Bengal one of the Largest Markets for Food Processing
Recently Industry Captains and government officials alike met for the Bengal Global Business Summit. The summit saw representation from 20 countries and various proposals were put forward for various industries including the food industry. The food industry signed 16 MoUs with the view of investing of Rs.1600crores in the food sector here.
ITC executive director Kurush Gupta, who chaired the session for the food processing industry, said that Bengal was one of the largest markets for the food processing industry. The areas for the market included agricultural produce animal husbandry, poultry and fisheries. He also suggested a dairy policy and suggested that there should be one body for agro products which also required a holistic agricultural value chain under it.
Franchisee’s to Buy PepsiCo Bottling Plants after CCI Clears Path
Varun Beverages is all set to acquire four of PepsiCo’s bottling plants in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh after Competition Commission of India, (CCI) cleared them. CCI is satisfied that PepsiCo and Varun Beverages are not competitors and so the partnership does not raise any anti-competitive issues nor is there any likelihood of a change in the market structure.
Varun Beverages will be able to also distribute and sell “Pepsi” products in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The deal will also allow it to buy an undertaking from PepsiCo India’s group company, Aradhana Drinks, for Punjab. PepsiCo India will also continue to promote its own brand in India.
Grape Escapade is Back in Goa
Grape Escapade is one of the biggest and most popular wine festivals. Goa Tourism Development Corporation has been hosting it since 2005 and this year also the festival is all set to take off on 23 January 2015. Not only will connoisseurs be able to sip delicious wines and sample gourmet food but will also be able to partake in an entertainment extravaganza. Last year there were more than 40,000 participants and this year too GTDC is expecting an overwhelming response from B2B participants as the festival provides a great platform for business and trade partnerships.
The festival will have under one roof a huge gathering of restaurateurs, hoteliers, wineries and lifestyle brands. The food served by the 15 restaurants and catering companies includes oriental cuisines besides barbecues, pasta, other chicken/meat delicacies and vegetarian options. One of the most popular highlights of the festival is the traditional ‘Grape Stomping’ which rakes in more fun loving crowds.
Taco Bells Sounding Loud in Mumbai
Mumbai has recently seen the opening of two more Taco Bell outlets in Ghatkopar and Thane which brings the total outlets in Mumbai to three. Taco Bell, America’s Mexican fast food chain began operating in India in 2010. It has four other outlets in Bangalore. Taco bell is a part of Yum Restaurants which also owns Pizza Hut and KFC. Taco Bell’s UPS is food that is crunchy, cheesy and full of flavours that makes eating here a food adventure. Their bold flavours and new food options are sure to delight consumers especially their Mexican Tacos, Chalupas and Quesadillas. Taco Bell has 6000 outlets in 16 countries.
Australia Business Week in India
Australian Trade and Investment minister Andrew Robb along with 450 Australian businessmen are currently visiting India for the eight day long Australia Business Week in India (ABWI) January 9 to 16. Among other business, there will also be representatives from the agribusiness and food sectors. As Australia’s fifth largest export market, India offers scope of more growth across traditional sectors like energy and agriculture and a broad range of services and investments.
The participants will be involved in a number of business activities and investment forums in New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Jaipur and Chandigarh. Minister Robb is also participating in the economic and developmental summit ‘Vibrant Gujarat 2015’ along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Karnataka to Have New Maize Milling Unit
With a view to meet the growing demand for the Sweeteners in India, Cargill has invested $73 million in its first wet corn milling plant in Karnataka. The operations will begin by June 15, 2015 and the mill is expected to process 800 tonnes of maize per day. The company says that it is easier to reach markets with the finished products than transport raw material like maize with efficiency and hence the decision, as Karnataka grows maize widely.
The new plant would supply glucose syrups and maltodextrin extracted from maize to India based food, beverage and pharma industries. The company feels they will be able to address the needs of the food and beverage industry for reliable supply of food safe, quality compliant sweeteners.
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