In its endeavour to promote the export of agricultural products inherent to India, the central government organised a Virtual Networking Meet for Agri and Food GI products in association with the Embassy of India, Doha and Indian Business and Professionals Council (IBPC) Qatar.
More than 80 participants, including exporters, importers, representatives from IBPC, officials of the Indian Embassy and the Agriculture and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) participated in the meet.
The Indian ambassador to Qatar, Dr Deepak Mittal addressed the participants on the opportunities in enhancing the India-Qatar bilateral trade. He stated that such trade meetings will allow for B2B interaction in order to boost exports.
APEDA chairman Dr M Angamuthu emphasised the government of India’s focus on promoting GI, organic and natural products. The attributes of Geographical Indication (GI) added value to the products exported, he said.
These products are sourced directly from farmers and play a pivotal role in linking farmers with the export market. India can offer a wide range of products and our exporters are keen to export to Qatar.
The meet provided a platform for interaction between the Indian exporters and importers of Qatar on the strength of India in the export of agricultural and food products of Indian origin and distinct attributes.
During the interaction, the exporters were informed about the potential GI products for exports such as Basmati Rice, Mango, Pomegranates, products of North East Region and several processed products. These events are also expected to boost importers’ confidence in Indian products, facilitating exports.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has contributed significantly to promoting the export of agriculture and processed food products with a share of around 50 per cent ($24.77 bn) in overall Agri exports during 2021-22.
Besides being the leading producer of several agricultural commodities such as rice, fruits and vegetables, tea, etc., India also has the distinct advantage of having registered geographical indications for several agricultural products. In India, there are currently over 400 registered geographical indications, with agricultural and food products accounting for approximately 150 of them.
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 them to new destinations.