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Annapoorna is the biggest F&B exhibition in India
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Saturday, 01 November, 2008, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Confederation Indian Food Trade and Industry (CIFTI), the food wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), organises Annapoorna, an international food event every year in Mumbai. In an exclusive interview with Sabyasachi Samajdar of Food & Beverage News, CIFTI Director Sameer Barde shares his views about this event.
What's new at Annapoorna 2008?
Now it has been already established that Annapoorna is the biggest food and beverage exhibition in the country. The fact is that a lot of other exhibitions make the same claim. But you need to understand the difference between other exhibitions and Annapoorna, for example, the difference between Aahar and Annapoorna. In Aahar almost all the companies come. You will find there everyone from thellawallas to equipment manufacturers, processors, ingredient manufacturers etc., etc. So, it's basically a Mela (fair). If you look at the Annapoorna from the beginning the focus has been clear that it is limited to only food processing organisations. So, it's a focused fair and in terms of B2B format so that you need to be a pre-registered visitor. We use our international connections to get biggest companies across the world into India. If you see last year there were 12 countries participating in Annapoorna. This year we are expecting 16 countries articipating as exhibitors. Last year we had visitors from 34 countries and this year it is expected that the number of the foreign visitors will be increased. Last year we had registered 4,800 visitors and we are expecting more visitors this year.
What steps have been taken by the CIFTI to promote Indian processed foods at Annapoorna 2008?
We have taken a lot of initiatives to promote Indian processed food at Annapoorna. For example, this year we have a Procurement Centre in the exhibition. Procurement Centre is a concept where you have actually got all the retailers present at the exhibition so that the exhibitors can go and have meeting with them directly to buy and sell to them. We have arranged B2B meetings which ultimately promote Indian food brands.
How do you think Indian food companies shall get an extra opportunity from Annapoorna 2008?
Indian processed food manufacturers shall definitely get an extra opportunity from Annapoorna 2008. They will have the opportunity to showcase their products in the exhibition and also interact with the foreign companies as well as the visitors from the foreign countries. They will know how to achieve quality food products from the foreign companies. Also, they will get the chance to have B2B meeting with the foreign companies.
How do you see processed food market in India at the moment?
Indian processed food market is growing 13% CAGR annually. So, there is a very good potentiality of processed food market in the country. What we need is to promote this sector in a proper manner and to ensure availability of the processed food in the market in affordable prices. As you know the price of the processed food is very high due to heavy taxes. The Central government has reduced the taxes on processed food up to zero per cent. But there is still Valu Added Tax (VAT) on processed food imposed by the state governments. Some states have imposed VAT on processed food as high as 12%. So, the prices of the processed foods have automatically increased. The government should ensure that taxes on processed foods shall reduce up to zero per cent at the state level so that the availability of the processed foods can be ensured in affordable prices.
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