The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has unveiled its new initiative, BHARATI (Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement), aimed at boosting India’s agri-food exports and empowering startups in the sector. The launch took place on the sidelines of the “Food & Beverages Sector Stakeholders Meeting,” chaired by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, in the presence of UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan.
The programme is designed to support 100 agri-food and agri-tech startups by accelerating their growth, fostering innovation and creating new export opportunities. It aligns with APEDA’s vision of achieving $50 billion in agri-food exports of Scheduled Products by 2030.
The first pilot cohort, beginning in September 2025, will include startups engaged in high-value agri-food production, technology-driven services and innovation. BHARATI will encourage development in areas such as GI-tagged products, organic foods, superfoods, novel processed items, livestock products and AYUSH-based foods. It also seeks to attract startups working on advanced solutions like AI-powered quality control, blockchain-enabled traceability, IoT-driven cold chains, agri-fintech, sustainable packaging and sea protocols.
The initiative is expected to address challenges in product development, value addition, perishability, wastage, quality assurance and logistics, while building a collaborative ecosystem that links agri-food innovators, technology providers and SPS-TBT-focused startups to deliver cost-effective, scalable solutions.
Aligned with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat, Vocal for Local, Digital India and Start-Up India visions, BHARATI will run a three-month acceleration programme to prepare startups for exports through training in product development, regulatory compliance, market access and collaborative problem-solving. Applications will open in September 2025 on the APEDA website.
To strengthen the ecosystem, APEDA will collaborate with state agricultural boards, universities, IITs, NITs, industry associations and accelerators. The pilot cohort will serve as a model for an annual incubation programme, driving innovation and long-term growth in India’s agricultural exports.
With BHARATI, APEDA aims to harness youth and entrepreneurship to enhance India’s global competitiveness in agri-food trade and expand the country’s footprint in international markets.