India’s first shipment of Garhwali apples exported to Dubai

Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry flagged off the first trial shipment of 1.2 MT of Garhwali Apples (King Roat variety) from Dehradun to Dubai. The trial shipment was facilitated by the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. This marks another significant step to enhance agricultural exports from the state of Uttarakhand. The flag-off of Garhwali apples to Dubai represents the beginning of a promising journey. Lessons from this trial shipment will help refine cold chain management, post-harvest handling and logistics frameworks. With APEDA and the Government of Uttarakhand working hand in hand, more farmer groups are expected to benefit, and export destinations are likely to expand to Southeast Asia and Europe in the coming years.