In a significant boost to agri-exports and farmer incomes, Odisha has successfully shipped its first-ever consignment of fresh strawberries to London, marking a key milestone in the state’s horticulture-led export journey.
The consignment, comprising 51 kg of fresh strawberries cultivated in Dhenkanal district, was dispatched to the United Kingdom during a district-level flower show held in Dhenkanal. The export enabled participating farmers to realize nearly 50 per cent higher prices compared to domestic market rates, underlining the income potential of structured agri-export initiatives.
The strawberries were grown and aggregated by Saptasajya Agro Producer Company Limited, a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) based in Dhenkanal, highlighting the growing role of organised farmer collectives in meeting international quality, traceability and packaging standards.
The initiative was facilitated by the Directorate of Horticulture under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (DA&FE) through the Promotion and Stabilization of Farmer Producer Organizations (PSFPO) project. The project is supported by the Gates Foundation and implemented by Palladium, with technical and market access support from APEDA and the World Trade Center (WTC). Additional facilitation was provided by the Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM).
The consignment was formally flagged off by Ashish Ishwar Patil, Collector and District Magistrate, Dhenkanal, who described the export as a major achievement for the district. He acknowledged Palladium’s role under the PSFPO project in enabling farmer collectives to access global markets and assured continued support from the district administration to scale up similar farmer-led export initiatives.
The flag-off ceremony was attended by Debaprasad Routray, Deputy Director of Horticulture; Ashutosh Behera, Assistant Engineer (Agriculture); Sudiptee Ranjan Biswal, Director of Saptasajya Agro Producer Company Limited; and representatives from Palladium.
The successful shipment highlights Odisha’s increasing diversification into high-value horticultural crops and positions the state as an emerging supplier of premium