The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has facilitated export of dragon fruit and Burmese grapes to Dubai.

Dragon Fruit

• A consignment of dragon fruit, also referred as ‘Kamalam’, has been exported to Dubai from Maharashtra.

• Scientifically referred to as Hylocereus undatus, the dragon fruit is grown in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, the US and Vietnam.

• Dragon fruit has become increasingly popular in recent years in India as it has been taken up for cultivation by farmers across various states.

• At present, dragon fruit is grown mostly in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

• The cultivation requires less water and can be grown in various kinds of soils. 

• There are three main varieties of dragon fruit: white flesh with pink skin, red flesh with pink skin, and white flesh with yellow skin.

• The fruit contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

• It can help in repairing the cell damage caused by oxidative stress and reduce inflammation, and also improve the digestive system. 

• Since the fruit has spikes and petals resembling lotus, it is referred to as ‘Kamalam’.

Burmese grapes

• In a major boost to exports of agricultural produce from northeast states, a shipment of Burmese grapes (Baccaurea ramiflora) referred as ‘Leteku’ in Assamese language has been exported to Dubai.  

• It is rich in vitamin C and iron and was sourced and packed at a collection centre in Assam’s Darrang district. 

• Recently, APEDA facilitated export of the first consignment of ‘red rice’ to the US from Assam.

• Iron rich ‘red rice’ is grown in Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer.

• The rice variety is referred to as ‘Bao-dhaan’, which is an integral part of Assamese food.

• APEDA also assisted in exports of Geographical Indication (GI)-certified ‘Kaji Nemu’ (Assam lemon) to London and so far around 40 metric tonnes have been exported.

What is APEDA’s purpose?

• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was established by the government under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by Parliament in December 1985.

• APEDA, which replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC), has its headquarters in New Delhi.

• In order to reach out to exporters in different parts of the country, APEDA has set up five regional offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Guwahati and 13 virtual offices in Thiruvananthapuram, Bhubaneshwar, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Imphal, Agartala, Kohima, Chennai, Raipur,  Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Lucknow and Panaji.

• APEDA has been entrusted with the responsibility of export promotion and development of 14 agricultural and processed food product groups listed in the Schedule to the APEDA Act. In addition to this, APEDA has been entrusted with the responsibility to monitor the import of sugar as well.

• APEDA has been actively engaged in the development of markets besides upgradation of infrastructure and quality to promote the export of agro products.

• In its endeavour to promote agro exports, APEDA, under its Plan Scheme titled ‘Agriculture Export Promotion Scheme of APEDA’ provides financial assistance to the registered exporters under sub-components of the scheme — market development, infrastructure development, quality development and transport assistance.

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