GCC Buyers Show Interest As India Resumes Horticultural Food Promotions

(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 30th May, 2021) New Delhi, 30th May, 2021 (WAM) – As India continued to record a fall in new Coronavirus infections this week, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) here has begun export-oriented marketing of exotic seasonal fruits, vegetables and floricultural products.

Buyers from several GCC states were among the 543 trade visitors to a virtual trade fair for such products organised by APEDA, which concluded today. APEDA is an agency under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry which facilitates the export of scheduled products through promotional activities.

About 470 exhibitors took part in the virtual trade fair which began on 27th May. They are mainly exporters of fresh mangoes, pomegranate, grapes and similar seasonal fresh fruits which have to be exported or sold locally without delay since they are perishable in nature.

Hence the urgency in organizing the virtual trade fair as soon as COVID-19 infections started declining.

This is the second virtual trade fair to be organised by APEDA this year. The first such initiative was from 10th to 12th March this year for basmati and non-basmati rice, millets, wheat, maize, groundnut and coarse grains. Importers in GCC countries were among the 404 visitors to that event which had 313 exhibitors.

"Because of COVID-19 related restrictions on physical travel and trade, APEDA has initiated the concept of virtual trade fairs for sustaining our agricultural and processed food products exports and also for exploring new markets," India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement. "The virtual trade fair facilitated private meetings as well as personalised business-to-business engagement."