UNITS AGNCULT

PRODUCTS

Structure

8.0

Ol?jectives
Introduction
India's Export of Agricultural Products
Composition of Agricultural Exports
8.2. I
8.2.7Markets for Agricultural Prbducts
WTO and Agricultural Exports
Government's Measures to Enhance Agricultural Exports
Strategies to Boost Export
Let Us Sum Up
Answers to Clieck Your Progress
Terminal Questions

OBJECTIVES

After sludying this unit, you should be able to:

describe the trends of India's agricultural export
e

ex plait1 the co~npositionof agricultural export

discuss the markets for India's agricultural export

explain government's measures to enhance export

discuss tlie strategies to boost agricultural export.

8.1

INTRODUCTION

Exports of agricultural products from the country comprise a large number of items. Most of
tlie itenis are food itenis. They could be either in fresh or processed form. They could be
either for human consumption or for animal consumption. Some ofthe raw-materials such as
.jute, wool, silk, cotton etc., in their raw form, also come under agricultural products. Raw
hides and skins also come broadly under agricultural products but India has banned exports
of liides arid skins. Processed leather and leather products by convention are not a part of
agricultural exports. Processed items ofjute, wool, silk and cotton are not a part of agricultural exports. 'I'hey fall under the category of textiles. Tobacco and tobacco products technically come under the category of food items and they are a part of agricultural products. Fish
and fish products whether from sea or river are a part of agricultural products. Essential oils
are not a part of agricultural products while castor oil is agricultural product.
Tlie most remarkable aspects of Indian agriculture is its diversified nature thanks to varied
climatic and soil conditions and abundant availability of sunshine a situation that only a few
countries in the world are blessed with. India has foodgrain crops, commercial crops, pisciculture, tloriculture, sericulture, h~rticulture,viticulture, poultry, animal husbandry, dairy
secror, forest1.y arid a manufacturing and food processing sector based on agricultural
commodities. In this unit, you will learn the trends in Indian agricultural exports, composition
and markets and measures and strategies to boost agricultural exports.

8.2

INDIA'S EXPORT OF AGRICULTURAL

,. . .
PRODUCTS

Agricultu~.alproducts which are presently being exported include tea, coffee, foodgrains
(ricecoarse cereals and pulses), spices, tobacco, cashew, oilmeals, seasame and niger seeds,

' I ' ~ : I ( I P I1rospcrts of

I'rotl ucts-l

Select

groundnut, spirit and beverages, guargum meal, shellac, sugar and molasses, ho~~iculture
and
floriculture products, fresh and processed fruits and juices, fish and fish products and Ineat
and meat preparations.
lndia has a natural comparative advantage in agricultural exports because of the lower impol.t
needs of inputs, reasonable labour costs and natural resources. The import content of the
agricultural sector is insignificant as compared to non-agricultural sector and this helps the
country in gaining net foreign exchange through agricultural exports.
During the 1950s, agricultural exports accounted for a half of the value of total exports of
India. The share declified considerably in the second half of the 1960s. Not much variation is
noticed in the 1970s except for two years viz. 1974-75 and 1975-76. In the new pattern of trade
which emerged in the late 60s, the share of food and raw-materials began to decline and that
of manufactured items increased. Agricultural export surpluses, which result from rising
agricultural production, could stabilise the prices of farm output, thereby protecting the
incomes of fanners.
India's agricultural export has increased substantially from $4023.10 million in 1993-94 to $
6868.50 million in 1996-97. Thereafter the export has been declining. It reduced to $5504.60
million in 1999-2000. The.major causes for decline in agricultural export include: subdued
international prices of agriculture based commodities, econo~nicproblems in South East
Asian countries and Japan and-declinein dollar v'alue. Look at Table 8.1 which shows India's
export of agricultural and allied products.
Table 8.1: India's Exports o f Agricultural and Allied Products

($million)
Year
1993-94

Exports

Studies carried out have clearly indicated that there is scope to accelerate exports and to
achieve atleast 25 to 30 per cent growth in terms of value or volume in respect of a number of
items. Some of these include:

I.

Aquaculture

2.

Floriculture

3,

Fresh fruits

4.

Tomato paste and products

5,

Tropical fruit juices1

6.

Pulp & concentrates

7.

Preserved mushrooms

8.

Rice

9.

