First trial shipment of Garhwali apples from Uttarakhand flagged off to Dubai

Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal on Wednesday flagged off the first trial shipment of 1.2 MT of Garhwali apples (King Roat variety) from Dehradun to Dubai, the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a release.

The consignment, facilitated by the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), marks a significant step in boosting agricultural exports from Uttarakhand. The Ministry said lessons from the trial would help refine cold chain management, post-harvest handling, and logistics frameworks, paving the way for larger exports in future.

Barthwal, in his interaction with stakeholders, emphasised the need to diversify India’s agri-export basket and showcase region-specific produce like Garhwali apples in international markets. He praised the joint efforts of APEDA, the Uttarakhand government, exporters, and farmer groups in making the milestone shipment possible. “The Government is making concerted efforts to enhance farmers’ incomes through greater adoption of organic farming and organic exports, value addition in agri-products, and promotion of agricultural and processed food exports to developed and high-value markets,” he said.

He also pointed to Uttarakhand’s potential in exports of Basmati rice, millets, kidney beans, spices, aromatic plants, honey, apples, kiwi, mango, litchi, peach, and vegetables such as beans, peas, bitter gourd, and potato. He directed APEDA to expedite the opening of its office in Dehradun to provide closer support to farmers and exporters.

APEDA said the trial shipment represents “the beginning of a promising journey” and will be followed by efforts to expand export destinations to Southeast Asia and Europe. The authority is also working on promoting millets, coarse grains, organic produce, citrus fruits, kiwi, herbs, and medicinal plants from Uttarakhand.

To strengthen the ecosystem, APEDA is setting up a regional office in Dehradun, supporting organic certification, and pursuing GI tagging for Uttarakhand-specific produce. An MoU has also been signed with Lulu Group to execute export trials of regional products through its international retail chains.

As part of a pilot initiative for sustainable cultivation, APEDA has planted 2,200 Timru saplings in Pauri district in collaboration with the Centre for Aromatic Plants, Dehradun. During FY 2024-25, India’s exports of APEDA-scheduled products stood at Rs 2,43,004.89 crore, while Uttarakhand’s contribution was Rs 201 crore, primarily from jaggery, confectionery, and guar gum. The focus now is on diversifying into fresh fruits, millets, and organic produce.

The Ministry said the flag-off of Garhwali apples to Dubai is “not only a matter of pride for the apple growers of Pauri Garhwal but also represents a major step toward positioning Uttarakhand as an important contributor to India’s agricultural export basket.”