PROCEEDINGS_Agri Horti Food Fest Final

8/12/2019 PROCEEDINGS_Agri Horti Food Fest Final

1/17

Agri Horti Food Fest 2013

Proceedings

INAUGURAL SESSION

Welcome AddressMr M K Jalan

Chairman, Agri Business Committee, ICC

Mr. M. K. Jalan said that there is a need to distinguish between the productions of table andprocessed variety of crops, which will prove beneficial for the industrialists the farmers. !espo"e on the importance of food processing sector and its lin"age with agriculture as it connectsthe entire value#chain from farmers to consumers. !e also stressed on proper use of rawmaterials their supply , and efficient post#harvest infrastructure through $$$ s for effectiveproduction of processed food.

Special AddressMr P K Majumdar

Adviser # Agriculture to !on%ble Chief Minister, &overnment of 'est Bengal

Mr. $. K. Ma(umdar focused on the application of advanced technology for increasing farm#levelproductivity and production of crops in 'est Bengal. !e said that the &overnment of 'estBengal is stressing more on production of rice which is industry demand oriented and also givinge)tensive support to all the farmers in this regard. !e mentioned that the Minimum *upport $ricefor paddy has been increased to I+ -/0 by the state government. !e said that the goal of theconcerned departments of the *tate &overnment is to improve the socio#economic conditions offarmers and help them to get better price for their produce. !e concluded by saying that thestrategy for development should be farmer#centric and mar"et#led. Application of these strategiesis e)pected to lead to multi#pronged growth and development of the sector and the peopleassociated with it, he opined.

Keynote AddressMr Subrata Biswas

*ecretary, 1epartment of Agriculture, &overnment of 'est Bengal

In his "eynote address, Mr. *ubrata Biswas said that there have been paradigm shifts with regardto farm#level incomes and development of allied sectors of agriculture. 2he &o'B is "een topromote value#added agriculture, he said. 2al"ing about the various initiatives that the *tate


2/17

&overnment is ta"ing to promote growth of Agriculture, the !on%ble Minister said that the &ovt.had organi3ed the 4Krishi Mela% for the first time, which primarily focused on development andupliftment of economic conditions of the state%s farmers. $roductions of potato and oil seedshave crossed the target in the last fiscal, he commented. !e said that the &o'B is focusing onthe creation and operationalisation of 5Krisha" Ba3aar6, an uni7ue mar"eting facility for the

farmers in distant villages of the state. Alongside, constructions of cold storage units near5Krisha" Ba3aar6 have also been done by the concerned departments. !e also mentioned that the&overnment of 'est Bengal is providing subsidies to farmers for farm mechani3ation and theamount is transferred directly to the farmers% ban" account.

Theme AddressMr C M Bachhawat

$rincipal *ecretary, 1epartment 8ood $rocessing Industries and !orticulture, &overnment of'est Bengal

Mr. Bachhawat also briefly mentioned about the various initiatives that are being ta"en under the+ational !orticulture Mission, +ational initiative for vegetable clusters, Micro irrigation and+ational Mission on 8ood $rocessing, and said these schemes and pro(ects can have significantpositive impact upon 'est Bengal%s Agriculture sector.

Address by uest o! "onourMr Subrata Saha

!on%ble Minister of 8ood $rocessing Industries and !orticulture, &overnment of 'est Bengal

2he !on%ble Minister said that Agro 8ood $rocessing sector can truly be Bengal%s engine of

growth. !e said that with changing tastes and preferences of the urban middle class in India, the

demand for processed food has become significantly higher than the table variety of

commodities. !e suggested that for proper utili3ation of the mar"et demand, the food processingindustry and supporting infrastructure will have to be developed. !e mentioned that a high#end

flower processing unit is proposed to be developed near Mallic"ba3aar 8lower &hat. 2he state is

planning for production of onion in the off#season, which will help the farmers garner greater

revenue, and will also reduce the over#dependence upon imports, he said. 2he state government

is focusing on production of guava sabeda in *outh Bengal9 litchi mango in Central Bengal

and orange pine#apple in +orth Bengal, the Minister added. !e concluded his remar"s

mentioning that the state government is spreading the concept of 4Ideal !orti 8arm%, which

includes development of self help groups, horti farming, vermi pro(ects, dairy pro(ects and micro

food processing industry.

