14 July,2026 09:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra government allots 558 hectares for international agricultural market in Palghar (File pic)
In a major push to boost agricultural exports and strengthen market access for farmers, Maharashtra Cabinet, on Tuesday, July 14 approved the allotment of 558.43 hectares (1,395 acres) of land in Dapchari, Dahanu taluka of Palghar district for the development of an international-standard agricultural market.
As per the officials, the land has been allotted to the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB), which will develop the project aimed at connecting farmers directly with domestic and global markets.
Speaking to the media at Mantralaya after the Cabinet meeting, Maharashtra Minister Jaykumar Rawal highlighted that the proposed International Agricultural Market would create new opportunities for agricultural exports and help farmers secure better prices for their produce.
"The International Agricultural Market at Dapchari is not merely a market. It is a new path of development that will connect Maharashtra's farmers with global markets," Rawal said.
According to the minister, the project will come up around 40 kilometers from the upcoming Vadhvan Deep Water Port and will be modeled on globally renowned agricultural trading hubs such as France's Rungis Market, Royal Flora Holland in the Netherlands, and the agricultural logistics ecosystem surrounding the Port of Rotterdam.
The facility is envisioned as an integrated agricultural trade center catering to both domestic and export markets. It will provide end-to-end services, including sorting, grading, packaging, storage, marketing, and transportation of agricultural produce under one roof.
The center will also feature cold-chain infrastructure, warehousing, ripening chambers, quality-testing laboratories, container terminals, rail siding facilities, an e-auction platform, and an export facilitation center.
Rawal further said that Maharashtra is developing a three-tier agricultural marketing structure comprising the International Agricultural Market, Markets of National Importance and Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs).
Moreover, the system is aimed at strengthening the agricultural value chain through modern infrastructure, transparent digital transactions, post-harvest value addition and export-oriented facilities.
The Dapchari project will integrate six major functions at a single location that includes wholesale trading, import-export operations, cold-chain services, grading and packaging facilities, multimodal logistics and agri-tech and exchange services.
The minister further highlighted Maharashtra's strong agricultural base, noting that the state ranks first in the country in the production of grapes, pomegranates, cotton, and pulses and second in fruit and vegetable production. Maharashtra accounts for nearly 15 per cent of India's total agricultural exports and around 43 per cent of the country's fruit exports.
Officials said the new market is expected to significantly enhance the state's export capacity while reducing post-harvest losses by 15-20 per cent. Transportation and handling costs are also projected to decline by a similar margin due to improved logistics infrastructure.
The project is expected to generate more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs and provide a boost to agricultural processing industries and the local economy.
A key advantage of the project will be its strategic connectivity to major transport and logistics networks, including Vadhvan Port, Navi Mumbai International Airport, Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), the Samruddhi Mahamarg, the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor and the Vadodara Expressway.
Officials further said that this multimodal connectivity will streamline exports and reduce logistics costs for a wide range of agricultural products, including fruits, vegetables, flowers, cereals, pulses, spices, and processed food products.
The project will be developed by the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board under the guidance of the state government and is expected to position Maharashtra as one of India's leading agricultural export hubs.