Spices

10.

Sugar

1 1 . . Molasses

12.

Alochol including Ethyl

13.

Meat

14,

Poultry; and

15.

Milk.

8.2.1 Composition of Agricultural Exports

4023.. 10

In almost all the agricultural products, there is vast domestic demand. Exports, however, are
regularly undertaken to have continued presence in international markets. Balancing domestic demand and keeping the export channel is an integral element of the export strategy for
agricult~~ral
products. Look at Table 8.2 which shows India's agricultural products export. Let
11sdiscuss the trends in exports of major agicultural commodities.

Source: CMIE, July 2000

Although India's exports of agricultural items have been on the increase, the fill1 potential of
agricultural exports had remained untapped and unexploited due to variety of factors. The
major factors are: the use of old farm technology on large areas of land that is cultivated,
stagnation of output, rising domestic demand due to increasing population and income and
lack of proper incentive efforts at export promotion.
In addition, Indian agricultural sector suffers from many ailments. There include low growth
rate, low productivity, low investment, low fertilizer consumption, inadequate credit availability and heavy dependence on Monsobn.
India's agricultural products are cohipetitive price-wise, quality-wise etc. in a large number of
markets. It is, however, necessary for India to augument supplies to various markets and also
to go in for more value added items, keeping in view the trends of consumption/usage
pattern in importing countries. Maintenance of quality in food items is ofutmost importance
to have markets on a sustainable basis.
Despite inherent competitive strength of lndian agriculture, India's share in world exports of
agricultural commodities is very low. Tndia's share in a number of items remained at much less
than 1 per cent wit11 the exception pf only 4 to 5 items. The potential for increasing agricultural exports from the country is very high provided it is backed up by various measures from
the Government, industry and t i d e .

Tea: Plantation crops have been playing a very important role in India's exports of agricultural items. Tea plays an i~ilportantrole in the national economy. It earns a substantial amount
ol'foreign exchange for the country from its exports besides generating substantial revenue
for the national exchequer by way of cess, sales tax, agricultural income tax etc. Tea industry
provides e~nploymentto about 1 million people in tea plantation directly besides providing
e~nploy~ne~lt
to an equal number of persons in the ancillary industries attached to the tea
industry.
'I'he esports of tea have increased from $337.3 million in 1993-94 to $407.99 million in 19992000. Ten Board is concerned with development, research and promotion. Tea board has five
overseas oftices located at London, Hamburg, New York, Dubai and Moscow. To popularise
the high quality tea of Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiris, Tea Board also conducts publicity
campaign in identified markets to establish such Logos as the ' guarantee mark' of pure teas
from India. Recently, Tea Board promoted the brand "Nurgese" in markets such as Iran,
Russia. etc.
Coffee: Coffee has'been an important and traditional item of India's agro exports. The
exports of cot'fee have increased from $ 173.76 million in 1993-94 to $45693 million in 1997-98.
The exports have declined afterwards and reached to $ 3 15.17 million in 1999-2000. A number
of cllanges have taken place in the marketing of coffee, The Government of lndia have
permitted Free Sale Quota to all coffee growers irrespective of the size of the holdings. .
Coffee Board takes up activities which include expansion, quality control, research and
external and internal publicity. Under the 8th Plan Scheme, Coffee Board sponsored a project
on "Development of Value Added Coffee Products and Decaffeination of Coffee" to the
CFTRI, Mysore.

Agricultur~lProducts

'l'radc Prospects of Sclcct

I'rotlllcts-l

Table 8.2 India's Export ofAgricultural Products

1993-94

1994-95

1995-96

1996-97

All Commodities

22213.01

26337.50

31 841.87

33497.97

Agricultural &
allied products
Basmati rice
Cashew
Cnshewnut shell
liquid

4023.10

4227.28

6120.01

6868.50

6634.20

6033.1 1

5504.60

337.98

275.67

254.69

351.74

454. I0

446.03

401.10

332.90

396.5 1

369.97

362.41

377.13

386.76

566.42

0.92

0.78

0.43

0.78

1.93

0.98

0.50

Castor oil
Cot'fee
Cotton raw incl.
waste
Floriculture
products
Fresh fruits
Fresh vegetnbles
Fmitdvegetable
seeds
Groundnuts
Guargum meal
Marine products
Meat
preparations
Misc. processed
items
Non-basmati
rice
Oil meals
Other cereals
Poultry nnd dairy
products
Processed Fruits
and Juices
Processed
vegetables

