India Exports Exotic ‘Dragon Fruits’ to Dubai

India exported a total of 100kg consignment of Dragon fruit to Dubai on 26^th June, 2021, Saturday.  Two elderly farmers- Anandrao Pawar and Rajaram Deshmukh from Sangli district of Maharashtra have become the first to export the dragon fruit from India. This consignment was processed and packed at APEDA recognized exporter M/s Kay Bee. This exotic fruit is cultivated in roughly 150 acres of Sangli’s drought prone areas. It is slowly replacing capital intensive grape and water intensive sugarcane cultivation in this region.  

About Dragon Fruit: 

Dragon fruit native to Central America is known as Kamlam in India and its cultivation started in the early 1990s but has gained popularity in recent years and has been taken up for cultivation by farmers from various states. At present, it is grown in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It belongs to the family of cactus and got its name due to pointy outer layer that resembles to ‘dragon’. 

Also Read - How to Grow Dragon Fruit: Know the Dos and Don’ts of Fruit Cultivation

Who looks after the Agri Exports in India? 

APEDA or Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority was established by Government of India. It promotes exports of agricultural and processed food products by providing assistance to the exporters under various components such as quality, infrastructure & market development. 

The products monitored by APEDA include Fruits, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry, Dairy Products, Confectionery Items, Honey, Sugar, Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Floriculture Products, Herbal and Medicinal Plants etc. It has its Head Office in New Delhi and has its presence in almost all Agro-potential states of India and has been providing services to Agri-export community.