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The fair saw buyers from several GCC states in attendance
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It signaled that APEDA has begun export-oriented marketing of the aforementioned products Covid-19 cases fall in India
A virtual trade fair for exotic seasonal fruits, vegetables and floricultural products, organized by India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority saw buyers from several GCC states in attendance.
The fair, which concluded on Sunday, May 30, signaled that APEDA has begun export-oriented marketing of the aforementioned products as the country continued to record a fall in new coronavirus infections this week.
APEDA is an agency under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, which facilitates the export of scheduled products through promotional activities.
About 470 exhibitors took part in the virtual trade fair which began on May 27. They are mainly exporters of fresh mangoes, pomegranate, grapes and similar seasonal fresh fruits which have to be exported or sold locally without delay since they are perishable in nature. Hence the urgency in organizing the virtual trade fair as soon as Covid-19 infections started declining.
This is the second virtual trade fair to be organized by APEDA this year. The first such initiative was from March 10 to 12 this year for basmati and non-basmati rice, millets, wheat, maize, groundnut and coarse grains. Importers in GCC countries were among the 404 visitors to that event which had 313 exhibitors.
“Because of Covid-19-related restrictions on physical travel and trade, APEDA has initiated the concept of virtual trade fairs for sustaining our agricultural and processed food products exports and also for exploring new markets,” India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry was quoted by local reports as saying in a statement. “The virtual trade fair facilitated private meetings as well as personalized business-to-business engagement.”