APEDA organized dragon fruit promotion programme in Saudi Arabia

The government’s thrust on promoting agricultural and processed food products exports from the regions which were not earlier part of the country's export map, is gradually bearing fruits. A

New Delhi:The government’s thrust on promoting agricultural and processed food products exports from the regions which were not earlier part of the country's export map, is gradually bearing fruits. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) today facilitated exports of dehydrated Mohua flower from Chhattisgarh and Himalayan goat meat from Uttarakhand to France and the United Arab Emirates respectively.

For promoting exotic fruit like dragon fruit exports, APEDA also organized a promotional event at the Saudi Arabia market. For the first time, a consignment of dehydrated Mohua flowers was exported via sea to France from Chhattisgarh. The produce was sourced from a forest in Korba district, Chhattisgarh & processed by APEDA registered Enterprise.

Mahua flowers exported to France were collected mostly by the tribal population from the forest of Korba, Kathghora, Surguja, Pasan, Pali, Churri in Chhattisgarh. Dehydrated Mahua flowers are used for making liquor, medicine & syrup. For boosting the income of small ruminant farmers, a consignment of processed Himalayan Goat meat sourced from villages of Uttarakhand hills was exported to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The export of meat from Uttarakhand will boost the livelihood of farmers and enhance their economic status. This initiative of APEDA and other organizations will also lead to an increase in the income of farmers of Uttarakhand.

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Meanwhile, boosting agricultural exports potential, APEDA in association with the Indian embassy today organized a Virtual Buyer Seller Meet (VBSM) with Lao People’s Democratic Republic where key officials and stakeholders from food industries for both the countries participated.

The virtual meet with Laos was the 37th in the series of VBSM organized by APEDA with various countries for boosting exports of agricultural and processed food from India. India mostly exports buffalo meat, marine products, groundnut, cotton, oil meals, animal casing, and spices to Laos.

In a major boost to exports of exotic fruits, APEDA in association with the Indian embassy today organized a dragon fruit promotion programme for the Saudi Arabia market in association with a leading retailer group. Dragon Fruit is also referred to as Kamalam in India.

APEDA recently facilitated dragon fruit exports from Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal to the United Kingdom, King of Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. The cultivation of dragon fruit requires less water and can be grown in various kinds of soils. At present, dragon fruit is grown mostly in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. West Bengal is new to taking up cultivation of this exotic fruit.

Read:Demand soars for purchase of agricultural land in Karnataka