India’s agricultural exports have grown rapidly, surpassing $50 billion in FY 2025–26, despite steep tariffs imposed by the United States.
Reasons for growth in India’s farm exports:
- Market Diversification: E.g. marine product exports saw rising shipments to China, Vietnam, Japan, Belgium.
- Global Dynamics: Lower crop yields in the world's biggest coffee producers (Brazil and Vietnam), created a lucrative gap for Indian exports.
- Value Addition: Share of processed food exports has risen consistently, from ~15 % in FY18 to ~20 % in FY25.
Key Government Initiatives to promote farm exports:
- Agriculture Export Policy 2018 (AEP): designed to double agri-exports, diversify the export basket, and promote indigenous, organic, and traditional products.
- Krishi Udan Yojana 2.0: Enhances air transport for perishable agri-products, particularly from the Northeast and tribal areas.
- District as Export Hubs (DEH) Initiative: Identifies specific products with export potential in each district (One District One Product - ODOP) to promote local exports.
- APEDA Initiatives:
- Farmer Connect Portal: A platform for providing opportunities for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and cooperatives to interact with exporters.
- BHARATI Initiative: to support 100 agri-food startups with a focus on high-value, GI-tagged, and organic products to achieve $50 billion in exports by 2030.
