Mr Gary Jones, Pipfruit NZ - As an association Pipfruit provides its members, the fruit growers, with technical, policy and marketing information. We also represent their interests locally and in export markets. I extend an invitation to Indian growers to visit our apple orchards in New Zealand to learn more about how we grow our fruit.

Mr Ravinder Chauhan, President Apple Growers Association of India - There is a need for diversification in fruits. ‘Kisan Kosh’ should be created for supporting the growers during calamites.

Dr K Kumar, Professor, Department of Fruit Science, Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry - Apple varieties grown in the north western part of India fetch good price but are being impacted by climate change. Growers need to switch to new varieties such as Spur, Fuji, Gala.

Apple - a healthy ‘n’ wealthy affairApple Fest 2010 has added new flavour to Agro Tech. It has provided an opportunity to the apple growers from hill states of Himachal, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir to display and sell their products and explore & enter niche markets.In addition to apples the Fest also focuses on stone fruits including exotic vegetables like Broccoli, snow crowned cauliflower, bitter gourd, and ornamental flowers. Healthy herbal juices and syrups including amla, tulsi and brahmi are all there.

The International Buyer Seller Meet at Agro Tech 2010 attracted 13 buyers from 6 countries - China, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, Thailand, and UAE. 65 meetings with 13 sellers were held today.

International Buyer Seller Meet

SAI Cold storage and Allround (India) Vegetable Processing signed an MoU worth Rs 5.5 Crores for setting up 8,000 MT multi storage with all sorting, grading, packaging and loading facilities for potato, onion, carrot and beats. The facility would be set up at Palanpur, Gujarat.

We are looking at India for sourcing Basmati rice, packaged foods and ketchup and are also interested in importing private labels.

Mr Fazaludheen V M, Head Purchase, Fathima Group of Companies, UAE

Basmati rice, aromatic products, fruits and vegetables, dry fruits and mushroom from India are our interest. Presently, we are importing these products from China, Thailand, Philiphines and Malaysia

Mr Fu Kai Jung, Director, Cuantu Company Ltd,TaiwanWe are presently importing spices and bottle juices from India and want to expand this product portfolio.

Mr Dilip Asnani, Gimajasa (Thailand) Ltd, Thailand

Bizz at Agro Tech 2010

Interest areas Basmati rice Aromatic products Packaged foods Spices Fruits & vegetables Baby cereal Confectionery

Conference on Apple & Stone Fruits

As a host state of Agro Tech 2010, Punjab is showcasing some of its finest at the fair.

IT for FarmersTo help its farmers access markets and information through the virtual world, Punjab is taking IT to its farmers. The Punjab Information & Communication Technology Corporation Limited is providing IT training courses to farmers through its 100 plus training centers.

The Stalwarts of PunjabVerka and Sohna both based on the highly successful cooperative model, are reaching out to the grassroots providing a source of income and enterprise to the farmers of Punjab.

Haryana shows the wayDegraded land is a loss to agriculture.

Haryana is now showing the way by reclamation of degraded land. It is taking

measures to manage its alkali soils and reclaiming saline soils. Use of gypsum as treatment for alkaline

soils is being promoted. So far 3,28,196 Ha has been reclaimed.

Indo – Israel CenterIn a ‘first of its kind’ step, the state is setting up ‘The Indo-Israel Centre for Excellence in Vegetables’ at Gharaunda, near Karnal. The centre will demonstrate advanced farm technologies of Israel to maximize cultivation and achieve quality production of vegetables. A similar center focusing on excellence in cultivation of fruits has been proposed for 2011. The Gharaunda centre focuses on the use of polyhouses, insect net-houses, walk-in tunnels and other plastic cover techniques to increase the yield of vegetables. It also showcases advanced micro-irrigation and fertigation methods to maximise yield and save water, and development of proper nursery standards for production of disease-free seedlings.

The Hafed StoryHaryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd, popularly known as Hafed, undertakes various diversified activities such as supply of agricultural inputs at the farmer’s doorsteps, marketing support by value addition through processing and exports. Hafed is taking the farmer’s produce to the world and in turn providing them with agricultural inputs such as agrochemicals. Hafed has developed into a trusted brand name in the consumer product categories such as cooking oils, flour and rice.

Sohna, established way back in 1954, has 3047 societies from which it procures raw materials. It also distributes agrochemicals at discounted rates to farmers. Sohna exports most of its produce of Basmati, ready to eat foods and preserves to North America, Europe and South East Asia.Verka, relatively young has achieved much more. One of the most popular brands of milk and milk products in northern India, it is a large supplier to the Indian Armed forces. Of its 5300 cooperative societies, 790 are run solely by women, to whom it also provides training.Verka currently exports to the Middle East, South East Asia, Afghanistan and Oceana. It will soon be launching sugar free milk products and sweets.

