North East has great potential on food: Meghalaya CM
Shillong: Food entrepreneurs from across India have descended in state capital of Meghalaya showcasing their agro-food products at the North East Food Show, which is billed as the biggest congregation of global investors and business leaders of major food companies.
The three-day event, which was inaugurated by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday and which will continue till December 6, was organised by the Meghalaya government and Salon International de l’Agroalimentaire (SIAL) Group, the world’s largest food innovation network with over 50 years of global food innovation experience.
Sangma said the three days’ festival would bring together farmers, technology providers, entrepreneurs, buyers, chefs, hotels and all stakeholders in food industry on a single platform.
“North East has a great potential and farmers and entrepreneurs are doing so well but there is a missing link somewhere and that is why it was important to have such a food festival in North East on a common platform,” he said.
Sangma said the objective of the food festival is to give exposure, connection and opportunities to the farmers and entrepreneurs of the North East.
Sangma said that the Meghalaya government intends to take the food festival forward every year making it an annual event so that it will not only be beneficial to the North East but the entire South East Asian region.
“We are hopeful and targeting that this will be the biggest food festival in the South East Asian region,” he said.
During the three-day show, buyers from the food & beverage industry like Purchasing Professionals Forum-India (PPFI), Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI), international trade delegations are also going to be part of the event.
The highlight of the event will be the Chief Minister’s Conclave that will be hosted by the Meghalaya Chief Minister together with his counterparts from the other northeastern states to deliberate on the topic “Charting of a new Course for the North East through Food Processing and Supply Chain Management”.
The North-East Food Show will also be the platform for the NEFS Chef Wars – a platform for chefs to showcase their culinary skills and judged by celebrity chefs from the Indian Culinary Forum (ICFA).