"India can be food basket of world," says Allanasons' Fauzan Alavi

Abu Dhabi [UAE], September 20 (ANI): Allanasons' Fauzan Alavi highlighted India's growing influence in the global export of agricultural goods and suggested that New Delhi can be a food basket for the world.
Speaking with ANI, Fauzan Alavi said, "We are India's oldest and probably the biggest Agri export house and from India we export to almost 70 countries... This is, I think, very easily achievable for the simple fact that India has a lot to offer as far as Agri space is concerned. Then secondly, from here, catering to Africa, which is going to be a market that we really cannot imagine if we start catering to it."
"Agri-space is a huge space. And from India, we can be the food basket of the world... Tariff issues, I believe, will be resolved over time because it is a requirement of both the nations and it's going to go a little easier, I think in the times to come," he added.
Fauzan Alavi's remark came as Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal and Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority ("ADIA"), co-chaired the latest meeting of the India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force on Investments in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
This latest meeting considered a range of trade and investment topics, including ongoing initiatives to enhance bilateral investment flows and new areas of joint cooperation.
The Co-Chairs recognised the positive momentum of bilateral trade which continues to build following the implementation of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in May 2022.
In the first half of 2025, bilateral non-oil trade reached nearly USD 38 billion, representing a 34% increase compared to the first half of 2024 and a significant step towards the UAE's 2030 trade targets.
Investment Banker Praveen Kumar Jain exuded confidence that both nations will benefit from the CEPA.
"The impact of CEPA and I2U2 will be very nice. The UAE and Indian governments are very positive about it. We will definitely achieve the objectives of this treaty put forward by Piyush Goyal," he said.
The India-UAE CEPA serves as a cornerstone of the UAE and India's economic alliance and a model for constructive cooperation in a complex and rapidly evolving global trading landscape. (ANI)