The fifth edition of VCCircle Agri & Food Investment Summit is just two days away. The summit will be held on October 24, at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.
The summit will bring together more than 200 CEOs representing India's top and emerging food and agri companies, innovators and bankers, in addition to leading institutional and private equity investors betting on the sector. It will provide a platform for the next big Indian companies in the food & agri space.
The summit will cover topics such as: Future outlook for India’s food & agri businesses; what opportunities and challenges are lying ahead in the agri sector; what are the emerging private equity and M&A opportunities in agri & food industry; and how to build effective agri infrastructure & supply chain logistics. It will also cover primary processing—food commodities, grains, dairy & poultry; processed foods, food service and retail.
For registrations, write to kanika@vccircle.com or call 0120-4171111.
For sponsorship, write to: varun@vccircle.com or vijay@vccircle.com.
Speakers:
- Aditya Bafna - Executive Director, Shree Shubham Logistics
... and many more joining.
Agenda
08:30am - 09:20am
Tea & Registration
09:20am - 09:30am
Introductory Remarks
09:30am - 10:25am
Fireside Chat: Future Outlook For India’s Food & Agri Businesses; Road Ahead For Opportunities & Challenges
In a shrinking economy, what is the growth potential for agri & food sector in India? Capital, technology, marketing & financial resources are evidently the key drivers for boosting agri ecosystem; what is the current investment scenario in these segments? Which sub-sectors are more likely to multiply quickly? Which are the other segments that holds good potential? What are the opportunities for Indian food companies to explore overseas markets? How to bridge the gap between present and the potential productivity in the agri industry?
Rajeev S Samant - Founder & CEO, Nashik Vintners Pvt. Ltd
Sanjay Sacheti - Country Manager, Olam Agro India Ltd
Kapil Mehan – MD, Coromandel International Ltd
Girish Nadkarni – Partner, IDFC Private Equity (Moderator)
10:25am - 11:20am
Panel I: Emerging Private Equity and M&A Opportunities in Agri & Food Industry
Which sub-segments within the food and agri value chain offer the most investment potential? What are the key concerns of global players looking to invest in the Indian food and agri landscape? How do companies & funds align their valuation expectations? What are the areas where diligence throws up a lot of concerns? How do funds /investment bankers work with the promoters to address these issues? How do PE funds mitigate the monsoon failure/commodity price volatility risk which is inherent in the food and agri sector? Given the tough macro environment, what are the preferred exit options? Which sub-sectors are attractive for strategic exit? What is the role of M&A in taking Indian domestic consumption story to the next level? Is the sector waiting for cross-border deals or going for domestic play? Is corporate India gaining out of innovative deal structure?
Rahul Raisurana - MD, Standard Chartered Private Equity
Shrenik M Khasgiwala - Director, Brand Capital
Jinesh Shah - Founding Partner, Omnivore Partners
Nandini Chopra – Partner, KPMG Corporate Finance
Rajesh Srivastava - CMD, Rabo Equity Advisors Pvt Ltd (Moderator)
11:20am - 11.40am
Tea & Networking Break
11:40pm - 12:30pm
Panel II: Productivity Improvement in the Farm Input Sector—Seeds, Fertilisers, Irrigation & Farm Equipment
With an increase in farm income, what are the product segments/geographies where farmers are willing to pay for better quality farm inputs? What has been the impact of the nutrient-based subsidy programme in the last two-three years? Do export markets offer more growth opportunities? Are there opportunities for biotechnology application for pesticides? Have there been any successful models in micro irrigation? Is the farmer willing to pay more for micro irrigation? Given the shortage of farm labour, what are the emerging opportunities in farm mechanisation and farm implements? What are the opportunities/challenges seen by private players in the area of technology dissemination/skill development? What are the global models which have been adapted to Indian conditions in the farm input sector? What has been the experience of use of mobile applications, increasing penetration of weather stations and customised farm solutions?
