New Delhi, March 29
After witnessing a tremendous growth in fruit exports in the last five years, the government is now exploring new markets for fruit exports.
According to Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, the free trade agreements (FTAs) with the UAE and Australia have helped increase exports of fruits to the UAE and Australia by 27 per cent and six per cent, respectively.
“The free trade agreement has helped increase exports to the UAE, where there has been a 27 per cent increase in fruits export and with Australia where there has been a 6 per cent increase in export of fruits,” the minister informed the Rajya Sabha.
India’s fruit exports have surged by 47.5 per cent over the last five years.
The minister said the government is focused on quality assurance and exploring new markets while developing cold chain infrastructure to boost these exports.
"Because, any product that goes from India is brand India and the name of India and no stone has been left unturned to ensure the quality of our products and fruits sent abroad," he said.
The Department of Commerce, through APEDA, collaborates with respective state governments for supporting the fresh fruits trade include development of post-harvest handling facilities and developing cold chain network in the form of integrated pack houses, reefer vehicles and in-house testing facilities to maintain quality and longevity of fruits and treatment facilities.