FOOD TO FORKperishable commodities like fruitsvegetables milk eggs meat andfish need massive investment inlogistics and institutional engineeringthat can connect millions of small holderswith organized agri-processors retailersand exporters to improve supplyand affordabilit says Mr Ashok GulatiChairman Commission for AgriculturalCosts and Prices (CACP) should beamended to make it more farmerfriendlyldquoFruits and vegetables should imme

diately be removed from the Agriculture

Produce Market Committee ActThis will soften prices of these perishablecommodities Madhya Pradeshhas already done this Moreover retailersand food processors should directlyconnect with farmer groups for sourcingfarm products to doaway with intermediaryexpensesrdquo he added In hisviev the government should offer 50subsidyfor setting up cold chains in ruralareas and promote use of solar energyto run these chainsldquoOur food processing levels are less

than 5 of fruits and vegetables comparedto several south-east Asian countriesthat hover between 30degIo and 70degIoBut this is not easy We need to focusheavily on creating rural infrastructureand forming en-masse farmer groups incollaboration with NGOs self helpgroups agric-processors modern retailersand agri-exporters for direct marketlinkage Besides the governmentshould allow duty free import of agriprocessingmachines and other incentivesto promote food processing industriesrdquohe said

Freeing FoodRoti Kapada aur Makkan is the age old tnumviratethat has dominated the landcapeof politics and planning in IndiaThe Food StrategySummit organised byTheEconomiclimes in New Delhi focused on theissue of food which is beginning to requirelong term planning and management as ourpopulation continues to growand the demand for suste- An initiative bynance continues to increase Inthe meantime the agriculture TLisector of India continues to be plagued by a series of problemsthat range from under developmenttomismanagement The aim of thesummit which brought together diverse stakeholdersin the sector was to help articulate acomprehensive picture of the entire sector andalso perhaps help formulate a solution or at

least the glimmer of an outline of oneThe welcome address was given by Mr 1KArun EF and the keynote address by Mr AshokGulati Chairman CACP As the panel pointedout one of the biggest challenges facing thesector is to ensure food security for the nationeven as the sector itself is in a marked state ofdecline The panel comprising Surojit ShomeCEO amp Country Head Rabobank InternationalGroup Dr USAwast hi MD IFFCO Mr DirkJanKennes Global Strategist RabobankInternational and Mr Raju Kapoor ED at theNSAI outlined the issues The growth is not onlystagnant but complicated by issues such as accessibilityof water for inigation power and

most of all the incentive that would motivatefarmers And the aim of the first session was tonot only identify the problems but also putthem in the perspective of a larger frameworkthat of national planninamp the role that the agriwituresector plays in an economy the impactof trade balances upon the sector etc The secondsession focused on business end of theagriculture sector The panellists placed theIndian sector in the global contextof agricultural trading So

Indian sector in the global contextof agricultural trading So

while Mr Jaspervan ScailcHead -Trade amp CommodityFinance Singapore Rabobank_________ International explained thetrade flow model for agricultureothers such as Mr Anjani Sinha MD amp

CEO NSEL and Mr Kevin Eikerman MD AdmAgro Industries Pvt Ltd Mr Iijay Kumar CBONCDEMr Somit Mukherjee Head-

Procurement amp Planning Deptt Dabur Indiadiscussed some of the restrictions on IndianAAgriculture that hamper its growthAgriculture is big business around the worldsensitive to international trends but far moreprone to risk in some senses since so much ofit especially in the Indian context is managedless by planning and technology and more bychance So the worry facing the investors is oneof managingtheir risk and yetatthe sametime ensuring investment in the sector withoutwhich Indian agriculture cannot grow andmove into the next phaseOf course the state of agriculture in a nationis inextricably linked to the nutritional state ofthe natIon It is no surprise that the situation

A ACONSUMER CONNECI INITIATIVE

India is not rosy We are as a nation nutritionallychallenged as pointed out by Dr PradiptaSahoo Business Head - Horticulture MotherDairy Fruit amp Vegetable Pvt Ltd Mr AsitavaSen Sr Diredor amp Head - FAR amp Advisor1048576ccedilRabobank Group looked the protein demand -

supply gap And as yet we have also notachieved equal access to food for all the citizensAs the third session focused on managingthe protein demands of a population it alsoemphasized that an integrated approach wasthe only solution Others such as MrBhupinderSingh MD amp CEO Vista ProcessedFoods Pvt Ltd shared not only some possiblemodels that had met with success but alsohow apply them to the entire sector instead ofthe few pockets it had succeeded inThe last session looked at perhaps one ofthe most unique problems faced by the sector- Indian agriculture is dominated by severefragmentation of landholdings with the averagefarm size being miniscule This poses achallenge in terms of integration and planningOn the one hand is the example of the

European agriculture model which was explainedby Mr Mathjis Mondria MD amp GlobalSector Head - Farm Inputs RabobankInternational On the other hand was the perspectiveof Mr Bhupen Dubey Head -

Operations UPL that small land holdingscould be the key to success and not an obstacleThe picture that emerged overall was aninteresting oneFor a start we need to makefarming lucrative for the farmers instead ofthe grinding punishment it seems to have becomeThese thoughts were shared by MrAnil Jam MD amp CEO Jam Irrigation SystemsLtd Mr Sanjay Goenka Director amp President3F Oil palm Agrotech Pvt Ltd Mr Swapan KrDatta DDG ICAR Mr Sachidanand MadanHead - India Operations Technico AgriSciences Ltd

MR KARAN A CHANANAThe farmer cannot be subsidisingthe urban poor Wehave to move away from thisability of ours to restrainfood movement whether it isimports exports or movementwithin the country as itdepreciates value andopportunity to all stake holdersmaking availabilityinconsistent to the consumersThe challenge andthe opportunity also is tobuild large scale processingand distribution capacity inthe country This would furtheraugment Indian produceto be branded nationally andinternationally

Freeing FoodRoti Kapada aur Makkan is the age old tnumviratethat has dominated the landcapeof politics and planning in IndiaThe Food StrategySummit organised byTheEconomiclimes in New Delhi focused on theissue of food which is beginning to requirelong term planning and management as ourpopulation continues to growand the demand for suste- An initiative bynance continues to increase Inthe meantime the agriculture TLisector of India continues to be plagued by a series of problemsthat range from under developmenttomismanagement The aim of thesummit which brought together diverse stakeholdersin the sector was to help articulate acomprehensive picture of the entire sector andalso perhaps help formulate a solution or at

least the glimmer of an outline of oneThe welcome address was given by Mr 1KArun EF and the keynote address by Mr AshokGulati Chairman CACP As the panel pointedout one of the biggest challenges facing thesector is to ensure food security for the nationeven as the sector itself is in a marked state ofdecline The panel comprising Surojit ShomeCEO amp Country Head Rabobank InternationalGroup Dr USAwast hi MD IFFCO Mr DirkJanKennes Global Strategist RabobankInternational and Mr Raju Kapoor ED at theNSAI outlined the issues The growth is not onlystagnant but complicated by issues such as accessibilityof water for inigation power and

most of all the incentive that would motivatefarmers And the aim of the first session was tonot only identify the problems but also putthem in the perspective of a larger frameworkthat of national planninamp the role that the agriwituresector plays in an economy the impactof trade balances upon the sector etc The secondsession focused on business end of theagriculture sector The panellists placed theIndian sector in the global contextof agricultural trading So

Indian sector in the global contextof agricultural trading So

while Mr Jaspervan ScailcHead -Trade amp CommodityFinance Singapore Rabobank_________ International explained thetrade flow model for agricultureothers such as Mr Anjani Sinha MD amp

CEO NSEL and Mr Kevin Eikerman MD AdmAgro Industries Pvt Ltd Mr Iijay Kumar CBONCDEMr Somit Mukherjee Head-

Procurement amp Planning Deptt Dabur Indiadiscussed some of the restrictions on IndianAAgriculture that hamper its growthAgriculture is big business around the worldsensitive to international trends but far moreprone to risk in some senses since so much ofit especially in the Indian context is managedless by planning and technology and more bychance So the worry facing the investors is oneof managingtheir risk and yetatthe sametime ensuring investment in the sector withoutwhich Indian agriculture cannot grow andmove into the next phaseOf course the state of agriculture in a nationis inextricably linked to the nutritional state ofthe natIon It is no surprise that the situation

A ACONSUMER CONNECI INITIATIVE

India is not rosy We are as a nation nutritionallychallenged as pointed out by Dr PradiptaSahoo Business Head - Horticulture MotherDairy Fruit amp Vegetable Pvt Ltd Mr AsitavaSen Sr Diredor amp Head - FAR amp Advisor1048576ccedilRabobank Group looked the protein demand -

supply gap And as yet we have also notachieved equal access to food for all the citizensAs the third session focused on managingthe protein demands of a population it alsoemphasized that an integrated approach wasthe only solution Others such as MrBhupinderSingh MD amp CEO Vista ProcessedFoods Pvt Ltd shared not only some possiblemodels that had met with success but alsohow apply them to the entire sector instead ofthe few pockets it had succeeded inThe last session looked at perhaps one ofthe most unique problems faced by the sector- Indian agriculture is dominated by severefragmentation of landholdings with the averagefarm size being miniscule This poses achallenge in terms of integration and planningOn the one hand is the example of the

European agriculture model which was explainedby Mr Mathjis Mondria MD amp GlobalSector Head - Farm Inputs RabobankInternational On the other hand was the perspectiveof Mr Bhupen Dubey Head -

