• First webinar of The Knowledge Series to be held on July 10, 2020 at 3 pm 

• Will be held on the second Friday of every month

• Focus on the path-breaking reforms announced by the Indian Government in the agri-marketing space and their impact on Domestic Trade, Agri-Production, Market Dynamics, Investments and Supply Chain

MUMBAI, 08 JULY, 2020 (GPN): India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the nodal body for India’s pulses trade and industry, announced the launch ‘THE KNOWLEDGE SERIES’, a series of monthly webinars to discuss and explore topics of critical interest to the pulses sector in India and world at large. The IPGA Knowledge Series will feature a panel of eminent speakers and domain experts discussing the topic of the month threadbare to have a better understanding as well as chart a road map ahead for the domestic and global pulses sector. 

The first webinar of The Knowledge Series will be held on Friday, July 10, 2020 at 3 pm and will focus on Specifics of Amendment to the Essential Commodities Act; Farmers’ Produce and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance 2020; and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020, and their impact on Domestic Trade, Agri-Production, Market Dynamics, Investments and Supply Chain.

The panelists of the July 10th webinar, to be moderated by Economist, Senior Editor and Policy Commentator Mr. G Chandrashekhar boasts of industry stalwarts and domain experts like Dr. Ashok Dalwai, Chief Executive Officer – National Rainfed Area Authority and Chairman, and Chairman of Inter-Ministerial Committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income; Ms. Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary – Dept. of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution; Mr. Rajesh Srivastava, Executive Chairman – Rabo Equity Advisors; Mr. Sunil Kumar Singh, Additional Managing Director – NAFED; Mr. Yogesh Thorat, Managing Director – Maha Farmers Producers Company Ltd. (MAHAFPC); Mr. Rajnikant Rai, Divisional Chief Executive – ITC Agri-Business and ITC Foods; and Mr. Parag Gadre, Chief Executive Officer – ETC Agro Processing (India) Pvt. Ltd. 

Mr. Jitu Bheda, Chairman – IPGA speaking about The Knowledge Series said, “IPGA already hosts THE PULSES CONCLAVE, one of world’s largest conferences of the Pulses sector every two years. The Knowledge Series, following the precedence set by The Pulses Conclave, is the next thought leadership step to establish IPGA as the knowledge hub of the pulses sector.

Mr. Bimal Kothari, Vice Chairman – IPGA said, “Earlier this month, Indian government announced a series of path-breaking reforms in the agri-marketing space including enhanced marketing freedom for growers. These included Amending the antiquated Essential Commodities Act as well as the introduction of two new Ordinances aimed at giving Indian farmers much needed freedom to market their produce and derive best possible price discovery. These reforms will also encourage domestic as well as FDI into the agriculture value chain which will include Contract Farming, Warehousing, Processing, to name a few. This initiative by IPGA is much needed in these challenging times. The association will always stand by the industry and its members as we all prepare to change, adapt, collaborate and sustain together.”

Mr. Pravin Dongre, Founder Director – IPGA said, “A lot has been spoken about these Reforms however not much has really been said about the impact of these reforms on the entire value chain. The domain experts in the panel will analyze the impact of these reforms and also discuss the various opportunities that these reforms make available for all the stakeholders in the value chain. We are confident that all the participants will find the analysis by the panelists of the Domestic Trade, Agri Production, Market Dynamics, Investments and Supply Chain extremely enriching. We expect this webinar to set the tone for the webinars in the following months.” ENDS