The Hindu : Indian agri-food team visiting W. Australia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 28, 2003

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Indian agri-food team visiting W. Australia

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 27. Two Indian agri-food delegations are now visiting Western Australia to source fresh produce, especially fruits, and enhance their understanding of value-adding processes in the Western Australian farm sector.

The Western Australia Trade Office (WATO) India and the State's Department of Agriculture have organised a trade delegation of fruit importers and a technical delegation of 23 dairy farmers and stock feed representatives from India who will tour the South West.

A communication from WATO-India, quoting the Western Australia Minister for Agriculture, Kim Chance, said India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had collectively become Australia's largest apple export market. Besides exporting fruit and other farm products, WA producers had opportunities in India for joint ventures in horticulture production, processing and export and development projects. "Currently, we are exporting apples, stone fruit and strawberries to India and small quantities of mangoes and melons have also been tried," Mr. Chance was quoted as saying. The Indian fruit importers would visit orchards and packaging and cold storage facilities and meet producers and exporters. The delegation of Indian dairy farmers would get a glimpse of WA's capabilities in dairy training with emphasis on quality assurance and would visit small dairy manufacturers and stock feed companies. "There is increasing Indian domestic demand for cheese, ice cream and yoghurt products and source stock feed," the Minister said.

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