PETpla.net Insider 12 / 2020

TRADE SHOW PREVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 12/20 www.petpla.net 38 PETplanet: Mrs Desai, thank you for your time today. Could you please describe the current Covid-19 situa- tion in India and what it means for the country’s economy? Avisha Desai: Active cases in India have fallen from a high of 90,000 a day in mid-September to 50,000 this week, and the number of deaths has also significantly declined. But the situation still seems to be spiralling out of control as cases continue to accumulate. The total number of cases in India has reached 8,958,483 and deaths cur- rently amount to 131,578. Along with the humanitarian crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic has severely hit the Indian economy, which is expected to contract by 5.9% in 2020 because of the strict lockdown meas- ures taken to contain the virus. While this measure was taken to nip the virus in the bud, it had many repercus- sions as it brought many productive activities to a standstill overnight. It is expected that the situation might improve in the next year, but the recession may translate into a perma- nent income loss. PETplanet: What is being planned by the Indian government or is already underway to support the industry? Avisha Desai: An integrated and comprehensive National Food Pro- cessing Policy has been proposed by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries of India; a draft has already been circulated among the stake- holders and suggestions and recom- mendations requested. It intends to build India’s National Food Grid and National Cold Chain Grid along with the retail markets in every corner of the country. The Ministry provides a lot of financial assistance to food processing companies, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojna (PMKSY) scheme. The Food Safety and Stand- ards Authority of India has recently launched an initiative for reduction of plastic footprint in the F&B industry, to eliminate single-use plastic, develop environment-friendly alternatives, and develop an effective plastic collection and recycling/disposal system. PETplanet: How has the bever- age industry specifically been affected by the situation and what changes can be observed or expected? Avisha Desai: The beverage industry has not been as adversely affected as other industries, which are holding on by the skin of their teeth. Fortunately, beverages and drinka- bles are still in great demand in the market. We have observed that the demand for immunity-boosting drinks has surged among the consumers as compared to other carbonated and soda beverages. Increased aware- ness among the Indian population, stimulated by the coronavirus out- break, has driven is a growing inclina- tion towards healthy choices in the beverage industry. PETplanet: What does the pan- demic situation specifically mean for the trade show which should have been happening in December in Mumbai? Avisha Desai: The prohibition of mass gatherings and the travel restric- tions imposed by the government of India as Covid-19 tightened its grip on the Indian population meant that conducting event on-site would have been preposterous. We are also con- cerned about the health of our exhibi- tors, stakeholders and visitors, whose safety would have been compromised at an on-site exhibition. Therefore, we are holding an online exhibition and conference on the originally scheduled dates of Drink Technology India, i.e. December 9-11, 2020. The next physical Drink Technol- ogy India is planned to take place from October 20-22, 2021 in Mumbai. In the upcoming edition, we will be stringently following the directives of the government and ensuring stand- An interview with Avisha Desai, Group Project Director at Messe Muenchen India Drink Technology India 2020 goes virtual by Kay Barton As Group Project Director Messe Muenchen India (MMI) since 2011, Avisha Desai and her team have been in charge of the annual Drink Technology India amongst other trade shows. The event has become one of the highlights of the beverage industry. Covid-19 and governmental restrictions mean that this December’s edition will be held virtually.