The mandate is part of the country’s ag export policy
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
India’s federal government has outlined some ambitious goals to help the country’s farmers.
As part of its newly passed Agriculture Export Policy, India wants to double farmers’ incomes by 2022.
Indian farmers make about US$1,078 annually, the Dalwai committee report indicated in January. Should India hit its mark of doubling ag incomes, farmers would earn about US$2,156 per year.
In addition, the export policy looks to “harness (the) export potential of Indian agriculture through suitable policy instruments to make India (a) global power in agriculture,” the government said in a Dec. 6 statement.
India also sees opportunities within its ag exports.
The country currently exports about US$30 billion worth of ag goods annually. The Agriculture Export Policy sets out to double that amount by 2022 and reach US$100 billion worth of ag exports “in the next few years thereafter.”
Increasing ag exports will require a collaborative effort, said Siraj Hussain, a former federal agriculture secretary.
“It’s a good initiative of the government to bring all the ministries and the state governments under the same platform,” he told TimesNowNews Friday.
India will also need to improve its ag production to meet its goals, he said.
Managing cattle health issues like foot and mouth disease could attract more customers to Indian products, he added.
“Right now, Indian buffalo meat does not go to the U.S. and not even China,” he said. “If these barriers put up by these countries are tackled, it should be possible to substantially increase the exports of several commodities.”
The government will also dedicate funds to product marketing through “Brand India,” which will promote exports and attract investment into production and processing.