India Among Top 10 Agricultural Produce Exporters in World

• In a positive development, as per a report from World Trade Organization (WTO) on the trends in world agricultural trade in the past 25 years, India broke into the list of top 10 agricultural produce exporters in 2019. The report also shared that India commands a sizable share in rice, cotton, and meat export.
• The report showed that in 2019, India commanded a 3.1 per cent share in the global agricultural produce exports. Meanwhile, Mexico commanded a share of 3.4 per cent, Brazil 7.8 per cent, China 5.4 per cent and the United States (US) 13.8 per cent.
• It should be noted that in terms of rice exports, in 1995, Thailand commanded a 38 per cent share and India and the US commanded 26 per cent and 19 per cent share. Meanwhile, in 2019, the tables had turned as India overtook Thailand by increasing its share to 33 per cent. In 2019, Thailand's share was reduced to 20 per cent.
• India is also among the top 10 exporters of cotton, with a share of 7.6 per cent. It presently occupies the fourth spot, even though it did not even feature among the top 10 exporters in 1995. Meanwhile, in the case of the largest-traded Agri product, soya bean, even though India features at the ninth position, its share in exports is meagre at 0.1 per cent.
• In the 'meat and edible meat offal' category, India was ranked eighth with a 4 per cent share in global trade.

Source: Dr S P Sharma | Chief Economist | DSG
             PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry