Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet 2016 (GRAM) (9 November to 11 November)
Rajasthan has a vibrant agriculture and animal husbandry scenario. Major population of the state is involved in Agriculture and allied activities for livelihood. The state is the leading producer of a number of crops and animal products in the country. Animal husbandry is an important sector which plays an important role by not only contributing to household incomes but also has an essential role in mitigation of the effects of calamities such as drought.
The state is committed to accomplish Hon’ble Prime Minister’s mission to double farm incomes by the year 2022. Rajasthan has made policy, technological and infrastructural interventions for sustainable enhancement of farm productivity, reducing post-harvest losses, promoting farm based industries and ensuring higher return to the farmer while delivering better quality products to consumers.
The two main objectives behind organising ‘Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet 2016’ (GRAM) are to expose the farming communities to the technological advancements, global best-practices and to showcase investment opportunities in the state to agri-business communities across the world.
GRAM: WHEN AND WHERE?
‘GRAM’ is an international event which is being organized from 9 to 11 November at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Center (JECC) at Sitapura in the Pink City. It is jointly organized by the Government of Rajasthan and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Israel will be the partner country for the event. The mega event will be attended by around 50,000 farmers over the 3-day event. An earnest endeavour is being made to get at least one farmer from each village of the State.
The primary objective of ‘GRAM’ is to ensure economic empowerment of the farmers through accelerated yet sustainable growth in agriculture. In addition to farmers, the global event will also showcase global best practices and best of technologies suited to the agro-climatic conditions of Rajasthan. It will also be an important platform for investors, manufacturers, academicians and researchers.
The objectives of the event
- Farmer Empowerment
- Showcase Agri-Innovations
- Marketing Tie-Ups
- Joint Ventures
- Technology Transfers
- International Investments
- Business Opportunities
- Encourage Agri-based Research
- Common Platform for Agri and Allied Ecosystem
Inaugural Session on 9 November
The Inaugural Session will take place on 9 November at JECC. On the occasion the Chief Guest will be Governor of Rajasthan, Mr. Kalyan Singh. The Union Minister of the State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Mr. Parshottam Rupala; Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ms. Vasundhara Raje and Swami Ramdev Ji Maharaj will also be present. The inaugural session will begin at 10.30 am.
MoU Signing Ceremony on 10 November
On 10 November, in the presence of the Union Minister of Urban Development, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, a MoU signing ceremony will take place.
Valedictory Session on 11 November
On 11 November for the Valedictory Session, the Chief Guest will be Union Agriculture Minister, Mr. Radha Mohan Singh.
Exhibition:
An exhibition is going to be one of the main features of the GRAM. A total area of 20,000 sqmt space has been earmarked as an exhibition area during the event. The exhibition area will be divided into various categories like Livestock, Post Harvest Technologies, Agri Inputs & Protected Cultivation, Organic Farming, Food & Food Processing Technologies, Farm Machinery, Implements and Allied Services, Financial Institution, Irrigation, Plasticulture & Precision Farming. To promote agri-entrepreneurship a special pavilion on startups will be setup. Furthermore, there will be a special pavilion on organic farming as well to promote herbal and medicinal plants.
SMART FARM:
Considering the fact that appropriate technologies have a critical role to play in attaining innovation led growth of Rajasthan agriculture, ‘GRAM’ will have a dedicated section on showcasing finest of agro technologies to visitors. This dedicated area will be named as “Smart Farm”.
‘Smart Farm’ will be a live walkthrough model that will be built at GRAM venue. It will showcase the best of modern technologies in entire agriculture value chain starting from pre-harvest, post-harvest to modern scientific storage, banking and agri marketing opportunities. This farm will also effectively disseminate information about various Rajasthan Government policies and new initiatives in each section of value chain.
The concepts like centre of excellence, micro irrigation technologies, ICT, Value addition, scientific warehousing – which are crucial for attaining the broader vision of doubling farmer income will be aesthetically displayed at the ‘Smart Farm’ which is expected to be a centre of attraction at the event.