Punjab

Haryana

The Conference deliberated issues related to post harvest management. The first session ideated on cold chain models & stakeholder initiatives for better post harvest management. India produces nearly 190 million MT of fruits and vegetables, valued at over Rs.2, 00,000 crore, 30 per cent of which is wasted. Lack of cold chain infrastructure, poor handling, handling at multiple levels and inappropriate packaging are the primary reasons. Also there is shortage of skilled labour both in the farms and mandies. There is no incentive to anyone to improve quality / productivity from farm to retail. The biggest loser in this scenario is the farmer who cannot hold on to the produce as it is

Basmati rice known for its aroma is in great demand. It is mainly grown in the northern states of India and also in Pakistan Punjab. India produces 6 varieties of traditional Basmati Ric. In addition, there are evolved varieties like- Punjab Basmati 1, Pusa Basmati 1, Kasturi , Haryana Basmati 1, Mahi Sugandha , Pusa Basmati 1121, Improved P B 1, Pusa Basmati 6, and Ballabh Basmati 22.There exists a huge potential in Basmati rice exports. Over the last year years Basmati exports have almost doubled to 20 lakh tones. The Seminar focused on increasing Indian Basmati exports

Key Takeaways• Register Basmati Geographical Indication in international

jurisdiction• EnhanceproductivitythroughuseofHYVseeds,soiltreatment,

appropriate techniques which are also less water intensive• Sharingofbestpracticesamongstfarmers• IndustryandfarmerstoworktogethertomakeIndianBasmati

rice competitive• Expandextensionservices

International Conference on Agri Infrastructure: Imperative to Growth

perishable. A mix of co-operative and corporate model would work best for this sector. The second session focused Grain storage and warehousing. Current state of warehouses is dismal due to lack of technology, inefficient facilities, and shortage of expertise. Small and distributed storage

across states due to different tax structures prevents scale and technology. The fundamental demand is very strong. Attracting private sector investment is the key.

Conference on New Drivers in the Food Processing SectorThe discussion focused on opportunities for health and functional foods & innovative food packaging in India.

India is going to witness a significant growth for wellness and functional foods going forward. Validation and certification of these products by an appropriate authority is crucial for the development of the industry.

Rajesh SrivastavaCo - Chairman Agro Tech 2010 Conferences

& CMD, Rabo Equity Services

In spite of being one of the biggest producers of agriculture commodities, India only processes 2 per cent of the food production compared to 25 per cent in China and 65 – 80 per cent in the Netherlands. However, I must say that India has the opportunity to be at the food center of the world and PPPs hold the key to its position.

Henk van DuijnAgricultural Counselor, Embassy of the Netherlands

Due to its health enriching properties, Saffron can be an important functional food for the food processing sector. India with a share of 10-15 per cent is among the only four saffron producing countries in the world. The quality of Kashmiri saffron is the best and acknowledged world over.

Dr Firdaus Nehvi Scientist & Head KD Research Station on Saffron

Our industry has not fully exploited the potential in functional food segment. Blending the existing processed food products with traditional Indian fruits like amla, bael and medicinal plants can launch India’s food processing sector into the next orbit of growth.

M N LariMD, Abdullah Fresh Foods Ltd

Conference- CII NR HQOpportunities in Dairy & Poultry

Dairy Value chain Domestic & Export Growth in poultry

International Buyer Seller Meet - Parade Ground Processed foods

Valedictory Session – Hotel Shivalik View1500 – 1600 hrs

Weather StationAllround Vegetable Processing, a Holland based company has chosen Food Tech 2010 to launch interesting new products: cold storage equipment, matching the European standards, first of its kind in India, with exclusive features like long-term storing for 11 months and high energy efficiency; ‘Weather Station’ to provide accurate weather forecast and soil health database to the farm owners.

Like Moths to a FlameEco Solatec, a Korea based company has come out with a solar insect trap. The lamp is very tough and safe for crops as the special light does not affect the crops or the productivity. Just leave it on and watch your fields be rid of pests.

Ash in soilThe various thermal plants of India produce hundreds of thousands tones of fly ash every year. This byproduct is utilized in various industries like cement, asbestos, bricks etc as an input raw material, and off late as an agriculture input. Use of fly ash in agriculture has many advantages - it improves soil tenure; improves water holding capacity; optimizes PH value; reduces bulk density of soil; provides micro & macro nutrients; reduces pest incidences; and improves soil fertility.NTPC display at Agrotech 2010 is promoting this concept.

Friend of common manHMT Ltd the oldest tractor maker from India is participating

in Agro Tech 2010. The company has launched new generation of the tractors in Agro Tech

2010- HMT 6522 – 4WD, HMT 5022 Rx and HMT 4022 PS. HMT provides product range for cross section of the farmers

and is positioning itself in the niche tractor market with new generation tractors.

Emu - the golden GooseEmu, the national bird of Australia, an expensive proposition. Omelets made of Emu’s odorless egg sell in star hotels of Mumbai at rates as high as Rs 5500. Left over broken egg shells are used for Art works. The feathers, besides being used i n fashion industry, can be used to pad up pillows specially recommended by doctors.`

Animal feed supplement that flies fly On display at Agrotech 2010 is an animal feed supplement which makes the dung & droppings of animals dry. It kills larvae, breaking the breeding cycle of flies. The supplement also prevents clumping of feed particles which improves animal digestion and has considerably less odour.

Veterinary Nutritionist The TMR Mixor Wagon, a computerized Nutritional System, on display at the Livestock Expo 2010, mixes the green and dry fodder, the chemical and physical ration, as per the dietary requirement of the animal. This eliminates the need for feeding separate diets, and also enhances milk production. The balanced & nutrition rich diet increases the Protein & Fat content in milk yield.

Improving livestock DNA Pharmaceutical major Pfizer has come up with unique solutions for determining & improving the DNA of live stock. Innovoject is the

Livestock Expo brings in different sectors of the industry under one roof- Animal feed, feed additives, medicines, Ayurveda & Homeopathy for animals, and breeding of different types of birds which present plenty of opportunities to both visitors and exhibitors.

− Pravin Lunkad, Chairman Livestock Expo 2010

latest technology for innovo vaccination wherein, vaccine is directly injected into the bird’s egg. This results in better immune response system for the bird. Similarly a machine, Clarified, has been developed that can predict the future productivity of a heifer, using the latest DNA marker technology.