In India, during this pandemic situation, the per capita consumption of different fruits has increased astoundingly. As S. Jafar Naqvi, Chief Coordinator of the Fresh India Show, sees, the availability of F&V products will increase more in the coming years. He wants to celebrate the UN’s Year of International Fruits and Vegetables during the trade show in August.
“Our vision would be to attract over 600 decision-makers from different nations (in-person and online) including the producers, wholesalers, e-retailers, importers and exporters, professionals from the cold chain, logistics, supply chain, and supporting industries.”
“Let’s celebrate the UN’s International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 during Fresh India Show 2021 on 5th - 6th August 2021 at Hotel Pride Plaza, Aerocity, New Delhi. It will be a great pleasure to acknowledge the ongoing initiative,” said S. Jafar Naqvi, Chief Coordinator of the Program.
Availability
Low availability, owing to challenges in production, transport, and trade, and high prices for quality products make fruits & vegetables an out-of-the-way venture for many, chiefly in developing countries. Numerous areas across the world face limited availability and access to these foods.
Fruits & vegetables are very perishable products, and this can cause high levels of food loss and waste at every step of the value chain, starting at the farms. Consequently, it is very important to observe the fruit and vegetable sector holistically as a necessary part of the food system, going beyond its nutritional benefits, and to also observe their social, economic, and environmental benefits.
“Fresh India Show would draw attention to actions and systematic approaches that must be taken throughout the fruit and vegetables food system to confirm their safety for consumption and to deliver better nutritional results and healthy diets for everybody,” said Naqvi.
FAO
In a recent discussion on the initiative Dr. S. K. Malhotra, Commissioner Horticulture, Government of India expressed his delight towards the selected subject as it was very much significant in the present context. Talking about Dr. Sridhar Dharmapuri, Senior Food Safety & Nutrition Officer, FAO, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, he said, “We were together at FAO, when FAO committee on Agriculture meeting was organized and just then the declaration was made that the 2021 year should be observed as ‘International Year for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables’.”
Referring to Gokul Patnaik, Chairman, Global AgriSystem Pvt. Ltd. on the matter of attaining record production level of fruits and vegetables and other horticulture crops, he shared the latest figures. India has produced 319.5 million tonnes of horticultural produce
Consequently, it is very important to observe the fruit and vegetable sector holistically as a necessary part of the food system, going beyond its nutritional benefits, and to also observe their social, economic, and environmental benefits. Different actors can contribute to making fruits and vegetables easier to get to, inexpensive and available. Expenditure in the cold chain, R&D and digital innovation can help improve the sector significantly.
For more details of the event, contact: freshindiashow@gmail.com.