THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, JUNE 24, 2026

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has successfully concluded the first cohort of BHARATI (Bharat's Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Innovation), its flagship export enablement and acceleration programme designed to drive innovation-led growth in India’s agri-food export sector.

Conceived as a strategic initiative to support India’s ambition of achieving USD 50 billion in APEDA-scheduled product exports by 2030, the programme aims to identify, nurture and scale high-potential startups developing innovative products, technologies and solutions that can strengthen the country’s agricultural and processed food exports. Beyond supporting individual enterprises, BHARATI seeks to foster a dynamic ecosystem that promotes entrepreneurship, value addition, technology adoption and global market competitiveness.

The inaugural cohort brought together 100 startups from 22 States and two Union Territories, selected through a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process from more than 700 applications received nationwide. The cohort comprised 68 agri-food product startups, 26 export-enabling technology and service providers, and six innovators focused on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, traceability, quality assurance and compliance solutions.

Reflecting the diversity of India’s entrepreneurial landscape, the participating founders ranged in age from 17 to 75 years, underscoring the growing adoption of innovation-driven solutions across the agri-food export value chain.

The startups underwent a structured 120-hour export-focused acceleration programme, covering key areas such as export preparedness, market access, business scaling, regulatory compliance, packaging, branding and investor readiness. Participants also benefited from one-on-one mentorship, expert-led masterclasses and interactions with stakeholders from government institutions, industry bodies, financial institutions, exporters and investors. These engagements helped startups build commercial partnerships, strengthen market linkages and enhance their readiness for international markets.

As part of its international exposure initiative, APEDA facilitated the participation of the top eight BHARATI startups at Gulfood 2026 in Dubai, one of the world’s largest food and beverage trade exhibitions. The event enabled direct engagement with global buyers, resulting in more than 100 B2B meetings with international traders and importers, while allowing startups to showcase their products to prospective overseas customers.

Chairman, APEDA, Abhishek Dev said that the BHARATI Programme reflects APEDA's commitment to building a future-ready export ecosystem driven by innovation, entrepreneurship and global competitiveness. He noted that the enthusiastic response from startups across the country demonstrates the growing strength of India's agri-food innovation ecosystem. He further stated that the initiative aims to create a strong pipeline of export-ready enterprises capable of contributing to the growth of India's agricultural and processed food exports.

The successful completion of the first cohort marks a significant milestone in APEDA’s efforts to integrate innovation and entrepreneurship into India’s export growth strategy. The initiative is expected to facilitate the emergence of globally competitive startups while creating new avenues for value addition, market diversification and sustainable export expansion.

Within just three months of the programme’s commencement, participating startups have already recorded notable achievements. Two agri-tech startups collaborated to export approximately 37 metric tonnes of GI-tagged Jardalu mangoes to Dubai. Another startup successfully completed the first-ever sea shipment of nutraceutical-based and botanically infused ready-to-cook millet functional food products to Auckland, New Zealand, using millet sourced from Karnataka-based Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).

A Madhya Pradesh-based startup dealing in organic products, including pulses, millets and heritage grains, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a leading supermarket chain in the UAE for export consignments. Another agri-tech enterprise specialising in fruit bagging solutions, mango orchard management services and post-harvest tools partnered with an APEDA-registered exporter to ship nearly 5 metric tonnes of mangoes to Singapore during the current season.

Further highlighting the programme’s impact, a Maharashtra-based Farmer Producer Company (FPC) exported approximately 850 kg of GI-tagged fig juice and jamun-based juice to the United States and the United Kingdom and subsequently secured a repeat order of around 1.25 metric tonnes from the same markets.

In another major achievement, a Karnataka-based startup supported by a network of more than 1,600 farmers across 12 States exported 40 metric tonnes of organic products, including pulses, heritage grains and GI-tagged native rice varieties such as Indrayani, along with 5 metric tonnes of value-added products to the UAE and European Union markets. The startup expects exports to exceed 40 metric tonnes to the United States, European Union and UAE over the next one to two months.

Additionally, a Kerala-based startup has secured an order for millet-based products from Oman. Several other startups are currently engaged in export negotiations for products such as makhana for the Dubai market and ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food products for the Japanese and Cameroonian markets. A Madhya Pradesh-based startup has also expanded its domestic footprint through quick-commerce and e-commerce platforms, while establishing a retail presence across 100 stores in multiple States.

The achievements recorded by startups under the BHARATI initiative underline the programme’s effectiveness in accelerating export-oriented innovation and strengthening India’s agri-food export ecosystem. Building on the success of the inaugural cohort, APEDA plans to launch the next edition of the BHARATI Programme shortly, further expanding support for startups developing innovative solutions for the agri-food export sector.

With a strong focus on innovation, value addition and global market access, APEDA remains confident that the BHARATI initiative will continue to create new opportunities for sustainable growth while contributing significantly to the long-term expansion and diversification of India’s agricultural and processed food exports.