E-Paper
Food exports rise 21.8% in April-August: Data
The jump in exports of agricultural and processed food products during the first five months of current fiscal “is in continuation of growth in exports witnessed in the financial year 2020-21”, an official statement said.
India’s export of agricultural and processed-food items increased 21.8% in dollar terms between the five months of April and August 2021 compared to the corresponding year-ago period, beating pandemic-induced disruptions, official data released on Tuesday showed.
“Quick estimates” of export of products monitored by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority rose to $7,902 million in April-August 2021 from $6,485 million in April-August 2020.
The jump in exports of agricultural and processed food products during the first five months of current fiscal “is in continuation of growth in exports witnessed in the financial year 2020-21”, an official statement said.
Rice exports grew 13.7% from $3,359 million in April-August 2020 to $3,820 million in April-August 2021, according to the data.
Export of fruits and vegetables clocked a 6.1% growth in dollar terms, while there was a 142.1% jump in export of “other cereals”. Meat, dairy and poultry products sold abroad increased 31.1% in the first five months of the current fiscal (2021-22), the data showed.
Exports are key to driving farm incomes. India’s farm exports grew five times from just $8.7 billion in 2004-05 to $42.6 billion during 2013-14. They then fell sharply to $33 billion in 2016-17 and had been muted since. Trends show a reversal of stagnation of farm exports.
In the financial year ended March 2021, the country exported farm produce worth nearly $42 billion, a growth of about 18%, on the back of a rise in global commodity prices, according to official data.
