India witnessed a jump of nearly 50 per cent in organic product exports touching the Rs 5151 crore-mark ($757 million) in 2018-19.

According to estimates by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of India (APEDA), flax seeds, sesame, soybean, tea, medicinal plants, rice and pulses such as arhar and chana are the key organic food products that drove this growth.

Also read: Organic food product exports up 39% at $515 million in 2017-18

India produced around 2.67 million tonnes of certified organic products including oilseeds, sugarcane, cereals & millets, cotton, pulses, medicinal plats, tea, fruits, spices, dry fruits, vegetables and coffee. The country also produces organic cotton fibre and functional food products.

“In terms of commodities oilseeds are the single largest category followed by sugar crops, cereals and millets, fibre crops, pulses, medicinal, herbal and aromatic plants and spices and condiments. The total volume of export during 2018-19 was 6.14  lakh tonnes,” the statement added.

As on March 31, 2019, total area under organic certification process (registered under National Programme for Organic Production stood at 3.56 million hectares. This includes 1.94 million ha cultivable area and another 1.49 million Hectare for wild harvest collection, APEDA stated.

APEDA, a statutory body under Ministry of Commerce, and NurnbergMesse India are jointly organising Biofach India 2019 from November 7-9 this year and is expected to be attended by more than 6,000 delegations of exporters, processors, retail chain industry, certification bodies and producers from India and other countries, it added.

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