Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) is preparing to host the 12th edition of The Speciality Food Festival, the MENA region’s only dedicated gourmet and fine food trade show. Taking place from  November 7-9, 2023, The Speciality Food Festival will offer influential buyers from the region’s fast-growing markets a platform to network and track down the right premium or niche product, while visitors will have the opportunity to uncover the latest news and emerging trends in the speciality food industry.

 

Bringing together industry leaders and decision makers from the retail, hospitality, food service, manufacturing, import/export and wholesale industries, the festival will tap into current food trends and address the opportunities and challenges across these sectors, focusing on six core themes: Vegan & Plant Based, Horeca & Food Service, Speciality Beverage, Health & Wellness, Artisan & Gourmet, Organic & Free-From.

 

Trixie LohMirmand, executive vice president, Dubai World Trade Centre, commented, “Gastronomy is booming both in Dubai and across MENA, evidenced for example by the arrival of world-renowned gastronomy guides Michelin and Gault et Millau in the region. Next month’s The Speciality Food Festival will continue to be a powerful driving force behind this boom, enabling buyers and visitors to encounter a huge variety of innovative and trend-led global speciality foods, exhibitors to showcase their product and service offerings, and all participants to build new business connections”.

 

Specialist buyers of premium products from across MENA will be able to discover a vast array of speciality foods from over 250 exhibitors, including global brands like Monin, Mamame Whole Foods and Truffle House. Exhibitors will display a dazzling array of products from sectors including artisanal and gourmet, plant-based and organic, and beverage including: award winning olive oils from Italy, Spain, Greece; 100-year-old traditional balsamic vinegars; olive preserves, pastes and pastas, caviar and family-owned handcrafted burrata and stracciatella. More than 25 countries will be represented on the show floor, including Italy, Egypt, Hong Kong, Greece, the Philippines, Korea and Singapore.

 

Top Table Gourmand

Gulfood stalwart Top Table will return to The Speciality Food Festival this year, with more than 40 interactive masterclasses from 20 homegrown chefs who are helping shape the region’s unique culinary identity. Big names set to give visitors first-hand experience of the latest culinary ideas and innovations include Chef Alessio Pirozzi, head chef at the Michelin-starred TornoSubito, Chef Kelvin Cheung of Jun’s, Chef Alexander Stumpf, executive chef & co-owner of BB Social Dining, Chef Roberto Segura, head of culinary at InfiniConcepts Agency and Tabu Dubai; and Chef Junior Nadje, founder of Diner Modern.

 

Youth X

Young, aspiring chefs are having an ever-growing influence on the regional and global gastronomic scene. To recognise and reward this contribution, YouthX will convene up and coming young chefs from four of the region’s leading hotels for the Young Chef Challenge, and give them a unique chance to showcase their culinary skills in a thrilling competition.

 

At a culinary casting earlier this month organised by YouthX partner the International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA), 10 teams were whittled down to four. The winning teams that have secured their spots in the regional finals and will face off at Top Table Gourmand on the second day of the The Speciality Food Festival, are Atlantis The Palm (Ossiano), led by Chef Gregoire; Jumeirah Mina A'salam, led by Chef Kevin; Kempinski Palm Dubai; and the SLS Dubai. The regional winners will then move forward to the international final at Gulfood next February.

Eager to grab a slice of the half billion-dollar global orchid market, the state horticulture department has launched the Tropical Orchids Production project. It is being touted as a game-changer for floriculturistsacross the state. A sprawling naturally-ventilated polyhouse or orchid garden, open to tourists and orchid aficionados, has been set up in Jalpaiguri’s Mohitnagar.

