The Standing Committee of Parliament on Commerce, headed by Trinamool Congress MP in Rajya Sabha Dola Sen, has recommended increased budgetary allocations for Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to help farmers and exporters to meet international export standards of Indian agriculture products.
The panel, in a report on Demands for Grants, tabled in both the Houses earlier this week, said that in order to ensure end-to-end traceability and strengthen compliance with international standards, APEDA has developed web-based traceability systems such as GrapeNet (for grapes), Peanut.Net (for peanuts) and TraceNet (for organic products), integrating growers, processors, handlers, exporters and certification authorities on a single digital platform. “Export of these products is undertaken only through online certification issued under notified regulations, thereby enabling traceability and identification of operators at every stage of the supply chain,” the panel said appreciating the APEDA’s efforts train producers, exporters and State Government officials. “In view of the expanding scope of traceability systems and the increasing need for compliance with stringent international standards, the underfunding of APEDA risks constraining its core mandate of export promotion across critical agri-products. The Committee, therefore, recommends that adequate budgetary allocation be provided to APEDA to carry out its work of promoting agricultural exports,” the panel said urging the Government to promote sustainable agricultural practices by encouraging organic and natural farming.
Commenting on the acceleration in India’s trade agreement architecture during 2025-26, the committee noted that such free trade agreements collectively open major new avenues for Indian exporters across goods and services. It recommended that the Government must establish a dedicated post-implementation monitoring framework for each concluded agreement. The panel said FTAs should incorporate a structured and time bound provisions of review mechanism for ensuring midway course correction in the event of any emerging “trade asymmetrics”.