BHUBANESWAR: Odisha is participating as a ‘Focus State’ in the three-day World Food India (WFI)-2017 being organised in New Delhi from Friday. The State Government will set up its own pavilion with 12 stalls showcasing various processed foods like spices, cashew, confectionery items, processed agro food and sea food.
While Odisha Sea Food Exporters’ Association along with Directorate of Fisheries will showcase the potential in sea food sector, Directorate of Horticulture and APICOL along with local industry partners will showcase the processed agro food items as well as spices that are produced in the State.
A seminar on ‘Opportunities in Food Processing in Odisha’ will also be organised during the event at Vigyan Bhawan. Besides, the business delegation from the State will be having B2B meetings with investors and entrepreneurs from other States and countries. In the run-up to the event, officials on Tuesday briefed key stakeholders about various investment opportunities in the State’s vibrant food processing sector and investor-friendly ecosystem.
Additional Chief Secretary of MSME Department LN Gupta said Odisha is one of the few States which has a dedicated Food Processing Policy and it has been targeting creation of a conducive ecosystem of food processing sector.“With 10 diverse agro-climatic zones and a 480-km coastline, Odisha is a leader in production of rice, vegetables, sea food, cashew and major producer of coconut, oilseeds, potato, corn, chilly, ginger and turmeric,” he said.
World Food India (WFI)-2017 is a global mega food event to facilitate partnerships between Indian and international businesses and investors. Considered as a gateway to the Indian food economy, the event is expected to be attended by over 2,000 participants, and 50-plus global CEOs from around 20 countries.
Japan, Denmark and Germany are ‘Partner Countries’ of the event, while Italy and the Netherlands are joining as ‘Focus Countries’. Officials and business delegations from countries like Poland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the UK, France and the Netherlands are also attending.