BHARATI Initiative for Agri-food Exports

Syllabus- Economy [GS Paper-3]

04/09/2025

155 2 minutes read

BHARATI Initiative for Agri-food Exports UPSC

Context

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) introduced BHARATI, a new initiative (Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement).

Key Highlights

With the long-term goal of reaching $50 billion in agricultural exports by 2030, it aims to establish India as a center for agri-food innovation and startups.
A Startup-Centric Initiative: The first cohort will support 100 agri-food and agri-tech firms.
Three-Month Accelerator Program: Emphasizes product creation, export preparedness, regulatory compliance, market access, and cooperative solutions.
Target sectors: processed Indian food products, superfoods, organic foods, and GI-tagged agricultural products.
Collaborative Model: Collaborations with industry organizations, accelerators, state agricultural boards, colleges (IITs, NITs), and commercial players.

Importance

Increase in Agricultural Exports: Will assist India in diversifying its agricultural exports and entering niche markets worldwide (organic, GI-tagged, AYUSH products).
Startup Support: Addresses important gaps in the incubation and growth of agri-tech and food processing businesses.
Promoting Innovation: Encourages R&D in cold chain logistics, traceability, and packaging – all areas essential for lowering spoilage and waste in Indian agriculture.
- In accordance with the National Vision, it promotes Vocal for Local, Digital India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and Startup India.
Global Competitiveness: Develops solutions to satisfy SPS-TBT (Sanitary and Phytosanitary, Technical Barriers to Trade) standards, which are a key impediment to agricultural exports worldwide.
Food Security and Farmer Income: Promotes value addition and backward linkages that may increase farm-gate prices and empower rural entrepreneurs.

Problems to Solve

Inadequate cold storage facilities and fragmented supply chains.
High import restrictions (quality, environment, sustainability) and international trade barriers.
Challenges with scaling and funding for new agricultural businesses.
In Tier II and Tier III cities, there is a lack of strong export infrastructure.

Way Forward

Make a stronger Ecosystem: To create a long-lasting yearly incubation program, extend the pilot group.
Policy Synergy: Align with food processing schemes, farm mechanization, FPOs, and export promotion policies.
Global Partnerships: Increased interaction with importing nations to gain market access and technology.
Emphasis on Sustainability: Promote ecologically sound packaging and logistics strategies that are resilient to climate change.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)

Established by an Act of Parliament under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 1986.
Purpose: To encourage and facilitate the export of planned commodities, such fruits, vegetables, grains, animal products, and processed foods.
Scope: More than 700 items covering 14 primary categories, including meats, dairy, poultry, fresh/processed fruits and vegetables, cereals, and more.

Source: The News on AIR