PM Modi presents WFI 2025 as India’s global food hub platform

New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate World Food India (WFI) 2025 on Thursday in Delhi, bringing together the largest-ever gathering of stakeholders in India’s food processing sector. The event, held at Bharat Mandapam from September 25 to 28, will see participation from more than 21 countries, 21 Indian states and Union Territories, 10 central ministries, and five allied government agencies.

New Zealand and Saudi Arabia are partner countries, while Japan, Russia, the UAE, and Vietnam are the focus countries for the event. The inaugural session will also be attended by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Chirag Paswan.

WFI 2025 will host over 1,700 exhibitors, 500 international buyers, and representatives from more than 100 countries. The programme includes over 45 knowledge sessions, including thematic discussions, state and country-specific conferences, and CXO roundtables featuring over 100 global agri-food leaders.

PM Modi highlighted WFI 2025 as a strategic platform for India to become a global food basket. Minister Paswan emphasised that the event showcases cooperative federalism, with states and Union Territories displaying regional strengths through pavilions. He noted that the whole-of-government approach integrates ministries like Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Commerce, Health, AYUSH, and DoNER to align production, standards, trade, and investment.

The event’s agenda focuses on five pillars: sustainable and net-zero food processing; positioning India as a global food hub; innovation in food processing, products, and packaging; processed food for nutrition and health; and livestock and marine products boosting rural economies.

Alongside exhibitions and B2B forums, WFI 2025 will host the 3rd Global Food Regulators Summit, the 24th India International Seafood Show, and APEDA’s reverse buyer-seller meet. Special pavilions include international, state, ministry, technology, start-up innovation, and pet food showcases, offering participants opportunities to connect, learn, and explore trade and investment prospects.