The recently-concluded two-day International Food Innovation 2015 Expo & Summit, held under the aegis of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasised that India should evolve effective regulations relating to food safety and accelerate its research and development expenditure to enable it further deepen and widen its agri produce and thus increase its share in global food trade.
Efforts should also be made by the authorities and concerned stakeholders in the agriculture sector so that India could deepen and broad base its partnership with economies of scales to facilitate transfer of advanced technologies to the farmers of the land so that agri production and India’s engagement with its foreign counterparts increases for agri exports.
The summit, which was inaugurated by Asim Ahmed Khan, minister of food & supply, Government of NCT of Delhi, in which diplomats from USA and Chile and host of other countries were present under the presidency of chamber’s president Alok B Shriram observed that the larger R&D expenditure of India in its agriculture was critically important to augment its domestic produce as well as exports.
Food safety regulations of India need to become more effective to ensure that the food safety of agriculture products increases on par with standards that prevail in economies of scale as the effective regulations are necessary to enable India produce quality crops and increase its export engagements with global economies to integrate the country with them in an effective manner.
Ashwani Gupta, scientist ‘G’, DSIR, ministry of science & technology, in his observations felt that the government of the day had begun intensive work to accelerate its agricultural production with quality grains by setting up 42 mega food parks. Other similar steps are also been initiated to augment and increase the productivity in India’s agri products.
Among others who participated in the summit and expressed similar sentiments included Scott S Sindler, counselor for agricultural affairs, foreign agricultural services, embassy of USA; Carolina Vasquez, trade commissioner, Embassy of Chile; Sanjay Gupta, associate director, SPA Capital Advisors Ltd, project management agency of Government of Bihar; Alok B Shriram, president, PHD Chamber; along with its S K Sarkar, chairman, Innovation Committee; and Saurabh Sanyal, secretary-general.