 

Beneficiaries in Darjeeling and Kalimpong are being provided subsidies and training to replicate the project as Bengal awaits bumper crops in the next two to three years. It started in a derelict horticultural farm under the aegis of the West Bengal State Food Processing Horticulture Development Corporation Limited(WBSFPHDCL), which then signed an agreement with the Siliguri-based North Bengal Floritech. The Utsarika Horticulture Farm, now registered with the National Horticulture Board, and named Urvi-Zara, was set up. 'The demand for orchids, with their resplendent colours and complex designs, is driving the global market like never before,' said Subrata Gupta, additional chief secretary, state department of food processing industries and horticulture. As polyhouses made of steel tube are expensive, the horticulture department designed bamboo-based polyhouses for Rs 45,000, with Rs 22,500 as subsidy. But this, too, was beyond farmers’ means. The scheme was tweaked. The beneficiaries were asked to bring the bamboo from their own plantations. Components for the structureswere provided by the state government. Thus, 2,513 polyhouses have come up in the Hills. Another polyhouse is being planned at Mohitnagar.The revenue earned from these polyhouses would be ploughed back for the expansion of orchid cultivation in north Bengal, officials said.

 

Return airfares from Mumbai to north states soar for Diwali; Ranchi & Raipur hit Rs 40,000

Airfares for non-stop flights from Mumbai to northern states during Diwali week have been extremely high this year. Ranchi and Raipur have the highest fares, with return fares of Rs 40,000. Return fares to cities such as Prayagraj, Patna, Lucknow, Gaya, Darbhanga, and Agra have crossed Rs 30,000. However, fares to destinations like Goa, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, and Hyderabad are under Rs 10,000. The high fares are due to the limited number of flights to northern destinations compared to southern cities.

Return airfares from Mumbai to north states soar for Diwali; Ranchi & Raipur hit Rs 40,000

Airfares for travel during the Diwali week from Mumbai to northern states have hit record highs this year. Return fares to cities like Ranchi and Raipur have reached Rs 40,000, while fares to other cities like Prayagraj, Patna, and Lucknow have crossed Rs 30,000. In contrast, fares to destinations like Goa and Hyderabad remain under Rs 10,000.

Odisha govt begins process for installation of Wi-Fi facilities in state public university campuses

The government of Odisha has initiated the process of installing Wi-Fi services at state public university campuses to improve the academic environment. The higher education department has requested universities to submit cost estimates for approval. Some universities, such as Utkal University and Rama Devi Womens University, have already implemented free Wi-Fi using university funds. The government aims to fulfill its promise of providing free Wi-Fi and 1 GB data for students, as stated in the ruling party's election manifesto.

The first-ever shipments of 77 tonnes of potatoes have arrived from India for domestic consumption in Bangladesh - traditionally an exporter of the root vegetable - amid government efforts to ease the price.

 

A company named Gore International of Chapainawabganj brought two trucks of potatoes through Sona Masjid land port on Thursday after getting the government’s approval.

 

The company did not want to disclose the import cost. The agriculture ministry said the government has granted permission for imports of 107,000 tonnes of potatoes in three days starting on Tuesday.

 

Abu Bakar Siddique, the manager of Arham Nitex which is among the firms that got the permission to import potatoes, said they would start imports after analysing the volatile market by taking into consideration a 33 percent duty on potato imports.

 

Potatoes are now being sold at Tk 60 to Tk 80 (USD 0.55 to 0.73) per kg in Dhaka markets – the highest in the country's history. In India, one kg of potato costs 20 rupees. Potato prices have seen a sharp increase recently despite "sufficient" production in Bangladesh.

 

It produced 11.1 million tonnes of potatoes last season against the annual demand of around 8 million tonnes. Traders also exported 13,000 tonnes of potatoes at the beginning of this year.

 

Earlier, 68,773 tonnes of potatoes were exported in the 2020-21 season while the government approved permission to export 78,910 tonnes in 2021-22. This time the government has given permission to import 50,000 tonnes of potatoes in two days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the three-day mega food event ‘World Food India 2023’ at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Over 1,200 exhibitors and participants from over 80 countries participated in it. The theme for the event was 'Processing For Prosperity'.

 

Gujarat, as a state renowned for its investor-friendly policies in the food processing and agro sector, participated in World Food India as a partner state. On the first day, the state organised a knowledge session on the theme: Food Processing – A Sun Rise Sector of Amrit Kaal, which was followed by an elaborate exhibition with food samples and insights of the sector. The partner state exhibition and knowledge session was organised by Indext-A, which is a dedicated cell of the Government of Gujarat to foster investments in the agribusiness sector of Gujarat, under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture.

