First consignment of Assam's Red Rice flagged off to US
05 Mar 2021 14:27:41
Guwahati, Mar 5: Adding on to India’s rice exports potential, the first consignment of Assamese produce ‘red rice’ was flagged off on Mar 4 to the United States. The rice consignment was sourced by leading rice exporter called ‘LT Foods’. The flagging-off ceremonyof the export consignments was carried out by APEDA Chairman Dr M Angamuthu in Haryana. The APEDA is involved in promoting rice exports with the help of several stakeholders along the value chain.
The Central govt had also set up a 'Rice Export Promotion Forum' (REPF) under the parent head of APEDA. The Ministry of Commerce of Govt of India said that, the non-basmati rice exports of India have increased to Rs 26,058 crore for the months of April-January 2020-21 as compared to the exports of Rs 11,543 crore for the same period in the fiscal year 2019-2020.
The red rice is rich in Iron and is grown in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam and is grown without using any chemical fertilizers. The variety of rice is called as the ‘Bao-dhaan’, which is an integral part of foods in Assam. APEDA is the Apex-Export Trade Promotion Active government body that was set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was set up under the APEDA Act that was passed in Dec 1985. Following that, the apex body was established and came into effect from Feb 1986.
The Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF) was set up by the Govt of India to boost the rice exports. The forum takes up collaborative steps so as to identify and document particulars. It also reaches out to the stakeholders along the entire production or supply chain of export of rice. In this way, it enhances the exports at the global market. REPF comprises of the representatives of the exporters, officials from APEDA, rice industry, ministry of commerce, and directors of agriculture from the major rice-producing states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Telangana, Haryana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.