An Agri Export Zone or AEZ is a specific geographic region in a country demarcated for setting up

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

based processing industries, mainly for

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is a ...

. The term is widely used mainly in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. AEZ are to be identified by the State Government, who would evolve a comprehensive package of services provided by all State Government agencies, State agriculture universities and all institutions and agencies of the Union Government for intensive delivery in these zones. Corporate sector with proven credentials would be encouraged to sponsor new agri export zone or take over already notified agri export zone or part of such zones for boosting agri exports from the zones. Implementation in india 2001

Background

The AEZ scheme was launched as part of the Exim Policy 2001–2002 with the objective of adopting an integrated approach to export promotion through public-private partnerships and development of necessary infrastructure. The zones were expected to streamline the export process from "farm to foreign" markets by addressing constraints in production, storage, processing, certification, and logistics.

Implementation

The implementation involved close coordination between the

State Governments State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

, APEDA, and other central and state agencies. AEZs were selected based on concentration of specific crops, export potential, and existing or planned infrastructure. By 2005, over 60 AEZs were notified for various agricultural products, including: * Mangoes –

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

* Litchis –

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

* Pineapples –

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

* Basmati rice –

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

and

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

Support was provided in areas such as infrastructure development, quality certification, training, and marketing.

Performance and Evaluation

While the AEZs generated initial momentum for exports and infrastructure creation, several challenges emerged. According to a report by the

Planning Commission of India The Planning Commission was an institution in the Government of India which formulated India's Five-Year Plans, among other functions. In his first Independence Day speech in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his intention to diss ...

, the zones often lacked long-term sustainability. Institutional coordination was weak, and many private partners withdrew after initial incentives were exhausted.

Discontinuation and Legacy

In 2015, the Government of India formally discontinued the AEZ scheme. However, the learnings from the model influenced subsequent policies such as: * The Districts as Export Hubs initiative by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry * The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which integrates logistics and infrastructure planning for exports Though no longer formally designated, many AEZs continue to function under different frameworks, contributing to India’s agricultural export ecosystem.

References

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External links