New Delhi: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Friday said that about 20,000 Metric Tonne (MT) of agri-produce have been exported from Uttar Pradesh's Purvanchal region in the last six months with the active intervention of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). "Out of these shipments, about 5,000 MT fresh fruits and vegetables and 15,000 MT of cereals have been exported to Vietnam, Gulf nations, Nepal and Bangladesh by all modes of transportation," the Ministry said.
In a press release issued on Friday, the Ministry said Varanasi and nearby areas witnessed an export of around 12 MT, 22 MT and 45 MT in the months of October, November, December respectively in the year 2021. Also, around 125 MT have been exported from Varanasi and nearby areas.
"Working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, APEDA has taken several initiatives in making the landlocked Purvanchal region a new destination of agri-export activities through the development of Varanasi Agri –Export Hub (VAEH)," the Ministry said. "APEDA has identified potential districts of Uttar Pradesh to be covered under the VAEH. The Purvanchal division covers districts of Varanasi, Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Basti, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Chandauli and Sant Ravidas Nagar," it said.
"The Varanasi region, where negligible agri-exports used to take place because of lack of basic infrastructure, is now abuzz with activities which has given a boost to exports. After the intervention of APEDA, the Varanasi region has recorded exemplary changes in the export scenario and registered many first-of-its-kind achievements in a very short span of time," the Ministry said.
As Varanasi is a territory based in the plains of the river Ganges, it has rich nutritional composition of soil with ample amount of fertility which leads to the production of good quality agri-produce.
Varanasi region also has reputed institutions of central and international level such as the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
Currently, the Varanasi region has a number of exporters and exports of agricultural products is being undertaken through air route due to the establishment of robust quarantine as well as custom clearance facilitation centre at Lal Bahadur Shastri International (LBSI) Airport, the Ministry said.
The Ministry said APEDA has organised more than 30 capacity building programmes in the entire Varanasi region followed by eight international buyer-seller meets, which has provided a platform for the exporters to market their food products in the global marketplace.
"To monitor the product and production, a project of AI tech is also being considered for approval. APEDA is also planning to take member Farmer Producer Organization to different successful territories for unveiling the agri-supply chain and market linkage," it added.
The Ministry further said the government is also considering replicating the Varanasi model in the Gorakhpur region of Purvanchal as the geography, demography and a few other parameters are common in both places. "The newly established international airport in Kushinagar may play a vital role in triggering the export. The DDU Gorakhpur University, Indian Institute of Seed Science, Mau are the institutions actively working towards the promotion of agri- activities in the region," it said.
The Ministry said APEDA has also approved three projects for comprehensive grain and nutritional quality profiling of non-Basmati Rice, value-added products from Rice and rice-based food systems. An APEDA-funded project for integrated IT solutions to enhance Agri Export in Varanasi Region is under process.
The export of the first trial shipment of 14 MT green chilly was facilitated by APEDA from Varanasi to Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port in December 2019.
During the Covid pandemic in 2020, 3 MT fresh vegetables were exported to London from Varanasi, 3 MT fresh mangoes to Dubai, 1.2 MT fresh mangoes to London, 520 MT regional rice to Qatar and 80 MT regional rice to Australia, the Ministry said.