Address by uest o! "onourMr Arup #oy

!on%ble Minister of Agriculture Mar"eting, &overnment of 'est Bengal


3/17

!e opined that promotion and mar"eting activities need to be increased. !e then spo"e about riceproduction and also suggested better price for farmers to ma"e them financially stronger. !ementioned about future pro(ects of his department li"e $otato 8la"es, I:8 industry with A$;1A *tate &overnment. !e also spo"e about the opportunity in foreign mar"ets for Aromatic +on

Basmati ice.

Address by uest o! "onourMr Shantiram Mahato

!on%ble Minister of *elf !elp &roup and *elf ;mployment, &overnment of 'est Bengal

Addressing the 8est, he said that to increase the purchasing power of farmers, cooperation andsupport are re7uired from all the related 1epartments of 'est Bengal. !e mentioned that thefocus should be on better income generation for farmers by implementation of better pricingsystem, adoption of new and advanced scientific processes and technologies.

Address by uest o! "onourMr Swapan $ebnath

!on%ble Minister of Micro and *mall *cale ;nterprises and 2e)tiles &overnment of 'estBengal

!e said that involvement of M*M; industries will help in providing value addition to the foodprocessing sector. !e stressed on the aspects of proper field production and other resources offood processing which are easily available with small scale entrepreneurs. !e mentioned thatfood processing will yield better price for agricultural produce and can also generate significantemployment in the state.

Address by uest o! "onourJanab "aider A%i% Sa!wi

!on%ble Minister of Co#operation, &overnment of 'est Bengal

!e said that self help groups and co#operatives will have to be involved actively for propermar"eting of agri products, building necessary storage capacity and ensure time#boundtransportation. 2hese will reduce wastages of crops, he opined

Address by uest o! "onourMr Shan&ar Cha&raborty

!on%ble Minister of Correctional Administration, &overnment of 'est Bengal

!e spo"e on his e)perience of wor"ing with food processing industries horticulturedepartment of 'est Bengal with regard to developing of polyhouse and vermi compostmechanisms. 2hese can enhance productivity significantly, he added.

Address by uest o! "onour


4/17

Mr Moloy hata&

!on%ble Minister of Agriculture, &overnment of 'est Bengal

!e focused on distribution of Kissan Credit Cards to farmers, which will help farmers get loansformally from government#recogni3ed ban"ing institutions. 2ill date, an amount of 0, 000 crores, as estimated in 0--#-. In the developedcountries, the value is almost >0?, which proves that special emphasis needs to be given forvalue addition. In terms of contribution of processed food industry, it amounts to appro)imatelyI+ =0, 000 crore. 'ith a growth rate of around >./?, there is an immense growth potential ofthe sector, 1r. Mitra said. 2he state has reached a higher growth tra(ectory in terms of e)ports ofprocessed variety of paddy in the last year. 'est Bengal has been awarded by &overnment of

India for it%s high production of pulses and some other vegetables, and the impressive growthtrends year#on#year, said the Minister. 1r. Mitra said during his deliberations that the presentgovernment has succeeded in storing food grains% 7uantity which is @ times as compared to the7uantity stored by the previous government, and the current 7uantity is appro)imately


5/17

!e delivered the ote of 2han"s and urged the participants to actively participate and getinvolved in the deliberations of the technical sessions of the Agri !orti 8ood 8est 0-.

'nau(uration o! +hibitionMs- Mamata Banerjee, "on.ble Chie! Minister, o*ernment o! West Ben(al inau(urated

the ehibition and *isited each and e*ery stall- "on.ble Chie! Ministers interacted with therepresentati*es !rom the industry, sel!/help (roups, $#$Cs, o*ernment o!!icials, !armersand encoura(ed them to (o !or new *entures, crop di*ersi!ication, new projects and"on.ble chie! Minister assured them o! all &ind o! support and assistance !rom Stateo*ernment.s side !or the sustainable betterment o! a(riculture, horticulture, dairy,!ishery and processed !ood sectors-

