Government of Maharashtra Launches Its Own Agriculture Export Policy

In December 2018, the Indian government released its Agriculture Export Policy, instructing state governments to design their own. As a result, in May 2019, the state administration formed a committee to develop the policy. 

On Friday, the Maharashtra government unveiled the state's Agriculture Export Policy (AEP), which would promote the export of 21 agricultural products. 

Anoop Kumar, Maharashtra's chief secretary (Cooperation and Marketing), spoke to stakeholders in the agriculture export chain "Exports must be prioritised since they may assist farmers boost their net income by 40 to 45 percent. The domestic market has little potential to provide farmers with remunerative earnings." 

The main issue of foreign buyers of state goods, according to Kumar, is the state's rapid changes in export policy, which diminishes the trustworthiness of Indian exporters. "The central government should avoid interfering with the export chain since it takes a long time to recoup the clients. We have lost faith in the global market, which has a negative impact on farmers." 

Suraj Mandhare, the district collector of Nashik, which has a significant onion export cluster, highlighted the inconsistencies in India's onion export policies during the last decade. "India imposed the minimum export price (ME), a legally enforced floor price on exporters, 34 times between December 2010 and December 2020. Export was restricted four times throughout the same time span "Mandhare remarked. 

Banana, pomegranate, Alphonso Mango, Kesar Mango, orange, grapes, sweet lime, onion, cashew, floriculture, raisin, vegetables, non-Basmati rice, pulses and cereals, oilseeds, jaggery, spices (red chilli and turmeric), dairy products, fisheries, and animal products are among the 21 commodity specific clusters identified by the Maharashtra government for export promotion. 

Infrastructure development, export of organic products, export of products with a Geographical Indication  (GI), developing sea protocol and trial consignments, hiring international consultants for post-harvest management, declaration of pest-free areas for certain products, and implementation of an effective traceability system are some of the activities envisaged under the AEP.