It has been observed that due to focused attention of the present Government, the condition of agriculture in the country has improved a lot. Where few years back, the farmers of the country were unable to pay heavy loans and suffering various challenges, with many coming on verge of starvation and committing suicide, at present the overall scenario in respect of agriculture has improved a lot. Due to farmer-centric measures taken by the Government, where on one hand the farmers are being provided necessary guidance and hand-holding for enhancing their produce and adopting new techniques of farming, in place of traditional old ways, on the other side farmers are being provided adequate platforms where they can sell their produce, at fixed prices, without involvement of any middlemen. Moreover, as there are few Indian crops which are in great demand outside country, the Government is also working on measures to enhance the export and providing genuine products to the buyer. In its endeavour to promote export of agricultural products inherent to India, Government organized a Virtual Networking Meet for Agri and Food GI products in association with Embassy of India, Doha and IBPC Qatar. More than 80 participants including exports, importers, representatives from IBPC, officials of Indian Embassy and Agriculture and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) participated. On the occasion, Dr. Deepak Mittal, Ambassador, Embassy of India, Doha, Qatar, addressed the participants on the opportunities in enhancing the India Qatar bilateral trade. He stated that such trade meets will provide opportunity for B2B interaction to enhance exports. Dr. M. Angamuthu, Chairman APEDA in his address emphasized on Government of India’s focus in promoting GI, organic and natural products. The attributes of Geographical Indication (GI) adds value to the products exported. These products are sourced directly from farmers and play a pivotal role in linking farmers with the export market. India can offer wide range of products and our exporters are keen to export to Qatar. This Meet provided a platform for interaction between the India exporters and importers of Qatar on the strength of India in export of agri and food products of Indian origin and distinct attributes. During interaction, the exporters informed about the potential GI products for exports such as Basmati Rice, Mango, Pomegranates, products of NER and several processed products. These events are expected to further strengthen the confidence of the Importers in Indian Products to facilitate exports. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under Ministry of Commerce & Industry has contributed significantly in promoting export of agriculture and processed food products with a share of around 50 per cent (USD 24.77 bn) in overall agri exports during 2021-22. Besides being the leading producer of several agri commodities such as rice, fruits and vegetables, tea etc, India also has a distinct advantage of having registered geographical indication for several agricultural products. Presently, there are more than 400 registered Geographical Indications in India of which around 150 are agricultural and food products GI. More than 100 registered GI products fall under the category of APEDA scheduled products (fresh fruits and vegetables, processed foods, animal products and cereals). APEDA has also taken initiatives to promote new, innovative and GI products and export to new destinations.
