To promote the Indian basmati rice brand, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority has invited bids for installation of advertising hoardings at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, which is the sixth largest in the world.

“This location (Terminal 3 of IGI airport) should attract maximum attention of the relevant audience to help further build Indian basmati rice as a brand,” the Apeda said on its website.

Technical and financial bids are invited separately for the positioning of well-designed Indian basmati rice hoarding at a strategic location at Terminal 3 of IGI airport, it said, adding that the period of display will be for one year from May 16, 2011.

Appreciating the Apeda’s initiative, the All India Rice Exporters’ Association President, Mr Vijay Sethia, said: “This is for the first time, Apeda is promoting basmati rice brand through hoardings at Delhi’s airport.”

Normally, Apeda promotes Indian farm products via trade fairs and conferences in the international market, he said, adding that the novel initiative of setting up hoardings of basmati rice at airport would add value to the product.

After seeing the results at IGI, the export promotion body should initiate similar steps to promote Indian basmati rice at other select airports in the country, he suggested.

At Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s busiest airport, Saudi dates are promoted via hoardings and even sold at shops, he added.

According to the crop survey conducted by Apeda, total basmati rice production is estimated at 7 million tonnes in the 2010-11 crop year, almost 10 per cent higher than 6.4 mt recorded in the previous year.

In the 2009-10 fiscal, the country shipped 2.01 mt basmati rice mainly to the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Europe and the US.

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