92.13

140.58

222.31

176.84

155.21

159.72

245.37

173.76
208.15

335.43
44.52

449.98
60.94

402.20
443.90

456.93
221.41

410.63
49.17

3'15.17
18.64

1
1

6.00

9.82

18.0 1

17.87

23.37

25.18

20.94

131.96

60.13
79.00
7.32

68.92
89.04
12.32

68.90
94.27,
11.86

'74.58
84.31
14.41

63.29
65.12
15.35

66.59
81.63
15.55

54.34

32.28

68.62

91.86

152.56

33.19

42.34

44.85

45.50

68.02

100.40

146.82

172.93

189.15

812.70

1126.68

1012.31

1129.86

1208.72

1038.15

1 181.55

109.72

128.30

187.73

199.86

217.77

187.29

180.44

40.90

35.87

161.81

215.41

68.85

60.62

62.39

71.80

108.47

I 113.00

542.63

454.03

1046.54

3 16.4 1

I
I

I
1

572.74

703.18

985.41

925.44

461.43

370.43

8.93

5.08

13.7 1

3.39

2.06

I .88

49.55

53.98

61.25

59.05

7 3.51

69.12

113.29

25.2 1

42:74

32.93

31.39

39.75

38.17

23.43

28.80

39.47

37.10

97 .22

53.00

93.56

Scsame & niger seeds 23.41

45.15

77.02

77.6 1

81.51

78.07

85.88

Shellac

20.85

14.93

18.78

14.7 5

15.65

15.52

18.85

181.18

195.04

237.58

338.92

379.76

387.96

393.23

14.65

14.86

13.37

56.7 5

19.83

16.80

16.2 1

56.71

19.80

151.62

303.89

68.68

5.8 1

8.74

6 1.20

2.82

1.68

6.25

242.68

65.85

4.13

2.49

Mollnses

Sugar
Tu
337.31
Tobacco
29.60
manufactured
Tobacco
117.28
unmanufactured
Whcat
0.07
Source: CMIE, July 2000

310.76 '

350.63

292.38

505.47

538.23

407.99

22.50

20.40

27.15

41.15

45.03

44.55

58.66
13.49

113.38
109.81

186.21
196.91

247.17
0.1 I

136.00
0.32

184.87

The technology for preparation of coffee bags has been standardised,

iv)

One kg. a~ldfive kg. capacity coffee extractors were developed.

v)

The procedure For the development of decaffeinstion o f caffee by assuring three

solubles viz., Ethyle Acetate, water/aqueous sugar solution and super critical C O
has been standardised.

Rice: Kice constitutes about 80% of the total foodgrains basket. World trade in rice is
doniinated by long grain white rise and Thai brown rice. The export trade was dominated by
'Thailand, USA and Vietnam. The export of basmati rice was to the tune of$337.98 million in
1993-94. It declined to $254.69 million in 1995-96 and again increased to $454.10 million in
1,997-98. Afieuvards it again decreased to $40 1.10 million in 1999-2000.

Wheat: Exports of wheat are permitted subject to quantitative ceilings and Minimum Export

Price (MEP) as notified by the DGFT from time to time. The export of wheat has increased
froms $0.07 million in 1993-94 to $ 19G.91 ~nillio~l
in 1996-97, Jt further came down to $0.32
million in 1998-99.
Coarse Craias: Jowar, Bqjra, Maize, Ragi, Small Millet and Barley constitute Coarse Grains.
EXIM I'olicy allows export of Coarse Grains subject to quantitative ceiling as notified by the
DGFT iiom time to time.
Tobacco: In India, about 6 nill lion farmers and farm hands are engaged in cultivation of
lobcco. Tobacco also provides sizeable employment in various operations like~uring,
grading, processing and manufacturing in addition to the large number of farmers and
agriculture labour engaged in its cultivation. Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco is mainly
cultivated in AndI11.n Pradesh and Karn~taka,and in some parts of Maharashtra and Orissa.
The export of tobacco ~nanufacturedhas increased from $29.60 millio~lin 1993-94 to $44.55 in
1999-2000. The export of tobacco unrnar~ufacturedhas increased from $1 17.28 nill lion 1993-94
to $147.17 million in 1997-98. It further came down to $ 184.87 mil!ion in 1999-2000. The export
of tobncco un~nanufacturedis about four times higher than the export of tabacco manufac1~1red.
Tobacco exports are promoted by i) ailowing exports to countries facing foreign
exchange c r ~ ~ n c011
h long te~ncredit terms, ii) allowing exports of tobacco to Russia through
debt repayment route, iii) sponsori~gdelegations abroad an'd participation in international
trade fairs.

