APEDA Signs MoUs with 13 Clusters for
Implementation of Agri Export Policy
[04.03.2020]
Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority
(APEDA) has been focusing on collaborative approach to bring synergy with number
of organisations and institutions having inherent professional
and specialised expertise in different areas for capacity
building of various stakeholders and providing solutions for addressing some of
the identified interventions for the development of Agriculture and its export enhancement
in consonance with the objectives set under Agri Export
Policy (AEP) announced by Government of India. The Agriculture Export Policy was
framed with a focus on agriculture export oriented production, export promotion,
better price realization to farmer and synchronization within policies and programmes of Government of India. It focuses on “Farmers’ Centric
Approach” for improved income through value addition at source itself to help minimize
losses across the value chain. Policy therefore suggests to adopt the approach of
developing product specific clusters in different agro climatic zones of the country
to help in dealing with various supply side issues viz., soil nutrients management,
higher productivity, adoption of market oriented variety of crop, use of Good Agriculture
Practices etc.
APEDA has relentlessly been engaged with
State Govts. for the implementation
of AEP. The states of Maharashtra, U.P., Kerala, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Punjab,
Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan have finalized the State specific Action Plan while
the action plans of other states are at different stages of finalization. 26 States
& 2 UTs have nominated Nodal agencies. State level Monitoring Committees under
the Chairmanship of State Chief Secretary have been formed in 18 States.
Thirteen Cluster level committees have
been formed in the cluster district(s) of Potato in Punjab, U.P. (two separate districts),
Isabgol in Rajasthan, Orange, Pomegranate, Grapes in Maharashtra,
Banana in Tamil Nadu, Mango in U.P., Dairy products in Gujarat, U.P., Rose onion
in Karnataka and Fresh vegetables in U.P. Some of the important interventions identified
in consultation with local Govt official and other stakeholders
are required to be addressed for the development of these clusters.
It is in this perspective, APEDA has
signed MoUs with specialised
institutions like Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), Quality Council of
India (QCI) Delhi, ICFA, SGT University and Pearl Academy on 4th March,
2020 at its office in New Delhi to utilise their expertise
by mutually working together to synergize the activities in the interest of agriculture
and allied sectors for bringing better value to the stakeholders. A brief about
the institution and salient feature of area of cooperation with each one of them
is as follows:
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD)
IITD is one of the premier academic institutions of the country,
possessing a team of highly competent, motivated scientists / engineers, engaged
in teaching and carrying out basic and industrial research of significance to develop
cutting edge technologies have agreed to pursue joint opportunities for research
& development through its Industrial R&D Unit (IRD).
Areas of cooperation:
1.
Need assessment, technology development
and dissemination at cluster level identified for export promotion by APEDA, and
develop early detection techniques for detecting spoilage of agri-produce to boost agri exports.
2.
To identify the cause and suggest low cost
mitigation technology and to develop IoT Based technologies
in areas of early warning systems, efficient & precision farming related to
international food exports.
3.
Executive Development program for APEDA
executives
4.
Sharing laboratories of IITD with APEDA
for research.
5. To develop and/or improvise
farm machineries for low cost, user friendly and energy efficient tools for small
scale farmers.
6. Development of horticulture
export related protocols especially through sea transport: Developing ripening indices,
harvesting indices and protocols of exporting horticultural produce through sea
for long distance international markets.
Quality Council of India (QCI)
QCI set up by the Government of India in partnership with India’s
leading industry bodies - Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Associated Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (ASSOCHAM) is an independent, non-profit body has developed and launched
accreditation and certification schemes for the food and agriculture sector such
as Food Safety Management Systems, Product Certification, Inspection, INDGAP certification,
IND-GHP Certification, IND-HACCP Certification etc.
Areas of cooperation:
1.
To develop training material on various
QCI Certification Schemes such as INDGAP in consultation with APEDA.
2.
Design and operationalize Capacity Building
program in the form of workshops to disseminate the Certification Schemes such as
INDGAP amongst various stakeholders across various commodities.
