India should aim to be top agri, processed food exporter: Goyal
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal outlined India's ambition to become a top global exporter of agricultural and processed food products
India's agricultural exports reached approximately USD 55 billion (over ₹5 lakh crore) in FY 2024-25, making it the world's seventh-largest agricultural exporter
Multiple Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) concluded in recent years — including the India-UAE CEPA (2022) and the India-Australia ECTA (2022) — have opened new markets for Indian agricultural goods
Fresh negotiations toward an India-GCC FTA (Terms of Reference signed February 2026) and ongoing Canada FTA talks represent the next frontier for agricultural market access
India's Free Trade Agreement Strategy and Agricultural Trade
An FTA (Free Trade Agreement) reduces or eliminates tariffs, quotas, and other trade barriers between signatory countries. For India's agricultural sector, FTAs are critical because many countries maintain high tariff and non-tariff barriers on food products.
Key Details
- India concluded nine FTAs in 2014-2025, providing exporters access to 38 developed and developing economies
- India-UAE CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement): signed February 2022, entered into force May 1, 2022 — India's fastest-negotiated modern FTA (88 days)
- India-Australia ECTA (Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement): interim agreement since November 2022; provides zero-duty access to Australia for Indian agricultural goods including wheat and sugar
- India-GCC FTA: Terms of Reference signed February 5, 2026; GCC imports most of its food (40-50% of consumption from imports), creating massive opportunity for India
Goyal's call for India to become a "top agricultural exporter" is underpinned by the FTA strategy — tariff elimination in key markets converts India's production potential into export revenue, benefiting farmers through better price realisation.
Agriculture Export Growth: Performance and Potential
India's agricultural export growth over 2014-2025 reflects both policy push and structural improvements in processing, packaging, and logistics. However, India's share in global agricultural trade remains well below its production potential.
Key Details
- Processed food exports grew fourfold between 2014 and 2025
- Rice exports grew 62%; fruit and pulses exports tripled; processed vegetable exports quadrupled; cocoa exports tripled
- India is the world's largest exporter of rice (both basmati and non-basmati), spices, and buffalo meat
- Key constraints: inadequate cold chain infrastructure, limited food processing capacity, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) compliance gaps with EU/US standards, and excessive dependence on a few corridors (West Asia)
The Iran conflict's disruption to Gulf exports (see stranded containers article) underscores why Goyal's push for export diversification — into Canada, EU, Australia, ASEAN — is strategically important alongside GCC market deepening.
Agricultural Processing and Value Addition: Policy Framework
India's food processing sector is regulated under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and covered by the National Mission for Food Processing and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Food Processing Industry. Value addition — converting raw agricultural produce into processed food — dramatically improves export realisation and reduces perishability risks.
Key Details
- PLI Scheme for Food Processing (2021): approved outlay of ₹10,900 crore over five years for 41 products across ready-to-eat meals, processed fruits and vegetables, marine products, mozzarella cheese, etc.
- APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) operates under the Ministry of Commerce to promote agricultural exports
- One District One Product (ODOP) initiative links local agri produce to exports — each district focuses on its core product for export promotion
- India's food processing sector covers approximately 8% of total manufacturing GVA but has significant untapped potential
Goyal's emphasis on "processed food" — not just raw agricultural commodities — reflects understanding that value addition is the key to sustainable export growth, better farm income, and reduced dependence on commodity price cycles.
- India's agricultural exports: approximately USD 55 billion (FY 2024-25) — world's seventh-largest agricultural exporter
- India-UAE CEPA entered into force: May 1, 2022 (negotiated in 88 days)
- India-GCC FTA Terms of Reference signed: February 5, 2026
- Processed food export growth: fourfold between 2014 and 2025
- PLI Scheme for Food Processing: ₹10,900 crore approved outlay (2021)
- India is the world's largest rice exporter (both basmati and non-basmati combined)