India’s Future Lies In Organic Farming

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: Last week’s reports on rejection of large consignments of Indian food exports by the United States and some European countries on grounds of several sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures have raised a question mark on the future of the country’s agro exports.

However, as per recent reports, Indian exports in general have performed well in 2002-03, registering a growth of 19.18 per cent and garnering a forex of $52,234.30 million. Agriculture and allied products exports, which account for only 8.5 per cent by weight in the total basket, posted a growth of 10.32 per cent by fetching $4,484.83 million. Exports of plantation crops like tea and coffee could fetch only $536.38 million, marking a decline of 9.10 per cent.

Total imports in 2002-03, rose by 19.20 per cent to be at $61,286.31 million. Imports, which are considered to be necessary inputs for production and re-exports and which account for only 38.86 per cent in the total input basket, grew by 20.11 per cent to be at $23,815.99 million. India’s trade with US and China has grown considerably. While with US, India registered a favourable trade balance, it has an adverse one with China. India’s exports to China in 2002-03 were $1,961.11 million while China’s exports to India in the same year amounted to $2,782.50 million.

The message is loud and clear. We should not be complacent with a 10.32 per cent growth in agriculture and allied products. These products constitute only 8.5 per cent by weight in the total export basket. In dollar terms our major exports are of rice, wheat, raw tobacco, spices, cashew nut-in-shell, oil meals, sugar and mollasses, fresh and processed fruits, vegetables, meat and meat preparations and marine exports. Though tea and coffee are major items for exports they are on declining trends. We need to boost exports of all other agro commodities.