Agricultural exports have potential to surge to INR 20 lakh crore: Goyal

 

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Mr Piyush Goyal, while addressing the ICC: Krishi Vikram Thematic Session in New Delhi this week, said that India’s agriculture and fisheries exports have now reached `4.5 lakh crore. He added that agricultural exports have the potential to grow to `20 lakh crore, provided the country strengthens food processing and improves the quality of branding and packaging.

He shared that India’s agricultural export basket is expanding with new items such as litchi, pineapple, bottle gourd and jamun—products which were not traditionally exported—now reaching international markets. He mentioned that jamun was recently exported to the UK, and litchis from Punjab were exported to Doha and Dubai. He added that India’s footprint in global markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations is steadily growing.

He also highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s global push for millets through the International Year of Millets, which has brought global attention to India’s traditional grains and their nutritional value.

Agri supply chain

Mr Goyal underlined the need to build a resilient supply chain across agriculture, from seeds to fertilisers, insecticides, pesticides, and equipment such as water pumps. He said that India must be prepared for any global disruption in agricultural imports and ensure self-reliance across all aspects of farm inputs.

The Minister encouraged agriculture entrepreneurs to collaborate with farmers to realise this potential. He highlighted the recent creation of the Turmeric Board as a step towards boosting spice exports. He also noted that coffee exports have doubled in recent years, and while spice exports are growing, more focused efforts are needed to scale further.

He highlighted that natural and organic farming have immense potential. The government is tightening certification norms for organic produce with the help of blockchain technology to ensure trust and traceability. He added that the government will also support better packaging and product design, so that India’s agricultural goods gain more visibility and competitiveness in the international market.

Mr Goyal noted that when farmers, industries and exporters work together, challenges are resolved more efficiently. He said government assistance would be available for packaging and design support to scale up exports.

He concluded that with collective effort and innovative approaches, Indian agriculture can transform local produce into global success stories and emerge as a true engine of national growth, as per a Ministry of Commerce and Industry release.

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