Saudi, UAE may cut Indian agri imports on quality issues, $2.6 bn at stake

Higher than permissible pesticide residues land Indian agriculture exports in trouble

At a time when the government is emphasising on the need for increasing agriculture exports, there is a threat of the $2.6-billion Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) markets lowering imports from India due to the contravention of quality standards. 

Both countries contribute $1.3 billion each to India's $40-billion annual agri exports; out of which, products registered with the Agricultural and Produce Exports Development Authority (Apeda) account for a 50 per cent share. 

Apart from that, India exports a huge quantity of agri produce to other countries in the region, making the entire Middle East the largest destination for