India’s exports of agri-products monitored by APEDA fell by a tenth during the April-November period of the current financial year, mainly on account of a decline in cereals shipments, excluding basmati rice.
Agri exports for the April-November 2023-24 period stood at $15.729 billion, a decline of 9.73 per cent over the same period last year’s $17.425, as per the latest provisional data released by APEDA.
Basmati rice shipments registered a 17.58 per cent growth at $3.7 billion over the same period last year’s $2.87 billion on higher purchases by buyers such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, among others. In volume terms, basmati rice exports were up 9.6 per cent at over 29.94 lakh tonnes over same period last year’s 27.32 lakh tonnes.
However, the non-basmati rice shipments fell by a fourth on account of the export restrictions imposed by the government in July last year to improve domestic availability and contain price increases.
Non-basmati rice exports stood at $3.07 billion from April to November, up from last year’s $4.10 billion. In volume terms, the non-basmati shipments were down 33 per cent at 76.92 lakh tonnes over same period last year’s 115.7 lakh tonnes.
Wheat exports were down 98 per cent at $29 million over last year’s $1.50 billion. Other cerealsexports were down 38 per cent at $429 million over same period last year’s $699 million.
However, exports of livestock products, led by buffalo meat and poultry products, were up 6.31 per cent during the period at $2.88 billion over the same period last year’s $2.70 billion. Buffalo meat exports were up 13 per cent at $2.40 billion (2.17 billion in April-November of FY 2022-23), while poultry product shipments registered an increase of about 39 per cent at $113 million ($82 million).
The shipments of dairy products, however, registered a decline of 32.86 per cent at $283 million ($421 million).
Fresh fruits and vegetables registered an increase of 20 per cent at $1.19 billion ($991 million), while shipments of processed fruits and vegetables also saw a growth of 8 per cent at $1.41 billion($1.31 billion).
Other processed foods, including groundnuts, guargum, alcoholic beverages and milled products, registered a growth of 3.9 per cent at $2.96 billion ($2.85 billion). Guargum shipments declined 20 per cent at $352 million ($443 million), while groundnuts registered an increase of 9 per cent at $504 million ($461 million).
Similarly, floriculture exports registered a growth of 2.41 per cent at $154 million ($150 million). The exports of cashew kernels during the period were flat at $213 million.