The Apeda building in the city. Picture by Biju Boro

We have been hearing for the past couple of years about the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda)’s entry into the Northeast. Has it been able to carve out a good market in the region?

Anisha Kuddus,

Hatigaon

Apeda is a multi-product export promotion organisation under the Union ministry of commerce and industries. It promotes 15 agricultural products, including fruits and vegetables, non-Basmati rice, poultry, dairy and confectionery items, biscuits, cereals and herbal and medicinal plants.

The region has enough potential to export agricultural and horticultural commodities to the neighbouring countries and, if possible, America and Europe as well. The organisation has set up a regional office to assist Northeast-based exporters. A study on exportable commodities and infrastructure development was conducted recently in the region.

The organisation has conducted awareness programmes on quality management in the Northeast, focusing on guidelines framed by global associations. We assist companies and entrepreneurs in installing quality management systems like ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and the Hazard and Critical Control Point.

Training programmes are conducted in Nagpur for specific commodities. We have set up four organic farms for joha rice, sugarcane, pineapple and passion fruit in Assam, Tripura and Manipur in association with Skal, a Netherlands-based organisation.

Apeda has built cold storages at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi airport in Guwahati and the Agartala airport. The Airports Authority of India operates the cold storages. We have also provided refrigerated vans to the North Eastern Regional Agriculture Marketing Corporation Limited and the Tripura government for transporting perishable items.

We provide financial assistance to people for building green houses for orchid cultivation in Sikkim.

What are Apeda’s steps for promoting floriculture?

Reba Gohain,

Kalapahar

The entrepreneur has to get registered with Apeda by depositing a fee of Rs 5,000. One can go for online registration through www.apeda.com or fill up a registration form and submit it to any of our regional offices.

A registered entrepreneur can avail financial assistance for the development of market, infrastructure and quality, research and transport.

Joha rice is very popular in Assam. Can an organic zone be set up only for this variety?

Sudipta Das,

Ulubari

Apeda developed a model organic farm on joha rice in Assam, which succeeded in controlling pests and diseases. The yield was also good. But before we go for commercial cultivation of joha rice, certain issues need to be sorted out like selection of varieties, improvement in productivity, retention of aroma for a longer duration, cutting down the cost of production and so on.

The research and development wing of Apeda can help, even provide the individual with market links.

Apart from joha, Assam also produces sticky and soft rice.

The sticky rice has a demand in Europe, which is used for extraction of starch. We will have to work hard to develop the soft rice (komol choul) for export.

I wish to start a flower nursery. What do I do? Can your organisation help me?

Bhaskar Das,

Ganeshguri

For the flower nursery, financial assistance can be available from either the ministry of agriculture, under the technology mission scheme or from the National Horticulture Board.

Apeda does not have any scheme for development of nursery.

Participating in fairs outside the region and country is very difficult for small entrepreneurs. Can Apeda extend any help?

Jayanta Rabha,

Rehabari

Apeda assists entrepreneurs to participate in international trade fairs under its marketing development scheme. Seventy-five per cent of the international travel expenses are reimbursed to the registered exporter under this scheme.

Since we deal with exports, assistance for participating in the domestic trade fairs is not available.

However, we sponsor a group of entrepreneurs to participate in Ahara, an international event held every year in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. Many international buyers come to this fair.