Countries in the West Asia region contribute nearly one-fifth to India's total agricultural exports, according to the Government. As reported by The Hindu BusinessLine, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada revealed in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha that exports of agricultural products to these countries were $10.68 billion in 2024-25. The West Asia region includes Gulf Cooperation Council countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, along with Iran, Iraq and Yemen.
According to the minister's statement, agricultural exports to the West Asia region are broad-based and comprise all major product categories. As reported by The Hindu BusinessLine, these include cereals, animal products, basmati rice, buffalo meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices and processed food products sourced from across India. The government has been closely monitoring the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia and the Gulf region, including its impact on India's external trade, shipping routes and logistics chains.
To another separate query, Prasada revealed that exports of processed food items to the European Union have grown by approximately 49.5% during the period 2020-21 to 2024-25, while exports of processed food products to West Asian countries have risen by approximately 18% during the same period. According to The Hindu BusinessLine, exporters have reported disruptions including increased freight rates, imposition of war-risk surcharges, container shortages, delays in shipment schedules, and congestion at ports.
In a separate development, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Ramnath Thakur announced that the Government has sanctioned ₹84,502.78 crore for 1,70,241 projects across the country under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) till March 11. As reported by The Hindu BusinessLine, ₹62,219.10 crore has been disbursed till March 11, with the disbursement following phases linked to project milestones as per AIF guidelines.
Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan revealed that a total of 917 high-yielding climate resilient varieties have been notified during 2014 to 2025, including 444 varieties of oilseeds and 473 varieties of pulses. According to The Hindu BusinessLine, out of these varieties, 317 varieties of oilseeds (71%) and 362 varieties of pulses (77%) are in the seed chain and being cultivated by farmers across the country.
