APEDA to hard sell NE delicacies in B’desh, Myanmar

GUWAHATI, Oct 20: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), an apex organization under the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry, is with a basket full of Northeast Indian delicacies for promotion in Bangladesh and Myanmar markets from November and December his this year respectively.

According to a statement issued to the press on Friday by Dispur, the Centre has taken up an ambitious programme for promotion of Northeast products in Bangladesh and Myanmar first week of December and in November, 2017 respectively. 

APEDA has been mandated with the responsibility for promotion and development of export of various agro-products. APEDA's export basket includes fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, pickles, chutneys, guar gum, poultry, meat and dairy products, confectionery, cut flower, food grains, aromatic plants, Basmati Rice, and Indian Long Grain Rice and other Indian delicacies. India exports agricultural products to more than 80 countries the world over. 

The Northeast is endowed with diverse agro-climatic conditions which are conducive for cultivation of various kinds of horticultural crops. The location of the region is geo-politically important as it shares intertiol boundaries with Chi, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh. 

For the case of Bangladesh and India sharing 4096.7 km of land borderline trade is definitely important here for security, mutual benefit and regiol integration. Further, Bangladesh’s strategic connectivity to India’s Northeast would help India to have easy access as well as to promote export of Indian products to Bangladesh, the statement said. The export of APEDA scheduled products to Bangladesh during 2016-17 is to the tune of US $ 396.44 million. The major products exported to Bangladesh are non-Basmati rice, other fresh vegetables, fresh onion, wheat, maize, cereal preparations, miscellaneous preparations, dairy products, other fresh fruits, fresh grapes, pulses, ground nuts, cocoa products, tural honey, jaggery and confectioner, Basmati rice, dried and preserved vegetables, other cereals, alcoholic beverages, floriculture, mango pulp, milled products, guar gum, fresh mangoes, etc.

The export of APEDA scheduled products for Myanmar during 2016-17 is to the tune of US $ 24.15 million. The major products exported to Myanmar are jaggery and confectionery, maize, ground nut, milled products, cereal preparation, miscellaneous preparation, fruits and vegetable seeds, other processed fruits and vegetables, poultry products, alcoholic beverages, floriculture, Non Basmati rice, Basmati rice etc.

APEDA proposes to organize the promotion programme in Bangladesh and Myanmar in association with the Embassy of India in Dhaka and Yangon. The event in Bangladesh is proposed to be held in the first week of December, 2017 in Dhaka and Sylhet and in Myanmar the event is proposed to be held in the month of November, 2017.