New Delhi: The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, organised the BHARATI Startup Challenge during IndusFood 2026, aimed at promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in India’s agricultural and processed food export sector.
As part of the initiative, APEDA seeks to support export-ready agri-startups through mentorship, improved market access and policy facilitation. Startups selected through the challenge will receive international exposure by participating in leading global trade events, including Gulfood in Dubai and BIOFACH in Germany, enabling them to explore new markets and strengthen India’s agri-export ecosystem.
A major highlight of APEDA’s participation at IndusFood 2026 was the BHARATI Startup Zone, which featured over 100 exhibitors. The zone showcased innovative agri-startups working across key areas such as value addition, agri-technology, food processing, packaging, logistics, traceability and sustainable export solutions. The initiative highlighted APEDA’s focused approach to nurturing startups as critical contributors to India’s export growth.
The Startup Zone demonstrated how technology-driven entrepreneurship is reinforcing agricultural value chains, supporting MSMEs, empowering farmers and enhancing India’s global market presence.
The APEDA Pavilion also drew attention as a hub for export-ready agricultural and processed food products. It showcased quality assurance systems, traceability initiatives, GI-tagged products and sustainability-driven practices, while facilitating interactions among exporters, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), startups and international buyers.
IndusFood 2026 was inaugurated by Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Shri Chirag Paswan, in the presence of senior government officials, industry leaders and stakeholders from across the agri-export ecosystem.
APEDA’s participation at the event underscored the Government of India’s commitment to ease of doing business, MSME empowerment, startup enablement and sustainable agricultural exports, while strengthening collaboration between policy, industry and innovation ecosystems and positioning India as a reliable global supplier of agricultural and processed food products.
Comments are closed.