India became the top food exporter to the League of Arab States for the first time in 15 years on Tuesday by surpassing Brazil.
A report by Reuters from Sao Paolo said that India's share was 8.25 percent of the total agribusiness products imported by the 22 Arab League members last year, higher than Brazil's 8.15 percent ending Brazil's 15-year advantage, according to the data that the Arab-Brazil Chamber of Commerce gave to Reuters.
The report said, "The Arab world is among Brazil's most important trade partners, but its distance from those markets took its toll as the [Covid-19] pandemic rattled global logistics".
India reportedly held the edge due to quick shipping of food products to the Arab states beating pandemic-related disruptions to the global supply chain, according to the chamber.
Agricultural exports from India rose sharply to nearly 25 percent in 2020-21, according to data from the ministry of commerce. The increase came even as India's total exports had dropped by over 7%.
Agricultural exports expanded to $32.5 billion in 2020-21 close to the record level of $32.7 billion in 2012-13. Meanwhile, the share of agriculture in the total exports exceeded 11 percent, the highest recorded.
