8th India Maize Summit Concludes Today

Maize has emerged as a wonder crop for many countries, particularly in developing countries like India, due to changing global food demands and consumer preferences. Maize contributes significantly to India's socio-economic balance. It is a multi-purpose crop that is grown all over the world for food, feed, and industrial purposes.

As a result, identifying and addressing the major roadblocks to the development of the Indian maize ecosystem is critical. The 8th "India Maize Summit" was organized on May 12-13, 2022, with a focus on securing a sustainable maize supply to meet growing demand and increase farmer prosperity.

Agenda of Day 2 (13th May 2022): 8th India Maize Summit

(10:00 – 11:00 p.m): Session 5: Showcase series of Agri Start-Ups in Maize Value Chain

Session Chair & Moderator: Hemendra Mathur, Chairman, FICCI- Taskforce on Agri- Startups

In a bid to double the farmer’s income by 2022, the Government of India is continuously looking for ways to boost agricultural production, food processing, and marketing avenues through the integration of the latest technologies and innovations; thus, creating a huge scope for Agritech start-ups in the country.

Agritech start-ups are emerging as a relevant solution across the maize value chain. It’s time to make Maize start-ups successful and propel India forward.

Showcase by Maize Start-ups

• Presentation 1- Kumar Ranjan, CEO, Efeed

• Presentation 2- Chirag Gupta, CEO, 4700 BC popcorn

• Presentation 3- Salil Lakhanpal, Business Relationship Officer, Agnext Technologies

• Presentation 4- Aman Panwar, CEO, Bharat Rohan

• Presentation 5- Dharambir Singh, Founder & Owner, Dharambir Food Technology Pvt Ltd

• Presentation 6- Roli Jindal, Co-founder, RMSI, Cropalytics

• Presentation 7- Nessi Benishti, CEO, Agrio (Israel)

(11:00 – 12:00 p.m): Session 6: Maize based sustainable Agricultural Progress in the Country

Field corn is an abundant, affordable sustainably grown crop. The corn kernel is versatile. It can be used in livestock feed, fuel ethanol, food products, industrial uses, and more. Corn is utilized in animal feed (grain and distillers’ grain) and food and beverages. Corn also has a role in bioplastics, cosmetics, deodorants, crayons and many other bio-based products, including greener cleaners. Today’s technology has allowed farmers to increase production on each acre of land, and corn production is projected to continue to rise. Increased corn productivity enables growers to outpace demand with a higher supply, meeting the demand for food, feed, fuel and trade.

Session Moderator & Chair: Amit Sachdev, India Representative, USGC Speakers

• Dr. Vibha Ahuja, Chief General Manager at Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL)

• Feed Raw material – demand and supply scenario, Jaison John, Team Lead - India at U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)

• Manish Kumar Gupta, Chairman, All India Starch Manufacturers Association

• Dr. Harinder Singh, Director, Excellent Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.

• Siddharth Sareen, Director-Technical, Rustx

(12:05 – 01:00 p.m.): Session 7: Market Linkages for Maize FPOs- Issues & Challenges

Session Moderator & Chair: Pravesh Sharma, Retd. IAS, Adviser, FICCI & Chairman- FICCI Task Force on FPOs & Co-Founder & CEO, Kamatan Farm Tech Pvt. Ltd.

Speakers

• Anish Kumar, Transform Rural India Foundation

• Rohit Dhanda, Samunnati

• Aromal Jkoshi, Head of Raw Material Purchase, Roquette India

• Aleen Mukherjee, Head of FPO Strategy, NCDEX

(01.30- 2.15 p.m):  Address by Key Government Officials

Welcome Address: T R Kesavan, Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE

Special Address:

• Dr. Neelam Patel, Sr. Adviser (Agriculture Uttarakhand), NITI Aayog, GOI

• Dr. A K Singh, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GOI

• Dr. Ashok Dalwai, CEO, NRAA, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GOI

• Dr. S.K. Malhotra, Project Director (DKMA), ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Affair, Government of India