Govt stresses on tech infusion for boosting agri exports

New Delhi, Apr 30 (UNI) In a bid to harness the untapped potential in agro exports, the Government today said there is a need for infusion of new technology and capital in agriculture.

''Cold chain infrastructure has been the missing link in the process of agriculture, post-harvest storage and transportation in India. Supply chain from production clusters to the markets needs to be strengthened including grading, pre-cooling, packaging, storage and marketing of fresh farm produce,'' Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said here in a statement.

While giving away the Agricultural Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Annual Export Awards here, he has called the market access made available to Indian mangoes recently by the US and Japan as a major breakthrough that augurs well for Indian agro product exports.

''Agro exports are a thrust area for development and promotion,'' Mr Nath said.

He hoped that Indian mangoes will gain popularity over the South American and Mexican varieties presently available in the US market on account of better taste, aroma and flavour.

The organised retail both in fresh and processed food products which has started taking shape in the metros and other large cities needs to be extended to other towns as well, Mr Nath said.

The FDI, by leading global players for strengthening the backward linkages and infrastructure including cold chain, will ensure better returns to the farmers for their produce, he said.

He highlighted the importance of adhering to food safety and international standards for trading in food products.

''The Government has introduced an integrated food law, which is expected to help in making the Indian food industry more competitive in the global market. It intends to set up a single line of command from the present multi-level and multi-departmental control,'' he said.

There will be a single reference point for all matters relating to food safety and standards, regulations and enforcements,'' he added.

Mr Nath gave away the golden trophy to Mumbai-based Allanasons Ltd, and awarded the silver and bronze trophies and certificates of merit to other exporters.

He complemented APEDA for encouraging the adoption of quality certification systems like ISO and HACCP amongst its registered exporters.

UNI