Spices; India has a long history of producing and exporting spices. Major spices in the
internnrioal trade are pepper, capsicum, seed spices, cinnamon and cassia. Exports of Spices
are freely allowed under the present EXlM policy. Pepper is the most important spice exported from India. Cardnmom, chilies, ginger, turmeric, seed spices, curry powder and spice
oils and oleoresins are the other main spices/spice products exported from India. Exports of
spices from India have shown a spectacular growth. The export of spices has increased from
$ I R 1,18 million in 1993-94 to $393.23 million in 1099-2000.
The Spices Board assist the exporters through various schemes including 'Brand Promotion'
"Logo Promotion" and "Spices I-louse Certificate". lndian spice industry has moved from
mere tracle to consumer oriented processing and production. Some of the companies have
pone i~ltoiointventures/rnarketil~gtie-ups with Multinational Companies, MC.Cormic, USA
ant1 MISTone Brothers, USA under 100% EOU Scheme.

'The salient features of the outcome of the project are as follows:

iii)

Rice is freely exportable from the country without any quantitative and price restrictions. Non
basmatic !-icewas mainly exported to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Philippines and countries
in Sub-Snha!-anAfrica. The major basmati rice export markets are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE,
UI< and ilSA.

10.81

Spices.
Spirit & beverages'
Sugar & mollases

'Tlie packaging and storage studies on the roasted and ground coffee, flavoured
roasted and ground coffee and flavoured soluble coffee have been completed.

1998-99 1999-2000

35048.67 33210.97 37644.39

740. I0

Pulses

1997-98

ii)

The technology for preparation of flavoured, roasted and ground coffee and
flavoured soluble coffee has been developed.

"

Agricultur~iProducts

1 '
l'~oll\lcls-l

'

Cashew: lndia occupies premier position in the export of cashew kernels in the international
marliet. Brazil, Tanzania, Mozambique and Kenya are tlie other major exporters. Exports of
cashew kernels have been on the increase since 1993-94. The export has increased from
$332.90 million in 1993-94 to$566.42 million in 1999-2000.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: lndia is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in
the world. The major fruits exported are mangoes, grapes, bananas, citrus fruits. Some new
fruits introdwed in international markets are strawberries, pomegranates, lychees and
custard applles. Tlie export of fresh fruis and vegetables has increased from $146.45 million in
1994-95 to $163.77 nlillion in 1999-2000. The export of fresh fruits and vegetables has not
witnessed substantial change during'this period. .
Processed Fruits and vegetables: Processed fruits and vegetables have sizeable export
potential. In the recent past, some of the new products have been introduced in the market.
These include: tomato paste in bulk asceptic packs, button mushroonls, freeze dried and
instant quick frozen fruits and vegetables and gherkins. The export of processed fruits,
Juices and vegetables has increased from $79.19 million in 1994-95 to $1 51 -46 million in 1999-

2000.
Meat and meat products: Meat is exported both in fresh and frozen form. Sheep and goat
rneat are generally exported in fresh forms whereas buffalo meat is largely exported as frozen.
Beef (meat of cow) is banned for export. The export of meat and meat products lias increased
from $ 109.72 million in 1993-94to $217.77 million in 1997-98. It further reduced to $180.44
million in 1999-2000. The major markets for meat and meat products are Malaysia, UAE,
Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. The quality of meat exported fi.om India lias always been
subjected to criticism because of: i) Unhygienic condition of Indian slaugh'ter houses ii)
Prevale~iceof Rinderpestlfoot and mouth disease among the animals.
Marine products: Marine Products are an important item of India's agro-exports next only to
non-basmati rice. India has vast potential for the development of marine products. Apart from
traditional items of exports in block frozen forrn, lndia presently expolh value added items
like IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) cultured Shrimp, Battered Shrimp, Cooked Shrimp. fish
fillet, surmi, live fish etc. India has a coast line of 8129 Kin and an Exclusive Economic Zone
of2.2 million Sq.Km. Tlie total brackish water available in the country is about 1.2 million
hectares which can be developed for aquaculture.