Vikram Puri – CEO, Mahindra ShubhLabh Services Ltd
Sachid Madan – MD, Technico Agri Sciences Ltd
C P Appanna - General Manager, NABARD
K Vijayaraghavan - Cornell University/Sathguru Consultants (Moderator)
12:30pm - 12:45pm
VCCircle Showcase I: Farm Inputs
Promoters of two companies (which currently seek PE/strategic partner) will speak for five minutes each without presentation. Each promoter can touch upon the product-market opportunity and the firm’s differentiated strategy to tap that opportunity.
12:45pm - 1:45pm
Lunch & Networking
1:45pm - 2:35pm
Panel III: Building Effective Agri Infrastructure & Supply Chain Logistics
For the warehousing sector, how does one address various constraints such as cost of land, quality of roads, various licences to be applied for, taxation (delay in movement towards GST), changing policies with respect to export/import as well as procurement? What are the challenges and opportunities in cold chain sector (storage and logistics) space? Can rail be the game changer for refrigerated transportation? What are the different innovative tools in supply chain management? How are web services empowering low cost & better logistics decisions? While back-end aggregation from farmers is seen as a huge opportunity, most organised retail chains still procure almost half their requirement from local mandis; What is the way forward?
Purvin Patel - Business Head, Radhakrishna Foodland Pvt Ltd
Amith Agarwal - Director, Star Agri Warehousing & Collateral Management Ltd
Kiran Salunke - MD, Siesta Logistics Corporation Ltd
Aditya Bafna - Executive Director, Shree Shubham Logistics
Sanjay Kaul - CEO, National Collateral Management Services (Moderator)
2:35pm - 2:50pm
VCCircle Showcase II: Agri-Infrastucture and Supply Chain Logistics
Promoters of two companies (which currently seek PE/strategic partner) will speak for five minutes each without presentation. Each promoter can touch upon the product-market opportunity and the firm’s differentiated strategy to tap that opportunity
2:50pm - 3:20pm
Tea & Networking
3:20pm - 4:10pm
Panel IV: Primary Processing—Food Commodities, Grains, Dairy & Poultry
What is the extent of integration with the global market in various commodities? What are the export opportunities that India can pursue? What are the enabling government policies for encouraging export? What is the extent of integration taking place across the value chain? What are the success stories with respect to farm level engagement for sourcing good quality raw material and ensuring traceability? What has been the experience in branding of various commodities? Is the consumer willing to pay for branded commodities? How are companies attempting to mitigate the risk of commodity price volatility?
Bhupinder Singh, CEO, Vista Processed Foods
Murali Krishnan - CEO, The Nilgiri Dairy Farm Pvt. Ltd
Sameer Narula - Managing Partner, August Capital Partners (Moderator)
04:10pm - 4:25pm
VCCircle Showcase III: Primary Processing
Promoters of two companies (which currently seek PE/strategic partner) will speak for five minutes each without presentation. Each promoter can touch upon the product-market opportunity and the firm’s differentiated strategy to tap that opportunity.
04:25pm - 05:15pm
Panel V: Processed Foods, Food service and Retail
What has been the impact of the newly formed FSSAI in terms of strengthening food standards and enforcing of food quality? How do players address the growing opportunity in the smaller towns/rural areas for various product segments? While there is a huge unorganised market in most product segments, the shift has been gradual. Given the huge differences in taste preferences across India, how does a regional player attempt to go national? What are the innovations in processed foods in product/packaging/marketing, etc? How are QSR chains as well as processed food players ensuring dedicated supply chains? How do players address the issue of skill development and manpower shortage across the value chain?
Neeraj Kakkar - CEO, Hector Beverages Pvt. Ltd
Rahoul Jain - MD, Capricorn Food Products India Ltd
Aditya Bagri - Director, Bagrrys India Ltd
Rahul Singh - Founder & CEO, The Beer Café
Sonal Shah - Director, SMC Capitals Ltd (Moderator)
5:15pm - 5:30pm
VCCircle Showcase IV: Processed Foods, Food Service and Retail
Promoters of two companies (which currently seek PE/strategic partner) will speak for five minutes each without presentation. Each promoter can touch upon the product-market opportunity and the firm’s differentiated strategy to tap that opportunity.
5:30pm - 5:40pm
Closing Remarks
5:40pm Onwards
VCCircle Unwind
This session will provide more networking time for entrepreneurs and investors over cocktails.
