Goldcrest Exports, engaged in exports of range of agroproduce, is an associate company of Tanna group, which among others is also a leading exporters of HPS groundnuts.

Jamnadas Madhavjee International Ltd, of the Tanna group, is said to have been awarded the 1998-99 IOPEA Award for highest exports of HPS groundnuts.Interestingly IOPEA was not able to give the figures of exports achieved by the winner Jamnadas Madhavji saying "these are currently disputed and will be available later".

Pradeep Kotak called upon the attention of the government to issue the much-awaited notification that allowed Agricultural and Processed Food ProductsExport Development Authority (APEDA) to certify the exports of groundnuts to European Union. Till recently, IOPEA was the authority for such activities. However, controversey relating to quality of HPS groundnut exported and complaints of high afflatoxin levels forced the government to appoint APEDA as the certifying authority. However, for this purpose, the government is yet to issue a notification.

The standard set up for both the bird feed and human consumption groundnuts are different. "Our concern should be to fix procedure for booth separately in line with the EU legislation which means that APEDA has to issue a notification to this effect amending the earlier Trade notice of April 1, 1999".

Addressing the IOPEA members on Thursday last, Kotak said in a world where structural changes are taking place, the `health factor' was playing a vital role against which there cannot be any compromise. "This issue therefore, needs to be tackled from the farm level till the shipment stage, which if not doneproperly and timely will negate all our efforts".

According to Kotak, there is an urgent need for improvement of storage and movement infrastructure which he said "is in a very poor state today."Competition is bound to go up and we have to see that our markets are not flooded with foreign goods in a situation in which our own commodities get piled up without any foreign outlet.For this it is essential that we make our goods competitive in both quality and prices.

Quality upgradation, Kotak said, needs immediate attention. "We may not be able to invest heavily on modernisation, but that does not prevents us from practising high hygienic standards."