Agricultural Seed and Food Industry Overview and Exports

Introduction

The annual crops that meet most of the world’s food demand are produced with the help of seeds. Each season, they serve as a means of establishing a fresh crop, and they also work to identify the genetic potential of the harvested crop. Additionally, seeds serve as a means of transferring novel genotypes (varieties) from academic institutions to the farming industry. Despite playing a crucial part in crop production, seeds also have some unique biological characteristics that make them a challenging commodity to work with.

This results from significant economic and policy elements particular to crops, nations, and regions, in addition to physiology and genetics, which are of general application. This guide will teach us about agricultural seeds and the food industry. We will also learn about some of India’s top agricultural seeds exporters India. So, let’s know more!

Overview of the Indian Agricultural seed and Food industry 

The region’s nations share a history of substantial state engagement in managing agricultural production despite their very different sizes and physical environments. Their centrally planned system has impacted every area of the economy. Still, agriculture is the most affected due to the agro-industrial approach that defined the huge state farms in most countries.

The main source of income in India comes from the agricultural sector. The nation is one of the world’s top producers of agricultural and food goods. India’s agriculture industry growth rate was predicted to be 3.9% in 2021–2022 as opposed to 3.6% the year before. Numerous crops and food grains are grown throughout the nation, including rice, wheat, pulses, oilseeds, coffee, jute, sugarcane, tea, tobacco, groundnuts, dairy products, and fruits.

From 2021 to 2022, India produced 1,344.40 million kg of tea. Three thousand four hundred twenty lakh tonnes of coffee were produced within the same period. India produced an anticipated 37.15 million tonnes of oilseeds for 2021–2022 while also setting records for rice, wheat, maize, pulses, mustard, and sugarcane output. West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh are the top states in India for agricultural production.

Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Gujarat produce most of the nation’s wheat. In India, Uttar Pradesh produces the most sugarcane, with a contribution of roughly 48%. Maharashtra and Karnataka follow with 23% and 9% of the overall production.

The greatest agricultural export from India is rice, which accounted for more than 19% of all agricultural exports in the years 2021–2022. The top three agricultural exports in 2021–22 are sugar, spices, and buffalo meat, which account for 9%, 8%, and 7% of total exports. Following a notable increase from exports of US$ 568 million in 2020–21, wheat exports reached a value of US$ 2.1 billion in 2021–22.

INITIATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENT 

• Agriculture Export Policy 2018 (AEP)

To encourage the export of agricultural goods, the Indian government has established the comprehensive Agriculture Export Policy (AEP). The main goals of the AEP are to increase high-value-added agricultural exports, diversify export sources and destinations, encourage exports of indigenous, organic, traditional, and non-traditional agriproducts, provide an institutional framework for pursuing market access, and make it possible for farmers to take advantage of export opportunities in foreign markets.

• Scheme for Financial Assistance (FAS)

FAS is the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority’s programme for promoting exports (APEDA). It is a component of the Finance Commission Cycle for 2021–2022–2025–2026. This program’s main objective is to help companies develop their export markets, quality, and infrastructure. The plan will provide financial support ranging from Rs. 5 lahks (US$ 6,500) to Rs. 5 crores (US$ 650,000).

• Scheme of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry’s Department of Commerce has also started several export promotion programmes, such as the Market Access Initiatives (MAI) Scheme and the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES). The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), the Tobacco Board, the Tea Board, the Coffee Board, the Rubber Board, and the Spices Board all help exporters of agricultural goods. India has also made NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) testing necessary for honey sold to the USA to increase exports.

Final Thoughts

In the first four months of the current fiscal year, the government’s measures have assisted in achieving 40% of the entire export objective for 2022–2023. Additionally, processed food items such as cereals and other processed goods increased by 37.75 and 35.26 percent, respectively, over the first four months of the prior year.

The increase in agricultural and processed food exports is the result of numerous efforts to promote these goods’ export, including the organization of B2B exhibitions in various nations and the investigation of new potential markets through product-specific and general marketing campaigns with the active participation of Indian Embassies.

If you are looking for the best agricultural seeds exporters in India, look no further than Kunal International India. They have some of the finest qualities of agricultural seeds to meet your business requirements.