Mizo chilli and grape wine.
Seventeen exporters and 58 FPOs participated in the BSM
while 14 exhibitors representing the state government, coffee board, spices
board, NABARD and NERAMAC attended the meet.
The exclusive BSM provided an opportunity to the
producers and processors of Mizoram to showcase their products and promote the
exports as well as their wholesale and retail sales.
The workshop-cum-buyer seller meet was inaugurated by
Hon’ble Agriculture Minister Pu C Lalrinsanga of Mizoram.
With the intervention of APEDA, there is a tremendous
increase in the export of agricultural produce from NE states like Sikkim,
Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. NE
region
witnessed an
85.34 percent growth in the export of agricultural products in the last six
years as it increased from USD 2.52 million in 2016-17 to USD 17.2 million in
2021-22.
The major destination of export has been Bangladesh,
Bhutan, the Middle East, the UK and Europe.
To provide potential market linkages, APEDA organised
field visits of importers to have first hand information about the qualitative
cultivation practices being followed by farmers by inviting the importers from
the neighbouring countries, the Middle East, far Eastern countries, European
nations and Australia, etc. The field visits were carried out in all eight
states of NER.
APEDA, in association with the Department of Commerce and
Industry, Government of Assam, organised an export promotion
conference-cum-buyer seller meet at Aizawl, Mizoram in March 2021.
Besides, APEDA organized international buyer seller meet
(BSM) in Guwahati, Assam on March 10, 2022 wherein exhibitors from across the
state displayed a wide range of agri-horti products, including GI
products such as fresh fruits, vegetables, processed food products, black rice,
red rice, joha rice, spices, tea, coffee, honey, processed meat, spices &
organic products. Importers from Sri Lanka, Dubai, Bangladesh, Oman,
Netherlands, Singapore and Greece participated along with exporters from NER
and other states.
A national buyer-seller meet was organized by APEDA in
Guwahati on June 24, 2022, to promote the export of organic products grown in
Assam. APEDA also signed an MoU with Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat to
conduct various training programmes on pre-harvest and post-harvest management
and other research activities for the promotion of export from the region.
Even during the Covid-19 period, APEDA continued to push
its export plans through Virtual Buyer Seller Meet in association with the
Embassy of India located in different countries with exporters and FPOs/FPCs
from NER regarding the sourcing of pineapple, ginger, lemon, orange, etc. APEDA
also organised Virtual Trade Fairs during the pandemic and facilitated the
export to foreign countries.
APEDA has also planned to undertake several other
projects like capacity building of 80 budding entrepreneurs and exporters from
the region, the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer
Companies (FPCs) and the state govt. officials, organize skill development and
training in food processing, value addition on horticultural produce, etc.
APEDA also extended its support to NER to undertake
branding and promotion of North East products such as KIWI Wine, processed
foods, carrying out a wet sampling of Joha Rice Pulao, Black Rice kheer, etc.
As a part of capacity building, APEDA organised skill
development programmes for manufacturers, exporters and entrepreneurs to
utilise the local produce for value addition and export. Training programmes
are being held in different states of the Northeast in association with the
Central Food Technology Research Institute, Mysore (CFTRI) and Indian Institute
of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT), for five days.
APEDA, in association with the Industries and Commerce
Department, Govt of Assam, organised an Export Conclave on February 19, 2021,
in Guwahati.
With the APEDA’s intervention, Tripura’s Jack fruit was
exported to London, and Nagaland’s King Chilli to London through a local
exporter for the first time. Also, Assam’s local fruit called Leteku (Burmese
Grape) was exported to Dubai and Assam’s Betel leaves have been regularly
exported to London.
APEDA under its Agricultural Export Policy is encouraging
states to harness the potential of Agri produce exports. APEDA aims to create a
platform for the buyers to get the products directly from the producer group
and the processors.