New Delhi, Nov 20 (KNN) Eyeing to promote innovation in tea, coffee and allied sector The Fifth World Tea and Coffee Expo (WTCE) 2017 was organized at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The three-day event ,organized by Sentinel Exhibitions Asia Pvt Ltd, was inaugurated on 16 November  by Saroja Sirisenan, consul general, consulate general of Sri Lanka, and Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, director, Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone), Government of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

The main aim of the expo was to Showcase Indian and international latest, exotic,alluring flavours of tea and coffee ,determining trends of the hot beverage sector.

The event witnessed more than 900 exhibitors from 10 countries and 4500 visitors.

Speaking at the inaugural event Al Mazrouei invited the hot beverage companies to Dubai to set up businesses .He said that the event was a great platform for beverage companies to showcase their products, a news portal reported.

Jayanta Roy, founder and chief executive officer, JRMC Global said that the education, innovation and entrepreneurship were the key drivers of the food industry in India and feeding the global population had emerged as a critical issue.

Aakash Kotwani, crop manager, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Valagro, SpA (Italy), highlighted the impact of abiotic stresses on coffee and tea and suggested ways to avoid them.

Bhushan N Yengade, food industry consultant, Binder Technology Consultancy spoke on BRICS: The food processing industry and its challenges. He listed  food security, internal strife, cooperation between food laws, agriculture productivity, trade prices and food policy and intellectual property rights as the challenges faced by the BRICS group. (KNN/AG)