High-level executives from companies at the forefront of the exciting changes happening in India's fruit and vegetable business will speak at Fresh Produce India, which meets in Mumbai on 2-3 April 2009.

Jai Oberoi, the fresh foods advisor to Bharti Wal-Mart, and Hitin Suri of Suri Agro Fresh, a joint venture with Total Produce, will join a panel of major corporates to discuss the role of corporate investment in India's fresh produce supply chain.

Prahlad Tanwar of Maersk India, Shyam Vembar of Seminis and PS Krishna Kumar of the IGP Programme run by ACDI/VOCA will outline new solutions for India's traditional supply chain problems in a series of case study presentations.

Sunil Bansal, CEO of horticulture for Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetables, will talk about how fruit and vegetable retail chain Safal is sourcing directly from farmers and foraying into large format stores in a session on the direction of modern food retail in India.

He joins a retail panel that also includes high-level executives from Bharti Retail and HyperCity Retail. Vipin Arora from Images Retail Intelligence Services will open the session with expert analysis on the latest trends in the sector.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Aggarwal of major agribusiness firm Dev Bhumi Cold Chain and Tarun Arora of leading fruit importer IG International will join key international suppliers in a session to discuss India's consumer market opportunity and the development of imported fruits.

The session will be introduced by Sumit Saran of agribusiness consultancy The SCS Group, which represents several major US commodity groups in the Indian subcontinent.

Organised by Asiafruit Magazine, Fresh Produce India expects to attract over 250 delegates to Mumbai this year. The two-day conference provides a unique opportunity to network with the movers and shakers in the country's burgeoning fresh produce business.

Delegates from multinationals, Capespan, Maersk, Safmarine, Rabobank, Tesco and Del Monte Foods, to name just a few are all confirmed to attend this year’s Fresh Produce India at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Mumbai.

Delegates can meet exhibiting companies such as Alfa Fruit Packers, Sensitech Inc., the Washington Apple Commission, the US Highbush Blueberry Council, Unifrutti, US and Pear Bureau Northwest.

Fresh Produce India delegates also have the opportunity to take part in guided tours around Mumbai's leading supermarkets. Hypercity (K Raheja Corporation), Spencer’s (RPG India Group) and Reliance Fresh (Reliance Retail Limited) will open their doors to Fresh Produce India delegates on Saturday 4 April.

The programme allows for plenty of networking time during an organised evening function, networking lunches and coffee breaks.

Register today for Fresh Produce India at www.freshproduceindia.com

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