Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the Indian economy. Agriculture contributes around 22% to the Indian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs more than half of India’s total workforce. There are about 58 million cultivators in India who produce 80% of India’s food grains and over 90% of India’s vegetables. Agriculture is an important part of the Indian economy and it is widely spread in all the states. Normally it is included in the state budget as a major sector.
There has been a rise in the export of agriculture products from India. This has been because India has been able to compete with other countries in the production of certain crops and the demand for these crops on the international market.
Today more than 65% of India’s exports are made up of agricultural and processed food products.
India is the 2nd largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world. India holds over 23% of the total global production. India ranks first in the production and productivity of milk. India is one of the largest producers of edible oils in the world.
India is the world’s largest producer of sugarcane and the second-largest producer of rice and wheat. The Indian agricultural exports account for nearly 8.2% of its GDP. The agricultural export of India is worth more than $40 billion every year.
Let’s see what are the top commodities that India exports to other countries:
- Basmati Rice: Basmati Rice is one of the most important products that is exported to different countries. Around two-thirds of Basmati rice produced in India is exported. It is the finest quality rice in the world that fetches good prices in the International Market. The various varieties of Basmati rice that are exported are Karnal local, Basmati 370, Basmati 385, etc. 46 lakh MT of Basmati Rice has exported last year & Rs 29 thousand crores revenue was generated from the export of this commodity.
- Buffalo meat: In the year 2020-21, the returns India earned from the export of a total of 10 lakh MT of buffalo meat was Rs 23 thousand crores.
- Fresh Fruits: There are many fresh fruits that India exports to other countries like mango, grapes, apple, guava, and more. India earned a return from the exports was Rs 5641 crores.
- Vegetables: India exports many vegetables to other countries like Onion, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Tomatoes, Potatoes, and more. With the export of 23 Lakh MT, The revenue generated last year was Rs 5371 crores.
- Cereals: India is one of the largest producers of cereals in the world and export wheat, paddy, barley, etc to many other countries. The revenue generated from the exports was Rs 5116 crores.
- Groundnut: Many varieties of groundnut like kadiri-3, BG-1, BG-2, and more are exported to other countries. The revenue generated from the export was Rs 5381 crores
- Processed fruits and vegetables: India also export dried preserved vegetables such as preserved mushroom, preserved onions, and more. The processed fruits are jam, fried chips, olives, and more. India exported around the quantity of 5 lakh Mt and the revenue generated from it was Rs 5149 crores.
