The second edition of one of the biggest food celebrations of India, North East Food Show or NEFS is going on in the state capital of Meghalaya, Shillong. You too can surely and strongly consider going there if you are around, as it is an excellent opportunity for business owners and producers to meet National & Global majors of the Food & Beverage Industry. Starting on 5th May, it will end on 7th.
Building blocks are building connections
The event is for interested entrepreneurs to better understand the market, build connections, anticipate consumer needs and familiarise themselves with the latest trends in the industry for export promotion and up-scaling their businesses to global standards. As per sources, the 2022 edition of NEFS would see the participation of over 200 Brands making it the region’s biggest food innovation showcase. It is a grand platform for the agricultural and food processing industry of North East to present its grandeur to the national and global markets through network building and developing business relations. Linking Producers directly to end consumers like Restaurants/ Hotels/ Processing Companies / Wholesalers / Traders, etc. for enhancing economic growth and increasing rural income can be effectively done in NEFS. This would also attract investments in all aspects- intellectual, technological, and most importantly, financial- important towards the growth of these industries and alleviating the quality of their products and services to the global level. The opportunities for profitable collaborations between local brands with bigger brands hint towards positive and innovative changes to the food value chain.
Exploring what’s novel to the world
An important objective of the NEFS is to “introduce North-East buyers, entrepreneurs, and markets to innovative food products, latest technologies, and global best practices.” In turn, the latter gets to know the unique ingredients and food habits of the regions, which is still unexplored to a great extent. This purpose will most definitely be fulfilled through SIAL’s (The Global Food Marketplace) introduction of a new vertical of Gastronomic tourism to its portfolio. It also focuses on linking sustainable food production to responsible tourism with effects on the farming community that produces these ingredients. A wide variety of dishes from each of the eight north-eastern state will have a space in the event, starting from the basic bamboo shoot delicacies to steamed items and even rarer ones that is not mainstream when it comes to “north-eastern” food.
To the delight of the ones who have a diverse palette, the show also boasts of a Wine and Spirits Pavilion that will showcase the multiple beers and wines that the north-eastern communities make. The visitors can also make use of the Hosted Farmer Program, Hosted Buyer Program, Conferences, Panel Discussions, and Masterclasses on Wine and Spirits at the venue.
NEFS 2019 had a strong presence of food processing businesses of all the North-Eastern States and their respective Governments showcasing unique products of the states as well as National & International Exhibitors, natural-herbal-organic producers, processing companies and will feature Experience Zones, tastings, demonstrations, North-East Kitchen, conferences, Chef Wars and other activities & events this time.
