Brief Context
In News The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) launched its new initiative BHARATI (Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement). Key Features of BHARATI Startup-Centric Initiative: Supports 100 agri-food and agri-tech startups in the inaugural cohort. Three-Month Acceleration Programme: Focus on product development, export readiness, regulatory compliance, market access, and collaborative solutions.
Source Content
Syllabus: GS3/ Economy
In News
- The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) launched its new initiative BHARATI (Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement).
- It envisions making India a hub for agri-food startups and innovation, with the long-term goal of achieving $50 billion in agri-food exports by 2030.
Key Features of BHARATI
- Startup-Centric Initiative: Supports 100 agri-food and agri-tech startups in the inaugural cohort.
- Three-Month Acceleration Programme: Focus on product development, export readiness, regulatory compliance, market access, and collaborative solutions.
- Target Sectors: GI-tagged agricultural products, organic foods, superfoods & processed Indian food products.
- Collaborative Model: Partnerships with state agricultural boards, universities (IITs, NITs), industry bodies, accelerators and private stakeholders.
Significance
- Boost to Agricultural Exports: Will help India diversify agri-exports and capture global niche markets (organic, GI-tagged, AYUSH products).
- Startup Support: Fills critical gaps in incubation and scale-up for agri-tech and food processing startups.
- Innovation Promotion: Fosters R&D in packaging, traceability and cold-chain logistics – sectors vital for reducing perishability and wastage in Indian agriculture.
- Alignment with National Vision: Supports Atmanirbhar Bharat, Digital India, Vocal for Local, and Startup India.
- Global Competitiveness: Creates solutions to meet SPS-TBT (Sanitary and Phytosanitary, Technical Barriers to Trade) standards — a major hurdle in global agri-exports.
- Food Security and Farmers’ Income: Encourages value addition & backward linkage that can raise farm-gate prices and empower rural entrepreneurs.
Challenges to Address
- Fragmented supply chains and inadequate cold storage facilities.
- Global trade barriers and strict import regulations (quality, environment, sustainability).
- Financing and scalability issues for small agri-startups.
- Lack of robust export infrastructure, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
Way Forward
- Strengthen Ecosystem: Expand beyond the pilot cohort to establish a permanent annual incubation programme.
- Policy Synergy: Align with export promotion policies, FPOs, farm mechanisation, and food processing schemes.
- International Partnerships: Greater engagement with import countries for technology and market access.
- Sustainability Focus: Encourage climate-resilient, eco-friendly packaging and logistics solutions.
| Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) – Founded: 1986, via an Act of Parliament under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. – Objective: Development and promotion of the export of scheduled products, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, animal products, and processed foods. – Scope: Over 700 products across 14 main categories (e.g. fresh/processed fruits & vegetables, cereals, meat, dairy, poultry, and more). |
Source: TH