As much as SO items under the umbrella of marine products are exported from India. The
major items are frozen shrimp, frbzen fish frozen squid, frozen cuttle fish etc. The export of
marine products has increased from $812.70 million in 1993-94 to $ 1208.72 million in 1997-98.
It has further dropped to $ 1181.55 million in 1999-2000. The major markets for India's export
are Japan, USA, China, UAE, UK, etc.
Marine Products Export Developlnent Authority (MPEDA) is the Government agency
a
devoted to promote export of marine products from the country. MPEDA i~nple~nents
number of plan schemes such as tlie following:
i.
Export Production -capture fisheries

ii.
iii.
iv.

Export Production -culture fisheries

Induction of New Technology and Modernisation of processing facilities.
Market promotion (MPEDA) has oftices at New York and Tokyo. The Head Office is
located at Cochin (Kerala).

USA imposed a ban which is applicable to exports of Indian shrimp and products derived
from shrimp which have been harvested with commercial fishing teclinology which may
adversely affect sea turtles.

On October 6 , 1996, the U.S. court of International Trade ruled that slirirnp harvested in the
wild may not be imported into the U.S. unless the harvesting nation is certified under Section
609 of Public Law 101-162 as possessing an approved scil lurtle protection regime. This new
Court ruling prohibits importation of all shrims from uncertified countries, except shrimp
harvested frorn aquaculture.
In order to comply with this, Govt. of India has authorised MPEDA to countersign a certificate and authenticated by the exporters concerned that a consignment of shrimp for exporl4
to USA has been sourced from acquaculture.

a)

'rhc Supre~neCourt has ordered a ban on expansion of aquaculture activity in coastal

states in December, 1994. MPEDA have filed an appeal before the Hon'ble Supreme
Court of India.

b)

Tlie foremost challenge before the Indian exporters of marine products dealing with
EU countries and also the other important markets is to improve the standards o f
processing plants in particular and otlier activities relating to production in general.
I n fact, what EU require is that there is a tota! adherence to quality and hygiene
standards right from the point of the raw material is obtained.

Agrieultur~lProducts

Floricultural Products: Floriculture has become an attractive industry in many countries of

the world. Flowers and plants are an integial part of human life. Besides aesthetic importance,
tliey are useful in improving the quality of life. In India, floriculture is an important business
with high potential for export.
Tlie tloriculture sector comprises of the following:
Florist trade of cut flowers and cut foliage which may be fresh, dried, dyed, bleached,
i)
impregnated, otherwise prepared in the form of garlands, bequests, floral baskets,
floral ornaments and flower decorations.
ii)

Plant nursery for propagation and supply of live plants including those multiplied by
tissue-culture.

iii)

Bedding plant industry for supply of seeding and rooted cutting of flowers, like
chrysanthemum, carnation, gerbera, dahlia, etc.

iv)

Production and sale of seeds and bulbs of flower crops including hybrid seed
production.

v)

Flower perfumes especially for essential oil, attar concrete etc. which are required by
cos~neticfood and flower industries.

llie florist trade of cut flowers, C L I foliage

~
and pot plants is the main revenue earner. The
capo~tof tloricullural prod~cts116s i n c t e ~ e dfram $6.00 million in 1993-94 to $25.18 million in
1998-99. It has f i ~ ~ t hdeclined
er
to $20.94 million in 1949-2000. APEDA is impleme~~ting
a
proiect Sor enl~anciogproduction and expons of floricultural products with the assistance of
UNDP. Undek lhis project, it is planned to develop prbdllction manuals for major cut flowers
~ r o d ~ ~ icl leIndia,
d
provide market information on a regular basis and give technical assistance.
Tllc major markets for tloriculture products are Netherlands, USA, Oermany, Japan and UK.
l'liey account for 68% of India's total floriculture export.

