The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Assocham) is working on a plan under which it would adopt one village each from five districts of Andhra Pradesh to develop them into organic-farming villages.
The industry body, which recently opened its chapter in the state, would announce the selected villages in a month, said DS Rawat, secretary general, Assocham.
Once selected, it would take three years for these villages to be certified as 'organic'. Assocham would also seek the support of the Planning Commission and the state government, Rawat told the media here on Tuesday.
The industry chambers also launched a study paper on agri export zones in the country, as an input to the draft 12th Five Year Plan. The paper advocates a focus on commodities in which India has a marketable surplus and competitive advantage.
Rawat said that not enough had been done to promote the existing agri export zones (AEZs), especially in terms of training at the ground level. "Our produce is not accepted in the European and US markets because of issues like chemical residues. Farmers need to be trained in these aspects," he said.
According to him, Indian exporters have also not been able to establish linkages with consumers in importing countries. "A large proportion of our exports are being further processed and re-exported by other countries," Rawat said.
The total investment in 20 agri export zones (AEZ) in the country, five of which are in Andhra Pradesh, is Rs 1,098 crore. The exports from these zones are valued at Rs 10,690 crore, of which around Rs 3,000 crore is from the state.
According to CR Biswal, principal secretary (food processing), government of AP, the agri exports is a sunrise industry, and is largely entrepreneur-driven. From the government's side, the central food processing department is exploring locations in different states for setting up support centres similar to the ones established by the fisheries department. One such centre will come up in Hyderabad to coordinate with farmers, processors and exporters, he said.
Ravindra Sannareddy, chairperson, Assocham - southern regional council, called for strengthening of farm-to-market linkages by setting up cold storage chains and also updating of food standards and laws.
