Opening a window of possibilities of boosting groundnut exports from India's eastern region, a consignment of 24 metric tonnes (MT) of groundnuts was exported to Nepal from West Bengal state. The consignment, sourced from farmers of West Midnapore district of West Bengal, was exported by APEDA-registered Laduram Promoters Pvt Ltd, Kolkata.

Traditionally, Gujarat and Rajasthan have a major share in groundnut exports. Groundnut exports from West Bengal would boost the export potential of the crop from the eastern region, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said.

India exported 6.38 lakh tonnes (worth of Rs 5381 crore) of groundnuts during 2020-21. The groundnuts are exported to countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Russia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Nepal.

Through initiatives such as peanut.net, the APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority)  has streamlined the exports of groundnuts through measures including buyer registration, batch processing by APEDA registered peanut units, application for a certificate of export and stuffing certificate by exporter, Aflatoxin analysis and issue of stuffing certificate by laboratories, issuance of a certificate of exports by APEDA.

According to the third advance estimates of oilseeds production by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, the groundnut production in 2020-21 is estimated at 101.19 lakh tonne against 99.52 lakh tonne estimated in 2019-20. Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnuts in the country, which is followed by Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Rajasthan. (SAM)