In a major push to position Bihar as a key hub for agricultural and processed food exports, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority’s (APEDA) first regional office in Patna at the Bihar Idea Festival on Wednesday.
The event was attended by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Industries Minister Nitish Mishra, senior state officials, entrepreneurs, FPOs and farmer groups. Until now, exporters from Bihar relied on APEDA’s regional office in Varanasi; the new Patna office will provide direct support to farmers, producers and exporters through registration, certification, market facilitation, infrastructure development and export advisory services.
Highlighting Bihar’s rich agri-ecosystem—spanning Shahi Litchi, Jardalu Mango, Mithila Makhana and other GI-tagged produce—Goyal said, “The APEDA Regional Office in Patna is a mission to integrate Bihar’s farmers with the global economy. With the right support, Bihar can emerge as a leader in high-value, sustainable agri-exports.”
Adding a historic touch to the occasion, a 7-metric-tonne consignment of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana was flagged off to New Zealand, Canada and the USA by Darbhanga-based entrepreneur Neha Arya, underscoring APEDA’s focus on women-led enterprises and inclusive trade promotion.
Over the last three years, APEDA has intensified its engagement in Bihar with capacity-building programs, international buyer-seller meets, technical collaborations and sustainable packaging initiatives to enhance export readiness. GI-tagged Mithila Makhana and Jardalu Mango have already reached global markets, while products like Shahi Litchi, Tilkut and Til Laddu are gaining international recognition.
The new Patna office is expected to cut response times for exporters, strengthen coordination with state institutions and act as a gateway to global markets for thousands of farmers, start-ups, FPOs and women entrepreneurs. Officials say the move marks a new era of opportunity, linking Bihar’s grassroots agri-producers directly to international value chains.