Overview

• Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal flagged off 1.2 metric tons of Garhwali 'King Roat' apples from Dehradun to Dubai in a government-backed export trial.
• APEDA facilitated the consignment and will set up a regional office in Dehradun to provide on-ground support to farmers and exporters.
• Lessons from the shipment will be used to fine-tune post-harvest handling, logistics, and quality systems, with expansion trials planned in Southeast Asia and Europe.
• APEDA is promoting Good Agricultural Practices, organic certification, and GI tagging, and has an MoU with Lulu Group to test regional products in its international retail network.
• India remains a net importer of apples, and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has emphasized balancing grower protections with consumer prices.