NEW DELHI, INDIA, 8-11 APRIL 2008

India will host the first global conference on agro-industries, to be held in New Delhi from 8-11 April 2008. The Global Agro-Industries Forum (GAIF) will promote the importance of agro-industries for economic development and poverty reduction.

Around 500 senior representatives from the agro-industry, governments, technical and financing institutions, civil society and UN agencies will discuss the potential of agro-industries and the challenges they are facing. The conference is jointly organised by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in close collaboration with the government of India.

Why the Global Forum
The development of competitive agro-industries is crucial for creating employment and income opportunities and for enhancing the demand for farm products.

Agro-industry development has the potential to provide employment for the rural poor in off-farm activities such as handling, packaging, processing, transporting, and marketing of food and agricultural produce.

There are also risks and trade-offs in agro-industrial development often affecting the most vulnerable countries and people.

It is thus important to build on experiences and understandings of trends, in order to formulate sound policies and strategies for fostering agro-industries.

What will the Global Forum Achieve?

The Forum will help:
- Develop a shared vision on the factors critical to future developments of agro-industries, key factors affecting competitiveness and potential action areas,

- Learn from key lessons and success stories to develop competitive agro-industries in the developing world,

- Ensure stronger collaboration and joint activities among multi lateral organizations working on agro-industrialization and clarify the roles of the public sector, multi lateral organizations and the private sector in agro-industrial development,

- Engage multilateral organizations and financial institutions in launching initiatives at national and regional levels to foster agro-industrial development.

Moe information available at http://www.gaif08.org/index_en.htm [1]