Madhya Pradesh Government, a state in India is organizing an Agri Business Meet (ABM) on 25th and 26th May 2007 in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.  Over 200 large and small investors and agri entrepreneurs will attend the Meet, including many from outside the state.  The ABM is being organized in partnership; with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), with a reputed national level consultancy firm, Global Agri, as the Knowledge Partner. Madhya Pradesh is emerging as an important sourcing hub for exporters, processors, and retailers for staples like rice, wheat and pulses apart from horticultural crops such as potato, onion and garlic besides oilseeds and seed spices.  The state Government has taken a number of steps to make the state an attractive agribusiness destination.  The state has an investor friendly policy for corporate farming and provides exemption from the Land Ceiling Act for seed production, scientific farming and wasteland utilization for agro processing / export oriented units.
 
The key objectives of the ABM are to create awareness about the agricultural produce and potential of the State, to attract private investment in the entire range of agriculture and allied activities, to create linkages between buyers and sellers, to identifiy potential partners for joint ventures and PPP enterprises and to usher in policy reforms to enhance value for farm produce. 
 
The Key thrust areas inter alia contain crop husbandry across all cereals, pulses and oilseeds, access to land for processing linked corporate agriculture, creation of agricultural marketing infrastructure, opportunities in diary, animal husbandry, veterinary care, fisheries, poultry, medicinal and aromatic plants, other minor forest produce and horticulture sector. 
 
The ABM will provide an excellent opportunity to interact with the Government of Madhya Pradesh and investors to enable to identify suitable initiatives and for State Government policy options to catalyze investments in the agri sector.  The participants can get in touch with Mr. Pravesh Sharma, Principal Secretary, Farmers Welfare & Agricultural Development Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Mantralaya, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India 462004, Tel. 0091-7552441149, fax 0091-7552574687 and email: pravesh.sharma@nic.in.
 
 
 Date : 12th April, 2007