India has just a small share of world's vegetables export: Sharma

Despite accounting for 15% of world's vegetables production, India has a relatively low, around 1.5%E, global share of export of veggies.

This is due to large domestic consumption, constrains of supply chain and marketing linkages, Commerce and Industry minister Anand Sharma said in a written reply.

Out of a global agricultural trade of $1,802 billion in 2009, India's share was 1.55% at $28 billion, he said quoting figures from United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UNCOMTRADE).

India is next only to China in production of vegetables. 

The minister attributed the country's relatively small percentage of vegetables export to large domestic consumption, constrains of supply chain and marketing linkages. 

Sharma also pointed to lack of warehousing facilities and post harvest technology for processing in this regard.

The minister said that essential commodities including foodgrains are allowed to be exported only after meeting the buffer stock and strategic reserve norms.

Quoting from APEDA (The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority), under Commerce & Industry ministry, he said export of fresh onions  went down by nearly 10% to 16.64 million tonnes in 2009-10 as compared to 18.27 million tonnes a year ago.  

Likewise, export of dried and preserved vegetables slided to 1.2 million tonnes in 2009-10 against 1.4 million tonnes in the previous year, Sharma said.

The minister said the government was taking steps to encourage exports of agricultural products through various measures and incentives under plan schemes of the commodity boards and export promotion councils.