Mr. Ashwani Bakshi, CEO, of the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture had a phenomenal meeting with the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Mr. Chirag Paswan, along with Mr. Haris Khan, Director. The agenda was focused on the briefing of ICFA and the upcoming GrainsWorld 2024 and India Food 2025, and policy Round Tables, where the Minister expressed his eagerness to support the initiatives. The Minister invited ICFA to work closely with the Ministry in expanding the opportunities for business and investments in this sector and also helping farmers in market linkages and value addition by better connect with the food processing industry.
The India Digital Agri Conference 2024, co-organized by the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture and IIT Ropar iHub - AWaDH, took place on October 11th at The Park Hotel, New Delhi. It brought together policymakers, industry experts, entrepreneurs, and farmers to explore digital agriculture's transformative potential. The event emphasized knowledge exchange, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration, paving the way for sustainable growth. Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of Agriculture, highlighted the significance of the Digital Agriculture Mission in modernizing Indian agriculture and empowering farmers. The event also focused on policy dialogue, market linkages, and building climate-resilient agricultural systems. Engaging panel discussions further enriched the event, making it a great success.
ICFA organized a Business Round Table at dinner at Hotel Renaissance by Marriot in Lucknow, participated by 40+ CEOs and officials. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Avanish Awasthi, IAS 1987 Batch, Advisor to the Chief Minister, and joined by Mr. Gabriel Sinimbo, Namibia High Commissioner, Dr. Poonam Malakondaiah, IAS 1988 Batch, Ex ACS Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh, Ms Nidhi Choudhary, IFS, 1st Secretary, Indian High Commission, UK and Mr. Mukesh B Singh, Chairman, ICFA UP State Council. This meeting was prelude to a day long Uttar Pradesh State Agriculture Summit taking place today, graced by the Hon’ble Dy CM, the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Horticulture, besides Secretaries and Directors of Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Husbandry.
ICFA organised 1st UP State Agriculture Summit in Lucknow on 30-31 Aug, joined by 125+ business leaders, startups and officials. The inaugural day as done by the Minister of horticulture and agro exports, Mr. Dinesh Pratap Singh while concluding function was graced by the Dy. CM Mr. Brajesh Pathak. The Dy CM also presented the state agriculture awards to 21 individuals and organisations, including NBRI for research, CSA Kanpur for academics, IIT Ropar for technology, AVPL for digital agriculture, Gramik for startup, Nuziveedu for corporate, DCM Shriram for CSR and Dr Ashok Bajpai, MP and former Ag Minister for lifetime achievement. Previous day 40+ CEOs meet was organised, chaired by Mr. Awanish Awasthi, Advisor to CM. ICFA is hosting Karnataka State Agriculture Summit on Sept 24-25 in Bangalore. On this occasion ICFA did curtain raiser of its flagship event, AgroWorld, to be organised in Lucknow from 19-21 Feb, 2025, and also the GrainsWorld being organised in Dubai from 25-27 Nov 2024, jointly with International Grains Council, Global Grains and Pulses Council and supported by the Ministry of Commerce.
Dr MJ Khan, Chairman ICFA met with Agriculture Minister of New Zealand, Mr. Todd Mcclay in New Delhi. They had a great exchange on potential areas of cooperation in food and agriculture between the countries. The Minister highlighted exciting opportunities in agriculture and technological collaborations, especially in horticulture, dairy, animal health management, logistics, post-harvest, and climate-smart agriculture systems. He shared plans for establishing technical collaborations and a Centre of Excellence in Kiwi.
ICFA and IIT Ropar signed up MoU to work in the areas of digital agriculture and strengthening Startups ecosystem. IIT Ropar has a major program of AI for Agriculture, and is executing the nationwide project, Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub, under the DST, Government of India, having partnered with over 200 corporate and institutions globally, and incubating 100+ Agritech and Watertech Startups. This MoU aims at delivering digital courses to agri institutions, technology solutions to companies, mentoring of agritech and watertech startups and outreach programs for FPOs, KVKs, Cooperatives and Farmers.
