The ninth Edition of EIMA Agrimach opens in New Delhi

The inauguration ceremony of EIMA Agrimach India, the international exhibition for agricultural mechanization—born from the Italy–India collaboration between FederUnacoma and FICCI—took place this morning at the IARI PUSA University Campus in New Delhi. In the large conference hall, representatives of institutions and organizing bodies emphasized the crucial role of agriculture in the economy of the Indian subcontinent and the importance of technological innovation. Focusing on this theme, TR Kesavan, Chairman of the FICCI–EIMA Agrimach India Organizing Committee and Board Member and Group President of TAFE, highlighted the strategic value of partnerships between Italy and India for the development of advanced agromechanical systems. Simona Rapastella, Director General of FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, pointed out how the emerging institutional relations between the two countries are giving strong momentum to cooperation. India, she noted, holds a prominent place in Italy’s trade policies, being included in the Italian Export Action Plan for high-potential non-EU markets promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. There will be many joint initiatives in the coming months and years - Rapastella explained - including focus groups to analyze the mechanization needs of the subcontinent and potential training programs for technical personnel. India’s agricultural economy has undergone a rapid transformation in recent years, largely enabled by the mechanization of key farming operations. This has allowed the primary sector to reach outstanding levels of performance, as noted by Shashi Kant Singh, Partner at PwC India. The sector still holds great growth potential, and—according to Kant Singh—mechanization and next-generation technologies play a central role in realizing it. In a context of growing cooperation between Italian agromechanical manufacturers and Indian agriculture, the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) plays a key role, as emphasized by Sabrina Mangialavori, Deputy Director of the ICE Office in New Delhi.With a wide range of services which include promotional activities, international market expertise, and support for businesses - Mangialavori explained - the Agency works alongside Italian SMEs to strengthen their partnerships and commercial relationships with the Indian production sector. In this scenario - she added - EIMA Agrimach serves as a strategic platform for Italy–India cooperation. Antonio Bartoli, Italian Ambassador to India, focused on one of the most significant aspects of this cooperation: the technological advancement of India’s agricultural economy. Italian manufacturers of agricultural machinery have always been at the forefront of developing innovative solutions for the primary sector—solutions designed to improve the sustainability of agricultural practices, boost productivity, and optimize the use of production inputs. According to the Ambassador, it is crucial to promote the adoption of new-generation Italian technologies among Indian farmers.

 

To achieve this goal, he added, we must rely not only on marketing tools but also on cooperation initiatives among farmers across the subcontinent. During his address, Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare of the Indian Ministry of Agriculture, focused on the incentive tools developed by the government to encourage mechanization in the primary sector and to promote the adoption of next-generation machinery.In addition    to stressing the need to extend the use of mechanical equipment to small farms, which make up the backbone of the subcontinent's agricultural structure, the Secretary also emphasized the importance of improving after-sales service for machinery and facilitating access for women to agricultural technologies. As part of the presentation of EIMA Agrimach, a video message was shared from Francesco Lollobrigida, Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests. Quality and reliability - Lollobrigida stated - are key features of ‘Made in Italy’ agricultural machinery, which combines environmental and production sustainability and is well suited to meet the technological needs of Indian agriculture. The opening ceremony concluded with remarks from Subroto Geed, Co-Chairman of FICCI’s National Agriculture Committee and President for South Asia at Corteva Agriscience, who highlighted how the growing global demand for food commodities, driven by the increase in world population, could further spur the development and expansion of India’s agricultural economy. This potential, Geed emphasized, can only be realized through widespread commitment and engagement across the entire agricultural value chain.