#ecommendations0

$roper usage of raw materials their continuous supply

Adoption of advanced technology for increasing farm#level productivity and productionof crops

2o adopt farmer#centric and mar"et#led strategy for development in the sector.

perationalisation of 5Krisha" Ba3aar6

Agro 8ood $rocessing sector to be Bengal%s growth engine

1evelopment of supporting infrastructure for food processing industry for the fulfillment

of mar"et demand

!igh#end flower processing unit to be developed near Mallic"ba3aar 8lower &hat

Better income generation for farmers by implementation of better pricing system,adoption of new and advanced scientific processes and technologies, etc

$roper distribution of Kissan Credit Cards to farmers

Drgent need for e)pansion of technology of production, so that both the table and

processed variety of crops can be produced and distinguished efficiently

Technical Session on A(riculture


6/17


7/17

cultivation as +ovember and the average temperature should be 0#/0 centigrade. !e alsofocused on the right time for harvesting and in this condition 3ero tillage cultivation is verynecessary due to the soil condition. !e described the various usage details of the 3ero tillagemachine to be used for 3ero tillage cultivation with minimum disturbance of the soil for seedingand fertili3ing.

'nte(rated Pest Mana(ementMr #anjan Kumar $as

Asst. 1. A E InformationF , !ooghly

!e spo"e on Integrated $est Management and opined that identification of pest as per thecultivation pattern is very necessary. !e mentioned that pesticides are the cause of air, soil, waterpollution and human animal diseases. !e stressed upon the usage of organic fertili3ers andalso mentioned about *I cultivation as a tool to control insect attac"s. !e also mentioned seedtreatment as a necessary step to avoid pest attac"s and the usage of resistant variety seeds. !eurged for "eeping alive the beneficial insects in the firm and also identify those insects and urge

for the usage of bio#pesticides li"e +eem, 2urmeric, &arlic etc.

Biodi*ersity and 6r(anic !armin(Mr Anupam Paul

Asst. 1.A E2rainingF , A2C , 8ulia

!e spo"e on the advantages of organic farming and said that the low level of understandingamong farmers regarding organic farming is a matter of concern at this stage. !e mentioned thatorganic food helps to avoid diseases and gave e)amples of states li"e Dttara"hand, *i""im,Kerala, Karnata"a, Madhya $radesh, Assam etc which have used organic farming to theiradvantage, and are now e)porting organic rice to other countries. !e mentioned about the hugewastage of food in the country and also suggested the increased usage of organic fertili3ers andsoil treatment through organic processes.

Scope o! increasin( area, production and producti*ity o! Pulses and 6il Seeds in WestBen(al$r Prabir Bhattacharya

Asst. Botanist , Kol"ata

!e identified nuts, soyabeans and sunflowers as the most potential crops. !e suggested that inhigh#yield 3ones li"e Ban"ura, $urulia, Burdwan, $aschim Midnapore, Birbhum, we can replacerice with Kharif *oyabean, Kharif &roundnut, Kharif tile etc., and emphasi3ed the need foridentifying many such 3ones where yield can be increased with better seeds, technology etc. !eurged farmers to fit in cash crops within the area of cultivation for being self sufficient and tounderta"e crop diversification.


8/17

#ecommendation0

*I cultivation techni7ue to be adopted for rice cultivation.

Application process of drum seeders is recommended as it saves seeds by /0?, produces

-0 to 0? higher yields, needs less number of man#days and also decreases productioncost.

Identification of pest as per the cultivation pattern is very necessary

More of organic fertili3ers to be used during farming

It is recommended to focus on high yield crops for better price.

Technical Session on "orticulture

Special Address$r- P-K- Pramani&

Mission 1irector E*!MF1irectorate of !orticulture, &overnment of 'est Bengal

!e welcomed the farmers and the delegates and delivered the *pecial address with focus onbetter productivity. !e showcased the various pro(ects done by +ational !orticulture Mission.!e mentioned that the big problem lies with farmers who tend to do everything alone and whilenot being able to sell the produce they come bac" to government for the support, whereas thesame can be solved by famers together ma"ing an organi3ation or groups. !e also detailed onorgani3ation and promotion of farmers group, credit supply chain, production and productivity

improvement and mar"eting of the produce. !e mentioned about the 8armers $roducersrgani3ation and said that the main motive of the organi3ation is to help the farmers buy all theirneeds in a group thus enabling the companies to offer them better price through bul" selling. It isa win#win for both, he added. !e also spo"e about farmers selling their produce directly to themar"et which would enable them to get a better price.

