NEW DELHI, 25 December 2025: The Government of India is maintaining close oversight of agricultural imports and exports and recalibrating trade policies as required to safeguard farmers’ interests and domestic market stability, according to a statement tabled in the Rajya Sabha.
For essential agricultural commodities, an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), which includes the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), continuously monitors availability, price trends and market conditions. The committee also tracks import volumes to identify shifts that could affect domestic production, trade balances or food security. Where rising imports are assessed to pose risks to farmers, DA&FW reviews the situation and may recommend corrective measures such as higher import duties or port-level restrictions to the relevant ministries.
Alongside trade oversight, the government continues to deploy a range of market interventions to cushion farmers from volatility. These include procurement under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism for notified crops, operations under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) for essential commodities such as onions, and buffer stocking and market intelligence measures through central agencies. Income support schemes, including PM-KISAN, are also positioned as tools to mitigate income fluctuations linked to market disruptions.
On the export front, the Department of Commerce, through the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), provides financial assistance to registered exporters under its Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS). Beneficiaries include Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), aimed at strengthening farmer participation in export-oriented value chains.
To improve access to global markets, APEDA supports the implementation and certification of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) through registered exporters, enabling compliance with quality and safety standards mandated by importing countries. This support is designed to improve export readiness and competitiveness of Indian farm produce.
Capacity building has also been a key focus. During FY2025-26, around 1,080 training and capacity-building programmes were conducted nationwide in collaboration with state agencies, targeting exporters, FPOs, FPCs and self-help groups. These initiatives aim to link farmer groups with export supply chains and develop them into prospective exporters.
In addition, APEDA facilitated participation of Indian exporters, including farmer collectives, in major international and domestic food exhibitions and buyer-seller meets such as World Food India, Indus Food, AAHAR and Gulfood.
The information was shared by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
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