About APEDA

• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act,1985. 
• The Authority replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC).
• It functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The Authority has its headquarters in New Delhi.

Functions of APEDA

• Development of industries relating to the scheduled products for export by way of providing financial assistance or otherwise for undertaking surveys and feasibility studies, participation in enquiry capital through joint ventures and other reliefs and subsidy schemes;
• Registration of persons as exporters of the scheduled products on payment of such fees as may be prescribed;
• Fixing of standards and specifications for the scheduled products for the purpose of exports;
• Carrying out inspection of meat and meat products in slaughterhouses, processing plants, storage premises, conveyances or other places where such products are kept or handled for the purpose of ensuring the quality of such products;
• Improving of packaging of the Scheduled products;
• Improving of marketing of the Scheduled products outside India;
• Promotion of export oriented production and development of the Scheduled products;

Products monitored 

• APEDA is mandated with the responsibility of export promotion and development of the following scheduled products:
  • Fruits, Vegetables and their Products.
  • Meat and Meat Products.
  • Poultry and Poultry Products.
  • Dairy Products.
  • Confectionery, Biscuits and Bakery Products.
  • Honey, Jaggery and Sugar Products.
  • Cocoa and its products, chocolates of all kinds.
  • Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages.
  • Cereal and Cereal Products.
  • Groundnuts, Peanuts and Walnuts.
  • Pickles, Papads and Chutneys.
  • Guar Gum.
  • Floriculture and Floriculture Products.
  • Herbal and Medicinal Plants.
• In addition to this, APEDA has been entrusted with the responsibility to monitor import of sugar.

Why in News?

• The exports of agricultural and processed food products have risen by 31 per cent in the first three months of the current financial year. 
• According to the provisional data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, the overall export of agricultural and processed food products increased to 7408 million US dollar in April-June this year from 5663 million US dollar over the same period of the last fiscal.
• The export target for April-June this year was fixed at 5890 million US dollar. 
• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, APEDA’s various initiatives have helped the country in achieving 31 percent of the total export target in the first quarter of the current fiscal. APEDA has set an export target of 23.56 billion US dollar for agricultural and processed food products basket for this fiscal year.

Reference

https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=India%26%2339%3bs-exports-of-agricultural%2c-processed-food-products-rise-by-31%25-in-1st-3-months-of-current-fiscal&id=445614