8.2.2 Markets for Agricultural Products

The ma.ior markets for India's agricultural and allied products export are USA, Japan, Saudi
Arabia. Russia. UAE, UK, Netherlands, etc, They accounted for about 56% of India's total
ex1~012
of agricultural products. USA is the leading market for agricultural products of lndia
followed by Sapan. Saudi Arabia, Russia, UAE, UK and Netherlands..Look at Table 8.3 which
sllows Inclia's markets for agricultural products.
Tnble 8.3: Indin's Major Mnrkets for Agriculturrl and Allied Products
($million)

Countries

1996-97

1997-98

1JSA

660.09

65 1,53

1998-99
677.62

1999-2000
857.32

'Iqr:ttIr ~ ' ~ - o s l l c c tost' S r I ~ r t

IBa'ocl11cta-l

Check Your Progress A

outmoded and dysfunctional and encompasses production, procurement, movement,

transporation, agro processing, storage, marketing and credit cooperatives.

Enumerate five major foreign exchange earner items of agricultural exports.

1)

GOVERNMENT'S NIEAS'CTKES TO ENHANCE

AGRICULTUL EXPORTS

............................................................................................................
2)

Enumerate five major markets for agric.1111111.;\1

export.

............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
3)

Enumerate Lndia's three comparative advantages in agricultural export.

Government of India's is providing financial assistance to eligible exporters for establishment

of various facilities for export of agricultural products. These include:
i)

purchase of specialised transport units for meat, horticulture and floriculture sectors;

ii)

establishmerlt of pre-cooling facilities;

iii)

setting up of mechanised post-harvest handling facilities and sheds for grading,

sorting, quality control and packaging;

iv)

establishing vapour heat treatmentlfumigationlscreening machines for exports; and

v)

establishing cold stores at airportslseaports for export purposes.

Financial assistance is also provided in respect of the following:

i)

supply of product samples for test marketing;

ii)

preparation of product literatures, publicity material, films, etc.

iii)

brand publicity through adveflisements; and

iv)

participation in International FairslExhibitions.

Scheme for Packaging Development is for (i) development of packaging standards and
packaging developed by APEDA through IIP or others alongwith
designs; and (iii) ~~tilising
"Produce of India" label.

4) State whether the following statements are True or False.

i)

India's share in world exports of agricultural commodities is very high.

ii) Marine products are the leading agricultural export items for the year 1999-2000.
iii). lndia is the fifth largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world,
iv) Indian meat is exported only in frozen form.

Scheme for Assistance to Promote Quality and Quality Control is for (i) setting uplstrengthening of quality control activities and laboratories; and (ii) for specialised consultancy
services towards obtaining IS0 9000 or other recognised international quality control
systems and developing qunlity control manuals.
Schernes for upgradation of meat plants provides financial assistance to public slaughter
houses/processing plants engaged in export products of ment with international standards.

v) USA is the leading market for India's agricultural products.

- .-

8.3

Scheme for organisation building and human resources development and training.

WTO AND AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS

It was for the first time that agriculture was discussed in market access negotiations under
the Uruguay Round. The Agricultural Agreement involves border measures as well as
reduction in domestic support. As a result of both these, there are likely to be higher global
prices and drops in the global output for various agricultural products. India's agricultural
exports are already price con~petitiveand should become Inore so as a result ofthese
changes. There are three important aspects to be noted. One is the impact of Uruguay Round
Agreement on India's Agricultural Exports. The second aspect is the market access and the
third aspect is the Intellectual Property Protection for Plants and Seeds and Sanitary and
Phytosanitary conditions. On market access, studies carried out showed negative results. It
is argued that the liberalisation represents a demand side change. But India's exports are
fundamentally supply-constrained.
It is difficult to state in categorica terms particularly in terms of value the benefit that acrues
to india's agricultural exports arising from the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture.
Certainly it becomes absolutely necessary for India to undertake reforms in substantial
measure in the domestic agricultural reforms call for dismantaling the regulatory and legislative hurdles to agricultural modernisation, The regulatory and legisiative regime has become
1

12

Scheme for generating relevant research through research institutions for common benefit of
trade and industry.
Development Efforts of APEDA
1.

tT

2.

U N D P Project on Floriculture: For enhancing product and productivity, a project

titled "Promoting Export of Floriculture Products" is being implemented with the
assistance of UNDP through Ministry of Commerce and APEDA.

