APEDA Flagged off First Consignment of Kaipad Rice & Its Value-Added Products to UAE

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India facilitated the flag off of the first consignment of GI Tagged “Kaipad Rice& its value-added products” from Kannur, Kerala to UAE virtually on 26th October 2022. 

The flag-off ceremony was organized under the direction of Dr. M Angamuthu IAS, Chairman, APEDA & under the chairmanship of Dr. Tarun Bajaj, Director, APEDA. The first consignment of Kaipad rice & its value-added products to UAE was jointly flagged off by APEDA in association with Dr. Ishita Roy IAS, Agriculture Production Commissioner, Govt of Kerala/ Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, and Sunjay Sudhir IFS, Ambassador of India to UAE.  Rajeev Arora, Second Secretary, Embassy of India, UAE; Representatives from Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur; Fair Exports India Pvt Limited and Malabar Kaipad Farmers Society took part in the event. 

Ishita Roy IAS, Agriculture Production Commissioner, Govt of Kerala thanked APEDA for propelling agricultural exports from Kerala. She quoted that APEDA identifies & promotes distinct products from Kerala state in global markets which projects the uniqueness of the local products among the international diaspora. As stated by her, 40% of the food & commodity export basket from Kerala are agricultural products.

The government of Kerala has been providing vital support to APEDA for the identification of unique products and its production belts. APEDA has initiated export promotion drives in 14 districts with the aim to promote exports from Kerala in association with the Department of Agriculture Development & Farmers welfare of the state.  APEDA is in the process to sign MOU with Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur for enhancing export-oriented production in Kerala.

Sunjay Sudhir IFS, Ambassador of India to UAE also complimented APEDA for the stellar role played in the promotion of GI products which is the nation’s pride. He has mentioned that India has always been a trusted partner of trade for UAE. GI tagged Kaipad rice & its value-added products like rice flakes, puttu flour & noolputtu flour are exported from Kannur, Kerala by Fair Exports India Pvt. Ltd to UAE. Fair Exports India Pvt. Ltd. belonging to the Lulu Group International is a leading exporter registered under APEDA.

India is the largest producer as well as the largest exporter of cereal products in the world. In the production of rice, India ranks 2nd in the world. According to the 4th advance estimates for the year 2021-22 by the Ministry of Agriculture of India, the production of rice stood at 130.29 million tonnes. In the fiscal year 2021–2022, India exported 12,872.64 USD million worth of cereals. Rice occupies the major share in India's total cereals export with 75% share during the same period. The country has exported 3,948,161.03 MT of Basmati Rice worth 3,540.40 US$ Mill and 17,262,235.10 MT of Non-Basmati Rice worth 6,124.27 USD Millions to the world during the year 2021-22. Bangladesh, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Vietnam, and Benin are major export destinations of rice from India.

Rice is the staple food of Kerala. Kerala has the highest number of GI-tagged non-basmati rice among states of India. GI tag indicates the uniqueness of a product with respect to its geographical area of production. The GI-tagged non-basmati rice of Kerala includes Palakkadan matta, Navara rice, Kaipad rice, Pokkali rice, Wayanadan Jeerakasala rice and Wayanadan Gandhakasala rice. Non-basmati rice of 71,551.66 MT worth 40.17 million USD was exported from Kerala to the world in 2021-22 and Kerala ranks 11th among states of India in the export of non-basmati rice. The major export destinations of non-basmati rice from Kerala include UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Baharain, Benin etc.

Kaipad rice is naturally organic red rice produced in the saline-prone coastal rice tract in Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasargod districts of Kerala. The Kaipad system of rice cultivation is an integrated organic farming system in which rice cultivation and aquaculture coexist in coastal brackish water marshes which is rich in organic matter. Kaipad rice received GI tag in 2014 due to its peculiarities. Neither chemical/organic fertilizers nor plant protection chemicals are used in rice tracts as there is no pest and disease incidence. Kaipad rice has excellent cooking qualities and the cooked rice is very tasty. The nutritive value of Kaipad rice is enormous with good content of iron, calcium and potassium. The medicinal value of Kaipad rice makes it a suitable meal during illness for a speedy recovery.

Rice flakes of Kaipad rice contain bran of rice unlike milled rice, thus the nutritive value of rice flakes available at Kaipad tract which is naturally an organic tract is imperative. Kaipad rice & its value-added products like rice flakes, puttu flour & noolputtu flour are being exported for the first time from Kerala to UAE sourced from a farmer producer organisation (FPO) of Kerala named Malabar Kaipad Farmers Society based in Kannur.