Agri-product exports from Varanasi grew by 728 MT in 3 years: APEDA

The export of agricultural products from Varanasi has grown by 728 metric tons (MTs) in just three years, said Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) officials.

From just 4 MT in 2020-21, the export figures stood at 732 MT last fiscal, significantly helping Uttar Pradesh become the third largest exporter of agricultural products in the country after Gujarat and Maharashtra, they added.

They claimed that 117 metric tons were exported in May this year alone, the highest done in any month so far.

“Achieving 117 MT monthly exports from Lal Bahadur Shashtri International Airport in Varanasi for the first time in May to gulf countries is a significant milestone for APEDA. Agricultural exports from the region have increased from 4 MT in 2020-21 to 732 MT in 2023-24,” APEDA regional head CB Singh said.

“APEDA organised an exposure visit of around 50 FPOs to UAE in the last week of February. During this visit, the FPOs got a series of trade leads, which resulted in the rapid growth of the exports of agri-products from the region,” asserted Singh.

Meanwhile, an APEDA-registered farmers’ producer organisation (FPO) has exported 700 MT from the sea route to the Gulf.

The director of an FPO in Gopiganj, Shashwat Pandey, said, “Our FPO is actively involved in the export of fresh green vegetables and seasonal fruits. We are regularly sending air shipments to the Middle East from Varanasi and Lucknow airports. In the current fiscal so far, we have exported 200 MT of green chilies, which were sourced from our member farmers... Other FPOs and agri startups have collectively exported around 500 MT of chili from Uttar Pradesh.”

Ram Kumar Rai, the director of another FPO at Ghazipur, said “APEDA took us to Dubai for an exposure visit in February. As a result, our FPO has sent 300 MT of green vegetables to the Gulf. A container of fresh vegetables is being sent every alternate day from the region. Our FPO is targeting 1,000 MT in the current fiscal.”

Since 2019, APEDA has organised more than 150 capacity-building programmes in the entire region followed by eight international buyer-seller meets (virtually) that provided a platform to FPOs and exporters to market their agri products in the global marketplace.

Among the products that are exported are fresh fruits and vegetables such as green chilli, mango, okra, potato, water chestnut, cranberry, banana, gourds, marigold and rice.