Date:09/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/12/09/stories/2004120902491700.htm

Back 81 companies to take part in food expo

Our Bureau

Hyderabad , Dec. 8

AS many as 81 companies, many of them from abroad, will take part in the four-day "World of Food India 2004" trade fair being held here on Friday and organised by CIDEX Trade Fairs Pvt Ltd with its parent company Koelnmesse GmbH of Germany.

According to CIDEX Managing Director, Dr Mathias Winter, the trade fair would be the first international platform in India to serve as a meeting point for suppliers and buyers in the food and beverage industry.

There is confirmed group participation from Germany, Italy, Singapore and Thailand and individual participations from Indonesia, Malaysia and UAE.

Dr Winter told newspersons here on Wednesday that the scope of the exhibition encompassed fresh fruits, vegetables, processed food, confectionery items, bakery items, health foods, gourmet foods, seafood, poultry and meat products, frozen foods, milk and dairy products, beverages and drinks, rice, spices and other ingredients.

The President of the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chapter of Commerce and Industry (FAPCCI), Mr O.P. Goenka, said that a two-day symposium covering various facets of food industry would be organised by FAPCCI in association the Confederation of Indian Food Trade and Industry (CIFTI) during the trade fair.

The topics at the symposium would range from investment opportunities in the processed food sector, a comparative analysis of food business in India and China and South-East Asian perspective of the processed food industry.

The Chief Executive of ITC Agribusinesses, Mr S. Sivakumar, said that the forthcoming event was important when viewed from two different perspectives. The first was that it would give insights into the macro trends in the global food sector, particularly in the light of the globalisation of the agricultural trade.

Mr Sivakumar said that as part of the ongoing reforms in the agricultural sector in the country, the Government would be amending the Agricultural Produce Marketing Act, paving way for private sector participation. Similarly, the Government was likely to come out with a unified food law shortly.

The Chief Executive of the Retailers Association of India (RAI), Mr Gibson G. Vedamani, said that food retailing in India was currently at a take-off stage.