Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Mr. Piyush Goyal called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders across the food, agriculture, and hospitality sectors to position India as a global leader in agricultural and processed food exports. Speaking at the inauguration of the 40th edition of AAHAR, the International Food & Hospitality Fair in New Delhi, the statement highlighted India’s growing strength in global agricultural trade. It was further highlighted in the statement that India’s exports of food and agricultural products, including farm produce and fisheries, have reached nearly Rs. 5 lakh crore (US$ 55 billion) annually, making the country the seventh-largest agricultural exporter globally. Over the past decade, India has recorded significant growth in agri-exports, with processed food exports increasing fourfold, fruits and pulses exports tripling, processed vegetable exports quadrupling, cocoa exports tripling, and cereal exports doubling. Rice exports alone have grown by 62% since 2014.The statement emphasized that expanding global demand and India’s growing network of trade agreements present major opportunities for exporters. In the past three and a half years, India has concluded nine Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), opening access to 38 developed markets and providing preferential access to nearly two-thirds of global trade. At the same time, the government has safeguarded the interests of farmers, fishermen, and MSMEs by protecting sensitive sectors such as dairy and restricting concessions for genetically modified products and key agricultural commodities. Furthermore, the statement encouraged farmers and entrepreneurs to leverage the Rs. 1 lakh crore (US$ 10.88 billion) Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to strengthen food processing and value addition, enabling them to access higher-value global markets while boosting farmers incomes and expanding the global footprint of ‘Made in India’ agricultural products.Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.https://www.ibef.org/news/union-minister-of-commerce-industry-mr-piyush-goyal-calls-for-stronger-collaboration-to-position-india-as-a-global-leader-in-agricultural-and-processed-food-exports (ICE MUMBAI)

Fonte notizia: IBEF