APEDA has completed the first cohort of its BHARATI acceleration programme with 100 startups from 22 states and two Union Territories, in a push to strengthen India’s agri-food export ecosystem. The initiative is part of APEDA’s broader effort to help the country move toward its goal of reaching $50 billion in exports of APEDA-scheduled products by 2030.
What The Programme Does
BHARATI, which stands for Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Innovation, is designed to identify and support startups building products, technologies and services that can improve agricultural and processed food exports. The first cohort was selected from more than 700 applications through a multi-stage evaluation process, showing strong interest from across the country.
The participating startups ranged widely in age, from 17 to 75 years, reflecting the diversity of India’s innovation ecosystem. They completed a 120-hour export-focused acceleration programme that covered export preparedness, market access, business scaling, regulatory compliance, packaging, branding and investor readiness.
Mentorship And Market Access
APEDA also provided one-to-one mentorship, expert masterclasses and opportunities to interact with government bodies, industry groups, financial institutions, exporters and investors. These sessions were meant to help startups build commercial partnerships, strengthen market linkages and become more ready for international trade.
As part of its overseas exposure initiative, APEDA took the top eight BHARATI startups to Gulfood 2026 in Dubai, one of the world’s largest food and beverage exhibitions. There, the startups connected directly with global buyers, took part in more than 100 B2B meetings and showcased product samples to importers and trade stakeholders.
Early Results
The programme has already produced some early export wins. Two agri-tech startups worked together to export nearly 37 metric tonnes of GI-tagged Jardalu mangoes to Dubai, while another startup completed the first sea shipment of nutraceutical-based and botanically infused millet ready-to-cook functional food products to New Zealand.
A Maharashtra-based Farmer Producer Company also exported nearly 850 kg of GI-tagged fig juice and jamun-based juice to the United States and the United Kingdom, later receiving a repeat order of 1.25 metric tonnes from those markets. In another case, a Karnataka-based startup working with more than 1,600 farmers across 12 states exported 40 metric tonnes of organic products, including pulses, heritage grains and GI-tagged native rice varieties.
What Comes Next
APEDA chairman Abhishek Dev said the programme reflects the organisation’s commitment to building a future-ready export ecosystem driven by innovation, entrepreneurship and competitiveness. With the success of the first cohort, APEDA plans to launch the next edition of BHARATI soon to expand support for startups in the agri-food export space.