Agriculture and processed food production export Development Authority (APEDA)

 

·       Agriculture and processed food production export Development Authority (APEDA) is an apex body that promotes export trade of agricultural products in India.

·       Set-up by the ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, under the act passed by parliament in December 1985.

·       The products specified under the APEDA ACT are called schedule products and exporters of such scheduled products are required register under APEDA.

Product monitored

·       APEDA is mandated with the responsibility of export promotion and development of the following scheduled products:

Ø  Fruits, Vegetables and their Products.

Ø  Meat and Meat Products.

Ø  Poultry and Poultry Products.

Ø  Dairy Products.

Ø  Confectionery, Biscuits and Bakery Products.

Ø  Honey, Jaggery and Sugar Products.

Ø  Cocoa and its products, chocolates of all kinds.

Ø  Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages.

Ø  Cereal and Cereal Products.

Ø  Groundnuts, Peanuts and Walnuts.

Ø  Pickles, Papads and Chutneys.

Ø  Guar Gum.

Ø  Floriculture and Floriculture Products.

Ø  Herbal and Medicinal Plants.

·       Basmati Rice has been included in the Second Schedule of APEDA Act.

·       In addition to this, APEDA has been entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the import of sugar as well.

Administrative set up

·       Chairman - Appointed by the Central Government

·       Director - Appointed by APEDA

·       Secretary - Appointed by the Central Government

·       Other Officers and Staff - Appointed by the Authority

Functions of APEDA

·       Development of industries relating to the scheduled products for export by way of providing financial assistance or otherwise for undertaking surveys and feasibility studies, participation in enquiry capital through joint ventures and other reliefs and subsidy schemes;

·       Registration of persons as exporters of the scheduled products on payment of such fees as may be prescribed.

·       Fixing of standards and specifications for the scheduled products for the purpose of exports.

·       Carrying out inspection of meat and meat products in slaughter houses, processing plants, storage premises, conveyances or other places where such products are kept or handled for the purpose of ensuring the quality of such products.

·       Improving of packaging of the Scheduled products.

·       Improving of marketing of the Scheduled products outside India.

·       Promotion of export oriented production and development of the Scheduled products.

·       Collection of statistics from the owners of factories or establishments engaged in the production, processing, packaging, marketing or export of the scheduled products or from such other persons as may be prescribed on any matter relating to the scheduled products and publication of the statistics so collected or of any portions thereof or extracts there from.

·       Training in various aspects of the industries connected with the scheduled products.

·       APEDA also functions as the Secretariat to the National Accreditation Board (NAB) for implementation of accreditation of the Certification Bodies under National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) for organic exports. “Organic Products” for export are to be certified only if Produced, Processed and packed as per the standards laid down in the document – "National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)."