The Indo-German Cooperation on Agricultural Market Development (AMD) Project visited project locations in Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan in the month of July 2023 and interacted with farmers at village level and conducted cluster-level training on Good Agriculture Practices of chili, coriander, ginger, and turmeric. The project also visited nearby Agricultural institutes such as ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi Uttar Pradesh, KVK, Kota Rajasthan, and KVK Koraput Odisha and local non-government organizations (NGOs) for technical guidance and collaborations. Mr, Gajjan Singh Verma, Project Officer discussed with scientist on export varieties selection, issue of MRLs, and EU export standards for chilli, ginger, coriander, cumin, mango, and turmeric crop. The scientists suggested that for export, the variety of all crops should be uniform like length, size, diameter, and thickness in the cluster. It was emphasized that the community awareness and training program for farmers has to be conducted on a regular basis. Usage of pesticides that are approved in EU should be promoted to control insects, pests, and diseases in all crops. MRL testing of crops as well soil testing and irrigation water has to be conducted. Export-oriented package of practice should be developed and validated by IIVR for vegetables that are in accordance with the EU standards.
