The 36th Edition of the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress provides global insights to shape the future of the Indian Nut and Dried Fruit Industry
- Revealed Industry Forecasts for 2017-18 Set the Roadmap for the Sector
- INC Awards Recognized the Exemplary Contribution of Individuals and Organizations to the Industry
Chennai, May 20th 2017: The International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC) celebrated the 36th Edition of the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress for the first time in India between May 19 and 21 at the ITC Grand Chola in Chennai. The INC Congress witnessed the largest international gathering of food professionals, suppliers, traders and buyers from the nut and dried fruit business with nearly 1,000 attendees from across 60 countries.
The three-day conference was a global platform to exchange knowledge and ideas in market development, supply chain, consumption, product innovation, food safety, nutrition and research through a variety of monographic round tables, seminars, working group meetings, stand-alone sessions and keynote speakers.
On the second day of the INC Congress, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Spiritual and Humanitarian leader spoke on ‘Mantra for success and happiness’, highlighting the need for balance between professional and personal life and self- meditation.
This was followed by a Scientific Seminar chaired by Mr. Pino Calcagni, Chairman of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, Italy who chaired the Scientific Seminar. The session focused on ‘Technological Advances in the Cashew Industry’. The seminar also had a guest speaker Mr. Prakash Kalbavi, Kalbavi Cashews, India, who participated in the session.
Sharing his thoughts on how the cashew industry has developed over the years, Mr. Kalbavi said, “Advances in technology over the years have helped the industry manage large volumes and improve the quality of the cashew produce. Moreover, these advancements have equipped the industry to overcome several challenges such as grading & sorting”.
The attendees also participated in roundtables focusing on almonds, walnuts and pistachios. The Almonds Round Table was chaired by Mr. Bill Morecraft, Blue Diamond Growers, USA which offered interesting insights on the almonds market in India. The Walnuts Round Table was chaired by Mr. Cheng Hung Kay, CHK Trading, China-Hong Kong which focused on the global walnuts market. The third roundtable lay emphasis on the global pistachios market which was chaired by Mr. Ramin Yousefi, Persian Dynasty Ltd, China-Hong Kong.
Chennai 2017 is the 36th edition of the INC’s annual Congress, that in 2018 will take place in Sevilla (Spain), whereas the site for 2019 will be announced this Sunday during the Annual Report session in Chennai.
INC Awards
The INC Congress recognized the role of those individuals and organizations who have contributed to the progress of the nuts and dried fruits industry through the INC Awards.
- The Golden Nut Award was given to Mr. K. Ravindranathan Nair for his indefatigable dedication to the cashew business
- The Award for Excellence in Research was granted to Dr. Richard D. Mattes, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition Science and Director of the Public Health Graduate Program at Purdue University (USA), who has been an active researcher in the area of nuts and health for over 20 years
- The Award for Excellence in Gastronomy went to Bukhara Restaurant, for its contribution to the preservation, improvement and dissemination of Indian cuisine worldwide using Nuts and dried Fruits in its menus.
About the INC
The International Nut & Dried Fruit Council (INC) groups nearly 700 companies of the Nut and Dried Fruit sector from over 70 countries. INC is the international organization of reference as regards nuts and dried fruits, health, nutrition, statistics, food safety, international standards and regulations.
