Rajasthan to Map Agro-Processing Clusters to Boost Agricultural Exports

The Rajasthan government will undertake detailed crop- and region-wise mapping of proposed agro-processing clusters to identify their economic, investment and export potential, with a focus on strengthening links between agricultural production, processing and markets.

Rajasthan Chief Secretary V. Srinivas directed officials to prepare concrete action plans for the proposed clusters while ensuring that they cover the entire value chain from farm to market and export. He was chairing a stakeholders’ meeting on the development of agro-processing clusters on Wednesday.

Srinivas said the clusters should not be limited to production and processing activities. Facilities for sorting and grading, packaging, cold storage, processing, transportation and supply-chain management, branding and market linkages should also be developed. An integrated value-chain approach, he said, would help reduce post-harvest losses and enable farmers to access better markets and realise higher prices.

The Chief Secretary also directed NABARD to undertake Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) mapping to assess the economic potential of the proposed clusters. The concerned departments have been asked to present detailed and implementation-oriented cluster-wise action plans at the next review meeting.

Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Department, Shikhar Agrawal stressed the need to attract large agricultural processing enterprises to Rajasthan while focusing on value addition and export opportunities. He called for identification of major export-oriented agricultural products and their potential international markets.

Agrawal also emphasised linking agro-processing clusters with food parks and the state’s industrial and investment promotion policies to create an integrated ecosystem for agricultural processing and exports.

Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Horticulture, Manju Rajpal said 39 food parks have been proposed under the Rajasthan Food Park Development Policy-2026, with land already allotted at 35 locations. The state currently has two mega food parks, four agro-processing clusters and six RIICO/spice parks.

Rajasthan also has more than 1,500 agro-processing units and over 1,850 micro food-processing units supported under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme.

The state is working to develop 10 agro-processing clusters based on moong, mustard, soybean, kinnow, pomegranate, guava, orange, isabgol, cumin and garlic. Major production areas for these crops have been mapped at the crop and district levels to facilitate their integration with processing facilities and markets.

Horticulture Commissioner Shweta Chauhan said seven of the 10 proposed clusters are eligible under the National Horticulture Board’s Cluster Development Programme (CDP 2.0). Concept proposals for guava, pomegranate and cumin clusters have already been submitted, while proposals for isabgol, kinnow, garlic and orange clusters are planned for the next phase.

The mustard, soybean and moong clusters are being promoted through food parks, investment agreements and various state government schemes.