Syllabus: GS3/ Economy
In News
- The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) launched its new initiative BHARATI (Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement).
- It envisions making India a hub for agri-food startups and innovation, with the long-term goal of achieving $50 billion in agri-food exports by 2030.
Key Features of BHARATI
- Startup-Centric Initiative: Supports 100 agri-food and agri-tech startups in the inaugural cohort.
- Three-Month Acceleration Programme: Focus on product development, export readiness, regulatory compliance, market access, and collaborative solutions.
- Target Sectors: GI-tagged agricultural products, organic foods, superfoods & processed Indian food products.
- Collaborative Model: Partnerships with state agricultural boards, universities (IITs, NITs), industry bodies, accelerators and private stakeholders.
Significance
- Boost to Agricultural Exports: Will help India diversify agri-exports and capture global niche markets (organic, GI-tagged, AYUSH products).
- Startup Support: Fills critical gaps in incubation and scale-up for agri-tech and food processing startups.
- Innovation Promotion: Fosters R&D in packaging, traceability and cold-chain logistics – sectors vital for reducing perishability and wastage in Indian agriculture.
- Alignment with National Vision: Supports Atmanirbhar Bharat, Digital India, Vocal for Local, and Startup India.
- Global Competitiveness: Creates solutions to meet SPS-TBT (Sanitary and Phytosanitary, Technical Barriers to Trade) standards — a major hurdle in global agri-exports.
- Food Security and Farmers’ Income: Encourages value addition & backward linkage that can raise farm-gate prices and empower rural entrepreneurs.
Challenges to Address
- Fragmented supply chains and inadequate cold storage facilities.
- Global trade barriers and strict import regulations (quality, environment, sustainability).
- Financing and scalability issues for small agri-startups.
- Lack of robust export infrastructure, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
Way Forward
- Strengthen Ecosystem: Expand beyond the pilot cohort to establish a permanent annual incubation programme.
- Policy Synergy: Align with export promotion policies, FPOs, farm mechanisation, and food processing schemes.
- International Partnerships: Greater engagement with import countries for technology and market access.
- Sustainability Focus: Encourage climate-resilient, eco-friendly packaging and logistics solutions.
| Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) – Founded: 1986, via an Act of Parliament under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. – Objective: Development and promotion of the export of scheduled products, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, animal products, and processed foods. – Scope: Over 700 products across 14 main categories (e.g. fresh/processed fruits & vegetables, cereals, meat, dairy, poultry, and more). |
Source: TH
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