"i/Tech *e(etable culti*ation special emphasis on micro 7 irri(ation and poly houseculti*ationPro! P "a%ra

1ean , 8aculty of !orticulture , BCK

$rof. !a3ra praised the 1epartment of !orticulture, &ovt of 'est Bengal for underta"ing pro#active measures for boosting the sector in recent years. !e focused upon usage of green housetechnology and drip irrigation. !e mentioned that, though 'est Bengal is the +o.- state invegetable produce other than potato, the yield is only -0?, which needs to be increased. !estressed on increasing the yield and 7uality of produce. !e mentioned protected cultivation as animportant aspect including off season cultivation. !e urged for the usage of shed net house, nethouse, plastic tunnel in place of green house, if green house cannot be afforded and mentionedabout the optimum usage of water for better cultivation through drip irrigation. !e showcased a


9/17

low cost, wooden log built, naturally ventilated nursery polyhouse and also medium costirrigation controlled nursery polyhouse.

Post har*est handlin( and stora(e o! *e(etable cropsMr S K $ey

epresentative from ;8C+

!e tal"ed about the pre#cooling chamber and its usage and the advantages of using pre coolingchamber over cold storages. !e mentioned that pre cooled vegetables get a better price in themar"et and it also helps to increase the shelf life by -/#0 days. !e stated that pre coolingchambers re7uire small infrastructure and they also help farmers to store produces at haats.

Credit !acilities !or *e(etable (rowersMr S Padmana*an

C&M , +ABA1

!e focused on crop loan and mentioned that the credit depends on the type of produce thefarmers is growing. !e mentioned that farmers who do not have land are also eligible for loan byentering into Joint Hiability &roup. 2he gap between mar"ets and the farmers stops farmers toget the deserved price of their produce, he opined. !e also mentioned the advantages of farmers%club. !e stated unprofessional and inefficient transportation process as one of the reasons forwastages.

Address by uest o! "onorMr Subrata Saha

!on%ble Minister of 8ood $rocessing Industries and !orticulture , &overnment of'est Bengal

!e spo"e on the development of the state with focus on food processing. !e stressed on the rightway of producing, mar"eting and selling of the produce. !e mentioned about the steps the&overnment for strengthening the mar"eting infrastructure. !e also stressed on cropdiversification in each bloc". !e urged the farmers for using vermi compost to minimi3e the costand also stressed on floriculture and medicinal plants. !e then tal"ed about the processingprospects of litchi, orange, tomato, mango, guava etc.

#ecommendation0

8armers to operate through 8armers $roducers rgani3ation for credit supply chain,

production and productivity improvement and mar"eting of the produce

8armers should sell their produce directly to the mar"et which would enable them to get a

better price

Adoption of green house technology and drip irrigation for enhancement of productivity

2he focus should be on high yield with 7uality produce


10/17

*etting up of pre cooled chamber for better price and increased shelf life for the

vegetables.

Technical Session on 'ssues and Strate(ies !or Coconut $e*elopment and Coconut based

'ndustries

Coconut $e*elopment Board.s schemes !or inte(rated de*elopment o! coconut in +ast and8orth +astern #e(ionMr #ajee* P- eor(e

1irector ;ast and +orth ;astCoconut 1evelopment Board

!e stressed on the usage of every part of the coconut with 3ero wastage. !e mentioned that -/million people are involved with coconut trade and @ countries cultivate coconut. !ementioned 'est Bengal as a very important player in coconut with production of -


11/17

for all farmers, including natural and healthy food products also fair price to farmers. !ementioned about adopting suitable mar"eting strategies, establishing of retail networ",production plan for process products, awareness creation on 7ualities of coconut and coconutproducts, trade mar"eting, pac"aging, encouraging e#mar"eting through authori3ed tradingportals. !e also urged for tie ups with institutional retailing networ"s, li"e mar"eting federation,

consumer federation and retail chains.

