* In fiscal 2020-21 products worth Rs 63.53 crore exported
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Amidst the corona pandemic the State agriculture and allied sector has something to celebrate. There has a continuous rise in the exports of agricultural and allied products from the State for three consecutive financial years. In fiscal 2020-21, as much as 15,273 MT of agricultural and allied products worth Rs 63.53 crore were exported from the State. The export items were mainly dairy products, fruits and jaggery, besides other agricultural products.
According to information received from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, an agency of the Government of India, in fiscal 2018-19 agricultural and allied products worth Rs 34.75 crore were exported from the State. Since then the exports of agricultural and allied products from the State maintained an upward trend – exporting products worth Rs 39.46 crore in fiscal 2019-20 and products worth Rs 63.54 crore in fiscal 2020-21.
The bulk of the exported items comprises non-Basmati rice worth around Rs 23.36 crore in 2020-21. It was followed by dairy products worth Rs 11.81 crore against products worth Rs 6.19 crore in fiscal 2019-20. However, the exports of fruits in 2020-21 fell to products worth Rs 5.04 crore against products worth Rs 26.69 crore in fiscal 2019-20. In fiscal 2020-21 jaggery worth Rs 1.54 crore were exported. And the exports were mainly to Bhutan and Bangladesh, besides the USA and UAE.
According to official records, agricultural and allied products worth Rs 51.55 crore were exported to Bhutan in fiscal 2020-21 against products worth Rs 12.42 crore in fiscal 2019-20.
However, the exports to Bangladesh fell to products worth Rs 11.38 crore in fiscal 2020-21 against products worth Rs 27.02 crore in fiscal 2019-20.
Agriculture department sources said that Assam produces around 21 lakh MT fruits annually – banana, pineapple and orange. The State produces around 54 lakh MT vegetables annually. If a portion each of fruits and vegetables can be exported, the farmers of the State will be benefitted, besides the government.
According to sources, in 2019 the State government declared its Exports and Logistics Policy to boost exports. The focused areas under this policy are tea, agri-allied products, pisciculture, sericulture, organic farming etc. Under the export policy, the State Government has given incentives in the form of capital investment subsidy, capital subsidy for reefer vehicles (vehicles with cold storage facility used in exporting products), subsidy for obtaining certificates that are a must for exporting products, freight subsidy etc.
The State agriculture and allied sectors have emphasized red rice (bao dhan) that has a market in the USA and fruits to give exports a boost.