New Delhi, Aug 20 (KNN) Despite Covid-19 induced restrictions, during the first quarter of current fiscal, India achieved a significant increase of 44.3 per cent in export of agricultural and processed food products in the 2021-22 (April-June) in comparison to the corresponding period of 2020-21, said Ministry of Commerce & Industry on Friday.

The huge jump in exports of agricultural and processed food products during the first three months of the current fiscal, is in continuation of growth in exports witnessed in the financial year 2020-21.

According to WTO’s trade map, with the total agri exports of 37 billion dollars in the year 2019, India is ranked at 9th position in the world ranking.

''The initiatives taken by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Commerce, has helped the country achieve this milestone at a time when the outbreak of pandemic was at its peak,'' the ministry said in a statement.

According to the Quick Estimates released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), the overall export of APEDA products has witnessed 44.3 per cent growth in terms of USD during April-June 2021 over the same period of previous year. The overall export of APEDA products increased from 3338.5 million dollars in April-June 2020 to 4817.9 million dollars in April-June 2021.

''In terms of Indian agri-exports, the country has registered an increase of 25.02 per cent in terms of dollar and 29.43 per cent in terms of rupees in the FY 2020-21 (April-March) in comparison to the same period in the previous year. However, it has been estimated that the country’s agri-export will register a positive growth of about 15 per cent in the current year (2021-22) as well,'' the statement added.

As per the Quick Estimates, the exports of fresh fruits & vegetables registered a 9.1 per cent growth, while shipment of processed food products like cereals preparations and miscellaneous processed items reported a growth of 69.6 per cent. In April-June, 2020-21, fresh fruits and vegetables were exported to the tune of 584.5 million dollars which rose to 637.7 million dollars in April-June 2021-22.

India reported a huge 415.5 per cent jump in export of other cereals while the export of meat, dairy & poultry products witnessed an increase 111.5 percent in the first three months of the current fiscal (2021-22).

The export of other cereals increased from 44.9 million dollars in April-June 2020 to 231.4 million dollars in April-June 2021 and the export of meat, dairy and poultry products increased from 483.5 million dollars in April-June 2020 to 1022.5 million dollars in April-June 2021, the statement said.

The export of rice, which recorded a positive growth of 25.3 per cent, increased from 1914.5 million dollars in April-June 2020 to 2398.5 million dollars in April-June 2021.