India’s Additional Secretary, Agriculture, Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi will inaugurate the ‘Food, Agriculture and Livelihood’ fortnight at the India Pavilion…reports Asian Lite News
As part of the key theme ‘Millets’, a millets food festival, launch of a millets book, and various seminars focusing on its health and nutritional benefits will form the core of the ‘Food, Agriculture and Livelihood’ fortnight at the India Pavilion in EXPO2020 Dubai starting on Thursday.
The UN General Assembly has recently adopted the resolution, sponsored by India and supported by more than 70 countries, to declare 2023 as the aInternational Year of Millets’.
India’s Additional Secretary, Agriculture, Dr Abhilaksh Likhi will inaugurate the ‘Food, Agriculture and Livelihood’ fortnight at the India Pavilion.
At the ongoing EXPO2020 Dubai, India will pitch to become the preferred sourcing partner for the global food processing industry during the fortnight and host various seminars and conferences to deliberate on ways to explore international collaborations and further strengthen its export potential, a release from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said.
The fortnight will showcase India’s prowess in sectors such as food processing, horticulture, dairy, fisheries, and organic farming and the vast investment opportunities that it offers.
Agriculture, with its allied sectors, is the largest livelihood provider in the country. The sector contributes a significant share of around 21 per cent to the overall GDP. With total exports of agricultural and allied products at $41.25 billion in FY21, India is among the 15 leading exporters of agricultural products in the world.
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The government has allowed 100 per cent FDI in the marketing of food products and food product e-commerce under the automatic route to harness the untapped potential of this sector. An incentive outlay of Rs 10,900 crore ($1,484 million) for the food processing sector has also been approved under the PLI scheme. In addition, the comprehensive Agriculture Export Policy has been introduced to increase India’s agricultural export to $60 billion by 2021-22 and $100 billion in the next few years.
“The sector is set to witness increased investment in agricultural infrastructure such as irrigation facilities, warehousing, and cold storage, with global consumption reaching the pre-pandemic level,” the release added.
The fortnight will also see participation from several senior government officials who will be present during the various sessions.