IIM Ahmedabad

Strategic Food Quality Management
Program Director: Prof. Satish Deodhar
December 1-3, 2005
Fees: Rs. 25,000 (US$ 700 for participants from other countries)

Objectives: Indian food and agricultural sector is in a state of flux. Gone are the days when agriculture was described as a food-deficit sector. Today, India is self sufficient in foodgrain production. In fact, currently, India has a substantial marketed surplus, large stocks of foodgrains, and is a leading producer of a number of horticultural products. Moreover, use of biotechnology and production of GMO foods holds good promise in the future. Concurrently, India has been witnessing a reasonable GDP growth, increased workforce participation by women, changing lifestyles, and a heightened awareness about food quality in terms of hygiene and nutrition. This has generated considerable potential for enhancing quality of agricultural commodities and processed foods. The strategic focus has now shifted from quantity to quality.

Significant changes have also occurred in the global food markets with the signing of WTO agreements in the previous decade. Specifically, agreements on sanitary and phytosanitary measrures (SPS), technical barriers to trade (TBT), and, to some extend, on trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) have brought to the fore issues of quality competitiveness. In this context, it becomes imperative for agribusiness professionals to understand what food quality is, how consumers perceive it, how to control and enhance it, and, what are the national and international institutional mechanisms for its regulation.

For: Agribusiness managers, horticulturists / agriculturists, and policy makers associated with food quality issues.

Content: