11 November 2017
The ninth edition of BIOFACH INDIA together with INDIA ORGANIC 2017 concluded at
India Expo Mart Limited (IEML), Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR on 11 November 2017 with a
resounding success. The three-day exhibition witnessed an overwhelming response from
around 10000 visitors which included trade visitors, delegates as well as farmer groups from
India and all over the world.
For the first time this year the event was held concurrent to the 19th Organic World
Congress
(OWC) of IFOAM Organics International, a global event dealing exclusively with organic
farming focused on the theme: “An Organic World through an Organic India”. Held once
every three years in a different country, India won the bid to host the event this year against
stiff competition from Russia, China and Brazil. The Organic World Congress once again
played a critical role in strengthening the world organic farming movement and tilted India’s
agricultural policy firmly in the direction of organic.
Shri. Ram Nath Kovind, Honourable President of India congratulated the organizers and
participants and stressed the importance of turning organic. In a message to the Organic
Farming Association of India (OFAI), the principal host of the OWC, the Honourable Prime
Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi expressed his happiness at India being chosen to
hold this mega event and stated, “This meeting will enable global organic farming movement
leaders and all its stakeholders to deliberate on key issues of the sector”. He concluded by
sending “his best wishes for the success of the event and for the global organic farming
movement to help the world in achieving the true meaning of sustainable development”.
The Organic World Congress along with BIOFACH INDIA was inaugurated by Shri Radha
Mohan Singh, Honourable Minister for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Government
of India on 9th of November at India Expo Mart Limited (IEML), Greater Noida, Delhi- NCR,
India who stated, “The Green Revolution has helped to increase production but the use of
chemical fertilizers and pesticides has destroyed thousands of hectares of land and brought
about a crisis in Indian agriculture”. He further emphasized the fact that we need food
security and health security and that increases in agricultural production have to go hand in
hand with the improved health of the consumers.
Other eminent dignitaries present at the inauguration included Shri Pawan Chamling,
Honourable Chief Minister of Sikkim, Shri. Surya Pratap Shahi, Minister of Agriculture, Uttar
Pradesh, Smt. Menaka Gandhi, Union Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Govt. of India,
Shri. V.S. Sunil Kumar, Minister of Agriculture, Govt. of Kerala, Mr. Na Yong Chan, Mayor of
Goesan County, South Korea, Shri. Ashish Bahuguna, Chairman, Food and Safety
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Shri. Somnath Poudyal, Honourable Minister for Food
Security and Agriculture Development, Govt. of Sikkim, Shri. Devendra Kumar Singh,
Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority
(APEDA), Smt. Rita Teaotia, Secretary Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri.
Jagdish Prasad Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries and many others.
Highlights of the Event:
Trade Fair: The event witnessed successful participation by 184 exhibitors from
India and all over the world. The exhibitors included Private Stakeholders, State
Pavilions, Government Boards as well as key Certification Bodies who exhibited a
diverse range of food and non-food organic products. Some of the leading
organizations at the trade fair included names like: Brahm Arpan, MRT Organics,
Suminter India Organics, Phalada Agro, Just Organik, Radico, Mehrotra
Consumer Products, Agronic Food, Sarveshwar Foods, Natureland Organic,
Cultivator Natural Products, Samruddhi Organic Farms, Kejriwal Bee Care,
Capital Ventures, Organic India, Fishfa Biogenics, Geo-Fresh Organics, Rapid
Organic and many more.
Besides food and beverage there was also an impressive participation from the
Natural Care & Wellness sector, Organic Textiles Sector, Certification Bodies as well
as participation by leading Government Boards like Tea Board.
The participating States included Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar,
Meghalaya, Karnataka, Tripura, Chattisgarh, Assam, Uttarakhand, Manipur,
Nagaland, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh.
International Buyer’s Delegation – Business development is a key theme of the
trade fair and this gets concentrated at the personalized B2B meetings organized
onsite during the event. BIOFACH INDIA/OWC was a great forum for the Indian
exhibiting companies to showcase their wide range of organic produce to
international clients. There were around 50 international buyers from Germany,
Netherlands, Italy, France, USA, Canada, Indonesia, Turkey, Middle-East, China and
South Korea who visited the event so as to specifically extend their network and
develop new procurement sources. There were a total number of 286 meetings that
were held on all the three days of the show and the total value of business generated
was higher as compared to last year. The major categories of interest among the
buyers were spices, oilseeds, soyabeans, cotton, herbs, tea, coffee, dehydrated
foods and ready to eat products.
High quality Conference Program – On the knowledge and education side, an
international conference was held to deliberate on the current
practices/trends/challenges faced by the organic sector with eminent key national
and international speakers from relevant industry. Attendance by 2479 delegates
from 90 countries was witnessed over the period of 3 days. There were three plenary
sessions chaired by eminent speakers. There were several Congress sessions that focused on – marketing and quality assurance track, farmers track on soil, seeds and
eco practices and scientific tracks along with several workshops on organic farming.
Hands on Demonstration by Farmers – For the first time this year the event was a
meeting place for organic farmers from across the world. The interactions led to a
massive exchange of organic agriculture innovations and advanced organic
techniques. Farmers in large numbers participated from Asia, Africa and Latin
America and from countries like Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Senegal, Zambia,
South Africa, Iran, Brazil, Columbia, Cuba and Mexico in addition to organic farmers
from Europe, Japan and USA.
National Level Organic Seed Exhibition – The Seed Festival was organized by the
Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch, along with Sahaja Samrudha and Save Our Rice
Campaign as a parallel event during BIOFACH INDIA / OWC. Around 60 seed saver
groups from 15 states of India –practicing on-farm conservation and promotion of
seed diversity and related knowledge – participated in the festival. Over 4,000
different varieties of seeds were on display, along with relevant posters and literature.
Award Ceremonies and Cultural Programs
The organic food market in India is projected to register growth at a CAGR of over 25%
during 2015-20. India’s organic food market has potential to grow more than 25 per cent
annually to touch $1.36 billion by 2020. The market is growing at 25-30 per cent at present.
More growth is expected in future as the government is increasingly supporting organic
farming in the form of subsidies and is also planning to roll out a comprehensive policy in this
regard. As per the government data, organic farming is practised in 12 states in about 4.72
million hectares.
Sajid Desai, CEO, NuernbergMesse India reiterated the growing importance of Organic
products by saying, “BIOFACH INDIA together with INDIA ORGANIC concurrent to the
Organic World Congress has not just been beneficial in terms of education towards a
healthier way of life but also has been influential in placing India on the world map as a
country that traces its origins to an organic and holistic way of living. The organic food
market in India is projected to grow to $1.36 billion by 2020 and over the last 9 years,
BIOFACH INDIA has been the leading platform for the organic manufacturers and their
target buyers to connect and network. The event has played a crucial role in bringing
together all the organic industry stakeholders and partners such as APEDA, IFOAM, OFAI
and ICCOA amongst others to converge at one destination, creating future growth avenues
and strengthening the organic movement”.
Contact for Press & Media:
Mr. Apurba Biswas
NuernbergMesse India Pvt. Ltd.
Tel.: +91 22 6216 5316
apurba.biswas@nm-india.com
All press articles along with additional information and photos are available at
www.biofach-india.com/press
