India should aim to be the world’s largest agri and processed food exporter: Goyal

New Delhi: India should aim to become the global leader in agricultural and processed food exports, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday, urging deeper collaboration between the food, agriculture and hospitality sectors to boost value-added exports.

India’s food and agricultural exports, covering farm produce and fisheries, have reached nearly ₹5 trillion (over $55 billion) annually, making the country the seventh-largest exporter of agricultural produce globally, Goyal said speaking at the inauguration of the 40th edition of the Aahaar International Food and Hospitality Fair in New Delhi.

The minister said between 2014 and 2025, India’s agri and food exports have witnessed significant growth. Exports of processed foods increased fourfold, fruit and pulses exports tripled, processed vegetable exports quadrupled, cocoa exports tripled, cereal exports doubled during this period. Rice exports grew by 62%.

Goyal said that these achievements should encourage India to aspire to become the world’s largest exporter of agricultural and processed foods.

Highlighting the role of trade agreements in expanding export opportunities, the minister said that the nine free trade agreements (FTAs) concluded by India over the past three and a half years have opened access to 38 developed and prosperous countries. He added that India now has preferential market access covering nearly two-thirds of global trade.

Among developed nations, India has recently inked FTAs with the UK and Oman, while it has also announced the conclusion of negotiations for FTAs with the EU and New Zealand.

At the same time, the government has safeguarded the interests of domestic stakeholders, particularly farmers, fishermen and MSMEs while negotiating FTAs. Goyal said that sensitive sectors such as dairy have been protected and no concessions have been given to foreign producers. Similarly, genetically modified (GM) products have not been granted duty concessions or market access.

He said key agricultural commodities such as rice, wheat, maize, soy meal and several varieties of pulses have been protected in trade negotiations. In the sugar sector, concessions have not been extended to avoid imports that could hurt domestic producers and sugarcane farmers.

Goyal urged farmers and entrepreneurs to take advantage of the ₹1 trillion agriculture infrastructure fund and focus on food processing and value addition to access higher-value global markets.

The union minister also encouraged greater collaboration with international partners, noting that Europe represents a major market for agricultural and processed food imports. He also highlighted opportunities arising from India’s trade partnerships with EFTA countries, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Korea, Asean nations, Oman, the UAE and Mauritius.

The minister also said that negotiations with Canada are progressing and discussions with the six-nation GCC group have recently been launched.

As per the commerce ministry data, India’s agricultural and allied product exports in FY25 stood at around $55 billion, driven by robust demand for rice, marine products and spices. Rice accounted for over 30% of total agri-exports at $12.47 billion, marine products followed with exports worth $6.73 billion, and spices contributed $3.79 billion.