Agri-commodities exports decline to 17.93 lakh tonnes in September: APEDA

Export of agri-commodities, including basmati rice, declined to 17.93 lakh tonnes in September this year compared to 27.94 lakh tonnes in the previous month, according to agri-export promotion body APEDA. Exports of agri-commodities in April and May were around 33 lakh tonnes each. However, shipments of farm items fell to nearly 18 lakh tonnes due to several restrictions on the export of various varieties of rice, including broken rice and non-basmati white rice.

Export of agricultural items stood at 27.94 lakh tonnes in August of the 2023-24 fiscal, according to the data maintained by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

In value terms, the export of farm items declined to Rs 14,153 crore during September from Rs 18,128 crore in August of this fiscal. Much of the exports in September were non-basmati exports which stood at 4.25 lakh tonne, basmati rice at 1.21 lakh tonne, fresh onions at 1.51 lakh tonne, and buffalo meat at 1,21,427 tonne, the data showed. Total export of agri-commodities in April-September stood at 172.27 lakh tonnes.

The export of certain agricultural commodities has taken a hit this year because of the prohibition on various varieties of rice, and the imposition of a minimum export price on basmati rice to boost domestic supply and check food inflation. APEDA maintains data on the export of 47 agricultural commodities including meat and poultry products.