APEDA Facilitates Uttarakhand’s First Frozen French Fries Export to Iraq

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) announced that it had facilitated the first export of frozen French fries from Uttarakhand - a 24-tonne consignment shipped from Kashipur to Iraq, marking a new export lane for a landlocked hill state's processed-food industry. 
 

What APEDA facilitated

APEDA, which operates under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, facilitated the export of 24 tonnes of frozen French fries from Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand, to Iraq. The consignment was exported by Virun Global Trade Pvt. Ltd., and APEDA describes it as the first such export from the state — a milestone in promoting value-added agricultural exports from Uttarakhand while strengthening India's processed-food export basket. 

The exporter told APEDA it expects the shipment's quality to lead to repeat orders and long-term business relationships in international markets, creating sustained export opportunities for the company and the region. APEDA has separately supported the exporter's participation in leading international trade exhibitions — including SIAL, Gulfood, IndusFood and World Food India — to build market outreach and buyer engagement.
 

Why a 24-tonne shipment matters for a landlocked state

Uttarakhand's geography — hilly, landlocked, distant from the ports that handle most of India's agri-export volume — has historically made it a marginal player in processed-food exports. A first export lane to Iraq, however small in tonnage, signals that a Kashipur-based processor can now clear the quality, logistics and documentation hurdles APEDA export markets demand. 

APEDA Chairman Shri Abhishek Dev addressed the underlying constraint directly: logistics costs continue to shape how competitive exports from landlocked states like Uttarakhand can be. 

Abhishek Dev, Chairman, APEDA

Logistics costs continue to influence the competitiveness of exports from landlocked states such as Uttarakhand. APEDA is working closely with the Government of Uttarakhand on the formulation and implementation of the State Agri Export Policy, including provisions for transport assistance to improve export competitiveness and facilitate greater market access for exporters.

That framing matters beyond this one shipment: transport-assistance provisions under a State Agri Export Policy would apply to every Uttarakhand processor trying to reach export markets, not just this consignment. 
 

India's processed potato exports, FY2025-26

APEDA's release places the Iraq shipment against the backdrop of India's wider processed-vegetable export performance for 2025-26. India's exports of processed vegetables reached USD 932.25 million, comprising 7,26,874.70 MT. Within that, value-added potato products accounted for 277,108.51 MT of exports, valued at USD 289.40 million. 
 

What APEDA is building toward in Uttarakhand

APEDA frames this shipment as one data point in a broader push: an expanding processed-food industry in Uttarakhand that generates demand for quality raw produce, promotes value addition closer to the farm, and pulls more growers into export-oriented supply chains. The stated goal is to lift farmer incomes through improved market access while growing the state's processed-food export base. 

APEDA says it continues to work with state governments, exporters, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and processors to strengthen export infrastructure and facilitate market access for value-added agricultural exports from India more broadly — of which this Kashipur-to-Iraq consignment is Uttarakhand's opening entry.