subject: Export Potential Of Perishable Cargo [print this page] Export potential of perishable cargo Export potential of perishable cargo
Export of perishable cargo has shown steady increase. Commodities like vegetables, fruit, flowers and livestock products have shown a steady increase. Export of perishable items have increased from Rs.7,970.01 crore during 2006-07 to Rs.12,020.98 crore during 2008-09.
India is 2nd largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world and is the 2nd largest vegetable exporter. Gujarat is one of the major exporting Banana state. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Bihar are the major banana-producing states. Lichies are currently being exported to Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Government policies have made meat and poultry exports highly lucrative, and may have sparked off a silent "pink" revolution. Poultry exports will double to over Rs 8 billion by the coming fiscal. Buffalo meat exports, meanwhile, went up 45% between April 2008-January 2009 compared to the previous year.
India is the 5th largest exporter of bovine meat in the world. Indian buffalo meat exports have the potential to grow significantly. Indian buffalo meat is witnessing strong demand in international markets due to its lean character and its near organic nature. Due to emerging health threats of the diseases communicable to humans through meat, the meat consumers are now more vigilant towards the wholesomeness of the meat and demand meat and poultry products processed in clean and sanitary environment.
Realising the potential of export of perishable goods, the Indian Railways is earmarking some of the surplus land for cold storages. Recently the Railway Minister laid the foundation for Perishable Cargo Centre at Singur in West Bengal which would be rail-linked.
To encourage Public Private Partnership in the creation of facilities for cold storage and temperature-controlled perishable cargo centres, a task force of representatives from the concerned ministries, Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR), the Central Warehousing Corporation Ltd. (CWC) and cold chain operators, has been constituted to draw up a road map for implementation of the project and identify a few locations for pilot projects for establishing perishable cargo centres.
