Trade Promotion Council of India has done extensive work on promoting Indian agri exports across the globe, particularly in processed F&B products, through focussed market outreach initiatives. The Council’s membership base includes some of the best F&B producers and exporters in India. Last year, when the world was struggling from the pandemic and physical events were impossible, TPCI organised a series of virtual buyer-seller meets (BSMs) in the F&B sector to ensure trade continuity and growth. The Caribbean was one of the focus regions of this initiative, as we recognise its untapped potential. While Indian products have been reaching this market via distributors in the US, the virtual BSMs helped some companies develop direct trade linkages with distributors and retailers in the Caribbean. Besides participating in the virtual events, a Caribbean delegation was also part of the 4th Edition of the Indus Food (2021), TPCI’s flagship trade show for the Food and Beverage industry.

Our experience so far shows that there is a visibly lucrative market for branded Indian F&B products in the Caribbean. We look forward to providing more platforms in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to build on this initial momentum and further diversify India’s F&B trade basket with the Caribbean countries.

—The author is Vice Chairman - Food and Beverage Sectoral Committee, Trade Promotion Council of India