Surat : The Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (SGCCI) Food & AgriTech Expo 2023 received an overwhelming response, with over 18,000 people visiting the venue over the three-day event. As the expo came to a close on Monday, exhibitors received between 50 and 1,200 B2B inquiries, while B2C sales were significantly higher.
“Due to the overwhelming success of the Food&Agritech Expo, the exhibitors are happy, and the majority of them have promised to return to a similar expo in 2024,” said Himanshu Bodawala, president of SGCCI. “During the three days, the exhibitors received business enquiries from buyers ranging from 50 to 1,200.”
According to Bodawala, the Government of India is promoting millets, so the exhibition featured the majority of the natural farm produce that is included in millets. Organic rice, nagli, whole urad, urad dal, bhagar, kharsani, bajri, jowar, and ragi, among other things, were sold directly at the exhibition. The majority of the city dwellers who attended the exhibition were interested in organic food.
Exhibitors selling namkin and bakery products did well, with customers flocking to the stalls to make purchases. During the three days of the exhibition, stall holders offered buy one get one free deals as well as discounts ranging from 10% to 50%.
“Not only did we have visitors from Surat and Gujarat, but also from Mumbai in Maharashtra,” said Bodawala.
The Thai Pavilion was the main attraction for visitors. The Thai Trade Centre’s Thai Pavilion generated a lot of business for the exhibitors from all over Thailand. Food, handicrafts, cosmetics, readymade garments, juices, and other items were on display. The majority of Thai exhibitors are represented by local distributors from Gujarat and other states.
