APEDA: Boosting Agricultural and Processed Food Exports from India

India is a global agricultural powerhouse, ranking among the top producers of rice, fruits, vegetables, and spices. But growing high-quality produce is only half the battle-getting it to international markets requires robust infrastructure, quality assurance, and strategic promotion. This is where the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) steps in as a key driver of India’s agri-export success.

What is APEDA? 🔗

APEDA is a statutory body established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act, passed by Parliament in December 1985. The Act came into effect on 13th February 1986, replacing the erstwhile Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC). Operating under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, APEDA’s headquarters are located in New Delhi, with 16 regional offices spread across India-from Mumbai and Bengaluru to Guwahati and Srinagar.

The authority’s core mission is straightforward: promote the development and export of agricultural and processed food products from India while ensuring they meet international quality standards. Over the past four decades, APEDA has evolved into a comprehensive support system for exporters, farmers, and food processing industries.

Key functions of APEDA 🔗

The APEDA Act assigns several critical functions to the authority. These responsibilities form the backbone of India’s agricultural export ecosystem.

Industry development and financial support 🔗

APEDA facilitates the growth of export-oriented industries by providing financial assistance for surveys, feasibility studies, and participation in joint ventures. The authority runs subsidy schemes that help exporters upgrade their facilities and meet international standards. This financial support extends to setting up packhouse facilities, cold storage units, and refrigerated transportation systems.

Exporter registration and standards 🔗

Any individual or company wishing to export scheduled products must register with APEDA. The authority issues the Registration-Cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC), which is mandatory for availing export benefits. Beyond registration, APEDA sets standards and specifications for export products to ensure they meet international quality benchmarks.

Quality inspection and assurance 🔗

For products like meat, poultry, and dairy, APEDA carries out inspections at slaughterhouses, processing plants, storage facilities, and transport vehicles. This rigorous inspection regime ensures that Indian products reaching global markets maintain consistent quality and food safety standards.

Packaging and marketing improvement 🔗

APEDA works on improving packaging standards for scheduled products, recognizing that proper packaging is essential for preserving freshness during long international shipments. The authority also promotes marketing strategies to enhance the global visibility of Indian agricultural products.

Training and capacity building 🔗

Through various training programs, APEDA equips stakeholders with knowledge of export procedures, quality management systems, and international market requirements. This includes both domestic and international short-term courses covering agriculture, quality, marketing, and business management.

Products under APEDA’s mandate 🔗

APEDA oversees the export promotion and development of a diverse range of “scheduled products.” These include fruits, vegetables and their products, meat and meat products, poultry and poultry products, dairy products, confectionery, biscuits and bakery products, honey, jaggery and sugar products, cocoa and chocolates, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, cereals and cereal products, groundnuts, peanuts and walnuts, pickles, papads and chutneys, guar gum, floriculture products, and herbal and medicinal plants.

Basmati Rice holds special significance, being included in the Second Schedule of the APEDA Act. The authority also manages the registration and protection of intellectual property rights for Basmati Rice, having secured its Geographical Indication (GI) registration in February 2016. Additionally, APEDA monitors the import of sugar into India.

Financial assistance schemes 🔗

One of APEDA’s most impactful contributions is its financial assistance program for exporters. Under the Agriculture and Processed Foods Export Promotion Scheme for the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26), assistance is provided in three broad categories.

Infrastructure development 🔗

This component provides financial support for establishing packhouse facilities with packing and grading lines, pre-cooling units with cold storage, refrigerated transportation, cable systems for handling crops like bananas, and pre-shipment treatment facilities such as irradiation, vapor heat treatment, and hot water dip treatment.

Quality development 🔗

Exporters can receive assistance for purchasing laboratory testing equipment, installing quality management systems like HACCP and ISO-22000, acquiring handheld devices for capturing farm-level coordinates for traceability, and testing water, soil, residues, and pesticides.

Market promotion 🔗

This scheme covers participation in international trade fairs, organizing buyer-seller meets, and developing packaging standards for new products. APEDA regularly participates in major events like BIOFACH in Germany, Gulfood in Dubai, and Natural Products Expo West in the USA.

