India Pulses and Grains Association successfully hosted THE PULSES CONCLAVE 2014, a three day mega event for the global pulses trade and industry during February 19- 21 in Goa. Former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu; Minister Lyle Stewart, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of Saskatchewan, Canada; Hakan Bahceci, President, CICILS (Global Confederation); Pravin Dongre, Chairman, IPGA and Bimal Kothari, Vice-Chairman, IPGA graced the inaugural ceremony of the Pulses Conclave. Hon’ble H. E. Dr. Perks Ligoya, High Commissioner, Malawi inaugurated the Exhibition at The Conclave.
Over 800 delegates from India and across 24 countries including Australia, USA, Canada, Russia, Spain, Pakistan, Kenya, Myanmar to name a few participated in the Conclave. Business worth over Rs. 500 crore was transacted.
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Pravin Dongre, Chairman, India Pulses and Grains Association, speaking about the Conclave said, “We are overwhelmed by the stupendous response the Conclave has received from the trade and industry across India and the world. The Conclave has provided a huge opportunity for all participants to Converge-Connect-Capitalise through trade tie-ups and strategic alliances. India is the epicenter of global pulses trade; and through this endeavor we are trying to bring the trade across geographies closer.”
Minister of Agriculture, Lyle Stewart, Govt. of Saskatchewan, Canada led a 10-member trade delegation to the Conclave which underscored the importance of India as a market and demonstrates the confidence and commitment the global pulses industry has for India as well as the association. Canada is also exploring a tie-up with ICRISAT, for transfer of R & D technology opportunities with India to boost the yield and quality of the pulses.
A key highlight of the Conclave was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) and the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) to work in collaboration for increasing effectiveness of trade tools including lifting of trading restrictions through continuous dialogue with regulator and policymakers.
The Conclave also witnessed the presence of senior officials like Ramesh Abhishek, IAS, Chairman, Forward Markets Commission, Govt. of India; Dr. Swapan Datta, Deputy Director General, ICAR; and Dr. C.L.L Gowda, DDG, ICRISAT. Other key speakers included Mr Brian Clancey, VP, Marketing and Sales, STAT Communication Ltd, Canada, and Gordon Bacon, CEO, Pulse Canada. The theme of The Pulses Conclave 2014 was “The Power of Pulses” and highlighted ‘Pulses Market & Price Outlook for 2014-2015’ and the role of pulses in global food security through various panel discussions by eminent industry experts.
The Pulses Conclave 2014 had three key components viz., a Seminar, an Exhibition and a series of B2B meetings between stakeholders. The seminar comprised of a series of stimulating presentations by speakers from India and abroad as well as insightful panel discussions by policymakers, domain experts and agri-business professionals who covered key areas like global agri-market drivers and price outlook. The origin presentations from America, Myanmar, Africa and Australia as well as market and price outlook for each pulse category such as Chick Peas, Lentils and others are expected to impart a renewed dynamism to international trade.
Some of the other key highlights of The Pulses Conclave 2014 were:
IPGA appealed to the Government to include Pulses in the National Food Security Act 2013 and the Public Distribution System (PDS) for advancing the nation’s nutrition security; IPGA appealed to the Government to allow free import and export of Pulses to help the growth of the sector and ensure better earnings for pulse growers and allied industries.
Ramesh Abhishek, IAS, Chairman, Forward Markets Commission, Govt. of India announced that the Commission is considering withdrawal of the suspension imposed in 2007 on futures trading of key agricultural commodities such as tur (pigeon peas), urad (black gram) and rice.
Brian Clancey, STAT Communication declared that India is the largest producer of pulses in the world and the production of pulses in India has gone up by 37 per cent in the year between 2010 and 2014 and is expected to rise further, even as production of other countries was decreasing.
Presentations during the three day mega event included:
Indian Market Outlook by Sudhakar Tomar, Hakan Agro DMCC, Dubai; USA Pulses Crop by Jeff van Pevenage – Senior Vice President, Columbia Grains; Pulses in Canada by Carl Potts, Executive Director, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers; Pulses in Australia by Peter Wilson, CEO, Australia Milling Group and Chairman, Pulse Australia; Pulses in Myanmar by Shyam Narsaria, Arvee International Pvt. Ltd; Pulses outlook in Africa by Jayesh Patel, ETG, Kenya; Research advance in Pulses by Dr. C.L Gowda, Deputy Director General, ICRISAT; and Pulses research Development in India by Dr. Swapan Kumar Datta, DDG (Crop Science), ICAR
