The State government has appointed the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) as the nodal agency for agriculture export promotion in the State.
To help the VFPCK, a technical support unit consisting of professionals will be established.
The VFPCK has also been entrusted with the job of preparing a strategy document for the effective implementation of the National Agriculture Export Policy in the State, according to a government order issued recently.
“Each State has to prepare its own agri export strategy in line with the national policy. It has to be submitted to the Centre for approval,” VFPCK chief executive officer Saji John said.
At present, four clusters from the State have been included in the Central policy — banana (Thrissur, Wayanad and Thiruvananthapuram), turmeric (Wayanad and Alappuzha), pepper (Wayanad) and cardamom (Idukki). Under its new mandate, the VFPCK will help to establish State-level clusters for rubber, mango, cashew, coconut, tea, pepper, nutmeg, coffee, pineapple, ginger and jackfruit for export development, according to the order.
Further, the Agriculture Department and the VFPCK will endeavour to register farmer clusters in the State with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the traceability system developed by it.
Agri export promotion
The VFPCK will undertake agri export promotion with the help of various stakeholders including the Confederation of Indian Industry/ Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
In association with the APEDA, it will organise buyer-seller meets in the State.
The VFPCK will also ensure that all airports in the State are equipped with centres for perishable cargo for aiding smooth export.