Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said that the country's agriculture and allied sector is expected to grow at 3.5-4 per cent in 2024-25 marking a significant improvement from the 1.4 per cent rise recorded in FY24.

India aims to cross $1 billion of organic product exports next year and the country is exploring Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) in sensitive exports like fisheries which face higher rejections, an official said Wednesday.

The commerce ministry's arm Export Inspection Council (EIC) plans to expand food testing infrastructure in a holistic way to boost outbound shipments, a senior government official said. The EIC has initiated a detailed study on gap assessment on food testing infrastructure for exports, the official added.

The humble banana along with ghee, furniture, office stationery and solar photovoltaic (PV) modules are spicing up India’s exports basket as, despite a small base, their shipments are growing fast. While engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, and electronics are the key drivers of goods exports, these new sectors are giving the country’s overseas sales that extra push.

The Export Inspection Council of India (EIC), which came into being on 1st January, 1964, is a statutory body tasked with advising the government on quality control, pre-shipment inspection standards, and other related matters. Since its inception, the EIC has evolved to a key facilitator of India's export trade apart from the regulatory responsibility, enabling exporters to meet the stringent quality demands of international markets.