President Pranab Mukherjee to throw open agri trade fair on November 20

CHANDIGARH: President Pranab Mukherjee will be in Chandigarh on November 20 to throw open a

biennial four-day agriculture technology

and

business exposition

, the industry grouping

Confederation of Indian Industry

(CII) said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

The expo, CII Agro Tech 2016, will start at the Parade Ground in Sector 17, Chandigarh, from November 19. At the inauguration on the expo's second day, Israel president Reuven Rivlin will be the guest of honour, said CII Agro Tech 2016 chairperson Rumjhum Chatterjee in the statement.

The expo's theme for this year is 'Building Global Competitiveness'. "Israel is the partner country for the 12th edition of CII Agro Tech, while focus countries are Canada and Germany. In addition, CII Agro Tech will also have strong participation from Europe and Asia, showcasing latest in technology and state-of-the-art equipment in the agriculture sector," the statement said.

The exhibition area for the event will be spread over 16,000 square metres of with more than 130 exhibitors. The four-day fair will also have 14 concurrent shows on agricultural inputs and innovative farming techniques, processed and packaged foods, improving food value and cold chain, enabling credit and technology in agri business, livestock management, farm implements and machinery and sustainable management of water in agriculture. There will be an international pavilion, an advanced technology pavilion, and the states of India pavilion.

An India-Israel roundtable conference on precision agriculture will see industry leaders from both countries taking part. Delegates from Tel Aviv University and Volcani Centre Israel are also taking part and will apprise their Indian counterparts on how to leverage their technology and expertise during the fair.

A major highlight of the fair will be 'CII Agri Hackathon' in which 60 participants, including students and budding entrepreneurs, will compete to produce technology solutions for Indian agriculture. 'Kisan Goshtees' (farmer forums) will be an important part of the fair, exclusively designed to educate farmers on agri-related topics and acquaint them with business opportunities available.