Gujarat to become leading agri exporter

With the dismantling of the quota regime and opening up of agricultural trade as a consequence of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and General Agreement on Trade and Tariff (GATT) agreements, new opportunities have emerged for agri-business and agri-exports in the country.

Gujarat has a distinct advantage in the exports of agri-products over rest of the country under specific product categories.

The export intensity of agri-products in the state at 11.9 per cent is substantially higher compared with the number for India, which stands at 3.2 per cent.

In 2000-01, the state contributed Rs 495 billion, around 20.8 per cent of the total national exports of Rs 2,385 billion. Gujarat's share in national exports in commodities such as groundnut, oil meals, castor oil, poultry, dairy products, spices, sesame, niger seeds, processed foods, fruits and vegetables is much higher.