India becoming increasingly important for the international food business

The outlook is excellent for a new food fair in India: The strong interest that exhibitors are showing in the first Annapoorna – World of Food India (1st to 3rd November 2006 in Mumbai) promises excellent conditions for a very successful trade fair. About 150 suppliers from 15 countries will be presenting a broad spectrum of food products, beverages and services. The fair’s product range is a perfect match for the needs of India’s food market, whose dynamic structural growth is making it one of the world’s most important markets for the future of the sector. Accordingly, this new Indian-German joint-venture is expected to attract an impressive number of trade visitors. It is anticipated that between 7,500 and 8,000 trade visitors will attend the event in Mumbai. The organisers of Annapoorna – World of Food India are the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), the Confederation of Indian Food Trade and Industry (CIFTI), and the German trade fair company Koelnmesse.

As early as 2004, Koelnmesse launched World of Food India in Hyderabad with great success. Thanks to the fair’s relocation to Mumbai and the partnership with the FICCI and the CIFTI, the project has been infused with fresh dynamism and given a new name: Annapoorna – World of Food India.

The upcoming fair will occupy 4,500 m² in Hall 1 at the Bombay Exhibition Center, NSE Estaste Goregaon (East), nearly double the size of the last event. The fair will have a very international character, with exhibitors from China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. There will be joint participations by companies from Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

The 21-company German contingent led by the German Agricultural Marketing Board (CMA) will be playing a prominent role at the event. Given this strong presence at the fair, along with the fact that Cologne-based Koelnmesse is involved, Mayor Fritz Schramma of Cologne will be travelling to India to visit Annapoorna – World of Food India. A larger business delegation led by the German food sector association Sweets Global Network (SG) will also be on hand in Mumbai to learn about India’s food market.

A joint participation of companies from Thailand, 11 in all, will be another highlight of the fair. The Thai Department of Export Promotion (DEP) is the organiser of the joint presentation. The DEP and Koelnmesse are the organisers of the successful Thaifex – World of Food Asia in Bangkok. In 2006, this main trade event for the Southeast Asian market attracted 1,000 exhibitors and approximately 82,000 visitors, including 20,000 trade visitors. As an important partner of Koelnmesse, Thailand will be Anuga’s first partner country next year.

In addition to the exhibitors’ presentations, the visitors can expect a fascinating, specialist-oriented supporting programme that will address the most exciting developments in today’s food business in India.

The fair’s conferences, which will take place on each of the fair’s three days, will focus on the following areas:.
1. Beverages: The wine industry in India, health drinks, functional drinks
2. Catering: The development of fast food retail in India, service quality in the catering industry
3. Food safety: Global trends in food safety, FSSB 2006 (Food Standard and Safety Bill) and its impact on the food processing industry in India.