The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Friday jointly celebrated this first-ever achievement of 100 MT export of agricultural exports from LBSI Airport in a month. To commemorate this milestone, APEDA also held a workshop under the Krishi Udan Scheme (KUS), aimed at empowering agriculture and uplifting agri and perishable cargo. Speaking on the occasion, APEDA chairman Abhishek Dev complimented the exporters, farmers producer organisations (FPOs) and other stakeholders of Varanasi region, where there had been no export of agriculture products, for taking the export to the significant level in the last 3-4 years. MoCA’s senior economic advisor Piyush Srivastava, emphasised the integration of FPOs into the agricultural export supply chain through schemes like KUS. 'As per feedback from regional stakeholders, necessary interventions from the ministry are made for further changes, if required any scheme for promoting export of horticulture produce,' he said. Providing details of the progress made in perishable goods export from Purvanchal, APEDA regional head CB Singh, remarked, 'Before achieving the first-ever 100 MT monthly agri export, APEDA, in collaboration with all stakeholders, will continue efforts to convert this opportunity into 1000 MT monthly in near future.' Singh highlighted how Varanasi region, once lacking in agri-exports due to insufficient infrastructure, has transformed into a hub of it. With the establishment of a robust quarantine and customs clearance facilitation centre at LBSI Airport, numerous exporters now operate in the region, utilizing air routes for agricultural product exports, he said. 'Apart from fresh green vegetables, mangos and others, a variety of agricultural products such as fresh marigold, water chestnut, cranberry, banana, among others, have been successfully exported to international markets, showcasing the region's capability to meet global demand,' he added. APEDA officials mentioned, KUS with its focus on ensuring seamless, cost-effective, and time-bound air transportation for agri-produce, especially from Northeast, hilly, and tribal regions, is set to further enhance the agri-export trend from the Purvanchal region.