A.P. organic rice set to tap world market
Export body to give it a makeover to help it face competitors from Southeast Asia
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Chairman M. Angamuthu has said that the authority has prepared a road map to export organic rice varieties from Andhra Pradesh to meet the growing demand in the European Union, Middle East and East Asia.
Mr. Angamuthu told The Hindu here, “Post COVID-19, many countries, including the European Union are looking for rice varieties grown through organic farming methods in India. We have chosen Andhra Pradesh to source such rice for export.”
“The APEDA under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will be the facilitator between the importer and the exporter, and help the latter obtain necessary certification for export. Decks will be cleared for export once organic rice varieties are certified,” said Mr. Angamuthu.
‘Branding needed’
“Despite India being a major rice exporter to 170 countries across the globe, Vietnam, Thailand and Philippines remain the prime competitors as India continues to export rice without any key features – branding, promotion and value addition,” explained Mr. Angamuthu.
“In a war-footing initiative, a strategy has been prepared to brand the Indian rice varieties with value addition. However, product diversification will be the key strategy to face the challenge from our global competitors,” he added.
The senior IAS officer said that the APEDA is all set to groom a group of 100 progressive farmers or Farmers’ Producer Organisations from Andhra Pradesh and connect them to the global market to export their respective products including horticulture crops and maize.