Cover Feature
Trade Exhibitions Rocketing Agri m s i r u o T & s Expor t m is r u o t e d a r t y a w o w t Expos — a boost to
– S Jafar Naqvi & TV Satyanarayanan
A
n offshoot of the fascinating saga of India’s transition from agriCulture to agriBusiness is the proliferation of mega expos to showcase the latest achievements in agriculture and allied activities. This, in fact, is in keeping with the global trend of organizing big international exhibitions to bring together all stakeholders on a single platform. These mega events, undoubtedly, offer a win-win situation for all. They promote trade relations between countries, technology transfer and joint ventures, and what have you — in fact the whole host of cooperative activities and arrangements, the scope of which has been widening in the current pattern of world trade. Although WTO negotiations are not making much headway, free trade agreements among countries are becoming the order of the day. Unobtrusively, the increasing number of international expos and exhibitions has yielded another important spin off – promotion of agri trade tourism. In India, the transformation in agriculture being showcased through expos is becoming the
24
AgriBusiness & Food Industry w June 2012
In the forefront of Indian participation in overseas shows is Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Commerce, along with organisations like Tea Board, Spices Board, Cashew Board, MPEDA, Coffee Board, IOPEPC and AIREA