Announcing India Organic 2006
After the overwhelming response and successful organizing of India Organic 2005 (held at Lalbagh, Bangalore from 4-7 Nov 2005), ICCOA is already gearing up to prepare for “India Organic 2006”.

This also means that for the year ahead the challenge is more daunting as the expectation will grow higher and ICCOA will have to rise up to the task and make India Organic 2006 bigger and better than the previous edition. The team at ICCOA realizes this and has therefore started the groundwork. It has brainstormed on the best possible dates and venue. It has also started deliberating on the ways and means in which Govt of India, other state govts, private sector and other agencies can be brought in for organizing the event at an even larger scale this year.

It has planned to prepare systematically from now itself so that time is in hand to involve all concerned stakeholders and bring them all on this common platform to help the cause of organic agribusiness in India.

Dates: 9-12 Nov 2006
Venue: Bangalore Palace Grounds

While we were marketing IO-2005 to various stakeholders, including govt and private agencies etc, we were facing the challenge of marketing a concept, but today as we gear up to market IO-2006, we have a track record and a good one at that !!

The Track record: “India Organic 2005”
As you are aware, the International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA, www.iccoa.org) is working with a mission towards building competence of stakeholders in organic agriculture and agribusiness in India and South Asia. Towards fulfilling this objective ICCOA organized the first Organic trade fair, “India Organic 2005” at Bangalore in Nov 2005.

The highlights of India Organic 2005 (IO-2005) were

Total visitors (4 days)	over 30000 (approx)
Trade visitors	over 1000
Trade delegates from abroad	over 40
Foreign visitors (from)	16 countries
Indian states representation	21 states
Seminar delegates	over 450
Buyers-Sellers meetings	over 150
Business enquiries generated (approx)	Rs. 42 crores

It proved to be a landmark event in the promotion of organic agriculture and for developing both export and domestic markets of organic products. Mr. Gerald Herrmann, President, IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements), while appreciating the success of IO-2005 promised support to transform this event to become an International Organic Trade fair in near future. More information about this trade fair is available in our web site www.iccoa.org as well as in www.iccoa.org/indiaorganic2005.

IO-2005 generated estimated business enquiries of worth over Rs 42 crores and the participants demanded that this fair should be an annual event. With these achievements and encouraging response, ICCOA has started preparing to organize “India Organic 2006” at Bangalore from 9-12 Nov 2005. This fair will be more professionally organized to cater to the specific needs of foreign buyers and big domestic traders.

The participants in IO-2005 were benefited by way of exposure to organic business contacts they made for the marketing of products. Therefore, this time we are taking early steps to ensure larger participation from several more states in India and many more countries across the world. During India Organic-2005 many buyers and traders established contacts for sourcing of their products, thereby, enabling more farmers/producers to get markets for their produce. This process will be more pronounced and get strengthened in India Organic 2006.

Highlights for IO 2006
Some of the highlights planned for IO 2006 are e.g.,
Compartmentalizing certified organic participants from other forms of organics as separate halls or enclosures.
Separate halls/enclosures for State pavilions.
Exclusive halls or enclosures for Certification bodies, Laboratories and Post harvest processors.
Separate timing at the trade fair for business visitors and general visitors/consumers. The timings during the first three days (9-11 Nov) will be:

1  Trade visitors   9.00 am to 4.00pm   2  Consumers/General visitors   4.00pm to 8.30 pm   3  Full day open to General       visitors/consumers   12 Nov (Sunday)

Exhibitors/Stall holders can sell their wares during the Consumers’ timings only.
ICCOA would ensure greater number of foreign buyers in IO 2006
Seminar series on specialized topics with experts addressing them.
More buyer-seller meets
Parallel events would include among others:

1  Organic food festivals   2  Conferences on Input harmonization   3  Open forum for Organic Policy discussions