A global conference titled “Maximizing Quality Production through Milling Technology” and aimed at satisfying the food and feed security of nearly nine billion people by the year 2050 was held in Hyderabad recently.
According to a press release issued by the organisers, the conference focussed on global and Indian grain production trends and market dynamics; use of grains as food, feed and fuel; logistics (storage, handling, transportation) issue of the grains business; food safety and standards; sustainability of grains production and food security .
Raj Kapoor, MD, Assocom India (one of the organisers), explains, "India is one of the world’s largest producers of grains including rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses. Driven by rising purchasing power and population pressure, demand for grains is expanding. However, land constraints, water shortage and global warming are emerging as challenges for the grains sector. Milling technology is evolving constantly and opportunities to employ the latest exist.”
The keynote lecture was delivered by D V R Rajiv Mohan, VP, agri businesses, ITC Ltd, who addressed the trends of the flour milling industry, development of feed milling, inventions of production processes for quality production of milled products for India, and a critical review of all milling policies. The event highlighted the challenge of feeding one-billion-plus Indian population with milled products. The delegates tried to find out the ways to transform India into a leading country with respect to the total milled grains in the decades ahead with the help of technological advancement. A special session was devoted to the challenge of ‘Feeding 9 Billion by 2050’ and included global outlook and various challenges associated with feeding the masses and securing nutritional security.
The conference also addressed the issues of procurement and storage, quality and sustainability of upgrading mills and modern flour milling techniques. A separate session was devoted to addressing the food safety and regulatory regime, and the requirement of international standards so that the market and quality issues can be taken care of.
G K Sood, seminar moderator, trade lead, said that Indian milling would benefit from the knowledge of technical knowhow of the modern milling practices and processes which were highlighted at the conference. The meet also addressed grain production & distribution, and food quality and production while protecting the environment.
Grain milling industries, manufacturers of processed foods using milled grains, extrusion processors, branded players in flour market, equipment manufacturers, food technologists, feed millers, ingredient suppliers, service providers and related others participated. Renowned speakers from India and abroad shared their domain expertise on a host of current topics including food and nutrition security.
The event was co-hosted by GFMT, UK, and Assocom India. The primary objective of the conference was to review the Indian milling industry - flour, rice, feed and grains - from a milling-processing point-of-view.
