The 36th edition of Aahar, the premier food and hospitality fair of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), concluded successfully at the Pragati Madian, New Delhi, recently.

The fair gave the HoReCa (hotel, restaurant and café) sector new experiences with a star-studded line-up of prominent leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, hoteliers, restaurant owners, technocrats, award-winning chefs, influencers, food journalists and global trendsetters. Around 1,00,000 business visitors from different parts of India and the world participated in the 3-day trade show.

Visits of 100 overseas buyers from 30 countries were recorded in the first-ever Hosted Buyers Programme, an attestation to the growing interest of foreign buyers in the emerging Indian market. They evinced tremendous interest in not only a wide range of food and processed food products but also in the investment opportunities in the hospitality sector in India.

Significantly, this year, Aahar also proved successful in attracting marquee companies and big brands. Apart from the regular display, the fair featured new verticals such as nutraceuticals, aquamarine and dairy products. The show hosted more than 1,200 exhibitors from across India, besides participants from the UK, Australia, the US, South Africa, Canada, Spain, Indonesia, Estonia and France.

Aahar 2022 was also meaningful in terms of providing an interface with the companies to resolve food processing and supply chain solutions, including the latest AI/IOT systems and plastic-free and environment-friendly, next-generation packing material. Special focus was on farmer producer organisations (partnered through World Bank), GI-tagged products, millet and lost cereals of India.

Overseas delegation of buyers visited Aahar from almost 30 countries, including Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Nigeria, UAE, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nepal and Canada. The buyers had an interest in various food-related companies and have initiated business for products like coffee, honey, bakery machines and confectionary items.

As per the preliminary estimates, business worth Rs. 1,800 crore was generated during the currency of the fair. Business visitors were especially delighted to see dedicated stalls for exporters from India’s North-East and the Himalayan states (Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh), women entrepreneurs, start-ups and exporters of millets and millets products.