 

The knowledge session was inaugurated by Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Cow Breeding and Fisheries, Government of Gujarat, Raghavji Patel. During his address, he said, 'Gujarat's food processing sector has seen a notable upward trend in recent years and has attracted investors due to climate, connectivity and ease of doing business. The state shall look forward to hosting you at Gujarat Pavilion.'Prior to it, he attended the Prime Minister’s session and did an inauguration of the stall.

 

In the flow of events, opening remarks were delivered by A K Rakesh, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Farmer Welfare and Cooperation Department, Government of Gujarat. He shared, 'Gujarat's notable strength in the dairy sector includes. its extensive network of milk cooperative, 18,000 village-level milk societies and 3.6 million milk producer members. Gujarat has been ranked the 4th largest milk-producing state in India.'

 

The session showed presentation from Secretary, APEDA, Dr Sudhanshu who spoke about Exports of Processed Foods from Gujarat: 'A Cluster Approach.'

 

It was followed by an insight from Amaan Khan, brand VP, HUL, on New Vistas of Food Processing Sector in New India. He said 'Peanut butter has seen an enormous growth in India. It is a #3000 crore category. It is a rapidly growing category and also the most affordable category and Gujarat accounts for 44 per cent of peanut butter production in India.'

 

Pranav Doshi, Director, Gujarat Mega Food Park, spoke on 'Enabling Ecosystem for Food Processing Sector in Gujarat.' During his presentation, he said, 'Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation (GAIC), promotes agricultural activities at the ground level and has helped create many facilities for post-harvest management such as the integrated pack house, Gamma radiation facility, and centre for perishable at Ahmedabad among others.'

 

The audience were invited to the Pre-Vibrant Summit on December 7, 2023, in Amul Auditorium, Anand, Gujarat. The theme of the event is based on the theme of 'Leveraging Infrastructure Strengths of Gujarat for Agro and Food Sector' and it is a prelude to upcoming Vibrant Gujarat.

Indonesia's state food procurement company Bulog said on Monday the government is planning to set next year's rice import quota at 2 million metric tons, down from this year's quota of 3.8 million tons.

 

Those imports would depend on domestic supply and demand, however, Bulog's corporate secretary Awaludin Iqbal said.

 

The Southeast Asian country also announced it would extend until June 2024 its monthly rice handout scheme, a programme that provides rice to 22 million lower income households to protect the poor from rising prices.

 

The programme was due to expire next month.

 

'We decided to extend the programme considering the rice price has yet to drop,' Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan told reporters on Monday.

 

The rising price was caused by drought linked to the El Nino weather pattern that has hit harvests.

 

President Joko Widodo previously said the price of rice has risen by 19.8% as of the end of October.

 

Indonesia's rice imports in the January to September period were 1.79 million metric tons, with Bulog rice stock at 1.4 million metric tons as of the start of this month.

Thailand, Pakistan, Myanmar and Cambodia will likely compensate for reduced shipments of rice from India and Vietnam and exports from Asia are likely to be 55.4 million tonnes (mt), 6 per cent higher than the five-year average, the Food and Agriculture Organisation has said. 

 

The UN body, in its Global Information and Early Warning System on Food Agriculture’s 'Crop Prospects and Food Situation' report, said world rice reserves at the close of 2023-24 marketing season (September-August)  are forecast to recover by 1.5 per cent year-on-year to a peak of 198.9 mt.

 

'However, much of this increase is envisaged to take place in India, where another accumulation, coupled with carry-out recoveries in Pakistan and the US, could overshadow stock drawdowns in all other major rice exporters,' the report done thrice a year said. 

 

Food security concerns

Indian exports will be lower in view of various curbs imposed by India on rice shipments since September 2022.  The Government banned shipments of broken rice in September 2022, while banning white rice exports in July this year. It has imposed a 20 per cent duty on parboiled rice from August 26 and fixed $950 a tonne as the minimum export price for basmati shipments. 