‘JAJAM CHOPAL’:
GRAM is an event which will give a platform to thousands of farmers to get the maximum exposure about the new and innovative techniques of farming. The ‘Jajam Chopal’ will be organized at the event. These ‘Chopal’ will be designed in such a manner that farmers shall be able to imbibe knowledge and clarify their doubts from experts in a non-formal setting and through the use of local idiom.
‘GRAM Express’:
Three special trains known as ‘GRAM Express’ will run at the time of the event to bring the farmers to Jaipur. These trains will run from Udaipur, Barmer and Sriganganagar. As many as 900 special buses will also ply from different parts of the State. It is also being endeavoured to have participation of 20% women farmers from among the total attendees. There will be special women buses also.
B2B & B2G MEETINGS:
GRAM will provide business opportunities for marketing tie ups, joint ventures and addressing investment queries. People attending the event will be able to have an interaction with senior representatives of agri business companies from national and international arena.
GRAM AWARDS:
Farmers who have been outstandingly performing in the state in agriculture and allied sectors will be awarded. Women empowerment is also an important focus of the event. Women farmers who have raised the bar of agriculture will also be awarded. These awards will be given at Valedictory Session.
INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION:
Delegates of Australia, Netherlands and Israel are going to participate in ‘GRAM’. This event will serve as a platform to exchange and learn modern and hi-tech techniques used by these countries in the Agriculture and Allied sectors.
INTERNATIONAL AGRI EXPERTS AS KEY SPEAKERS IN CONFERENCES/ SEMINARS
- Mr. Martein Van Nieuwkoops, Practice Manager – South Asia, World Bank, USA. He will speak on “sustainable solutions for future farming”.
- Dr. Vladimir Miklic, Principal research Fellow, Institute of Field & Vegetable Crops, Serbia. He will speak on the topic ‘Seed Technology’ during GRAM conference.
- Dr. Arjo Rothuis, Manager International, Cooperation Asia, Wageningen University, Netherlands. He will speak on Climate change issues and solutions in Agriculture.
- Dr. Richard Green, Head of Engineering Research, National Centre for Precision Farming, Harper Adams University, United Kingdom. He will speak on “Use of Robotics in Agriculture”.
- Mr. Yuval Chen, International Olive Expert, Aridland Crop LTD, Israel. He will speak on technologies related to olive cultivation.
- Ms. Ann Beacham, Director, Primary Industries, Animal & Laboratory Science, South Australia. She will participate as key speaker in session named “Dairy and Sustainable Livelihood through Animal Husbandry.
CONFERENCES, SEMINARS AND SESSIONS
Venue: Convention Hall, JECC
9 NOVEMBER:
Conference: Sustainable & innovative Agriculture Practices for doubling farmers’ income
Sub Theme 1: Sustainable agriculture: Towards an evergreen revolution
Time: 2.00 pm. – 3.50 p.m
In this conference the speakers will be : Ms. Shilpa Divekar Nirula, CEO, Monsanto; Dr. Ashok Gulati, Infosys Chair Professor, ICRIER; Mr. Daniel Carmon, Ambassador, Israel; Dr Bergvinson, Director General, ICRISAT; Mr. Martein Van Nieuwkoops, Practice Manager- S Asia, World Bank; Mr. Mukul Varshney, Vice President & Director-Corporate Affairs, John Deere India Pvt; Dr. Balraj Singh, Vice Chancellor, Agriculture University, Jodhpur ; Mr Yuval Fuchs, Deputy Head of MASHAV, Head of Bureau for Projects & International Development, Israel and Mr. Dan Alluf, MASHAV Counsellor Science & Agriculture, International Development Cooperation, Israel Embassy in India.
Sub Theme 2: Innovative Agriculture: Leveraging the technology frontiers
Time: 3.50 pm – 5.00 p.m
In this conference the speakers will be : Mr T R Kesavan, COO-Product Strategy & Corporate Relations, TAFE; Dr. Arjo Rothuis, Manager International, Cooperation Asia, Wageningen University; Dr. Richard Green, Head of Engineering Research, National Centre for Precision Farming, Harper Adams University; Dr. Vladimir Mikic, Principal Research Fellow, Institute of Field & Vegetable Crops, Serbia; Mr. Sachin Gangal, Country Head, Kuraray India Pvt Ltd and Mr. Yuval Chen, International Olive Expert, Aridland Crop LTD, Israel.
