The India NZ Business Council [INZBC] has signed an MOU with the Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI), on 19 Jan 2018.
The MOU has been signed to promote products and services from the food & beverage industry in both New Zealand and India. It was signed during the New Zealand delegation attending the Indus Food Expo, in Greater Noida [near New Delhi], India.
Suresh Makhijani, Joint General Director at TPCI and Jay Changlani, Wellington Chapter Head of INZBC, signed this two-way agreement.
“We warmly welcome the delegation from NZ.
“This MOU will enable the closer working relationship between India and NZ. This is the first time we are hosting the Indus food event and we very delighted with the response,” Mr Makhijani of TPCI said.
The Secretary-General, MK Parimoo, TPCI said, “We believe this MOU with NZ delegation will create a two-way business street between NZ and India.”
INZBC lead a delegation of 10 businesses who are either operating in the F&B sector or are planning to do so very soon. The delegation was headed by Jay Changlani and also supported by INZBC board member, Sameer Handa.
Mr Changlani commented, “It was an honour and privilege to Head INZBC Delegation to India at Indus Food, Noida organised by TPCI. The event was a great success, as Indian buyers developed import and export market for themselves by connecting with 200 direct food supplier such as Patanjali, Everest, various Rice brands, fresh fruits, snacks etc.”
“From an export point of view, More than 50 other countries that were buying showed a lot of interest in organic NZ products such as dairy and Manuka Honey.This MOU would enable more closer working relationship between India and NZ businesses.”
NZ delegation with Indus Food officials (Picture Supplied)
Commenting on the key reason for taking this delegation, Mr Changlani said, “Fostering relationships and creating a platform for opportunities for business in India and NZ are key for our successes in the last couple of years. The INZBC team and TPCI are very excited about this opportunity to showcase that trade can even be conducted between India and NZ without a formal FTA agreement.”
The Indus Food Expo is a hub for the F&B Industry to maximise their business opportunities. Supported by Department of Commerce, Government of India, Indus Food is a Mega Food & Beverage industry trade show for the world, where delegates can meet 500 most prominent sellers from the food & beverage sector of India.
Companies from the world over gathered to meet the selected Indian suppliers to negotiate their forthcoming procurement deals and private labels.
Sameer Handa, INZBC board member said, “Indus food is a great networking platform which will facilitate a lot of business between India and NZ.
“With India being the 6th largest Grocery market in the world, there is huge potential for the NZ companies also to capitalize on this market. INZBC looks at both channels of trade; ie: both exports& also imports from India to the NZ market. This step was in that direction to boost import of Indian goods & services as well, to the kiwi market.”
Acknowledging the support of the Indian High Commissioner, Bhav Dhillion, treasurer, INZBC, thanked the High Commissioner for his guidance and support. “This mission was made possible due to the encouragement and support of the High Commission and his office. We appreciate the guidance given by Mr Kohli to promote trade with India.”
India is the top global producer of many food items, including meat, milk, mango, banana, etc. The Food Processing Industry alone constitutes 14% of the GDP of India. However, NZ does not import much from India. By year ending August 2014, NZ Imports from India were up $47 million (11 percent) to $463 million, but still contributing only 0.9 percent of the year's imports.
The expo was organised by the Trade Promotion Council of India. TPCI is an apex trade and investment promotion organization, recognized and supported by the Department of Commerce, Govt. of India. They work toward facilitating the growth of Indian industry with global investment and trade opportunities.
The council provides strategies for expanding business internationally, by organizing specialised business events and simultaneously working with the Government by providing policy suggestions, which are essentially based on inputs, collated from research and industry stakeholders.
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