Over the past ten years, India’s export of Ready to Eat (RTE) and Ready to Cook (RTC) food products has experienced significant growth. The export of final food products falling under the categories of RTE, RTC, and RTS has risen at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.4% from 2011-12 to 2020-21, and in 2020-21 alone, India exported more than USD 2.14 billion worth of such products.
During this period, the share of RTE and RTC exports in the total food processing industry has also increased, from 2.1% to 5% and from 1.8% to 2.7%, respectively. In the financial years, 2018-19 to 2020-21, India exported final food products worth USD 5,438 million, including RTE, RTC, and RTS items.
The share of RTE (Ready to Eat) and RTC (Ready to Cook) food products in India’s total food processing exports has been increasing steadily, with RTE products accounting for 5% and RTC products accounting for 2.7% in 2020-21. India exported final food products, including RTE, RTC, and RTS (Ready to Serve), worth USD 5,438 million in the financial years 2018-19 and 2020-2021.
Biscuits and Confectionery and Indian Sweets and Snacks make up a significant portion of the RTE food product category, with a share of 89% in RTE exports in 2020-21. The top ten importing countries for RTE products in 2020-21 included the USA, which was the top importing country for four categories of RTE products, followed by the UAE, Nepal, Canada, and Australia.
The RTC food product category has been growing at a CAGR of 7% in the last ten years, with ready-tocook, papad, flours and milled products, and powder and starch being the major categories of food products covered under RTC. In 2020-21, the USA was the largest importing country for RTC products, followed by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Canada.
As per the APEDA Agri Exchange’s export statistics, the export of RTE food products from India has been going upward consistently in recent years. RTE export has increased from US$ 765.80 Million in 2018-19 to USD 1,435.56 Million in 2022-23, growing at CAGR of 13.39%. During the period April-December 2023-24, RTE exports from India have reached USD 1,113.17 million. When we look at data pertaining to exports in 2022-23, it is evident that Biscuits & confectionery (52.9%) and Indian sweets & snacks (37%) form the major share of India’s exports.
In the former category, India’s top markets are the US (USD 85.6 million), Sudan (USD 57.2 million), UAE (USD 39.1 million), Tanzania (USD 26.7 million) and Benin (USD 22.6 million). In the category of Indian sweets and snacks, the top export markets are the US (USD 147.23 million), UAE (USD 71.2 million), Canada (USD 33.5 million), Australia (USD 33.3 million) and the UK (USD 28.2 million).
In conclusion, RTE and RTC food products have become an increasingly important part of India’s food processing exports. RTE products are dominated by biscuits and confectionery and Indian sweets and snacks, while RTC products cover a wide range of food categories, including ready-to-cook, papad, flours and milled products, and powder and starch. The USA is the top importing country for both RTE and RTC products.