Some of the activities to be undertaken in this Project include advising 10-12

entrepreneurs on production, preparation of crop manuals and market survey reports
providing market information and holding of seminars and arranging buyer-seller
meets.
Programme for setting up of VHT facilities with aid from Japan: For export of fruits
and vegetables, quality control is extremely stringent in Japan and the products are
required to be treated with \rapour Heat Treatment measures before export. Under
this scheme, a pilot plant is being set up at New Delhi. Technical know-how and
assistance is being provided by Japan. More plants will be sub! :quently set up in
oll~crareas such as Maharashtra. The effectiveness of the process is being tested
and the commercial scale adoption has yet to be worked out.

'1'1.;1[lr I'l.ospecfs of' Select

I'l~cltlucts-1

A scheme titled "Setting up of Integrated Cargo Handling facilities for Agriculture

perishables at Delhi Airport" is being implemented by APEDA.

viii) Ensurc proper use of fan; land while takir~gecological concerns into account. In the
semi arid regions, agricultural expansion in areas not suited for cultivation should be
prohibited to avoid environmental problems.

lndia International Marketing Centre ([IMC) Rotterdam: IIMC has been set up by
private entrepreneurs with financial assistance from the Government of India and
Municipality of Rotterdam. 'This centre is a wholly-owned subsidiary company. This
has facilities for office space, show rooms for warehousing and trading of Indian
goods in the European markets. 14 Air Cargo Complexes hsve been setup for
providing cargo booking and Customs clearance facilities under one roof.

3,

8.5

STRATEGIES TO

x)

Eastern States need to be geared to increase production of various agricultural

comn~oditieswith the help of improved techniques.

xi)

Productivity of various crops needs to be enhanced as lands are likely to be scarcer

in future, India has lower agricultural productivity at around 1.6 tonnes average yield
per hectare which is lower to that of not only developed countries but also to that of
cleveloping countries like China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Mexico and Brazil. To
achieve a high agricultural growth rate theaverage yield has to be 2.5 tonnes or more
per hectare.

xii)

Agricultural growth has to be substantially stepped upto over 3.5% to 6% in output

tcnns. Efforts should be to achieve doubling of farm production within the next 15
years which require an average annual growth rate of 4.7%.

xiii) Investments in agriculture have to be stepped up substantially, as a percentage of

the total expenditure, five year plans, on a continuous basis.

lndia has one of the longest coast lines in the world and Indian ports need to be developed
comparable with ports of Singapore and Hong Kong to handle the goods efficiently and
effectively and to offer handling charges at very comparative rates, Indiqn ports have to
handle larger tonnage than what is being done currently. The daily loading capacity at the
Indian ports hovers around 2,500 to 3,500 tonnes which is 10 per cent of what ports of
developed Asian countries handle. Lack of proper loading facilities, scarcity of modern
warehousing capacity near ports, shortage of railway wagons for ferrying goods are adversely affecting competitiveness of India's exports. For example, rice and de-oiled cake
exporters complain that they do not get railway wagons to carry their goods to the ports. In
the case of fruits and vegetables, lack of storage capacity is adversely affecting the
utilisation of fruits and vegetables and their exports. The Cold Storage Act is known to be
working as a deterrent to the holding of stocks. Estimates are that more than Rs. 5,000 crore
worth of fruits and vegetables get wasted each year due to lack of storage and transportation
facilities.

xiv) Irrigation systems need to be improved, strengthened and expanded so as to reduce

drastically the dependence of agriculture on monsoon. Minor irrigation needs to be
promoted very widely. Ground water should be treated as the principal source of
irrigation to be popularised through incentive mechanism.

Jettison the present policy which prescribes that only those farm products should be
exported in which the country has a surplus.

ii)

Removal of physical barriers (particularly in cereals) an quantities to be exported.

iii)

Trade policy for the farm sector should be open, free and outward loaking with
complete freedom to the farmer to dispose off his produce without 8ny Government
restrictions on qua~;tity,prices, etc. (cotton exports from the country are controlled
by quotas monitored by the Textile Commissioner. Exports are permitted to be
undertaken by designated,agencies only).

iv)

Investments, both public and private into infrastructure, need to be encouraged to

boost agro exports. Exports of fruits and vegetables could be in~reasedmanifold if
refrigemtion facilities are created at all points storage at the farm level, during
transportation and also at airports,

v)

Abolish all export controls and regulations like canalisation.

vi)

Persistent efforts are required in the areas of post-harvest technology in arder ta e

preserve and utilise the produce both for domestic consumption and export
purposes (wastage of fruits & vegetables, if prevented, would lead to greater
availability for production and exports). To promote farm production and to
encourage agro-based industries, the farm sector should be given the status of an
industry with all the facilities extended including cheap credit, tspecialised funding
institutions, storage and marketing facilities.
Agriculture sector should be excluded from taxes including capital gains tax.

