PM Modi launches investors’ portal ‘Nivesh Bandhu’ at WFI 2017

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : PM Narendra Modi inaugurated World Food India 2017 at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on November 3, 2017. The three- day mega event has been organised at the initiative of Ministry of Food Processing Industries under the guidance of Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

President of Armenia  Serzh Sargsyan, Prime Minister of Latvia Maris Kucinskis, Deputy Minister for Economic Development, Italy, Peter Bleser, Vice Minister, Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture, Germany, Esben Lunde Larsen, Minister of Environment and Food, Denmark,  were present on the occasion. Paul Bulcke, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nestle SA, Ms Amanda Sourry, Global President of Foods, Unilever, Pieter Boone, CEO, Metro AG & CEO, Metro Cash and Carry, Noel Tata, Chairman, Trent Ltd. & MD, Tata International, Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Chhatisgarh were also present on the occasion.

To mark the historic World Food Convention hosted for the first time by India, PM Modi launched – Nivesh Bandhu – ( http://foodprocessingindia.co.in/), the unique portal or “investor’s friend”. The portal will help bring together information on central and state government policies and incentives provided for the food-processing sector. The Prime Minister also released a Coffee table book and commemorative stamp on Indian Cuisines.

The Prime Minister, according to a PIB release,  highlighted India’s diverse strengths in agriculture. He said “The second largest arable land area and as many as 127 diverse agro-climatic zones give us global leadership in a number of crops like bananas, mangoes, guavas, papayas, and okra. We are second, globally, in terms of production of rice, wheat, fish, fruits and vegetables. India is also the world’s biggest milk producer. Our horticulture sector has shown an average growth rate of 5.5 per cent annually over the last ten years.”

PM Modi recounted that for centuries India has welcomed traders from distant lands, who came in search of our distinctive spices. He pointed out, “Food processing is a way of life in India. It has been practiced for ages, even in the humblest of households. Simple, home-based techniques, such as fermentation, have resulted in the creation of our famous pickles, papads, chutneys and murabbas that now excite both the elite and the masses, across the world.”

Showcasing the big picture, PM said India is today one of the fastest growing economies of the world. The Goods and Services Tax has eliminated the multiplicity of taxes. India has jumped thirty ranks this year, in the World Bank Doing Business rankings – the highest ever improvement for India, and the highest jump for any country this year. India was ranked number one in the world in 2016 in greenfield investment. India is also rapidly progressing on the Global Innovation Index, Global Logistics Index and Global Competitiveness Index. He emphasised that starting a new business in India is now easier than ever before. Procedures for obtaining clearances from various agencies have been simplified. Archaic laws have been repealed, and the burden of compliances has been reduced, he said, according to the PIB release. The PM noted that Private sector participation has been increasing in many segments of the value chain.