The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture and NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) recently launched the first Agricultural Export Facilitation Centre.

About the Centre

=> The Centre will aid in boosting the agricultural and food exports of the state of Maharashtra.

=> The centre will act as a one-stop shop to export agricultural food productions.

=> The centre is open to anyone who is involved in agricultural exports.

=> It will provide guidance in areas such as Minimum residue level, orchard management, branding and marketing, country-wise protocols, special export treatments and government export schemes.

=> Also, the centre will organise awareness programmes, workshops and training programmes.

Why is the Agricultural Export Facilitation Centre important?

In 2018, India launched Agri Export Policy. The policy aims to double the agricultural exports, that is, to increase the agricultural exports to 60 billion USD by 2022. The Agricultura Export Facilitation Centre will help India achieve this target.

Why is the centre established in Maharashtra?

=> Maharashtra is one of the leading states in Agriculture. It is one of the largest producer of onions. Today, it is emerging as it is an important horticultural state in the country.

=> The soil and agro climatic conditions are diverse in the state. This allows the state to produce variety of crops such as rice, wheat, tur, gram, bajra, jowar; fruits such as banana, mango, grapes, orange, cashew nut.

=> The state is the leading producer in pulses.

=> It is the second largest coarse cereals producer.

=> It is also the second largest producer of soya bean, sugarcane and cotton.

=> It is the third largest produce of sunflower.