Axis Bank, India’s third-largest private sector bank, co-hosted a global webinar on the ‘Landmark Reforms in Indian Agriculture – Investment Opportunities Arising in Agri-Enterprises.’ It comes close to the heels of the recent reforms which aim to transform India’s agriculture sector through the creation of ‘One India, One Agriculture Market’. The reforms include a set of three ordinances: (a) The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2020, (b) The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, and (c) The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020.
The webinar, co-organised by Axis Bank and AgriBazaar, India’s leading online agri-trading platform, is the first industry event since the announcement of the ‘One India, One Agriculture Market’ reforms. It was hosted on earlier today and witnessed participation from senior government functionaries as well as global leaders from the private sector.
Mr. Akhilesh Tilotia, Head – Strategy & New Initiatives, Axis Bank, moderated the event. Commenting on the event, Mr. Tilotia said, “Our participation in this webinar is in line with Axis Bank’s focus on agriculture and rural India. We’ve always been bullish about India’s agri-sector. The recent ordinances by the Central Government augment our belief further. These developments will augur well for millions of farmers across the country. We see opportunities for agri-enterprises in the private sector across the entire value-chain. The webinar is being held at an opportune moment. The combination of senior bureaucrats who have closely worked on the reforms and industry’s sought-after leaders led to actionable insights.”
The webinar, with more than 6,500 registrations, including more than 500 from across 16 countries, was a fertile discussion ground for the watershed changes taking place in India agriculture. The line-up of panellists comprised the highest bureaucrats in the sector: Mr.Sanjay Agarwal, IAS, Secretary (Agriculture), Dr. Rajeev Ranjan, IAS, Secretary (Fisheries), Mr. Atul Chaturvedi, IAS, Secretary (Animal Husbandry), and Ms. Pushpa Subrahmanyam, IAS, Secretary (Food Processing Industries), Government of India participated in the event. The private sector and global investors were represented by Mr. Anuj Maheshwari, Managing Director, Agribusiness, Temasek International, Mr. Srini Nagarajan, Managing Director and Head of Asia, CDC Group, Mr. S. Sivakumar, Group Head – Agri & IT Businesses, ITC Limited, and Mr. Balram Yadav, Managing Director, Godrej Agrovet.
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