 

The measures have been taken to ensure food security in the country in view of the paddy crop being affected by truant weather. The Agriculture Ministry has estimated rice production at 106.31 mt against a target of 112 mt. Last year, kharif production was 110 mt. 

 

Rice exports by countries such as Thailand have helped to bring down rice prices by 2 per cent in October from September. 'International rice prices dropped by 2.0 percent amid generally passive global import demand,' the FAO said in its price index. 

 

Up 24% y-o-y

In its Rice Price Update, the UN arm said the FAO All Rice Price Index averaged 138.9 points in October 2023, but it was 24 per cent above the year-ago value. 

 

'Export quotations declined in all the major market segments in October,' it said. The price weakness was 'most evident' in the Japonica and Glutinous markets, where generally quiet trading activities were compounded by harvest progress of Calrose rice in California and Glutinous rice in Thailand. 

 

This resulted in the Japonica Index shedding 8.9 per cent of its September value to arrive at its lowest level since December 2021, while the Glutinous Index retreated by 5.3 per cent to a three-month low. 

 

Buyers shy away

In Asian markets of Indica rice, which India produces, substantial deals were largely confined to continued purchases by Indonesia’s Bulog in October. India also approved shipments of one million tonnes to seven nations to meet food emergencies in African nations and fulfil its bilateral commitments with countries such as Singapore.

 

However, buyers continued to refrain from making substantial purchases, resulting in exports falling across much of Asia, the FAO update said. 

 

In Thailand, the sustained weakness of the baht against the US dollar added to the weak offshore demand. New crop arrivals in Pakistan helped defy the upward influence of a rebound in the value of the Pakistani rupee on prices. 

 

Vietnamese quotations proved somewhat more resilient, especially those of lower grade rice, as availability for export was tighter.

 

Thai rates down but Vietnam’s up

According to the Thai Rice Exporters Association, between August first week, when prices zoomed on Indian export curbs, and now, prices of Thailand’s 5 per cent broken white rice have dropped by 5 per cent to $584 a tonne from $612, while its 25 per cent broken white rice is quoted nearly eight per cent lower at $558 against $605. Bangkok’s parboiled rice prices have dropped to $584 from 615.

 

In India’s case, parboiled rice prices are currently ruling at $498-502 against $478-482 a tonne. Like India, Vietnam’s quotes for white rice have increased, while Pakistan is offering its cereal at substantial discount to Thailand’s prices ranging from $20 to $60 a tonne.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said world economic recovery remains 'slow and uneven' and medium-term growth prospects have weakened further, as she called for coordination at both global and domestic levels to ensure a swift rebound.

 

At a seminar on Strong, Sustainable, Balanced and Inclusive Growth in the Capital, Sitharaman said the New Delhi Declaration of G20 leaders in September underscored the urgency of adopting well-calibrated structural policies to bolster equitable growth and improve macroeconomic and financial stability.

 

She stressed that while India's G20 presidency-which has 'mainstreamed the concerns and aspirations of Global South'is coming to an end this month, momentum must be maintained on the policy guidance offered by the New Delhi declaration. 'Not only should we engage with G20 partners to take forward the outcomes, but we should also explore how best we can integrate these outcomes into India's domestic policy-making process so that we can lead by example,' Sitharaman said.

In a significant move to enhance agricultural exports to the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCCs), the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), a body under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the global retail giant Lulu Hypermarket LLC.

 

This MoU, with the goal of promoting Brand India on a global scale, was officially signed during the World India Food (WIF) 2023 event on November 3, 2023, in New Delhi. The signing ceremony was graced by Abhishek Dev, Chairman of APEDA, and Mr. Yusuf Ali MA, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of LuLu Group. The collaboration with Lulu Hypermarket is expected to have a transformative impact on Indian agricultural exports to the GCC countries.

 

The LuLu Group International (LLC) is a major player in the retail industry with a presence not only in the GCC but also in Egypt, India, and the Far East, boasting 247 LuLu stores and 24 shopping malls in operation. It is recognized as the fastest-growing retail chain in the Middle East and Asia. Under this MoU, APEDA will take on the role of promoting various Indian agricultural products, including millet, throughout the GCC region. This strategic partnership capitalizes on Lulu Group's expansive reach and influence in the region.

