New Delhi, March 10 (IANS). Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday called upon people associated with the food, agriculture and hospitality sectors to work together towards making India the world’s largest exporter of agricultural and processed foods. He said that India’s growing trade agreements and global demand for Indian products are creating huge opportunities in this direction.
While inaugurating the 40th edition of ‘Aahar – The International Food and Hospitality Fair’ held in the national capital, Goyal said India’s exports of food and agricultural products, including agricultural products and fisheries, have now reached about Rs 5 lakh crore (over $55 billion) annually. With this, India has become the seventh largest exporter of agricultural products in the world.
He said that India’s agricultural and food exports have increased significantly in the last 11 years between 2014 and 2025. During this period, export of processed food has quadrupled, export of fruits and pulses has tripled, export of processed vegetables has quadrupled, export of cocoa has tripled and export of grains has doubled. At the same time, export of rice has also increased by 62 percent during this period.
Goyal said these achievements propel India to achieve the top position in the world in agricultural and processed food exports. He said that this target is completely achievable and it is in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India the ‘food basket of the world’.
The minister said that in the last three and a half years, India has signed nine free trade agreements (FTAs), which have provided access to the markets of 38 developed and prosperous countries. This has opened up huge opportunities for Indian exporters. He said that today India has primary market access to almost two-thirds of global trade, making India an attractive investment destination and connecting Indian companies to the global value chain.
Goyal said that during the FTA negotiations, the government has taken full care of protecting the interests of domestic stakeholders, especially farmers, fishermen and MSMEs. He said that no concession has been given to foreign producers in sensitive sectors like dairy. Similarly, genetically modified (GM) products have also not been given duty exemption or market access.
He also clarified that major agricultural products like rice, wheat, maize, soya meal and several types of pulses have also been protected in the trade agreements. At the same time, generally no concession has been given in the sugar sector, so that Indian sugarcane farmers and domestic producers do not suffer losses due to foreign imports.
The Minister said that on one hand, these steps safeguard India’s domestic strength, while on the other hand, new global opportunities are also created for Indian products. He appealed to industry and trade people to make people understand that India’s FTAs help in increasing international trade while protecting the country’s interests.
Goyal also appealed to farmers and entrepreneurs to take advantage of the Rs 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and focus on food processing and value addition. This will give farmers an opportunity to sell their products at better prices in the global market. He said that now a large number of small enterprises are also entering the food processing sector, thereby creating new opportunities for employment and development.
He told that this time for the first time Italy has been made the partner country in the food exhibition. He also announced that this exhibition will also be open to the general public on March 13 and Saturday, so that especially the youth can see closely the strength of the food, beverage and hospitality sector of India and the world.
–IANS
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