Dr MJ Khan, Chairman, ICFA joined and addressed the inaugural of a day long conference on the role of leadership in growth and transformation of society, organised by UP-ASSOCHAM, American Chamber of Commerce, BCL and others at hotel Hilton in Lucknow. Dr Khan highlighted the critical role that agriculture plays in the country’s economic growth and social transformation, and how business, technology and political leaderships together can alleviate it to next level. Mr. Neeraj Singh, President, FICCI Youth Leaders Forum, Mrs. Namrata Pathak, Social Worker and wife of Dy CM, Sh. Brajesh Pathak, Mrs. Aparna Yadav, Political Leader, Sh. Mukesh B Singh, Chairman, UP Council, IACC, among others addressed the conference.
We are thrilled to share the profound impact of Dr. MJ Khan's recent visit to OGT Rovensa Next factory at Northern Atlantic coast in Ireland, marking a transformative moment within the Biostimulants domain. RovensaNext is the pioneering company in Biostimulants and seed weed based solutions for agriculture. Dr. MJ Khan graced his esteemed presence, embodying a significant leap forward into the commitment to nurturing bilateral relations and shaping the trajectory of biostimulants and food business ventures. Crafted with meticulous attention to details, Dr. Khan's visit was a journey to foster collaboration and explore avenues for a strategic alliance between OGT factory in Kilcar and the esteemed Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA), mentioned the press releases issued by RovensaNext. It served as an invaluable platform for exchanging insights, aligning objectives, and charting a course toward shared success in the agricultural realm, it further added Throughout the visit, Dr. Khan was accompanied by Cathal Daynes, Global Technical Manager, who skilfully led engaging discussions on a spectrum of strategic initiatives. Together, they laid the groundwork for future endeavours aimed at propelling innovation and fostering sustainable growth. Dr. Khan's experience at OGT factory underscores the unwavering commitment to forging impactful partnerships and harnessing collective expertise to address the evolving demands of the agricultural sector. We both are invigorated by the prospects that lie ahead and remain steadfast in the pursuit of driving positive change through collaborative efforts and pioneering innovation.
India Grains and Pulses Council launched in New Delhi by Prof. Ramesh Chand, Hon’ble Member, NITI Aayog in the presence of senior hashtag#Government officials, hashtag#diplomats, global hashtag#experts and hashtag#trade and industry leaders. Promoted by Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture, the hashtag#IGPC Steering Committee is chaired by Sh. RK Tiwari, 1985 batch IAS and former Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh. On this occasion, hashtag#ICFA announced the Commerce Ministry funded World Grains Expo in Dubai 26-28 November and its collaboration with International hashtag#Grains Council to be signed on April 19 in London. The launch event today was graced by Ambassadors and High Commissioners of hashtag#Malaysia, hashtag#Myanmar, hashtag#Tanzania, hashtag#Ethiopia, hashtag#Zimbabwe, The Secretary General hashtag#AARDO, Mr. Manoj Namdeo Singh, The ED, IGC Mr. Arnaud Petit, The DG, BRRI Dr. S Kabir, Joint Secretary, Agriculture, Mr Samuel Praveen Kumar among others. IGPC is poised to become a central figure in the grains and pulses market, uniting a diverse array of stakeholders including hashtag#traders, hashtag#importers, hashtag#processors, hashtag#millers, hashtag#service providers, and hashtag#experts. The vision of IGPC is rooted in sustainability, innovation, and productivity, aiming to ensure that Indian agriculture is not only competitive on the world stage but also adheres to the highest standards of environmental stewardship and innovation. It aims at boosting seamless trade of grains and pulses across globe by addressing policy, trade, technology and regulatory matters and fosters an ecosystem for innovations and international trade. www.igpcglobal.com
ICFA as part of its policy agenda, hosted CEOs Round Table on Crop Protection in New Delhi. Joined by 55 industry leaders from all three major industry associations, CropLife India, ACFI and CCFI, it threadbare discussed all issues concerning pesticides registrations, quality enforcement, sampling, MRL, data protection, exports and import, safety issues, PLI for R&D, farmers education, role of the states and public private partnerships in expanding the crop protection coverage. ICFA is constituting a Working Group on Crop Protection, bringing all key stakeholders on board to closely work with the Government on all issues concerning the farmers and the agrochemical industry. The meeting was chaired by the Additional Secretary, PP, Govt of India, Mr. Faiz A Kidwai, IAS, and chaired by the Plant Protection Advisior, Dr JP Singh, and Co-chaired by Dr. Archana Sinha, Secretary, CIB.
