For harnessing agricultural and processed food products’ exports potential from the eastern Uttar Pradesh , APEDA (Agriculture Produce Export Development Authority) organised ‘Agri-Export Conference-cum-Buyer Seller Meet’ at Mirzapur, attended by Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Anupriya Patel, and more than 700 farmers, exporters and farmers.
Addressing the conference, Anupriya Patel said that the increase in agricultural and processed food products’ exports from Purvanchal would not only boost India’s foreign exchange earnings but also help in doubling the income of farmers as well as boost employment opportunities in the region.
The minister said that the country had set a $400 billion target for merchandise exports for 2021-22 and $262 billion of exports had already been achieved during April-November 2021-22 period.
She said that a record export target of $43 billion had been set for agricultural products in 2021-22 and because of efforts by APEDA and farmers, this target would be achieved in the current fiscal.
APEDA Chairman Dr M Angamuthu spoke about the initiatives taken by the Agriculture Produce Export Development Authority for boosting exports from Purvanchal region.
The event was organized to commemorate the 75th year of Independence being celebrated with a theme of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
During the conference a memorandum of understanding was signed between leading exporters’ association and FPOs of Purvanchal region for increasing agricultural products exports. Export consignments of non-Basmati rice to China and green chillies to the United Arab Emirates were flagged off by Anupriya Patel and Dr Angamuthu.
Senior officials from Uttar Pradesh government, APEDA, International Rice Research Institute, ICAR-India Institute of Vegetable Research and representatives of exporters associations, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and other stakeholders attended the meeting. Farmers mostly from Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Varanasi, Ghazipur and Chandauli districts attended the conference.
In July, 2021, for promoting agricultural crops exports and adherence to global practices, APEDA in collaboration with FPOs, traders, exporters, agricultural scientists, Uttar Pradesh government and other institutions had organised a meet in Varanasi. More than 200 farmers from the Varanasi region participated in the meet where agricultural scientists and officials from the leading institutes provided valuable inputs for promoting agricultural products’ exports from the region as well as adherence to globally recognised Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) by farmers
