The 7th edition of Panacea, an international trade fair of natural ingredients & products, organised by Seishido Communication, displayed a range of natural ingredients, and organic & health products.
The first day of the event was marked by good attendance at a seminar and panel discussion, which covered the latest topics and themes in various segments of the natural products industry.
“It’s platform for business opportunity for various sectors of natural products not only for India but also globally. Seishido Communication has not only conceived & nurtured the natural products industry but has also given it an all new impetus and today we are proud to present the emerging of a well-networked natural products community. This is evident from the fact that once again we have brought together the most exciting and innovation products and some of the best natural products companies on the same platform,” stated Mini Chakravarty, CEO, Seishido Communication, while speaking at the inaugural of the expo.
Chakravarty informed, “The consumer is getting aware about organic products. So market is growing every day. In India, the population is very huge and the awareness & knowledge about organic products is slowly growing and it’s marching ahead. The more the consumer is aware, the growth will be more, so basically it depends upon the awareness & knowledge.”
"In all, there are 100 exhibitors all from different categories. We are expecting a footfall of 10,000 visitors over three days. This year, the show is focussed on new products, trends, innovation, regulation & quality control," she added.
In the first seminar, Prabodh Halde, head, technical & product integrity, Marico Limited India, said, "The food processing sector comprises six major segments. India is the world's second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables and largest producer of milk in the world. It produces 6.5 million tonne of meat in FY07 and third-largest fish producer in the world. India also produces 200 million tonne of food grains every year. Consumer food is among the fastest-growing segment in India which includes packaged food, aerated soft drink, packaged drinking water, alcoholic beverages."
He added, “Government of India has implemented the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). The National Programme for Organic Production proposes to provide an institutional mechanism for the implementation of National Standards for Organic Production, through a National Accreditation Policy and Programme. Ministry of Agriculture, GOI, launched the notification “Organic Agricultural Produce Grading and Marking Rules, 2009. Any accredited inspection and certification agency under the NPOP is eligible for the grant of certificate of authorisation under these rules by applying with complete documentation as prescribed in the guidelines."
In the second seminar, Jyoti Bhasin, regional director, NSF International India, said, “We are associated with consumer with the word called natural. Basically, we have three parameters; one personal knowledge, second every product is ‘re- innovated’ and third is the environment that is capacity, payment, government , media etc. As the technology becomes available, the product gets cheaper.”
Further, the third seminar focussed on 'Dietary Supplements: 21 CFR part III GMP Compliance Implementation' by Kishor Kapadiya, business development manager, dietary supplements, NSF International. He said, "Personal qualification is very important. He must be educated, trained or be experienced to perform that assigned function.”
The session concluded with panel discussion on the emerging natural products market in south Asia - Latest trends and development by Prabodh Shah, chairman, Virgo UAP Pharma Pvt. Ltd, India, and president, GAMMA; Puneet Mittal, business consultant from Mittal Ayurveda Sansthan, India; and Jyoti Bhasin, regional director, NSF International, India. The discussion also had Ayurveda market in South Asia, latest trends, growth drivers of the market, market size, upcoming development.
Pradeep Aravind, freelancer & consultant, Kerala, a visitor to the show, said, "I am attending this event for second time, we come to know about latest trends in organic industry, it is a platform where you can meet all people related to industry."
While talking to the other visitors, they said, "It gives us new ideas about the industry, it helps us to connect to people, that help us to do business.”
Karan Arjan Manghwani, marketing manager, Tux Food, one of the exhibitors, said, “We are launching Achaari mango ketchup & lemon ketchup. We are also showcasing some product like sweet & sour line pickle, khajoor imlee chutney, raw mango murabba. The event is a great opportunity for the newcomers who are willing to grow their business."
