Agricultural and Processed Products Export
Development Authority, (APEDA) has published e-catalogues for 30 major millet
importing countries and for 21 millet-producing Indian states. The e-catalogues have information on
individual country profile, Indian millets and millet value-added basket,
millet production scenario, India's export of millets, international standards
of millets, and contact list of exporters, startups, FPOs, importers, and
Indian missions in the country.
APEDA has been
entrusted with the task of promoting Indian millets in the international
market, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Smt.
Anupriya Patel said in reply to a parliamentary question on March 15th.
The agency has identified three knowledge
partners - Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR); Centre of Excellence on
Millets — University of Agriculture Sciences, Bengaluru; and Yes Bank. These
knowledge partners collaborate for preparation of content for publication of
millet promotion material; identification of participants for the
millet-promotion events to be organized by Indian Missions abroad; and millets
value chain development. APEDA has planned promotion of Indian millets across
international trade fairs and hold B2B (business-to-business) meetings for the
year 2023. A millet-specific web portal has also been launched. The portal
contains information about millets, their health benefits, production and
export statistics, millet exporters’ directory, and other relevant information.
It has been conducting capacity-building
programs throughout the country to facilitate export of millet and millet
products. Start-ups on millets are being mobilized for export promotion of
value-added products such as Ready to Ea(RTE) and Ready to Serve (RTS)
categories, including noodles, pasta, breakfast cereal mix, biscuits, cookies,
snacks, sweets, and other millet-based products.
A knowledge book titled "Superfood
Millets: A USD 2 Billion Export Opportunity for India" has been published
by APEDA, in association with a knowledge partner. This book will help the
prospective exporters of millets. An e-platform for Virtual Trade Fairs
(VTFs) has been created specifically for millets. This platform is designed to
invite buyers and visitors from across the globe to interact with exhibitors
showcasing millet-based products.
The organisation has stepped into
brand building of Indian millets; ‘Shree
Anna’ to promote the consumption of millets and to create a niche market for
Indian millets across the globe. Various sampling and tasting campaigns are
being organized at significant destinations. Millets and millet-products are
being promoted using cutting-edge comprehensive campaigns; encompassing social
media, and digital branding.
The Government has
approved restructuring of APEDA, in order to reorient the Organization and
enable it to effectively pursue market access, provide commercial intelligence,
promote quality and adherence to standards in agriculture exports, and handle
Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary Measures (SPS) issues. Creation of 20 new posts has
been approved under the restructuring plan. The restructuring plan also enables
APEDA to hire Subject Matter Experts in various fields for a specific purpose
and time |