India should use FTAs to grow its agri exports

Vishant Patel, CEO, Patidar Exports Pvt. Ltd opines that India has the potential of resources and manpower, so it can take good leverage of FTAs and turn to a global hub of manufacturing. It can break not only all the barriers to entry into the market but also resolve all the current issues of containers and shipping lines.

IBT: Describe the journey of Patidar Exports Pvt. Ltd., its vision, and key achievements.

Vishant Patel: Patidar Exports Pvt. Ltd. is a three-star export house certificate holder entity with interests in cotton, cotton yarn & food products’ manufacturing & exports. It is a company with a legacy and history of more than 25 years. The company’s basic principle is to maintain high-quality standards as per the norms of FSSC 22000, BRC & USFDA. We also secured the organic NPOP and NOP. Our ability to source and supply a wide range of high-quality products as per the clients’ demand and specifications makes us globally trustworthy as an emerging exporter. Patidar Exports offers more than 1,000 stock-keeping units (SKU) under one roof. In a nutshell, we offer all needs from breakfast to dinner under one roof.

The Company has been awarded as the best MSME three-star export house in the west region by FIEO (handed over by Shri Nitin Gadkari) for the year 2017-18. Its vision is to become a renowned name in the global market for Indian ethnic food items and to make our brand SAURBHI an international brand.

IBT: What is your company’s current international footprint in terms of product segments and markets?

Vishant Patel: Patidar Exports Pvt. Ltd. is in the manufacturing and exports of food products since 2011. We are offering a wide range of products like flours, spices (whole, powder, blended), groceries, jaggery, frozen (sweets, vegetables, fruits, ready to eat snacks, ready to eat bread), instant mix (snacks & sweets), pulses & lentils, mouth fresheners, papad & fryums, bakery, khakhra, dry bhakhri, pickles, chutneys, pastes & sauces, rice – Basmati & non-basmati, oil, mango pulp and food colours. Currently, the company is in the export business only & is having a proud presence in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Canada, and USA.

IBT: What are the key lessons that you have imbibed from the COVID pandemic? How did you adapt to this unprecedented challenge and realign your business model?

Vishant Patel: Like the rest of the world, we also learned a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic. During this global exigency, many businesses went down across various sectors, with the food industry being no exception. We decided to capture the market by focusing more on quality rather than quantity. So, we planned to go for BRC and FSSC 22000 and managed to get these standards successfully. We also decided to focus on organic products and got certified with Organic NPOP and NOP.

IBT: What advice would you like to offer to young entrepreneurs on managing risk, coping with failure and leadership?

Vishant Patel: Every business faces risks, but identifying the same well before they turn into a major problem is more important to get success and stop the failure. As a leader, our role is to manage the business. Leaders always deal with challenges and turn them into opportunities. When young entrepreneurs start the business, then they must work on the ground level and try to understand the business well in depth.

Business is not only dealing with products, but also dealing with processes and people. Failure comes in every business, but one should learn from the mistakes, which led to the failure and overcome it with the right strategy at  the right time.

IBT: How do you view India’s level of competitiveness in your sector, and how can it be enhanced?

Vishant Patel: I don’t think that any other country has significant competitiveness with India in terms of our products. But of course, Indian companies are now more concerned about quality and food standards to stand in the international market, and so is Patidar Exports Pvt. Ltd. A strict adherence to food standards and inspection of manufacturing units can help enhance the competitiveness of Indian food companies in the international market.

IBT: The Government has announced schemes such as PLI and Atmanirbhar Bharat. How can these be leveraged to enhance India’s processed food industry and enhance its global share in line with its rich agri potential?

Vishant Patel: Both the initiatives are much needed in terms of uplifting the food and agri industries. PLI Scheme is rather more beneficial to Indian exporting companies in terms of international brand building and putting Indian brands on a platform where they can compete with international brands. Also, Atmanirbhar Bharat supports small industries to focus on ingredients, which get manufactured in India and value-added products can get exported. Both PLI and Atmanirbhar schemes will play a significant role in bringing foreign exchange into India.

IBT: What role can FTAs play? How can market entry barriers be eased for Indian exporters?

Vishant Patel: FTAs play an important role in the export industry of India. China has done FTAs with many countries around the globe. Due to FTAs now, they are dominating the world. India has the potential of resources and manpower, so we can take good leverage of the FTAs and that can lead India to a global hub of manufacturing. It can break not only all the barriers to entry into the market but also resolve all the current issues of containers and shipping lines.

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Vishant Patel is the CEO of Patidar Exports Pvt. Ltd. Views are personal. This article is a part of TPCI’s Connect initiative.