Operations UPL that small land holdingscould be the key to success and not an obstacleThe picture that emerged overall was aninteresting oneFor a start we need to makefarming lucrative for the farmers instead ofthe grinding punishment it seems to have becomeThese thoughts were shared by MrAnil Jam MD amp CEO Jam Irrigation SystemsLtd Mr Sanjay Goenka Director amp President3F Oil palm Agrotech Pvt Ltd Mr Swapan KrDatta DDG ICAR Mr Sachidanand MadanHead - India Operations Technico AgriSciences Ltd

MR KARAN A CHANANAThe farmer cannot be subsidisingthe urban poor Wehave to move away from thisability of ours to restrainfood movement whether it isimports exports or movementwithin the country as itdepreciates value andopportunity to all stake holdersmaking availabilityinconsistent to the consumersThe challenge andthe opportunity also is tobuild large scale processingand distribution capacity inthe country This would furtheraugment Indian produceto be branded nationally andinternationally

while Mr Jaspervan ScailcHead -Trade amp CommodityFinance Singapore Rabobank_________ International explained thetrade flow model for agricultureothers such as Mr Anjani Sinha MD amp

CEO NSEL and Mr Kevin Eikerman MD AdmAgro Industries Pvt Ltd Mr Iijay Kumar CBONCDEMr Somit Mukherjee Head-

Procurement amp Planning Deptt Dabur Indiadiscussed some of the restrictions on IndianAAgriculture that hamper its growthAgriculture is big business around the worldsensitive to international trends but far moreprone to risk in some senses since so much ofit especially in the Indian context is managedless by planning and technology and more bychance So the worry facing the investors is oneof managingtheir risk and yetatthe sametime ensuring investment in the sector withoutwhich Indian agriculture cannot grow andmove into the next phaseOf course the state of agriculture in a nationis inextricably linked to the nutritional state ofthe natIon It is no surprise that the situation

A ACONSUMER CONNECI INITIATIVE

India is not rosy We are as a nation nutritionallychallenged as pointed out by Dr PradiptaSahoo Business Head - Horticulture MotherDairy Fruit amp Vegetable Pvt Ltd Mr AsitavaSen Sr Diredor amp Head - FAR amp Advisor1048576ccedilRabobank Group looked the protein demand -

supply gap And as yet we have also notachieved equal access to food for all the citizensAs the third session focused on managingthe protein demands of a population it alsoemphasized that an integrated approach wasthe only solution Others such as MrBhupinderSingh MD amp CEO Vista ProcessedFoods Pvt Ltd shared not only some possiblemodels that had met with success but alsohow apply them to the entire sector instead ofthe few pockets it had succeeded inThe last session looked at perhaps one ofthe most unique problems faced by the sector- Indian agriculture is dominated by severefragmentation of landholdings with the averagefarm size being miniscule This poses achallenge in terms of integration and planningOn the one hand is the example of the

European agriculture model which was explainedby Mr Mathjis Mondria MD amp GlobalSector Head - Farm Inputs RabobankInternational On the other hand was the perspectiveof Mr Bhupen Dubey Head -

Operations UPL that small land holdingscould be the key to success and not an obstacleThe picture that emerged overall was aninteresting oneFor a start we need to makefarming lucrative for the farmers instead ofthe grinding punishment it seems to have becomeThese thoughts were shared by MrAnil Jam MD amp CEO Jam Irrigation SystemsLtd Mr Sanjay Goenka Director amp President3F Oil palm Agrotech Pvt Ltd Mr Swapan KrDatta DDG ICAR Mr Sachidanand MadanHead - India Operations Technico AgriSciences Ltd

MR KARAN A CHANANAThe farmer cannot be subsidisingthe urban poor Wehave to move away from thisability of ours to restrainfood movement whether it isimports exports or movementwithin the country as itdepreciates value andopportunity to all stake holdersmaking availabilityinconsistent to the consumersThe challenge andthe opportunity also is tobuild large scale processingand distribution capacity inthe country This would furtheraugment Indian produceto be branded nationally andinternationally

European agriculture model which was explainedby Mr Mathjis Mondria MD amp GlobalSector Head - Farm Inputs RabobankInternational On the other hand was the perspectiveof Mr Bhupen Dubey Head -

Operations UPL that small land holdingscould be the key to success and not an obstacleThe picture that emerged overall was aninteresting oneFor a start we need to makefarming lucrative for the farmers instead ofthe grinding punishment it seems to have becomeThese thoughts were shared by MrAnil Jam MD amp CEO Jam Irrigation SystemsLtd Mr Sanjay Goenka Director amp President3F Oil palm Agrotech Pvt Ltd Mr Swapan KrDatta DDG ICAR Mr Sachidanand MadanHead - India Operations Technico AgriSciences Ltd

MR KARAN A CHANANAThe farmer cannot be subsidisingthe urban poor Wehave to move away from thisability of ours to restrainfood movement whether it isimports exports or movementwithin the country as itdepreciates value andopportunity to all stake holdersmaking availabilityinconsistent to the consumersThe challenge andthe opportunity also is tobuild large scale processingand distribution capacity inthe country This would furtheraugment Indian produceto be branded nationally andinternationally