The impact of these schemes has been significant. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India’s fruit and vegetable exports grew by 47.3% in volume and 41.5% in value between 2019-20 and 2023-24. Indian fresh produce now reaches 123 countries, with 17 new markets added in just three years-including Brazil, Georgia, Uganda, and the Czech Republic.

National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) 🔗

APEDA plays a pivotal role in organic exports through its function as the Secretariat for the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). Launched in 2001 by the Department of Commerce, NPOP provides standards for organic production, systems for accreditation of certification bodies, and regulations governing the use of the “India Organic” logo.

The NPOP standards have achieved international recognition. The European Commission and Switzerland recognize NPOP standards as equivalent to their own for unprocessed plant products. This recognition means Indian organic products certified under NPOP are accepted directly in these markets without additional certification.

India now ranks sixth globally in organic agricultural land and first in the number of organic producers. As of March 2023, approximately 10.17 million hectares are under organic certification, and India produced around 2.9 million metric tonnes of certified organic products in 2022-23. Organic food exports during this period reached 312,800 MT, valued at approximately INR 5,525 crore.

TraceNet: Ensuring transparency 🔗

TraceNet is APEDA’s internet-based electronic service that facilitates process certification for organic product exports. This system collects, stores, and reports forward and backward traceability data entered by operators, producer groups, and certification bodies within the organic supply chain. All organic certificates, including Scope Certificates and Transaction Certificates, are issued through TraceNet with unique verifiable codes.

Traceability systems for food safety 🔗

Beyond organic products, APEDA has developed several traceability platforms to ensure food safety compliance across different product categories. Hortinet manages the export certification process for fresh fruits and vegetables. Peanut.Net handles traceability for groundnut exports. Meat.Net oversees meat and meat product exports. Basmati.Net maintains the traceability of Basmati rice exports.

These systems help Indian exporters meet the stringent phytosanitary and food safety requirements of importing countries, building confidence in Indian agricultural products globally.

Addressing export challenges 🔗

Despite significant progress, Indian agricultural exports face several barriers. Geographic distance raises logistics costs, importing countries impose stringent phytosanitary requirements, and obtaining market access for new products often involves delays. APEDA addresses these challenges through several strategic initiatives.

The authority works with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to identify priority products and target countries for market access negotiations. Development of sea protocols for horticulture products helps reduce logistics costs and enables larger export volumes. Regular coordination with Indian missions abroad supports facility registration and market access negotiations.

Recent successes include gaining market access for Indian potatoes and onions in Serbia, baby corn and fresh bananas in Canada, and pomegranate arils in Australia, the USA, Serbia, and New Zealand.

The road ahead 🔗

APEDA continues to evolve its support mechanisms. The BHARATI Acceleration Program represents a new initiative to nurture agri-export startups. The authority regularly conducts buyer-seller meets, both domestically and through Indian missions abroad, to create export-market linkages for producers.

With India’s agricultural sector employing a significant portion of the population and producing diverse commodities, APEDA’s role in connecting farmers and processors to global markets remains essential. By maintaining quality standards, providing financial support, and facilitating market access, APEDA helps transform India’s agricultural abundance into export success.

What do you think? How can small and marginal farmers better leverage APEDA’s schemes to participate directly in agricultural exports? What additional support mechanisms would help Indian agri-products compete more effectively in premium international markets?

References

1. https://apeda.gov.in/about-us
2. https://www.commerce.gov.in/about-us/autonomous-bodies/agricultural-and-processed-food-products-export-development-authority-apeda/
3. https://www.nextias.com/blog/apeda/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_and_Processed_Food_Products_Export_Development_Authority
5. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2099814
6. https://www.ibef.org/news/the-agricultural-and-processed-food-products-export-development-authority-s-apeda-financial-assistance-schemes-boost-47-3-surge-in-india-s-fruit-and-vegetable-exports
7. https://apeda.gov.in/national-programme-for-organic-production-npop
8. https://jaivikbharat.fssai.gov.in/standard-npop.php
9. https://apeda.gov.in/tracenet