VAIGA expo: State inks memorandum of agreement with Indian Institute of Packaging

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The State government on Monday inked a memorandum of agreement with the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Mumbai, for improving the packaging of agricultural products from Kerala.

IIP director R.K. Mishra and George Sebastian, director, State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI), signed the agreement in the presence of Minister for Agriculture P. Prasad and Agriculture director Anju K.S. at the VAIGA 2023 expo that got under way at the Putharikandam ground here.

Under the agreement, IIP, an autonomous institution under the Union Commerce Ministry, will help the State finetune packaging, design and prepare products on a commercial basis. The agreement will also facilitate testing and determination of the shelf life of products, conduct of workshops and training, export-oriented guidelines, logistics management and training of master trainers, and organisation of expos and seminars.

Mr. Mishra said that the collaboration would go a long way in giving farmers a competitive edge in the Indian and the international markets. Mr. Prasad pointed out that the packaging industry in the country was growing at a rate of 15% and above. Attractive packaging and branding of agricultural products were key to effective marketing, he said.

The first workshop under the collaboration will be held at SAMETI here on March 20. The memorandum of agreement is valid for the period from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2026.

The State government hoped to have an MoU in place soon with the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) for expanding the State’s capabilities in millet cultivation, Mr. Prasad said. Experts from IIMR attended a seminar on ‘Potentials and prospects of millets’ organised as part of the VAIGA expo on Monday. The spotlight is on millets with 2023 being celebrated as the International Year of Millets.