India & Russia to discuss on falling Agri Exports

September 1, 2016

Government of India is taking up with Russia the declined Indian agricultural exports over the recent years.

At a recent meeting with representatives of Russia’s phytosanitary (quality monitoring) body, Rosselkhoznadzor, the government sought an expansion in the permissible number of commodities and exporters.

With a meeting scheduled this month of the Russia-India Inter-governmental Commission on trade and economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation, both governments are likely to allow creation of a sub-group on agricultural products.

Data from the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signal that India’s overall agri sector export declined by 25 per cent in value terms to $146.7 Mn in 2015-16 from the $195.4 Mn in 2013-14. In volume terms, too, shipments fell by 25 per cent in these two years, from 214,198 tonnes in FY14 to 160,230 tonnes in FY16.