Shri Jitin Prasada inaugurated World Culinary Heritage Conference 2026 during the Indusfood Show

Shri Jitin Prasada, Hon’ble Minister of State for Commerce & Industry inaugurated World Culinary Heritage Conference 2026 in India Expo Mart, Greater Noida during the ongoing Indusfood 2026. The inauguration took place in the presence of the Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, the Government of Fiji, Mr. Tomasi Tuabuna, Chef Manjit Gill, President of IFCA, Chef Uwe Micheel, Vice President of the WorldChefs, Chef Willment Leong, Continental Director of Asia WorldChef, Mohit Singla, Chairman of TPCI and other dignitaries.

Speaking at the inauguration Shri Prasada said, “The way things are progressing in India, food is not only the soft power but it's becoming one of the major platforms for trade, growth and a big avenue for our exporters, medium and small-scale enterprises as well as for overseas buyers. So, this congregation in the true sense is a future of collaboration between chefs, importers, exporters and policy makers.” “India has a lot to offer, a great cultural and culinary heritage which goes back hundreds of years. The food here not only is a means of sustenance but it has a history behind it, it has culture behind it and the country itself if so diverse with regional languages, cultures, climates, and lifestyles. You travel every 50 kilometres in this country and the cuisine changes and the taste changes and the culture changes,” Minister added.

Highlighting the growth of the food processing sector Shri Prasada underlined, “As far as the story of food goes in India, we have moved ahead from the cuisine that our homes offer and our regions offer. We have gone ahead with registering close to 40,000 agro-based processing units. Apart from what the cultural heritage and the culinary heritage is, we need to scale up things and unless we do that, it doesn't get the kind of revenue models that we are looking at. Our primary topic with the government is that we wish to ensure that our food processing industry is growing by leaps and bounds,”.

Further the Minister highlighted “Our processing units are increasing. Lucknow recently got UNESCO tag and has been marked as the city of gastronomy and that's one of the big achievements of one of our cities. So as far as India goes again, spices are one of the major productions that India has with huge number of varieties of about 109 varieties of spices and out of the 109, at least 60 of them are being recognized worldwide and they give an edge to Indian cuisine where we've seen how Indian cuisine has become so popular worldwide.

And wherever I go, I am told now that the quality of our Indian restaurants are growing, Michelin star rankings have been given to some of them which is a source of great pride for us Indians and the citizens of our country,” the Minister highlighted.

Shri Prasada further stated that, “we have navigated a series of Free Trade Agreements, our produce has access to these markets as well as the buyers from these countries have become  seamless. The government has also ensured ease of doing business in India, doing away with the unnecessary compliances and regulation burdens which hinder business and any investment or any foreign participation within India. The red carpet is being rolled out for investment and for import and export within India and abroad as far as the ease of doing business is concerned.

Mr. Tomasi Tuabuna, Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture & Waterways, Govt. of Fiji in his address said, “I thank the organizers for this kind invitation, for bringing us together, at the distinguished gathering at the India Expo Mart to celebrate and reflect upon the world's rich culinary traditions. Culinary heritage is a powerful expression of who we are. It reflects our landscape, our climate, our waterways, and the collective wisdom of generations. I hope that the discussions of this will move beyond celebration to collaboration together, protecting your life and what you have to give. Every traditional dish is our custodian, of farmers who nature the soil, fishers who understand the rhythm of the rivers and seas, and the communities that preserve knowledge through practice rather than textbooks.”

Mohit Singla, Chairman TPCI in his comment said, “The World Culinary Heritage Conference is a flagship international event celebrating the diversity, depth, and diplomacy of global food heritage. A convergence of chefs, food historians, industry players, researchers, and culinary innovators to celebrate and advance the preservation of traditional cuisines and indigenous food practices.” The 2026 edition will spotlight India’s role as a culinary bridge — bringing together 30 global chefs, 350+ Indian chefs, policymakers, F&B industry leaders and startups under one roof. It serves as a thought-leadership platform connecting culture, cuisine, commerce, and sustainability, Chairman TPCI added.

Chef Manjit Gill, President of IFCA said, “In India, food was never designed only for taste. It was shaped by season, digestion and locality. From Himalayas, fermented food to desert, grain traditions, coastal rice, fish culture and temple kitchens. This is why Indian heritage cuisine is not one cuisine, it's a civilization of cuisines. And a powerful economic resource. Today's global travellers seek authenticity.

Minister Prasada also attended APEDA’s BHARATI Business Challenge 2026 Cohort Announcement Session. A key milestone of the BHARATI Business Challenge was the declaration of the Top 100 Startups selected for the first BHARATI Cohort. This cohort represents innovation from 22 states and one Union Territory across India, spanning agri-food products, export-enabling technologies, and SPS solutions—reflecting India’s transition from commodity-led exports to high-value, high-quality global offerings. The event also witnessed the announcement of the Top 10 Startups of the BHARATI Business Challenge. These startups represent the highest levels of innovation, export readiness and global potential emerging from this rigorous national process.

The startups will be supported with market access through free of cost participation to international fairs. The minister also assured all support to the industry.