Union Government Approves – Agriculture Export Policy – 2018

The Policy will double the Income of the Farmers by the year 2022

• The cabinet has approved the long-awaited Agriculture Export Policy that’s in line with double the farmers’ income by 2022. The new policy aims to double the nation’s farm exports to $60 billion by 2022 and gives a “greater thrust” to value-added products, promotion and branding of India’s produce.
• The Cabinet has also approved the proposal for establishment of Monitoring Framework at Centre with Commerce as the nodal Department with representation from various line Ministries or Departments and Agencies and representatives of concerned State Governments, to oversee the implementation of Agriculture Export Policy.
• The objectives of the policy is also to expand the export basket and destinations and to boost high-value and value-added exports, with a focus on perishables.
• The policy will promote organic, ethnic and indigenous products. The policy seeks to diversify exports by products and destination and will focus on high value-added farm produce and perishables. At present, rice, wheat and marine products account for about 52% of the total farm exports.
• A well dedicated clusters could be set up for mangoes, pomegranate, bananas, grapes, tea, coffee, turmeric, and marine products, among others. The policy that has strategic and operational elements will also seek to attract private investment into production and processing.
  

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  Six Objectives of the Agriculture Export Policy – 2018

• To double agricultural exports from present ~US$ 30+ Billion to ~US$ 60+ Billion by 2022 and reach US$ 100 Billion in the next few years thereafter, with a stable trade policy regime.
• To diversify our export basket, destinations and boost high value and value added agricultural exports including focus on perishables.
• To promote novel, indigenous, organic, ethnic, traditional and non-traditional Agri products exports.
• To provide an institutional mechanism for pursuing market access, tackling barriers and deal with sanitary and phyto-sanitary issues.
• To strive to double India’s share in world agri-exports by integrating with global value chain at the earliest.
• Enable farmers to get benefit of export opportunities in overseas market.

The policy has been designed with extensive consultations with states that have agreed to remove a lot of restrictions, including mandi taxes, and APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee)-related conditions.