Nourish India 2025: Food Safety & Security Leadership Summit, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Nourish India 2025: Food Safety & Security Leadership Summit, held from 10.00 am onwards 20th November 2025 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Bengal Chamber Agriculture Events Masthead

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Video Links:
1. Inaugural
2. Special Session 1
3. Special Session 2
4. Session 1
5. Session 2
6. Session 3

The Nourish India 2025 - Food Safety & Security Leadership Summit was held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, bringing together national policymakers, scientific leaders, industry bodies, and farmer-facing institutions to advance a unified agenda on food safety, nutrition, and export-readiness.

The inaugural session featured senior leaders including Dr. J. P. Dongre (Director & DAMA, MoFPI), Dr. Sudhanshu (Secretary, APEDA), Dr. Alka Rao (Advisor, FSSAI), Dr. Giridhar Parvatham (Director, CSIR-CFTRI), and Dr. Prem Garg (National President, Indian Rice Exporters Federation) alongside Mr. Subhodip Ghosh, Director General, BCC&I, and Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty, Mentor, Agri-Horti-Food Processing Committee, BCC&I.

Speakers stressed the rising demand for science-driven compliance, digital traceability, MRL risk management, and modern testing capabilities to secure India's position in global value chains. Discussions highlighted the urgent need to strengthen systems from farm to fork, promote safe and sustainable agri-practices, empower micro-entrepreneurs, and scale farmer-level awareness on pesticide use, residue management, and quality standards.

In a key address, Dr. J. P. Dongre detailed the Ministry of Food Processing Industries' schemes covering integrated cold-chain infrastructure, processing clusters, Operation Greens, testing laboratories, and the PM-FME programme to support micro-enterprises, value addition, and formalisation. MoFPI underscored the need for technology adoption-from IoT-enabled traceability to AI-based quality systems-to help Indian products meet international benchmarks. An exclusive session with MoFPI also showcased these schemes in depth, offering entrepreneurs clarity on available support and incentives.

FSSAI Advisor Dr. Alka Rao highlighted India's advances in global standard-setting, pesticide MRL science, Codex leadership, and strengthened stakeholder engagement mechanisms. She noted India's progress in recycled PET regulations, realistic residue-based MRL frameworks, and the need for reliable certified reference materials to support exporters and laboratories.

APEDA Secretary Dr. Sudhanshu emphasised India's strengths in climate-driven agri-clusters, expanding export opportunities, and the success of digital traceability systems such as GrapeNet and PeanutNet-which have virtually eliminated quality complaints from international markets. He also outlined APEDA's initiatives for start-ups and value-added products.

Dr. Prem Garg called for a shift from commodity-selling to premium branding of Indian rice, adoption of sustainability practices, packaging innovation, and unified quality standards to boost India's position as the world's most trusted rice supplier.

Offering the financial sector perspective, Shri Vishal Sharma, DGM, NABARD, noted that food safety and security rely on access, availability, and affordability-all of which depend on a robust food-processing framework. He highlighted NABARD's refinancing support, storage and cold-chain infrastructure financing, and credit facilitation measures aimed at enabling food-processing enterprises and strengthening the wider ecosystem.

The event saw panel discussions on industry best practices in food safety, role of agri-input and regulatory ecosystems, and domestic & export market opportunities with participation from CFTRI, ICAR institutions, leading agri-input companies, and food industry representatives.

The summit concluded with a B2B networking round and a call for coordinated action across government bodies, industry, agri-scientists, and FPOs to advance the vision of Viksit Bharat through a safer, resilient, and globally competitive food ecosystem.

Mr. Subhodip Ghosh, Director General, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry, addressing the inaugural session of the Nourish India 2025 - Food Safety & Security Leadership Summit.

Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty, Mentor, Agri-Horti-Food Processing-Rural Development National Committee, BCC&I, sharing insights on the future of India's agri-food ecosystem.

Dr. Prem Garg, National President of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation and Chairman, Shri Lal Mahal Group, speaking on global competitiveness and export readiness of Indian agri-products.

Dr. Giridhar Parvatham, Director, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, highlighting innovation and technology pathways for a safer, more resilient food system.

Dr. Alka Rao, Advisor, FSSAI, delivering her address on strengthening India's food safety ecosystem and regulatory preparedness for 2025 and beyond.

Dr. J. P. Dongre, Director & DAMA, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), emphasizing government initiatives driving Viksit Bharat through food processing.

Dr. Sudhanshu, Secretary, APEDA, outlining India's export potential and the role of quality, traceability, and global market compliance.

All dignitaries of the Inaugural Session of the Nourish India 2025 - Food Safety & Security Leadership Summit, standing together to mark the beginning of a national dialogue on innovation, safety, and export excellence in food systems.

Participants engaging in an insightful Q&A session during the Nourish India 2025 Summit, raising critical points on food safety, innovation, and sectoral challenges.

Shri Vishal Sharma, DGM, NABARD Delhi, addressing the Summit on "Strengthening Ecosystems - Role of Financial Institutions."

Session 1: Panel Discussion: "Food Safety Leadership - Industry Insights & Best Practices." from Left Mr. Sitanshu Sekhar Bag (Emami Agrotech Ltd), Dr. Vandana Tripathy (AINP on Pesticide Residues), Dr. Giridhar Parvatham, Director, CSIR�CFTRI., Dr. R. K. Pal (Former Director, ICAR�NRC on Pomegranate; Chairman, FSSAI Scientific Panel), Mr. Arjun Dutta (Founder, Greenlife IQ Ponics). With Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty, Mentor, Agri-Horti-Food Processing-Rural Development National Committee, BCC&I.

Session 2: Panel Discussion: "Enhancing Food Safety & Security - Role of Agri-Input Industry and Regulatory Ecosystem." From Left Mr. Kamal Kumar (Dhanuka Agritech), Sonai Rajan (CIB&RC), Mr. Rahul Mathur (IPL Biologicals Ltd), Mr. Yuvraj Chopra (BASF), Dr. Sujoy Saha, Principal Scientist, ICAR-NRC for Grapes, Dr. Amitava Sanyal (Sumitomo Chemical India), Mr. Dileep Kumar Singh (Indorama India), Dr. Shekhar Varshney (Corteva Agriscience).

Session 3: Panel Discussion: "Unlocking Sectoral Opportunities - Boosting Domestic and Export Markets." Dr. Sharmistha Naik (ICAR-NRC for Grapes), Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty, Mentor, Agri-Horti-Food Processing-Rural Development Committee, BCC&I, Mr. Athar Zia (MD, Basic Gourmet Foods Pvt Ltd & Board Member, IREF), Shri Laxman Savalkar (Magnus Farm Fresh Ltd).

Exhibition zone at the Nourish India 2025 Summit, where participants engaged with key industry and government stalls showcasing innovations in food processing and agri-input solutions.Stalls Featured:
Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) - PMFME Scheme.
Food Processing Industries & Horticulture, Government of West Bengal.
WEBEL BCC&I Tech Incubation Centre.
IPL Biologicals Ltd.
Indorama India Pvt. Ltd.
BASF India.
Dhanuka Agritech Ltd.

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