Imphal: The fourth edition of World Food India (WFI) 2025 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 25, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi under the theme “Processing for Prosperity,” positioning India as a “Global Food Hub”.
The event has been organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India and continue till September 28.
This year, Government of Manipur has participated in the event as a Partner State, at higher level in larger prominent space.
A dedicated knowledge session titled “Processing for Prosperity” was held on the first day. It featured an address on “Packaging innovation for the Manipur Food Processing Industry” by Prof. (Dr.) N. C. Saha, an expert in food packaging and former director of the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP).
A total of 16 Manipur stalls from four departments including Trade, Commerce and Industries (TCI); Horticulture; Agriculture; and Forests showcased its resource richness, native crops, traditional & healthy culinary heritage.
The Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) of the Forest department were the new entry this year. Manipur’s participation contributed to the overall narrative of India’s diverse, sustainable, and regionally resilient food ecosystem.
Highlights included GI tag fruits and vegetables, processed foods like smokeless smoked food items, chia seeds, ginger, kachai lemon, aromatic black rice, nutrient-rich bamboo shoots etc. The state promoted its use of advanced food processing technologies to leverage the potential of its indigenous ingredients.
This year, the Government of Manipur has showcased more number of departments and food items including local beverage. Huge footfall has been observed as compared to the previous years in Manipur stalls.
This year various stalls including the local liquor and the black rice could see huge demands from various customers across the globe. The forest products like chia seeds, cinnamon, bamboo shoots etc. were also very appealing amongst the visitors.
The second day was a big challenge for the stalls as they were overwhelmed with various enquiries about the products with enthusiasm.
The event has also provided opportunity to the officials of participating departments to get exposed to new global technologies, best practices, quality control techniques, packaging advancements. On the other hand, it also provided an opportunity to the Micro-food enterprises of Manipur to showcase their products in a global space, said a government statement.
