Sea shipment of Indian pomegranates to US opens new avenues for farmers: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday hailed the efforts of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in facilitating the first commercial sea shipment of the Indian Bhagwa variety of pomegranates to the US.

In a post on X social media platform, the Union Minister said this would create new opportunities for farmers to tap into the rising global demand for high-quality agri-products.

“Commendable efforts by @APEDADOC in facilitating the first commercial sea shipment of the prized Indian Bhagwa variety of pomegranates from Maharashtra to the US,” said the minister.

“This milestone not only reflects the country’s growing strength in horticulture exports but will also create new opportunities for our farmers to tap into the rising global demand for high-quality agri-products,” he wrote.

The inaugural sea shipment of 4,620 boxes of Indian pomegranates, weighing approximately 14 tonnes, reached New York in the second week of March — well within five weeks of the point of departure from Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra.

The shipment was met with exceptional enthusiasm in the US state. The arrival quality was reported as "excellent" and customers were captivated by the remarkable visual appeal and the superior eating quality of the “Indian Bhagwa variety of pomegranates”.

The arrival of this shipment heralds the potential of Indian pomegranates becoming a preferred choice in the competitive US market, according to a Commerce Ministry statement.

“The government has been at the forefront in promoting Indian fresh fruits for the global market. APEDA has been supporting the export of Indian fruits like mangoes and pomegranates to USA by funding the pre-clearance programme,” said APEDA Chairman Abhishek Dev.

Indian farmers will achieve better realisation when their fruit gets exported to premium international markets like USA. Indian mangoes have already reached annual exports of around 3,500 tonnes and we hope that pomegranates will also reach such strong numbers in the years to come, he added.

—IANS

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