Centre selects four agri based produce from Karnataka for export promotion

The Centre has selected pomegranate, rose onion, coffee and pepper growing areas in Karnataka for developing as export promotion clusters under the Agriculture Export Policy.

To promote export of agriculture, horticulture and cash crops, the Ministry of Commerce and Industries has identified 20 crops in 50 districts across the country, to develop as export clusters.

In Karnataka, the government has selected Belgaum and Mysuru for pomegranate, Bengaluru Rural and Chikkaballapur for rose onion, Chikkamagalru, Kodagu, and Hassan for coffee and Chikkamagaluru for pepper as export clusters.

Under the Agriculture Export Policy, the Ministry will fund the identified districts to encourage farmers to grow quality products and its export.

Fund will be provided for dedicated clusters of produce with pre and post-harvest management of the production, upgrading the supply chain to attain much higher levels of export from those clusters, to provide an institutional mechanism for pursuing market access, training to farmers for branding and packaging, said an official in the Ministry of Commerce.

The scheme also aims to boost high value and value-added agricultural exports, promote novel, indigenous, organic, ethnic, traditional and non-traditional Agri products exports, said the official.

The scheme also has funding capacity building, a public-private partnerships for integrated agriculture development and setting up laboratories.

The Agriculture Export Policy 2018 aims to double farm exports to $ 60 billion by 2022 from $ 30 billion last year. The Centre will invest Rs 1,400 crore to set up specilised clusters in different states for different products to push exports.