NEW DELHI: Japan is looking forward to repeating the success story of Indo-Japanese joint venture Maruti Suzuki that has ruled the Indian roads for about four decades now. The firm owns more than 50 percent of the passenger car market in India.
With India’s huge agri-food processing sector in mind, Japan eyes to create another example in this field of the magnitude of Maruti Suzuki Indian Limited that entered India in the early 1980s, and became the undisputed king of Indian auto market and also a household name, especially in the middle-class segment.
Tetsuya UETAKE, First Secretary (Food & Agriculture), Embassy of Japan said, “Now we need a new Maruti Suzuki in the field of agriculture and food.”
He said this in his address during “Agri Tech Seminar – Japanese Technologies for Value-added Agriculture and Food Processing” which was organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Government of Japan in New Delhi on Monday
“For Japan and Japanese companies, Indian agriculture and food sector are one of the most attractive and important markets. The Japanese government is promoting investments into India by Japanese agri-food companies. Also, the number of Japanese agri-food companies in India has grown from 10 about ten years ago to 50-100 now,” said Tetsuya UETAKE.
Twenty agri-food companies from Japan [participated in this seminar on January 20 and interacted with Indian counterparts for business prospects.
The focus of the Seminar was on the improvement of agricultural productivity by utilization of production management technology and on the dissemination of the latest Japanese agricultural and food processing technologies, with the objective of making India the leading exporter of agricultural products.
“We are happy to have Japan contribute to India’s growth in Agri-Tech Sector through increased collaborations”, Ms. Shubhra, Adviser Trade, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India said while inaugurating the seminar.
She highlighted that today we are witnessing an influx of Agri-tech solutions focusing on making Indian agriculture more productive. High-end technology collaboration with Japanese companies in Agri, Fisheries and Forestry sector will be very beneficial for rapid growth in this sector.
She further pointed out that Japanese technology can go a long way in critically reducing the harvest and post-harvest losses in India by augmenting cold chain capacity and other means, thereby enhancing food security in the region.
Hideo Kawakami, Deputy Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Government of Japan said, “We look forward to greater engagements and initiatives such as this Seminar, wherein more and more Japanese and Indian companies can interact and explore collaboration opportunities”.
The seminar was an excellent platform for structured discussion and deliberation between the Indian and Japanese companies to form strategic collaborations and cooperation in the areas of Agriculture and Food Processing Technology.
Jasmohan Singh, Chairman, CII Northern Region Agriculture and Food Processing Committee and Managing Director, Frick India Ltd. said that in order to achieve the target of a US$ 5 trillion economy by 2025, focusing on the growth of the agriculture sector was critical, as a significant percentage of our population was still Agri-dependent. Further, India’s demographic dividend combined with Japan’s high technology in the Agri-Tech sector can significantly improve its productivity.
He highlighted CII’s continued commitment to advancements in the Agri-sector and impacting farmers’ welfare.
