The BHARATI Programme for Agri-Food Export Acceleration

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The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) successfully finished the first cohort of its main export acceleration plan, the BHARATI programme.

BHARATI stands for Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Innovation as a data-driven export enablement scheme.
It builds an export-first mindset among Indian food startups to help them become successful global agri-food exporters.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) acts as the nodal body for this initiative.

It builds a strong export pipeline to help India reach its national goal of USD 50 billion in APEDA-scheduled product exports by 2030.
It finds and supports promising agritech startups to fix major gaps in product design, green practices, shelf life, supply chains, and quality checks.

Agri-food startups working on high-value products for global buyers can apply for the programme.
Sanitary and Phytosanitary solution providers, independent researchers, and solo entrepreneurs building fixes for trade bottlenecks are eligible.
APEDA-registered exporters who want to grow their product range with new, high-value items can join.
Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) that grow premium foods or solve trade friction are also included.
Eligible businesses must be set up as a Private Limited Company, a Registered Partnership Firm, or a Limited Liability Partnership.
The business must not be older than 5 years from its official registration date.
The yearly business turnover must not have crossed ₹10 crore in any financial year since starting.

Out of over 700 pan-India applications, exactly 100 high-potential startups won selection through a strict multi-step review.
The first cohort included 68 agri-food product startups, 26 export technology providers, and 6 innovators focused on quality rules.
Participants go through a 120-hour fast-track training covering export readiness, business scaling, branding, legal rules, and investor meetings.
The scheme gave direct global exposure by sending the top 8 performing startups to the Gulfood 2026 exhibition in Dubai, which led to over 100 international business talks.
The programme brought together entrepreneurs of all ages, ranging from 17 to 75 years old.