XV)

Slate-Governments should aniend the Agricultural Land Ceilings Act.

xvi

Consolidation of land lioldings needs to be implemented with vigour. More than 60

per cent of land holdings in the country remain unconsolidated.

xvii) Fertilizer consunlption has to be promoted to increase production to meet the

increasing domestic requirements and exports. Profitability of farming operations
could be increased only through higher productivity. Use of bio-fertilizers,
bio-pesticides, organic manures and micro-nutrients has to be promoted vigorously.
The Plant Varieties Protection Bill would not go against the interests of farmers.
Production of high-value seeds involves the process of hand pollination which is
highly labour intensive and lndia would stand to gain.

The measures to be initiated by the Government include the following.

vii)

Foreign capital and technology should be encouraged liberally.

.BOOSTEXPORT

In order to realise the full export potential of agricultural sectar, It is necessary to strengthen
the infrastructural and storage facilities. Govt. has to initiate many measures to exploit the
export potential fully. Some of the measures needed to strengthen agricultural export activity
include the development of infrastructure and creation of csrlducive export-import procedures.

i)

ix)

Check Yoor Progress B

I) Enumerate three government's measures to enhance agricultural export.

............................................................................................................
,*

2) 'what is UNDP Project on Floriculture?

............................................................................................................
3

En~~merate
three strategies to boost India's export.

A g r i c u l t u r n l Products

A g r i c u l t u r ~ IProducts
I

4) State whether the following statements are True or False.

i)

ii)

Agricultural reforms call for dismantling the regulatory and legislative hurdles to
agricultural modernisation.
Financial assistance is not provided for publicity material related to agricultural
export.

iii) India International Marketing Centre, Rotterdam, is a wholly-owned subsidiary

company.
iv) The agricultural agreement of WTO involves increase in domestic subsidy.

v)

8.6

Trade policy for the farm sector sliould be inward looking.

LET US SUM UP

Agricultural products from the country have immense export potential. Particularly after the
conclusion of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture, the scope for increasing
exports o f agricultural items has increased and new opportunities in promoting products and
cultivating new markets have emerged. Major items that are entering India's agricultural
spices,
exports include tea, coffee, rice (Basmati and Non-Basmati), tobacco unma~~ufactured,
cashew kernals, oil cakes, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, meat and meat products, marine products, raw-cotton etc. In addition, scope exists for the export of a large
number o f items including floricultural products, health food products and many value added
items.
lndia has a natural comparative advantage in agricultural products because of the lower
import needs of inputs, reasonable labour costs and natural resources. The import content of
the agricultural sector is insignificant as compared to the non-agricultural sector and this
helps the country in gaining net foreign exchange through agricultural exports.
The full potential of agricultural exports has remained untouched and unexploited due to a
variety of factors including the use of old technology, stagnation of output, rising domestic
demand, die-to increasing population and income and lack of proper export promotion
strategy. There are also other elements such as low growth rate, low productivity, low
investment, low fertiliser consumption, inadequate credit availability and heavy dependence
on monsoon.
In order to take full advantage ofthe various opportunities available, lndia has to undertake
reforms in the agricultural sector. Various regulatory and legislative laws in force covering
production, procurement, movement, transportation, agro processing storage, marketing and
credit cooperatives have become out model and they need to be revamped to suit the present
needs to promote trade. EXIM Policy also needs to be streamlined to promote agricultural
exports.

8.7

ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

A4

i) False ii) True

B4

i) True

8.8

TERMINAL QUESTIONS

iii) False

iv) False

v) True

ii) False iii) True

iv) False

v) False

1.

Describe the trends of India's agricultural exports.

2.

Explain various items of agricultural exports from India.

2,

Do you think that marine products are one of the most important emerging export
items of agricultural products. What are the problems faced by marine products
export.

4.

Describe the government's measures to enhance agricultural export from India.

5.

What strategies can you suggest to boost agricultural export from India.