EU Pavilion to showcase agricultural products at SIAL India / Vinexpo India 2022 in New Delhi
New Delhi, 26th November, 2022: Agricultural products from the European Union are more than just food and drinks, they are stories shared, heritage passed on through generations. They are collections of flavors, bursting with character that are traceable back to rich origins. All EU Member States share food and farming standards, reinforced by robust food safety regulations, guaranteeing authentic, high quality, sustainable and safe products that are exported all over the world.
Bringing this heritage and culture to India, the European Union (EU) along with its Member States will participate at SIAL India and Vinexpo India 2022 in New Delhi from 1st to 3rd December 2022, showcasing a wide variety of high-quality food and beverages. The EU Pavilion will be inaugurated on 1 December 2022 by European Union Ambassador H.E. Ugo Astuto in the presence of EU Member State Ambassadors and other stakeholders from the food and beverage industry. The presentation of a wide selection of food and beverages, will be complemented by numerous product tasting campaigns and wine master classes, conducted by Subhash Arora, President of the Indian Wine Academy. Celebrity Chef Ajay Chopra will also host a live cooking session using EU ingredients at the EU pavilion on 2nd November.
Many of the EU products to be showcased at the fair carry the labels of geographical indication (GI) which is an indication of authenticity and special characteristics linked to their place of origin or the farming practices employed. Geographical indications play an increasingly important role in commercial relations between the EU and third countries as GI products account for around 15% of EU agricultural exports. You may already be familiar with some EU GI products that have been registered in India for instance, Champagne, Prosecco or Prosciutto di Parma.
Chargé d'affaires of the European Union to India, Christophe Manet said, “The EU participation at SIAL India / Vinexpo India aims to increase the awareness of quality food and beverages from the EU, particularly GI products, among the Indian hospitality and food service sector. The accompanying conference on GI provide an excellent opportunity for interactive exchange on the benefits for market growth and sustainable trade.” He added, “India and the EU value the tradition of GIs, attaching high importance to local food and preserving and promoting cultural heritage. These shared views reflect the basis on which the EU and India agrees to start negotiations for an Agreement on the protection of Geographical Indications last year in addition to a Free Trade Agreement. Once concluded, the EU India GI agreement shall bring new opportunities for quality products from both regions and enhance the presence, reputation and value of GIs from India and the EU on our respective territories.”
Food and Beverages: Trade Potential between EU and India
The EU will also host an event titled ‘Protecting tradition while increasing trade opportunities: Geographical Indications - a development tool for the XXI Century’ on 2nd December that will shed light on the benefits of GIs for consumers, market growth and sustainable trade. In a panel discussion, planned for the same day, well-known experts from the EU and India will discuss: ‘Opportunities for EU food and beverages in India: improving market presence of qualitative food’. Catherine Combette, Head of Unit at European Commission, and Amit Lohani, Founding Board Member of Forum of Indian Food Importers will participate in this panel discussion.
About the European Union (EU): The EU, which consists of 27 countries, has the world's largest economy and its third largest population, after China and India. Though richly diverse, the countries that make up the EU (its 'Member States') are all committed to the same basic values: peace, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. They have set up common institutions so that decisions on matters of joint interest can be made democratically at the European level. By creating a frontier-free single market and a single currency (the euro) which has been adopted by 19 Member States, the EU has given a significant boost to trade and employment. It is also at the forefront of policies on sustainability.
EU-India relations: It’s been 60 years that EU and India have worked together to reduce poverty, prevent disasters, expand trade, and promote joint research in energy, health, agriculture and many other fields of mutual interest. More information at: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/india
EU – India trade and investment partnership is growing
In the last decade, EU-India trade in goods increased by 30%; while trade in services more than doubled. EU also remains one of the top investors in India with a share of 11% (5.6 billion euro) of India’s total FDI inflows in 2021. In 2021 the bilateral trade in goods and services stood at 124.5 billion euro, showing a steady and remarkable balanced growth over the years.
About 30 % of EU food exports to India are food preparations (e.g. chocolates, pasta, etc) and beverages, with a value of 267 million euros in 2021. While the biggest share of India‘s export to Europe are fresh and dried fruits, nuts and spices worth 369 million euro. Comparing these numbers with the overall size of trade in goods between EU and India, there is considerable untapped potential in the agri-food sector. Both sides agreed on the resumption of bilateral negotiations under-way aiming for mutually beneficial GIs, trade and investment agreements.
SIAL
The SIAL India is one of the leading B2B events in the Indian food sector with a high presence of Indian food importers (the Forum of Indian Food Importers – FIFI). The Vinexepo India is a B2B event for wine, designed to connect producers from around the world with distribution and retail players in India and is held jointly with the SIAL India.