Seminar: Rajasthan- Israel collaboration for agriculture development – Way forward
Time: 4.00-5.00 p.m
In this Seminar the speakers will be :Mr. Daniel Carmon, Ambassador, Israel; Mr. Dan Alluf, MASHAV Counsellor Science & Agriculture, International Development Cooperation, Israel Embassy in India; Mr. Yuval Fuchs, Deputy Head of MASHAV, Head of Bureau for Projects and International Development; Mr. Nipun Sabrwal (Top Greenhouses- India) and Mr. VP Singh, Director Horticulture, Govt. of Rajasthan.
10 November:
Conference: Water Use Efficiency in Agriculture: Role of Plasticulture
Sub Theme 1: Plasticulture for efficient usage of water in Rajasthan
Time: 10.00-11.40 a.m
In this conference the speakers will be : Mr. Manish Panchal, Sr. Practise Head, Tata Strategic Management Group; Dr. S.K Nayak, Director General, CIPET ; Mr. Pankaj Mehta, Vice President (Industry Affairs), Reliance industries Limited; Dr. T.B.S. Rajput, Emeritus Scientist, Water Technology Centre, IARI and Mr. Arijit Sengupta, Director, Irrigation Association of India.
Sub Theme 2: Per Drop More Crop- Way forward for Rajasthan
Time: 12.00-1.00 p.m
In this conference the speakers will be : Mr. Anand Zambre, ED, National Committee on Plasticulture Applications in Agriculture & Horticulture; Dr. Jeet Singh Sandhu, Deputy Director General- Crop Science, ICAR and Dr. R.K. Singh, Project Coordinator, ICAR-CIPHET.
Seminar: Value Addition & Marketing Solutions for New Age Agriculture
Time: 2.00- 3.30 p.m
In this seminar the panelists will be : Mr Pravesh Sharma, Advisor-Agriculture & Food processing, FICCI; Mr. Vincent Darlong , Country Programme Officer, IFAD; Ms. Sarita Arora, Chief General Manager, Nabard; Mr Samir Shah, MD & CEO, NCDEX; Mr Rajesh Sharma, Program Director- Producer Companies., Reliance Foundation and Mr Amith Agarwal, Executive Director, Star Agri Warehousing & Collateral Management Ltd. while Dr Siraj Hussain, Visiting Senior Fellow, ICRIER will chair and moderate the seminar.
Conference: Dairy and Sustainable Livelihood through Animal Husbandry
Sub Theme 1: Integrated Dairy Value Chain
Time: 3.45- 5.00 p.m
In this conference the speakers will be : Mr Rajesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Rabo Bank; Mr R. S Sodhi, MD, GCMMF; Ms. Ann Beacham, Director, Primary Industries, Animal & Laboratory Sciences; South Australia; Dr. A. K Singh, Principal Scientist & Head Dairy Engineering, National Dairy Research Institute and Dr. A K Gahlot, Vice Chancellor, Rajasthan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences.
Sub Theme 2: Poultry, Feed, fisheries
Time: 5.00 – 6.00 p.m
In this conference the panelists will be : Mr. Prasanna Pedgaonkar, GM- Marketing, Venky’s India Ltd.; Dr. Chandrahas, Senior Scientist, Central Avian Research Institute and Dr. K.K. Vijayan, Director, Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture.
11 November
Session: Experience sharing – Agri innovations at grassroot level
Time: 9.30- 11.00 a.m
In this session representatives from Agri startups and Progressive Farmers will share their experiences.
Seminar: Opportunities for Agri Tourism in Rajasthan
Time: 11.00 – 12.00 p.m
In this seminar the panelists will be : Mr. Pandurang Taware, Managing Director, Agri Tourism Development Company Pvt Ltd (ATDC); Ms. Rashmi Savant, Director, Cultural Aangan Tourism Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Rajiv Mehra, Director, Uday Tours & Travel Pvt. Ltd; Mr. Balasaheb Barate, President, Maharashtra State Agri and Rural Tourism Co-operative Federation Ltd and Mr Mukesh Gupta, Executive Director, Morarka Foundation.
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