APEDA Organizes International Buyer Seller Meet at Leh

In an effort to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Vocal for Local' with an emphasis on 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat,' the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) today organized an International Buyer Seller Meet in collaboration with the Union Territory of Ladakh (IBSM).

IBSM aimed to increase exports of Ladakh apricots and other agricultural products. 18 entrepreneurs from Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir showcased a variety of apricots and other agricultural products. This event drew twenty buyers from India, the United States, Bangladesh, Oman, and Dubai.

More than 30 producers of Ladakh Apricots and other agro products, as well as stakeholders from the UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, took part in the event, which provided a platform for growers and entrepreneurs from the UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir to display their products and facilitate B2B interactions.

Leh Ladakh has favourable climatic conditions for the production of a wide range of apricots and other agricultural products. Farmers and entrepreneurs in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir need exposure to international trade opportunities, particularly for temperate fruits such as apricots, walnuts, and apples. IBSM gave producers and processors from Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir the opportunity to showcase their products in order to promote exports as well as wholesale and retail sales.

Radha Krishna Mathur, Lieutenant Governor, UT of Ladakh inaugurated the IBSM in the august presence of Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, UT of Ladakh, Dr. M. Angamuthu, Chairman APEDA, Shri Ravinder Kumar, Secretary, Agriculture, UT of Ladakh, Shri Saugat Biswas, Secretary, Industry and Commerce, UT of Ladakh, Dr. Tarun Bajaj, Director, APEDA, Shri Moses Kunzang, Director, Industry and Commerce, UT of Ladakh and officials from APEDA and Union Territory of Ladakh.

APEDA, as part of its initiative to boost exports from the Himalayan region, is encouraging states and UTs to capitalize on their agricultural produce export potential. A platform will be developed to allow buyers to obtain products directly from the producer group and processors.

This event aims to connect producers and processors from the UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir with buyers from other parts of the country and abroad, thereby broadening the base of the region's export basket, including the UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, and improving people's livelihoods.

APEDA organizes International Trade Fairs for exporters to attend and provides exporters with a platform to market their food products in the global marketplace. APEDA also gave priority to participation from UTs in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir in national and international events such as AAHAR, Organic World Congress, BioFach India, and others to promote agro product exports from these regions.

As a result, exporters and entrepreneurs from Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir have recently begun to participate in national and international events. APEDA offices are located within the Directorate of Agriculture in Jammu and Srinagar Divisions, UT of Jammu and Kashmir, and within the Directorate of Industries and Commerce in Leh, UT of Ladakh, where Business Development Managers are recruited from the respective regions to ensure smooth facilitation to stakeholders on a daily basis.

During 2021, officials from the Directorate of Agriculture, the Directorate of Horticulture, the Directorate of Horticulture Planning, the JKHPMC, FPOs, Cooperatives, exporters, and start-up entrepreneurs will also work together to connect stakeholders on issues concerning international food trade.

Sensitization of officials from the Seed Certification, Directorate of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, or their merger into an Organic Certification Agency under the National Program for Organic Production (NPOP) and ISO-17065 during 2021.

APEDA has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology on mutual areas of cooperation such as technical support and promotional activities to boost productivity and promote potential regional products.

For the first time, Mishri variety Cherries were shipped from Jammu and Kashmir to Dubai, establishing an international market for Indian Cherries in 2021. Local entrepreneurs from Jammu and Kashmir coordinated the shipment with an established exporter from Mumbai to their counterpart in Dubai. Stakeholders from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh participate on a regular basis in virtual and physical domestic and international buyer-seller meetings organized by APEDA and other departments to generate business inquiries.

Taking into account the taste, texture, and soothing aroma of Ladakh Apricots, repeat orders for the produce were received on a regular basis from the overseas market. Local entrepreneurs from Kargil coordinated the shipment with an established exporter from Mumbai to their counterpart in Dubai.

APEDA also facilitated the export of solar-dried apricots from Kargil to Singapore by a startup company in order to establish an export chain and enter the international market with products from the UT of Ladakh. APEDA has regularly mobilized startups and entrepreneurs from Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir UTs to national and international physical and virtual events to promote products from these regions to the international market.

APEDA's efforts to facilitate exports of identified products from Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir UTs, as well as mobilizing international buyers to the region, were lauded because it was the region's first event of its kind to boost export. There has been an overwhelming response from FPOs, producers, cooperatives, exporters and importers, as well as the UT Administration, allowing for the convergence of negotiations into regional business.