)ote o! Than&sMr P "ans

1epartment of 8$I!&overnment of 'est Bengal

Mr !ans delivered the vote of than"s.

#ecommendation0

More farmers and entrepreneurs to be involved in Coconut Cultivation due to added

advantage of 'est Bengal

2o utili3e Coconut as food crop, oil seed, fibre crop, medicinal crop and beverage crop.

*tress to be given on removing mar"eting hindrances, thrusting on value addition and

cultivation

Technical Session on 9ood Processin( 'ndustriesA(ri/horticultural potential and strate(ies !or the promotion o! their processin( in West

Ben(al$r S M Aradhya

!ead of 8ruit and egetable 2echnology, C82I

!e spo"e on the innovative technologies that are available with C82I other than traditionalproducts li"e (am, (elly etc. and mentioned unutili3ed fruits and vegetable as a source of wealth.!e stressed on food supplements which are specially designed nutritional support food that curecertain illness, improve metabolic process, correct biochemical imbalances and enhanceperformance in human being. !e mentioned about the demand of 5+eutraceutical6 foods whichcan be made from fruits and vegetables and it has an demand globally. !e shared that the globalspending on prescribed drugs is -< billion dollar and +eutraceutical is 00 billion dollar, in

India +eutraceutical mar"et is e)pected to touch >0 million dollar by 0/. !e mentioned 'estBengal as an potential area due to surplus in vegetable production. !e also mentioned onprospects of horticulture produce in the cosmetic industry including anti ageing s"in caresolution. !e urged for conversion of rich traditional "nowledge into entrepreneurship. !ementioned on the various horticulture produces on its applications marigold as a source of colourfor pharmaceutical and food industry, medicinal usage of banana (uice, etc.

#ole o! pac&a(in( !or !ood products- :ow Cost Pac&a(in( !or micro and small 9P' 1nits


12/17


13/17

wastage, capacity building of producers and processors, and helping in direct and indirectemployment.

Special AddressMr Asis Kumar hosh

*ecretary, 1epartment of 8$I ! , &overnment of 'est Bengal

In his address he greeted the eminent spea"ers and identified the topics to be discussed.

Special uest"-+ Jor(e #o%a de 6li*eira

Ambassador of $ortugal

!e greeted the delegates and mentioned about the olive oil mar"et in $ortugal and his interest inbringing the same to India. !e urged the delegates and entrepreneurs to contact his office for anyassistance related to (oint ventures and business e)changes, and identified Kol"ata as a vibrant

city full of business opportunities.

#ecommendations0

It is recommended to stress on food supplements which are specially designed as

nutritional support food

2o adopt pac"aging as a mar"eting tool.

It is advised to use fle)ible pac"aging, helping in low cost and wide variety of usage.

2o produce innovative food products consisting of nutrition and taste.

$articipation at Mega 8ood $ar"s to reduce operating and capital cost

)aledictory SessionWelcome AddressMr Sanjay Budhia

$ast $resident , ICC

!e said that supply constraints, yield gaps and logistic problems need to be resolved in an urgentbasis to capture the potential of the industry. !e suggested increasing micro#financing facilities

to self#help groups , tapping universities to develop technology for agricultural sector andsummed up saying that a multi#pronged approach is needed for holistic development of theindustry.

Address by$r- P-K- Pramani&

Mission 1irector E*!MF1irectorate of !orticulture, &overnment of 'est Bengal


14/17

!e presented a brief report highlighting the success of the Agri#!orti#8ood 8est 0-.

Special AddressMr Swapan Kumar $atta

1eputy 1irector, ICA

"e said the industry is growing at a rate of appro)imately -0? per annum. 2he total valuation of

the industry is e)pected to reach D* -@< bn by 0-/ from a value of D* --bn in 0-. 2he

net e)port of processed food is e)pected to outreach its present value of D*


15/17

mango, litchi, pineapple and orange across the state. 8ood par"s are being developed to capture

the immense potential of the industry. !e re7uested Indian Chamber of Commerce to invite

medium and small scale entrepreneurs to participate in developing the state%s food processing

industry. 1uring his deliberations, he said that the government is planning to set up Model

!orticulture farms in different districts and bloc"s of the state which will have an integrated

structure comprising all the allied sectors of agriculture li"e dairy, horticulture, vermin#compost

etc. 2his is targeted to reduce unemployment through activities done by *elf !elp &roups.