 

The agreement outlines several key aspects, including the active promotion and showcasing of a wide range of products from APEDA's basket of agricultural and processed food products in Lulu Hypermarket's retail outlets. To further enhance visibility, dedicated shelf space within LuLu Group's stores will be allocated to display APEDA's products prominently.

 

In addition to these promotional activities, APEDA and LuLu Group will engage with consumers through interactive events, sampling and tasting campaigns, seasonal promotions for fruits and vegetables, new product launches, and the promotion of products originating from Himalayan and North Eastern States, as well as organic products. The MoU extends its support to boost exports from the Himalayan and North Eastern states by facilitating agreements with entities such as the Arunachal Pradesh Marketing Board, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology, Jammu, and Meghalaya Agricultural Marketing Board.

 

The collaboration's primary objective is to raise awareness about the benefits of unique, GI-tagged agri-products, and collect feedback from consumers to improve product offerings. The agreement also signifies a joint effort by APEDA and LuLu Group to explore opportunities for the export of agricultural products through LuLu Group's international network of stores, expanding the global reach of Indian agricultural products and improving accessibility for consumers.

 

Further, both parties will jointly facilitate export-oriented promotional programs, such as Buyer-Seller meets (BSMs), R-BSMs/B2B meetings, trade fairs, and road shows in collaboration with Indian Missions abroad and relevant stakeholders.

 

The MoU also includes a commitment from LuLu Group to assist in labeling products according to the specific requirements of different importing countries, with commercial matters and applicable terms to be decided mutually.

 

Indian Prime Minister Modi has inaugurated the second edition of the Mega food event ‘World Food India 2023’ at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The event aims to showcase India as the ‘food basket of the world’ and celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

 

Modi credited the consistent and dedicated efforts by the government behind the speedy and rapid growth in India’s food processing industry. He mentioned the creation of Agri-Export Policy for the first time in India, the development of nationwide logistics and infrastructure, the creation of more than 100 district-level hubs connecting the district to the global markets, increase in the number of Mega Food Parks from 2 to more than 20, and India’s food processing capacity increasing from 1.2 mln tons to more than 20 mln tons in the last 9 years.

 

The PM gave examples of agricultural produce that are being exported from India for the first time and mentioned black garlic from Himachal Pradesh, dragon fruit from Jammu & Kashmir, Karkitchoo apples from Ladakh, Cavendish banana from Punjab and Gucchi mushrooms from Jammu.

Notwithstanding the phone call between PM Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak last Friday, the much talked about visit by the UK PM to India is not on the cards until the Free Trade Agreement is finalised and ready to be signed.

 

Sunak has also been kept busy by developments in West Asia and there are speculations that a trip in the middle of a conflict may not be feasible, ET has learnt.

 

There are reports that the deal could be sealed in December after the state assembly elections. The two sides have differences whether taxation will be included in a proposed investment protection pact, as well as the UK’s demand that tariffs be cut on electric vehicle exports to India.

 

Launched on January 13, 2022, the India-U.K. FTA began its latest 13th round of negotiations on September 18. The two sides were earlier looking to conclude FTA negotiations in October for a visit by Sunak in October last week ahead of Diwali. But final deal is yet to be

 

India-UK bilateral trade has increased from $17.5 billion in 2021-22 to $20.36 billion in 2022-23. With the talks reaching a critical juncture, both sides are now discussing contentious issues like tariffs on alcohol, Scotch whisky, rules of origin and visas for professionals.

 

Sunak spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Friday afternoon during which both leaders discussed the need to 'de-escalate' tensions and the importance of protecting innocent civilians in the Israel-Gaza conflict

 

The phone call centred around the situation in the Middle East but also covered bilateral ties and the progress being made towards an 'ambitious' deal in the ongoing India-UK free trade agreement FTA negotiations.

 

The leaders discussed recent progress on free trade agreement negotiations. They agreed on the importance of securing an ambitious deal that benefitted both sides, according to a UK government readout. Sunak would likely showcase the deal as a benefit of Brexit.