UN’s Year of International Fruits and Vegetable to Be Celebrated in August in India
In India, during this pandemic situation, the per capita consumption of different fruits has increased astoundingly and as per the trade sources the availability of F&V products will increase more in the coming years. 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 cold chain, logistics, supply chain and supporting industries.
UN’s initiative is meant to raise awareness concerning the nutritional and health benefits of consuming more fruits and vegetables as part of a diversified, balanced & healthy diet and lifestyle; and to direct policy attention towards reducing loss and waste of these extremely perishable produce items.
“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 on-going initiative,” said S. Jafar Naqvi, Chief Coordinator of the Programme.
While thinking about healthy eating, colourful and nutritious fruits & vegetables come first to our minds; they are the basic for good functioning of the human body. The benefits of consuming fruits & vegetables as part of a nutritious diet are enormous. Fresh produce items are beneficial to consumers as well as the food system. The fruit & vegetable sector puts into the rising biodiversity, making environmental sustainability, and civilizing the livelihoods of farmers and employees in service along the value chains.
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. As many fruits & vegetables are consumed raw or uncooked, they might pose a hazard for food borne illnesses linked to pathogen infection and food safety danger because of chemical contamination.
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.
“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.He added, “The event will help in stirring an attractive discussion about the fruit & vegetable sector for the observance of the International Year and beyond.”
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 in which 100 million tonnes are fruits and then 189 million tonnes is vegetable crops. Therefore, in general Fruits & Vegetables are 289 million tonnes which is about 82% or more, than its contribution in the total horticulture produces. Also, there are several other high value crops contributing in horticulture produces, starting from small seeds such as ajwain to bigger fruits like Watermelon. He said, “Demand of high value fresh produce at this instant is rising. The pandemic situation has made everybody conscious concerning the nutritional values of Fruits & Vegetables. Therefore, Citrus fruits, Papaya, Pineapple, Guava and Grapes all are in huge demand these days.” In recent times, the production area of crops likes Strawberries, Blueberries, Apple varieties, Grapes, Kiwi, Avocado and Cherries are on rise and most of the investors and professional growers are focusing on high-value crops.
This event is envisioned to share the developments and catalyze adaptation of success Models & Planning to reach Global Consumers and to bring all the stakeholders on a platform where they will share their opinion and discuss on the key topics pertaining Fresh Produce Prospect – Forecasting & Projection 2025; Tapping Overseas Markets through Government Initiatives; Success Models & Planning to Accomplish Global Consumer; Rebuilding – Aggregators & Distribution Systems; Enhancement of F&V Production, Supply Chain, Storage and Retailing; Fresh Cut & Packed – Ready to Serve Business Models; Agri-Finance to upgrade Infrastructure and Supply Chain; Appraising the Positive impact in Consumer Demand amid Pandemic; Status of Frozen Food Production and Domestic Consumption Trends; Emerging New Crops and its Production Status; Impact of Modern Retail Enterprise and Online Deliveries; and Role of FPO & Startup ecosystems for growth.
For more details of the event, contact: freshindiashow@gmail.com
