India imported more than 1 lakh crore of agriculture produce during 2020-21
19 December 2021, New Delhi: During 2020-21, import of agricultural produces was Rs. 141448.05 crore as against export of Rs. 210093.40 crore, bearing a ratio of 0.67 to1.
India is self reliant in most of the agri commodities. However, vegetable oils, pulses, cashew nuts, fresh fruits and spices are major agri commodities which are imported. To ensure self-reliance in pulses, the Government has been implementing National Food Security Mission (NFSM) to improve the production of pulses. Besides, under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY), funds are being provided to States for improving the production of pulses. NFSM-Oilseeds programme is being implemented to improve production of essential edible oils in the country. National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) has been launched with the aim to augment the availability of edible oil in the country by harnessing area expansion, increasing crude palm oil production to reduce the import burden. To address high import of turmeric, steps are being taken to organize cultivation of varieties with high curcumin content in clusters in suitable areas. To meet the growing demand of raw cashew nuts in the country, the Government seeks to increase the area with high yielding varieties, high density planting, rejuvenation of senile orchards and canopy management etc.
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Department of Commerce is the Nodal Governmental Agency dealing with import and export including agriculture sector in the country and is responsible for developing and formulating Trade Policy and programmes. Various organisations of the Department of Commerce are engaged in the development and promotion of exports of agriculture products viz. Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA); Spices Board; Tea Board; Coffee Board; Rubber Board; Tobacco Board; Export Inspection Council. Besides, the Department of Commerce engages with various Export Promotion Councils, Trade and Industry Associations, Farmer-Producer Organisations, Cooperatives etc. to undertake export promotion of agricultural products and resolve the issues related to exports.
Also, product specific Export Promotion Forums (EPF) for eight high potential agri products i.e. Grapes, Mango, Banana, Onion, Rice, Nutri-cereals, Pomegranate, Floriculture & Plant material have been created under auspices of APEDA to promote export of identified product in a focused manner.