Quality of produce important for success of agri export policy: Comm Min

New Delhi, Feb 6 () States and union territories should focus on both quantity and quality of agri produce to promote exports of agricultural goods, a top government official said on Thursday.

Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said that best agronomic practices in all the sectors of agriculture must be followed in the state agri export policy.

"States/ UTs should not only concentrate on quantitative output of agri produce but be extremely meticulous about the quality," an official statement said quoting the secretary.

He was speaking at the second national workshop on the implementation of the Agri Export Policy and cluster development here.

He said that this is an opportunity for the states and UTs to formulate a comprehensive plan, covering all key areas of the policy, across all sectors like horticulture, fisheries, animal husbandry, dairying, food processing, floriculture and water shed development.

He added that the policy must have a decentralised focus that is built up from the cluster level to the district and the state level plan.

Around 15 states have put in place a nodal agency, nodal officer, state level monitoring committee and cluster facilitation cell for the implementation of the agri export policy. RRMKJ