India’s exports of agricultural and processed food products rose by 8% year-on-year to $ 4.51 billion during April-May period of the current fiscal year as shipments of buffalo meat increased sharply. Exports of rice, fruits and vegetables, however, declined in current fiscal because of the West Asia crisis.
According to data from Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, the shipment of buffalo meat, dairy and poultry products in the first two months of FY27, increased sharply by 45% to $ 1.18 billion, while the value of rice exports including basmati and non-basmati varieties dropped marginally to S 2.04 billion on year.
The decline in shipment of rice, which was the biggest share in the country’s agri-products exports basket, was due to severe disruption of especially Basmati rice exports to Gulf countries because of closure of Strait of Hormuz.
Modest growth
India’s exports of agricultural and processed food products rose by a modest 2% year-on-year to $25.71 billion in 2025-26, as rice shipment dropped by 7.5%to $ 11.53 billion, because of supply disruption to Iran as well as West Asia war disrupted exports to Gulf countries.
The export of boneless buffalo meat was valued at $ 6.21 billion in FY26. Buffalo meat shipment is the second biggest commodity after Basmati rice in terms of value of shipment in the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) basket.
ALSO READGoods exports jump 18% in May on West Asia rebound, high oil prices
Officials said there has been a rise in demand for the Indian bovine meat across the globe due to its quality and nutrient value. India has emerged as the second biggest exporter of buffalo meat and the export destinations are Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
The exports of fruits and vegetables during April-May period of FY27 declined sharply by over 14% to $0.59 billion compared to same period in the previous fiscal also attributed to fall in shipments of onion, mangoes, pomongrate, banas and green chillies to Gulf countries especially to the Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
The share of exports of products under the APEDA basket is around 51% of the total shipments of agricultural produce. The rest of the agricultural product exports include marine, tobacco, coffee, and tea. Marine products exports rise by over 6% in FY27
Despite being hit by the high US tariff last year, the exports of marine products continued to grow in the current fiscal as shipment grew by 6.37% to $ 1.39 billion in April-May in FY27 on year.
India’s marine products exports increased 14% year-on-year to a record $8.43 billion last fiscal, thanks to a surge in shipments to several new markets such as Europe and Southeast Asia, an official said.
“Initially under pressure from higher tariffs by the US, the biggest export destination, the shipment to Europe, China, Vietnam and Russia increased sharply last fiscal thus leading to sharp increase in exports,” KN Raghavan, Secretary General, Seafood Exporters Association of India, told FE earlier.
TOPICSECONOMYexportsThis article was first uploaded on June sixteen, twenty twenty-six, at fifty minutes past eight in the night. © The Indian Express (P) Ltd