Centre pushes for increased exports of tissue culture plants; offers help to exporters to access new markets

What is the News?

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority(APEDA), has conducted a webinar on “Export Promotion of Tissue Culture Plants such as Foliage, Live Plants, Cut Flowers, and Planting Material”.

What is Tissue Culture?

Tissue Culture is a method of biological research in which fragments of tissue from an animal or plant are transferred to an artificial environment in which they can continue to survive and function. 

The cultured tissue may consist of a single cell, a population of cells or a whole or part of an organ. 

Export of Tissue Culture Plants from India

The top ten countries where India exports tissue culture plants are the Netherlands, USA, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, Kenya, Senegal, Ethiopia and Nepal. 

Among these countries, the Netherlands account for around 50% of the shipments.

What are the challenges faced by Tissue Culture Plant Laboratories?

1) Increasing power costs, 2) low-efficiency levels of the skilled workforce in the laboratories, 3) contamination issues in the laboratories, 4) cost of transportation of micro-propagated planting material, 5) lack of harmonization in the HS code of Indian planting material with other nations and 6) objections raised by the forest and quarantine departments.

What are the steps taken by the Government to help Tissue Culture Laboratories?

APEDA is running a Financial Assistance Scheme(FAS) to help laboratories upgrade themselves so as to produce export quality tissue culture planting material. 

It also facilitates exports of tissue culture planting material to diversified countries through market development, market analysis and promotion and exhibition of tissue culture plants at international exhibitions and by participating in buyer-seller meets at different international forums.

Source: The post is based on the article “Centre pushes for increased exports of tissue culture plants; offers help to exporters to access new markets” published in PIB on 8th May 2022