The Hindu Business Line : Western cos eyeing Indian food sector

THE Indian food sector has emerged as a major marketing destination to the British, French and the German companies that are exhibiting their products and machinery at the four exhibitions on food processing, dairy, sweet and snacks and packaging being organised by the CIDEX Trade Fairs Pvt Ltd at HITEX here from Friday.

The representatives of Robert Bosch GmbH of Germany, Lagarde of France and East Midlands Ethnic Food Forum of the UK maintained that in the food sector, India was one of the "most important growing markets in the world".

Mr Mathias Duelfer, the Global Head of Confectionary Technology Division of Bosch, said that India was the most important market for the company. Bosch, which has an annual turnover of £800 million, has launched "Miniwrap", a candy-wrapping machine, at the exhibition. The machine has the capacity to produce 2000 candies per minute.

Mr Duelfer told Business Line that the German company, which was currently importing its products into India, was thinking about producing its food processing machinery in the country. He, however, said that it was not yet decided when Bosch should establish its manufacturing base in India.

On the other hand, Lagarde of France, which is into sterilisation technology, has concluded a deal with an Indian firm for use of its packaging products. Mr Rajiv Sood, Managing Director of Damian, the Indian associate of Lagarde, said that the French company was looking forward to executing turnkey projects in India.

Ms Pascale Fleury, Commercial Attache of Economic Mission, Embassy of France in India, said that two French firms were working on developing food parks in India. The French firms have signed a contract with a West Bengal based company in this regard.

Similarly, the Board Members of the East Midlands Ethnic Food Forum (EMEFF), Mr Nainesh Patel and Mr Priyesh Patel, are looking forward for bilateral trade tie-ups with Indian companies.

They said that Indian food was popular cuisine in the UK with chicken tikka masala being the fastest selling dish. EMEFF has 93 members including 32 engaged in the manufacture of food products.

They said that the current market size of ethnic food in UK was £1 billion and the market was growing at 13 per cent per annum. The export of British ethnic foods into other European countries and the US was also increasing at rate of 13 per cent.

The British Deputy High Commissioner in Southern India, Mr Stuart Innes, also felt that there was a lot of scope for collaborations between the UK and Indian companies in food, agriculture, biotechnology and trade sectors.

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