Exports of agricultural products for the year 2021-22 have crossed $50bn, the highest level ever achieved. As per the provisional figures released by the Directorate-General of Commercial Intelligence & Statistics (DGCI&S), the agricultural exports have grown by 19.92% during 2021-22 to touch $50.21bn. The growth rate is remarkable, says the Ministry of Commerce & Industry in a press release, as it is over and above the growth of 17.66%, at $41.87bn, achieved in 2020-21 and has been achieved in spite of unprecedented logistical challenges in the form of high freight rates, container shortages etc.
If we take a look commodity-wise, we again find there have been record exports in several sectors. Highest-ever exports have been achieved for staples like rice ($9.65bn), wheat ($2.119bn), sugar ($4.6bn) and other cereals ($1.08bn). Wheat has recorded an unprecedented growth of more than 273%, jumping nearly four-fold from $568mn in 2020-21 to touch close to $2.119bn in 2021-22. An increase in exports of these products has benefited farmers in states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. India has captured nearly 50% of the world's market for rice.
The export of marine products, at $7.71bn, is also the highest ever, benefiting farmers in the coastal states of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Spices exports have touched $4bn for the second year in a row. Despite facing tremendous supply-side issues, coffee exports have crossed $1bn for the first time, which has improved realizations for coffee growers in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
According to the release, this achievement is the result of sustained efforts on the part of the Department of Commerce and its various export promotion agencies like APEDA, MPEDA and various commodity boards.
In order to ensure that the farmers benefit from exports, the Department of Commerce has made special efforts to provide export market linkage directly to farmers and FPOs. A Farmer Connect Portal has been set up for providing a platform for farmers, FPOs/FPCs, and cooperatives to interact with exporters.
This approach has resulted in agriculture exports taking place from hitherto unexplored areas. Exports have taken place from clusters like Varanasi (fresh vegetables, mangoes), Ananthpur (banana), Nagpur (orange), Lucknow (mango), Theni (banana), Solapur (pomegranate) and Krishna & Chittoor (mango).