NEW DELHI: Kuwait Ambassador to India Meshal Al-Shemali and representatives from the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition participated on Thursday in the official launch of the third edition of World Food India 2024 (WFI) conference, held in the Indian capital New Delhi.

In a statement to KUNA, Ambassador Al-Shemali said that the conference provides a fundamental opportunity to enhance cooperation between Kuwait and India in the areas of developing food infrastructure. The conference aims at introducing the world to rich Indian food culture as well as promoting investments in the diverse food processing sector of the country.

The Indian government is promoting the conference as a way for channeling investments into the country’s food processing industry. This includes backward linkages, food processing equipment, processing related R&D, cold chain storage solutions, start-ups, logistic & retail chains, encompassing the entire food processing value chain.

Food security has long been on the Kuwaiti government’s radar. Cabinet decided in August 2022 to establish the Supreme National Committee for Strengthening the Food and Water Security System, which includes experts from inside and outside the country as advisors to prepare and address technicalities and recommendations regarding food and water security. In February 2023, the committee approved the broad outlines of the strategy for achieving food, water, and drug security in Kuwait. But no specific details have been provided on the strategy.

In 2023, Kuwait dropped 20 places on the Food Security Index by the Economic Research Unit of the British “Economist” group. The country ranks 50th globally out of 113 countries. Kuwait’s food security challenge lies not in affordability but accessibility due to its dependence on imports.

Experts say that boosting the country’s local production and strengthening the national food basket through expanding regional and international agricultural investments and owning agricultural lands, livestock, and fisheries in countries with fertile regions are some suggested strategies to ensure long-term food security in Kuwait.

The conference in India, Shemali told KUNA, is an important opportunity for investors, producers, and manufacturers in the food sector on a global level. Representatives of ministers, officials and heads of food safety and manufacturing companies from 90 countries and international organizations are participating in the conference, which will go on until September 22.

The participating Kuwaiti delegation included the Ambassador of Kuwait, President of the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies, Vice President of the Arab Cooperative Union, and General Director of Food Control and Inspection at the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition. The discussions at the conference revolved around food security and innovations in the field of retail processing, with the participation of manufacturers, producers and investors from around the world. WFI 2024 was organized by the Ministry of Food Industries in India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce.