New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) The first commercial consignment of premium cherries from Jammu and Kashmir is heading to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Commerce and Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday.

In a post on X social media platform, the minister said a huge market opens up for cherry farmers, who will now get a better price for their produce.

“So much to cheer. The first commercial consignment of premium cherries from Jammu and Kashmir heads to Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” Goyal posted.

“A huge market opens up for our cherry farmers, who will now get a better price for their produce,” he added.

The Minister further stated that the PM Modi government has been bridging logistical gaps to position India as a global supplier of premium agri-products.

“What a win for ‘Vocal for Local’,” he added.

The government is committed to reducing logistical barriers and enhancing market access for Indian agri and processed food products.

In April, Goyal hailed the efforts of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in facilitating the first commercial sea shipment of the Indian Bhagwa variety of pomegranates to the US. This would create new opportunities for farmers to tap into the rising global demand for high-quality agri-products.

The inaugural sea shipment of 4,620 boxes of Indian pomegranates, weighing approximately 14 tonnes, reached New York in the second week of March — well within five weeks of the point of departure from Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra.

The shipment was met with exceptional enthusiasm in the US state. The arrival quality was reported as “excellent” and customers were captivated by the remarkable visual appeal and the superior eating quality of the “Indian Bhagwa variety of pomegranates”.

The arrival of this shipment heralds the potential of Indian pomegranates becoming a preferred choice in the competitive US market, according to a Commerce Ministry statement.

–IANS

na/