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India strengthens oversight on agricultural imports & exports to safeguard farmer interests
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Tuesday, 23 December, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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The Government of India is actively monitoring agricultural imports and exports to protect domestic producers and ensure market stability, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare informed Parliament. The initiative aims to balance international trade dynamics with the needs of Indian farmers and food security priorities.
An Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), which includes the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, regularly reviews the movement of essential agricultural commodities. The committee analyses market trends, supply-demand conditions and any sudden surges in imports that might impact farm production or local prices. Based on these assessments, the Government may recommend policy measures such as adjusting import duties or imposing port restrictions to protect domestic interests.
In addition to trade policy oversight, India continues to support farmers through a range of ongoing schemes and interventions designed to stabilise rural incomes and strengthen market linkages. These include market intervention procurement under minimum support Price (MSP) for notified crops, price stabilisation fund (PSF) operations for essential commodities like onions and buffer stocking efforts by central agencies to manage volatility.
The Government also offers income support and risk mitigation to farming households through schemes such as PM-KISAN, which provides direct income transfers, helping cushion farmers against unpredictable market conditions.
On the export front, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) plays a key role in linking domestic producers, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) with global markets. Under the APEDA Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), exporters receive financial support for meeting quality standards and certification requirements of importing countries.
To further strengthen export capabilities, APEDA has organised more than 1,080 capacity-building and training programmes during 2025-26, in collaboration with state agencies, focusing on exporter readiness and supply chain linkages. The authority has also facilitated participation of member exporters in major international trade events such as World Food India, Indus Food, AAHAR and Gulf Food, expanding opportunities for Indian agricultural products abroad.
This proactive approach aims to protect India’s agricultural sector from undue import pressure while enhancing export competitiveness and ensuring that farmers benefit from global trade opportunities.
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