India to have 12 more AEZs by this fiscal-end

India will have 12 more agri export processing zones (AEZs) by the end of this fiscal. The exports from these AEZs are likely to touch Rs 10,300 crore by March 2007, said K S Money, chairman of Agricultural Products Export Development Authority (Apeda).

"Currently there are 48 AEZs operating across the country. Recently, the Centre has given its consent for setting up another 12 AEZs. These new AEZs will become operational once the MoUs are signed with the respective state governments," Money said.

He said that the government had so far invested Rs 230 crore on the AEZs while private investors all together infused anywhere between Rs 800 crore and 1,000 crore to set up agri export units.

"The government is encouraging more private investments in this sector. Even well-known corporate companies are evincing interest on the agri sector," he said.

"In the last fiscal, around Rs 1,981 crore worth of agri products were exported by the AEZ units. In the current fiscal, we expect considerable growth in agri exports from these units. We are targetting to achieve Rs 10,300 crore worth of agri exports by the end of March 2007," he added.

At present, around 450 agricultural commodities are being exported from the country. In a bid to encourage the agri exports from the country, Apeda has sanctioned around Rs 42 crore as subsidy on different schemes. In the current fiscal, we are releasing Rs 53 crore as subsidy, Money said.

"So far, around 11,000 agricultural products exporters registered their names with APEDA. These exporters have exported Rs 14,123 crore worth of agri products through Apeda last fiscal. We expect around 9 per cent growth in agri exports this fiscal," he added.