Hoshiarpur’s litchi reaches Gulf country for the first time, 500 kg exported from Punjab to Oman

Chandigarh. Today has proved to be a historic milestone for the agriculture and cooperative sector of Punjab. For the first time, a consignment of 500 kg of fresh and high quality litchi has been exported to Oman from Hoshiarpur district of the state. This export, done in collaboration with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), is very special because it is the first consignment of fresh agricultural produce sent abroad by a cooperative society of Punjab.

‘Unnati Cooperative Society’ and ‘APEDA’ come together

According to the information received from APEDA, this successful export has been possible through ‘Unnati Agri Allied Cooperative Society’. The authority not only helped the committee find foreign buyers but also provided technical and strategic support in the entire export process from the farm to delivering the fruit to Oman.

Special attention was paid to the packaging of litchi to meet the international quality standards. To ensure that the freshness, sweetness and quality of the fruit does not deteriorate during transportation, packing was done in ‘Modified Atmosphere Packaging’ (MAP) bags in the capacity of 1 to 5 kg in collaboration with M/s Super Plum.

Marketing will be done through Lulu Group, credibility will increase in the international market

After reaching Oman, this consignment will be marketed through ‘Lulu Group’, a leading and famous retail group there. APEDA officials believe that this step will go a long way in giving litchi of Punjab a permanent identity and direct access to the international market. This entire exercise is completely in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ campaign, the main objective of which is to increase the pace of agricultural exports by connecting local cooperative societies to global markets.

Success achieved as soon as Chandigarh regional office opened

This major achievement comes soon after the recent inauguration of APEDA’s Punjab Regional Office in Chandigarh. This new office is providing direct market linkages, technical support and export facilities to the farmers and exporters of Punjab.

This first batch was prepared under the guidance of APEDA Chairman Abhishek Dev. After which APEDA’s North India Regional Head Harpreet Singh flagged off the consignment in the presence of other officials and representatives of Unnati Cooperative Society.

‘This initiative will prove to be a milestone in increasing the income of Punjab’s farmers, encouraging them to produce export-quality fruits and strengthening India’s penetration in the global fresh fruit market. Also, this will give a new energy to the cooperative model in rural areas.‘- Harpreet Singh, Regional Head (North India), APEDA