CFIA Director Prof. Peter Knorringa represents the Erasmus University together with Prof Ansgar Richter (the new Dean of RSM) and Maurice Jansen from Erasmus UPT during the Dutch trade mission to India. The trade mission has a focus on innovation and is parallel to the royal state visit to India.
India
The Indian economy is developing rapidly. It is estimated that by the year 2030, India will have the most inhabitants in the world. The country has an average economic growth of more than 7% and a young and increasingly well-educated population. In addition, there is a fast-growing middle class, a high degree of urbanization and the market for consumer goods is growing by more than 10% per year.
However, a lot needs to be done to stimulate this growing environment in order to reach inclusive and sustainable development. India is facing complex challenges due to population growth, rapid urbanization and the effects of climate change.
Improve the trade and investment climate
As such, the Indian government is rapidly implementing measures to improve the trade and investment climate. There is a need for holistic approaches and applicable solutions for sustainable water, agriculture and healthcare management. This offers opportunities for innovative Dutch companies and knowledge institutions such as the CFIA that are active in these 3 sectors.
Large market with many options in CFIA's HEWA Domains
In addition to the size of the Indian market, it is an interesting hotspot for R&D, low-cost innovation and IT talent. The knowledge and expertise of Dutch business can be well positioned for the global ambition to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During the trade mission CFIA will be introduced to promising projects within the Water, Agro-food and Health domains.
The focus of the trade mission will be on the following Indian challenges:
India’s water and waste challenge
According to government estimates, 600 million Indians are facing acute water shortage. Also, 200,000 Indians die every year because there is no access to clean drinking water. Furthermore, pollution and contamination of surface and ground water are posing threats to public health. Waste management is another important challenge. Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation have led to increasing quantities of sewage, effluents and other pollutants, and excessive water usage by agriculture is contributing to India’s water stress. Plus deadly floods are more and more common in India, recently in the state of Kerala. PBL, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, estimates that yearly around 19 million people are struck by floods in India (pdf, in English). The Indian government is committed to provide safe drinking water and access to sanitation to all inhabitants by 2022 as its commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals. Here fore, funds have been made available at both central and state level. The Indian government also called for effective steps to tackle the drought situation in several states by adopting a 'more crop per drop'-strategy. The newly created water (Jal Shakti) ministry has been tasked to provide an integrated approach to the water crisis. Due to stricter legislation and increasing energy process, there is a growing demand for innovative zero liquid discharge technologies for treating complex waste waters in combination with energy reduction and resources recovery. In the area of municipal solid waste the Indian ministry of environment and ministry of urban development are promoting policies based on zero water discharge and waste to energy under the Swatchh Bharat Mission. India has set to unlock climate-resilient growth and is investing in the circular economy focused on recycling, reusing and repairing raw materials and products.
Improvement in the Agro-food Domain.
The abundant presence of resources and favorable growth conditions make India a highly promising actor in the horticulture sector, both as a consumer as well as a producer. Domestic demand for horticulture products is growing rapidly and India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world. Nevertheless, major opportunities exist for improvement in horticultural best practices, post-harvest handling, processing, logistics and shelf-life. Also regarding food loss and the overuse of insecticides and pesticides, improvements can be made through Indo-Dutch collaborative projects in this field. One of the main ambitions of the current government is to double farmers’ income by 2022. Doubling farmers’ income is possible by using the right quality of plant and planting material, produced with minimal use of water and chemicals and using the right cold chain facilities.
Affordable and accessible healthcare
Life Sciences & Health is a priority sector for strategic investment in both the Netherlands and India. Growing market opportunities in India, combined with the Netherlands’ strengths in areas such as digital health, medical devices and diagnostics, create excellent opportunities for partnerships that address shared societal challenges with smart solutions. India’s growing focus on technology and entrepreneurship combined with its recent improvement in investment climate, make it an increasingly attractive partner. The affordability and accessibility of healthcare is a theme where our countries have excellent opportunities for partnerships that address unmet needs of patients and doctors, improve lives and open new markets together. The emergence of India as a global manufacturing hub for (bio) pharma and vaccines and its growing strength in innovation, creates opportunities for partnerships where players from both countries work together and leverage each other’s strengths for new product development. India’s national biopharma mission will help drive partnership opportunities by stimulating the translation of research into viable products, supporting clinical validation, boosting collaboration between industry and academia, and giving an impulse to the countries entrepreneurial Ecosystem
India’s water and waste challenge
According to government estimates, 600 million Indians are facing acute water shortage. Also, 200,000 Indians die every year because there is no access to clean drinking water. Furthermore, pollution and contamination of surface and ground water are posing threats to public health. Waste management is another important challenge. Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation have led to increasing quantities of sewage, effluents and other pollutants, and excessive water usage by agriculture is contributing to India’s water stress. Plus deadly floods are more and more common in India, recently in the state of Kerala. PBL, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, estimates that yearly around 19 million people are struck by floods in India (pdf, in English). The Indian government is committed to provide safe drinking water and access to sanitation to all inhabitants by 2022 as its commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals. Here fore, funds have been made available at both central and state level. The Indian government also called for effective steps to tackle the drought situation in several states by adopting a 'more crop per drop'-strategy. The newly created water (Jal Shakti) ministry has been tasked to provide an integrated approach to the water crisis. Due to stricter legislation and increasing energy process, there is a growing demand for innovative zero liquid discharge technologies for treating complex waste waters in combination with energy reduction and resources recovery. In the area of municipal solid waste the Indian ministry of environment and ministry of urban development are promoting policies based on zero water discharge and waste to energy under the Swatchh Bharat Mission. India has set to unlock climate-resilient growth and is investing in the circular economy focused on recycling, reusing and repairing raw materials and products.
Accompanying ministers and Organisation
This mission is in the presence of Sigrid Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Bruno Bruins, Minister for Medical Care and Sport, Mona Keijzer, State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate, Marjolijn Sonnema, Director General Agro of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and Water Envoy Henk Ovink.
Ineke Dezentjé Hamming-Bluemink is the business mission leader. She is a board member of VNO-NCW and chairman of FME-CWM.
This mission runs parallel to the state visit of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima to India. The King and Queen participate in various program components of this mission.
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) organizes this mission in close collaboration with the relevant ministries, the embassy network in India, VNO-NCW and relevant branch organizations.