World Food India 2025 – Sri Lanka’s Engagement

Context:

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe, participated in World Food India 2025 in New Delhi (24–26 September 2025).
Accompanied by Secretary K.A. Vimalenthirarajah, the visit aimed to strengthen bilateral cooperation with India in food security and related sectors.

Key Engagements:

Bilateral Meetings:
- Met India’s Minister of Food Processing Industries (Shri Chirag Paswan) and Minister of State for Cooperation (Shri Murlidhar Mohol).
- Focus on food security, cooperative development, capacity building, and cross-sector collaboration.
Thematic Session Address:
- Topic: “Food Loss and Waste as a Catalyst for Food Systems Transformation”.
- Highlighted Sri Lanka’s perspectives on food wastage, sustainability, and resilience in food systems.
Cooperative & Trade Engagements:
- Meetings with NCEL and NAFED on exports, agricultural marketing, capacity building, and best practices in cooperative models and supply chains.
- Interactions with CEOs and industry associations (CII & PHDCCI) to explore partnerships, investment, and technology exchange in agri-business and food processing.

Significance / Analysis:

Strengthens Sri Lanka–India cooperation in food security, agricultural trade, and cooperative development.
Highlights regional collaboration in addressing food loss, sustainability, and resilient food systems, aligning with global initiatives like GRFC 2025.
Opens avenues for technology transfer, investment, and capacity building, enhancing Sri Lanka’s agricultural productivity and export potential.
Reflects the growing importance of public-private partnerships and international cooperation in food systems transformation

Updated - September 29, 2025 at 2:56 PM | https://www.newswire.lk/