Sikkim bags second prize at Bio Fach Intl Organic Trade Fair

GANGTOK, 16 Nov: To develop market for organic produce of Sikkim, SIMFED along with the Department of Agriculture and Horticulture & Sikkim Organic Mission participated in Bio-Fach International Organic Trade Fair 2011 at Bangalore and exhibited the produce of Sikkim.
A press release issued by the Deputy General Manager, SIMFED informs that Sikkim stood second out of more than 150 exhibitors from the national and international arena wherein 19 other states of the country had also participated.
The team from Sikkim comprised of 130 persons including Chairman, Farmers Welfare Board, PL Subba, Chairman SIMFED, Girish Chandra Rai, Advisor Agriculture Deptt, BM Ramudamu, Secretary, Vishal Chauhan, Managing Director SIMFED, Brijendra Swaroop and other senior officials from Agriculture, Horticulture, Sikkim Organic Mission and SIMFED along with 75 farmers from across the state, the release informs.
The team sought to develop business relations with prospective buyers from national and international market at the exhibition. Four farmers from West Pendam and Rateypani which are SIMFED ICS Area also participated and informed the visitors about farming practices and methods in Sikkim. The trade fair provided a meeting point for the buyers and sellers of the organic world.
According to the release, the Director International Exhibitions, Frank Venjakob, Numenberg Messe, Germany appreciated the effort of Sikkim and especially the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Dr. Pawan Chamling for his vision and interest in Sikkim Organic Mission. He was also very impressed with the effort of SIMFED in the exhibitions and in managing the stall there.
Inviting SIMFED to the next World Organic Trade Fair Bio-Fach 2012 in Germany, in which India is the ‘Country of the Year’, he said that it would not be complete without Sikkim, the release mentions. The Counsellor of Germany Embassy on Food, Agriculture & Consumer Protection from New Delhi, Ursula Holzhauser also appreciated the Sikkim Stall.
The delegation from SIMFED had business meetings with various potential buyers of organic products of Sikkim. M/s Alimeco S.A. of Greece showed interest in procurement of organic ginger, M/s Alpha Lambda Ind Ltd, Hong Kong has also shown interest in Sikkim Organic Produce and assured to place an order once they are back in Hong Kong, M/s Schnitzer GmbH & Co. KG, Netherlands also showed interest in the various organic products of Sikkim specially buckwheat and soyabean. 
JRMT Global General Trading LLC, Dubai also appreciated Sikkim’s produce and ordered for organic produce from Sikkim to Dubai. The release further informs that several organic chains and outlets from the national market also approached SIMFED to supply organic produce to their various outlets, like Organic Way, Jaipur, Utsav Organic, Raipur, EID Parry (INDIA) Ltd. Chennai while M/s Plantrich Kerala have placed an order for 50MT of dried ginger per month.
The team visited Himalaya Drugs company in Bangalore and had a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Ravi Prasad for the specific purpose of marketing and production of various organic produce like turmeric, ginger and medicinal herbs of Sikkim. The team also visited the research and development centre of the company.
The exhibition and other meetings provided the delegation a platform to showcase the organic produce of Sikkim and experience the advancement of organic agriculture, newer technologies, products, processes and its derivatives. It gave the delegation an opportunity to participate with the world of organic agriculture with a broad spectrum of international stake holding groups.
The farmers from all over Sikkim have expressed their sincere gratitude toward the Chief Minister for this exposure visit. They are thankful to the Minister Agriculture, Food Security & Agriculture Department, HCCD, Sikkim Organic Mission, National Horticulture Board, Govt of India and SIMFED for such opportunities, the release adds. The farmers from West Pendam, Tika Ram Dahal and Tika Lall Pokhrel have conveyed special thanks to the Chief Minister for this and for his vision and interest in Sikkim’s organic efforts.
This prestigious event, Bio-Fach Fairs and Exhibition is aimed at bringing together international and national stakeholders of organic farming to a common platform for exchange and sharing of knowledge on organic agriculture, to understand about the organic potentials of different countries, to create market avenues and also to meet the challenges ahead in organic agriculture. The event attracts some 2,500 exhibitors – two-thirds of them from abroad – and around 43,000 trade visitors from over 80 countries in the world to Nürnberg every year in February. Under the patronage of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) and with BÖLW (German Federation of the Organic Food Industry) as the national supporting organization, Bio-Fach guarantees the high quality of the products on display through strict admission criteria. Bio-Fach is present in five continents with its own events in Japan, the United States, South America, China and India.