by NR INDRAN / INT
“Fi India 2011”, South Asia’s leading exhibition & conference for the food ingredients and food processing industry, organised by UBM India, was inaugurated successfully by Shri Satej Patil, State Minister for Home, Rural Development and Food & Drug Administration, Maharashtra. The sixth edition of the 2 day exhibition & conference opened today at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai. The event provides an excellent platform to food professionals across the globe to meet and explore business opportunities.

“The recently amended Food Safety Act brings into focus again, how vital, a role the Food Ingredients industry would play in establishing safety standards. The Government of Maharashtra would do its utmost to provide a level playing field for companies in this sector and would also create a conducive business environment to attract foreign investments”, said Shri Satej Patil. “India’s total processing strength of it produce is expected to reach 35% of the total produce by 2025. We are happy to note that with ‘Fi India 2011’, UBM has taken the right step in promoting this sector and has strengthened the government’s hands in providing a platform to promote the food & food ingredients industry.”, he added.

India’s food ingredients market itself is expanding at a 9% growth rate year-on-year, well above the 5-6% global average. What was once a small market valued at $470 million in 2007, only a meagre 1.6% of the global market, is now getting worldwide attention from major food and beverage manufacturers and food ingredient companies.  Mr. Sanjeev Khaira, MD, UBM India said, “The factors aiding this remarkable shift are changing lifestyle and eating habits, increased per capita income and increasing nutritional awareness, which has led to the demand of healthy, nutritious, and cost effective convenience foods.”

With four, half-day conference seminars covering the most critical issues in the Indian F&B industry, the exhibition will provide a 2 full days of strategic and practical guidance on the fast-changing regulatory requirements, both in India and globally. The aim of the conferences is to guide the food and beverage processing business in India to the next level with sessions covering innovations in Bakery, Dairy, Ingredients, Health & Wellness. The key speakers at the conference include; R Inder Bhalla, Cocoberry; H. K. Desai, Amul Dairy; Prabhakar Kanade , Mother Dairy, Devendra Prakash Shah, Parag Milk Foods; Hem Chandra Joshi, Dabur, Vivek Sistla, Unilever; Om Prakash Mishra, Mapro Foods; Rajiv Subramaniam, Tata; P. Krishnakumar, Hindustan Unilever; Pankaj Agarwal, Britannia Industries, Suchitra Tripathy, Novozymes South Asia. Exhibitors, professionals and visitors alike will greatly benefit and get to know more of the opportunity in India’s Food Processing Industry.

Also the highlight of this year’s exhibition, being featured for the first time, will be the Nutraceuticals pavilion which constitutes of functional food ingredients & nutraceutical products. The Nutraceutical sector is fast gaining acceptance globally for its ability to address demand generated by the burgeoning wellness industry. Fi India has emerged as the biggest congregation of the Indian nutraceuticals fraternity in India and South Asia

Food Ingredients India 2011 offers a unique networking opportunity for a cross sector representation that includes companies showcasing ingredients for food & beverages, food & dietary supplements, functional foods, health foods, nutraceuticals, natural foods and organic foods.

Fi India 2011 will feature two specialised pavilions on China & the Nutraceutical sector at the exhibition. Companies such as Cargill, DSM, DKSH India, Insta Foods, Kerry, Kancor, Kamani Oils, Novozymes, Novastell, Piramal Health Care Ltd., Roha, Roquette, Saraf Foods, Solae, S. A. Pharma Chem etc., along with Malaysia Cocoa Board, Spices Board of India were among the  few exhibiting at Fi India 2011.

With over 120 exhibitors participating, nearly 4,500 industry visitors are expected, including those from the USA, Singapore, UAE, Australia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Dubai, Taiwan, Korea, Italy, Belgium and France. Fi India 2011 has grown year-on-year remarkably.

UBM enables business professionals from around the world to connect and engage with each other with the markets they serve and with information they need to succeed. This is achieved by providing access both to the audiences and to insightful, decision critical intelligence by whatever means works best – at live events, through digital media or in publications.

UBM India annually organizes B2B exhibitions covering major industry verticals such as Pharmaceuticals, Security, Jewellery, Information Technology, Food Ingredients, Travel, Logistics and more.

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