(MENAFN- Gulf Times)
The Indian embassy, along with its apex trade body – the Indian Business & Professionals Council (IBPC Qatar), jointly participated in the 9th edition of the Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (AgriteQ) and 3rd Qatar International Environmental Exhibition (EnviroteQ), which concluded on Monday, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.
The Indian pavilion showcased several companies specialising in information technology, fresh & processed food supply, farming and gardening tools, and environmental technology for converting organic waste into compost soil for farming.
Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal inaugurated the pavilion.
Accompanying him were IBPC co-ordinating officer Angeline Premalatha (counsellor – Political & Commerce at the Indian embassy of) and IBPC president Jaffer Us Sadik.
Dr Mittal said that AgriteQ has been at the forefront of providing a platform for local and international agriculture stakeholders to exchange expertise, discover trends and developments, and seize business opportunities in this vital sector, while highlighting innovation in agricultural techniques, local and international food products and pinpoint the roadmap to achieve food security and sustainable development.
He said that he was proud to see that India has a lot to offer to Qatar in this sector, the IBPC said in a press statement.
Premalatha highlighted that India can play a major role in Qatar’s food security, as 58% of India’s population is involved in agriculture and aquaculture, contributing $277bn annually to the Indian economy.
India’s total agricultural and allied products exports stood at $42bn last year.
IBPC president Sadik spoke about the Indian food industry, which is poised for a huge post-pandemic growth, due to its immense potential for value addition, particularly within the food processing industry.
The Indian food and grocery market is the world’s sixth largest.
India is also the world’s second-largest producer of rice, wheat, sugarcane, cotton, groundnuts, and fruits & vegetables.
The organic food segment in India is expected to reach $11bn by 2025.
The processed food market in India is expected to grow to $470bn by 2025 due to government initiatives such as planned infrastructure worth $1tn, making it attractive for Qatar companies to make a 100% foreign direct investment in this sector.
MENAFN14032022000067011011ID1103846263
Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.