New Delhi: The Union Government, during the ongoing winter session of Parliament, informed the Rajya Sabha about the export and import of food items over the last three years.

Here are the details shared by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Anupriya Patel.

The details of food items, including oilseeds, edible oils and pulses, imported into the country
during the last three years are at Annexure-I.

The details of food items exported from the country during the last three years are at Annexure II.

Major food products imported by India are Vegetable Oils, Fresh Fruits, Cashew, Pulses etc. The import of these products can be attributed to our huge domestic demand due to large population base. Moreover, some of these products such as cashews etc., are imported not only for the domestic consumption, but also for onward exports after value addition. To reduce dependency on imported edible oils and pulses, the Government has been implementing various programmes such as National Food Security Mission (NFSM) and National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO – OP) to improve the production of pulses and essentials edible oils in the country. Besides, under programmes like Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), funds are being provided to states for improving the production of these commodities.

The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), a statutory organisation under the administrative control of Department of Commerce, is engaged in promoting exports of food products. APEDA has been providing assistance to the exporters of food products under various components of its Export Promotion Scheme.

The Department of Commerce also provides financial assistance to promote exports, including exports of food products, through Market Access Initiatives (MAI) Scheme, and Export Promotion Schemes of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Tea Board, Coffee Board, Spices Board etc.

Further, a Farmer Connect Portal has been developed for providing a platform for farmers, Farmer-Producer Organizations (FPOs) and cooperatives to interact with exporters. Buyer Seller Meets (BSMs) are organized in the clusters to provide export-market linkages. Regular interactions, through video conferences, are held with the Indian Missions abroad, to assess and tap export opportunities. Country specific BSMs, through Indian Missions, are also organized.

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