Karnataka lagging in farm exports: Union minister

Karandlaje urged the industries department and the agriculture department to coordinate with each other

Karnataka lags behind in export of agricultural produce and the state needs to step up its game, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shobha Karandlaje said on Friday.

She urged the industries department and the agriculture department to coordinate with each other and set up a separate agriculture cell in the industries department, to focus on agricultural exports.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Karandlaje said she had spoken to Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani about this. “The industries department usually focuses on equipment. I have asked the minister to focus on agricultural produce, too, and set up a separate cell for export of agricultural produce,” she said.

For this purpose, the department can coordinate with the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the minister said.

While 2023 has been declared as the international year of millet, the government will focus on production and export of millet. “Karnataka grows significant quantity of millet. However, when you look at the numbers, it is Uttarakhand which exports the highest quantity of millet. Manipur exports the highest amount of organic produce. Karnataka must focus on these areas,” Karandlaje urged the government.

Also, in an effort to boost export of coconuts, the Centre has recently lifted a ban on coconut export. “Karnataka can henceforth export products processed from coconut,” she said. While until now the Coconut Development Board was headed by an IAS official, it will henceforth be led by a farmer, she added.

Further, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for setting up of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO), which will receive government financial aid. These organisations will also boost agricultural processing initiatives. As part of the overall approach to boost the agricultural sector, the government will also focus on reducing dependency on other countries for edible oil and encourage local production, according to the minister.