Export of chilli from India has seen more than 25 per cent growth between 2017-18 and 2021-22 fiscals, the Centre told Parliament on Wednesday.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said the export of chilli from India increased from 4.43 lakh tonnes (lt) in 2017-18 to 5.57 lt in 2021-22.

Meanwhile, the production of red chillies in India went up by 7.33 per cent during the period between 2017-18 and 2021-22. According to data provided in the answer, India produced 17.10 lt of red chillies in 2017-18 against 18.36 lt in 2021-22.

The Minister said Khammam district in Telangana is one of the major producers of Teja variety of red chilli. This variety is being exported from India to destinations like Bangladesh. The major port of shipment for chilli from India is Chennai port.

Natural rubber production costs

To a separate query on the cost of production of natural rubber, Anupriya Patel said the cost of production of natural rubber for 2021-22 was at ₹91.30 a kg in Karnataka. This was followed by Kerala at ₹90.64 a kg, Tripura at ₹70.61 a kg, and Assam at ₹66.01 a kg.

The cost of production included all paid-out costs of labour and material inputs, interest on working capital and depreciation. The tapping system, followed for this calculation, was once in three days.

On the quantum of natural rubber imported and import duty collected, she said India imported 37,69,06,691.6 kgs with an assessable value of ₹5,383.21 crore till March 23 of the current financial year. The import duty collected was at ₹729.17 crore.

Tobacco area down

To a separate query on the area under tobacco cultivation, the Minister said the area has come down to 3.57 lakh hectares (lh) during 2020-21 from 4.04 lh in 2019-20.

Asked if the Government proposes to discourage tobacco farming in the country and provide alternative livelihood to tobacco farmers, she said the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has extended the crop diversification programme (CDP), an ongoing sub scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), to encourage tobacco farmers to shift to alternative crops/cropping system in tobacco growing states such as Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, with effect from 2015-16.

An amount of ₹10 crore for CDP for replacing tobacco farming with alternate crops/cropping system has been earmarked for implementation of the programme during 2022-23.

Agri exports rise

Answering to another query on agri exports, Anupriya Patel said the Government has been monitoring export performance including that of agricultural and processed food products in the current financial year 2022-23 vis a vis 2021-22.

During the current financial year (Apr-January 2022-23), agricultural exports have amounted to $43.37 billion, registering an increase of 6.04 per cent over the exports of $40.90 billion during the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

She said the India’s agricultural export touched the highest ever level of $50.21 billion in 2021-22.

Gulfood

To a separate query on India’s participation Gulfood 2023, the Minister said the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) participated in Gulfood 2023 held from February 20-24 in Dubai, UAE.

Around 150 Indian exporters participated and showcased various agricultural and processed food products, including dairy, pulses and meat-based produce, with focus on millets and their value-added products.

An exclusive millet gallery was set up during Gulfood 2023, where participating Indian exporters exhibited their millet-based products, gaining wide publicity by showcasing their products before potential importers from all over the world, she said.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW