NEWS –  The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has launched a new programme called BHARATI during the Food & Beverages Sector Stakeholders Meeting

HIGHLIGHTS

What is BHARATI?

• Full form: Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement.
• Aim: To support 100 agri-food startups and help them grow.
• Goal: To reach $50 billion in agri-food exports by 2030.

 How will it work?

• Starting September 2025, a pilot batch of 100 startups will be selected.
• Startups may include farmers, food producers, technology developers, and innovators.
• They will get help in areas like product development, export readiness, packaging, sustainability, and logistics.

 Focus Areas

• High-value products: Organic food, superfoods, GI-tagged items (special regional products), AYUSH products, livestock products.
• Technology use: Artificial Intelligence (AI) for quality checks, Blockchain for traceability, IoT for cold storage, and agri-fintech solutions.
• Problems to solve: Food wastage, product perishability, value addition, and export challenges.

Bigger Vision

• The programme matches the Government of India’s plans like Atmanirbhar Bharat, Start-Up India, Digital India and Vocal for Local.
• It will bring together state boards, agricultural universities, IITs, NITs, and industry partners.
• Selected startups will go through a 3-month training programme on export and global market access.