Telangana bagged investments worth Rs 7,218 crore creating 58,458 direct jobs at The Food Conclave. MoUs were signed between the Telangana Government and 27 leading agri-food companies in the presence of Industries Minister KT Rama Rao.
The conclave opened on Saturday with a record-breaking number of attendees this year. Industry leaders and experts from around the world flocked to the event to discuss the latest trends and innovations in agriculture.
The one-day conclave, which is one of the most prestigious gatherings in the food-agri community, featured an array of new partnerships and investments, cementing its position as a key platform for shaping the industry’s future.
With a range of exciting developments on the horizon, attendees are eagerly anticipating the insights and opportunities this year’s conference offers.
The inaugural edition of ‘The Food Conclave’ brought together the top 100 agri-food industry leaders who hold intense panel discussions and network meetings to discuss key challenges and opportunities in the Indian agri-food sector.
Ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav, S. Niranjan Reddy and Agriculture and Civil Supplies Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan also addressed the gathering.
In his address, Industries Minister KT Rama Rao said, “The state has identified food processing as a core thrust area. In the last five years, the state has added around Rs 7,000 crore as a fixed capital base to the food processing capacity in the state. We are building special food processing zones that will collectively bring around 10,000 acres under food processing units. At the end of the conclave, the State received around Rs 7,000 crore as investment commitment across sectors in Aqua, Dairy, Agro Processing and allied sectors creating 58,458 direct jobs.”
The Food Conclave will be an annual affair from now onwards.
“We are also working on supply chain linkages which will connect industry to the state’s farmers by effectively deploying the agriculture extension system that we have built in the state. The Self-Help Groups in Telangana also present a massive untapped potential in mobilizing farm produce in partnership with industry. Therefore, we are setting up farmer producer organisations (FPOs) to provide plug-and-play supply chains for the food processing industry,” he added.
“We are also committed to empowering small entrepreneurs in the state and as of now, we are nurturing around 2,500 micro and small enterprises supported by welfare schemes like the Dalit Bandhu scheme. With industry-friendly policies, a robust raw material base, world-class infrastructure and active facilitation by our government to not just set up but to run the business in a competitive manner, Telangana is the best place to be at this point in time,” the minister added.
The inauguration was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Envisioning India’s Decade in the Agri-Food Sector.’ The participants in the discussion are Dr Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, Dr RS Sodhi, President, the Indian Dairy Association, Dr Vijay Gupta, World Food Prize laureate and former ADG of World Fish Centre (CGIAR) and Shiva Kumar S., the CEO of ITC.
The panellists highlighted the need to address climate change, improve the supply chain and emphasised the great potential of food processing units.
Niti Ayog Member Ramesh Chand said we have seen very less investment in “production agriculture” and this needs to be hiked.
The one-day event will feature 26-panel discussions, five roundtables and around 40 one-on-one meetings between government and industry leaders.