3.
To implement INDGAP Standard and certification
of required projects as per APEDA mandated species.
4.
To implement the Benchmarking process as
per GLOBALG.A.P. requirements.
Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture(ICFA)
ICFA is a society registered
under Societies Registration Act, 1860, established in 2015, is an Industry body
working on business, policy and development agenda and serving as global platform
for trade facilitation, partnerships, technology and agribusiness services. A proactive
approach helps ICFA in discerning critical challenges emerging in agriculture along
with creating opportunities for development, value addition and international trade
to accelerate growth in food and agriculture sector globally. With its 21 industry
Working Groups and sector specific Business Councils, ICFA represents the interests
of key stakeholders at the national level and through its international platforms
and partnerships facilitates India’s global engagement in food and agriculture sector.
Areas of cooperation:
1.
To work with the clusters identified by
APEDA in enhancing the capabilities of various stakeholders in the supply chain
for higher value realization for exports.
2.
Identify the gap areas in quality and production
of different exportable agricultural produce to plan and recommend effective support
program to boost agricultural exports.
3.
To coordinate with concerned authorities/institutes
(ICAR institutions like IIHR, CISH etc) for the development
of sea protocol in a time bound manner.
4.
To support agri-startups
in scaling up their businesses and commercializing their products and conduct capacity
development programs for large scale GAP certification in agriculture.
5.
To network with various trade and industry
bodies to mount Indian delegations to and from the targeted countries, to help APEDA
in organizing commodity specific trade events, conferences, Fruit festival, exhibitions
in India or in other countries.
Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University(SGT)
SGT University came into existence by the
Haryana Private Universities (Amendment) Act No. 8 of 2013 .With
a firm step forward to attain academic excellence, several Centers of Excellence,
laboratories, incubation cell, and industry-academia associations have been set
up at the SGT University in association with global leaders.
The university has associations with corporate giants such as
Apple, Laerdal-Jhpiego, SAP NextGen,
UNESCO Bioethics, IBM, ORACLE, University of California -Berkley, Nobel Biocare, Trimble, Intel, NSE, Tally India, OISTAT, SMC India,
CIMA & German Academy for Digital Education. It is committed to developing naturally
confident young innovative leaders who will weave career advancement opportunities
through continuous learning & development support and experience they gain.
Areas of cooperation:
1.
Develop suitable export worthy varieties
of potatoes, groundnut, high TSS onion varieties, Moringa
plantation etc. for successful cultivation in Haryana etc
through a pilot project at SGT University agricultural fields.
2.
To Work in partnership to develop disease-resistant
and drought resistant varieties of crops.
PEARL ACADEMY
Pearl Academy, India’s leading institution in
design, fashion, and media has been a catalyst for success of the students across
creative industries for 26 years. The institution offers over 30 uniquely designed
under-graduate, post-graduate and professional development programmes
through its campuses in Delhi, Noida, Jaipur and Mumbai.
Since its inception in 1993, the academy has evolved into a globally
renowned institution of higher learning with a focus on Internationalism; entrepreneurship
and employability; catering to the needs of business and retail industry. Pearl
Academy has metamorphosed into an industry leader that develops courses with a pulse
on the needs of the entire spectrum of the industry and is a pioneer in the Indian
market, combining hybrid blended learning and real time lectures in a structured
manner thus making learning more effective and engaging.
Areas of cooperation:
1.
Develop appropriate media and marketing
strategies for promotion of Agriculture and Processed food
export through Digital Marketing, content creation and social media support, photo
shoots promotion campaign etc.
2.
Informative and promotional updates in the
form of relevant text, pictures, audio, unique &interactive content, interviews,
news, quiz, etc.
Signing of these MoUs is expected to
bring skill enhancement of various stakeholders, use of technology in agri farming, improved production and quality upgradation of
agri produce, greater processing & value addition,
involvement of progressive entrepreneurs and agri-startups
and overall development of clusters thereby witnessing increase in agri export from India.