A trial shipment facilitated by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, transported 1.2 MT of Garhwali Apples from Dehradun to Dubai recently.

The move is aimed at enhancing agricultural exports from the state of Uttarakhand, famous for the King Roat apple variety.

Sunil Barthwal, secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, flagged off the first shipment, which is expected to refine cold chain management, post-harvest handling, and logistics frameworks.

APEDA chairman Abhishek Dev, Additional Secretary of Government of Uttarakhand Jharna Kamthan, and Director of Centre for Aromatic Plants Dr. Nirpendra Chauhan, were present on the occasion.

With the Government of Uttarakhand and APEDA working in tandem to involve more farmer groups, making way for their upliftment while expanding export destinations to Southeast Asia and Europe in the future, this trial shipment undoubtedly strengthens Uttarakhand’s agri-export ecosystem.

Barthwal said that the government was making concerted efforts to enhance farmers’ incomes through greater adoption of organic farming and organic exports, value addition in agri-products, and promotion of agricultural and processed food exports to developed and high-value markets.

He highlighted the significant potential of enhancing agricultural exports from Uttarakhand with key products such as Basmati rice, millets, kidney beans, spices, aromatic plants, honey, and fruits such as apples, kiwi, mango, litchi, peach, and vegetables, including beans, peas, bitter gourd and potato. He exhorted all stakeholders to work in close coordination to increase Uttarakhand’s footprint in global agri-exports.

In connection with this, APEDA is also working to establish a dedicated regional office in Dehradun to provide support to farmers and exporters. Barthwal directed APEDA to expedite the opening of its office in Uttarakhand.

Additionally, APEDA is facilitating organic certification and GI tagging for Uttarakhand-specific produce to enhance their recognition, traceability, and competitiveness in global markets. An MoU has been signed with M/s Lulu Group for executing export trials of regional products in its international retail chains. – editor@nrifocus.com