)ote o! Than&s$r #ajee* Sin(h

1irector &eneral,ICC

"e delivered the formal vote of than"s. ;)hibitors% Awards in &overnment and Corporate

category were given during the summit. 1epartment of 8$I! and the Keventer &roup were

awarded first pri3es in government and corporate sector respectively.

#ecommendations

2o increase micro#financing facilities to self#help groups

!igher involvement of scientists and policy ma"ers to help increase productivity enabling

farmers to earn more.

Ma(or thrust should be given on micro#irrigation, hi#tech agriculture, mango

re(uvenation, creation of micro food par"s and capacity building.

Agricultural mar"eting needs to be promoted actively to match production

Agri Horti Food Fest 2013 The Road Ahead

Distinguishing table and processed variety: Amongst the two varieties of agricultural

produce, the table and the processed variety, the processed variety yields more financial

benefit than the table variety. There is a need to distinguish between the productions of table

and processed variety of crops. This will prove beneficial to the farmers & and also the

industrialists who are involved in the food processing sector.


16/17

Focusing on the Application of advanced technologyIt is suggested that application of

advanced technology is a key criterion for increasing farm-level productivity and production

of crops. ince the area of production is reducing, the only way to increase productivity is tofocus on application of advanced technologies. It is advised that ma!or thrust & investment

should be provided on micro-irrigation techni"ues like drip & sprinkler irrigation and

application of hi-tech agriculture technologies. #reation of micro food parks wouldeventually help in capacity building of the sector.

Application of far!er centric and !ar"et led strategy$overnment of %est engal is

stressing on investment-conducive techni"ues for rice production. Alongside, it is also

providing e'tensive support to the farmers through various means. To ensure speedydevelopment of life style of farmers and assisting them for improving financial condition, it

is suggested that the state government should apply farmer centric & market led strategy.

This should include providing better price of farm-level products. The tate $overnmentshould ensure that the farmers should get the minimum support price ()*+ in case of buffer

production of crops.

#rant of subsidy directly to far!ersThe farmers often get subsidy for application of

different schemes from the tate $overnment. It is suggested that provision of grant shouldbe made directly to farmers via che"ues, which will reduce the problems related to

middlemen.

$pening of %risha" &a'aar ( )old *torage unitsIt is suggested that state government

should focus on creation and operating rishak aaar, a uni"ue marketing facility for the

farmers in distant villages of the state, to assist farmers residing in remote areas. Alongside,the state government should encourage concerned departments to create cold storage units

near the rishak aaar.

)onstruction of Flo+er processing unit%est engal produces flowers which have got

significantly high overseas demand. ome variants of flowers are e'ported to other states,

which are then processed and e'ported to foreign markets thereby fetching much highervalue than the initial point. It is strongly recommended that a high-end flower processing unit

in olkata and a few others in some districts, which are well-connected to other states.

Focus on develop!ent of ,deal Horti Far!sThe concept of ideal orti & Agri /arm,

which includes development of self help group, horti farming, vermi pro!ects, dairy pro!ectsand micro food processing industry, should be popularied by the tate $overnment. Ideal

orti /arms is a form of an in integrated platform which re"uires assistance from different

communities and sectors. 0evelopment of Ideal orti /arms would eventually lead todevelopment of self help groups. This will also lead to growth and development of clusters,


17/17

Higher participation of private player and retailers$rowth of the agricultural sector

re"uires higher investments for infrastructure development in the sector. Alongside,

application of high-end technologies and newer methods call for huge amount of investment.It is advisable that the state government should initiate pro!ects in *** mode while

undertaking new initiatives.

It is suggested that proper application of recommendations stated above will lead to developmentof the sector and the attributes of people associated with it.

---------

Documents

PROCEEDINGS_Agri Horti Food Fest Final