CAIRA organised a roundtable on “Boosting India’s Agri Exports by Transforming Infrastructure” in New Delhi. A centrepiece of the event was the presentation of CAIRA’s first Background Paper, which highlighted the urgent need for infrastructure transformation to support global supply chains originating in India.

Several key public sector leaders and industry experts addressed the roundtable, among them were Subrata Gupta, Secretary of Food Processing; Santosh Sarangi, Director General of DGFT; Siraj Chaudhry, Country Chairman, SATS India; Abhishek Dev, Chairman, APEDA; and Siraj Hussain, former Union Agriculture Secretary. The private sector perspective was provided by several business leaders including S. Sivakumar, Group Head, Agri and IT Businesses at ITC; Thomas Jose, Director of the Choice Group; Amit Pant, Senior Vice President at Tata Consumer Products; Azhar Tambuwala, Head of International Business at Sahyadri Farms; Atul Chhura, Chief Business Officer, Agribazaar; and Aneesh Jain, CEO and MD of Gram Unnati.

The Experts say ‘USD 100 billion in agricultural exports by 2030’ is an ambition that India can still achieve if it takes bolder steps. Agriculture contributes 18.2% to India’s GDP and provides livelihoods for over 42% of the population, making it a cornerstone of the nation’s economy. Despite being the world’s 8th largest exporter of Agri commodities, the Indian farmer faces several challenges due to gaps and shortages in infrastructure and market access. While India is a market leader in certain categories of exports, its productivity is far lower than global standards. Closing the policy gaps and providing vital linkages for agricultural commodities can deliver better incomes to India’s farmers.