VMPL
New Delhi [India], November 28: The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) successfully concluded the FPO-Hospitality & Farmers' Benefit Summit 2025 at Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi, marking a significant step towards building structured, long-term linkages between India's farmers and the hospitality industry. The Summit brought together leaders from both sectors, senior government representatives, and institutional bodies, resulting in clear commitments to expand direct procurement pathways for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and move towards a more transparent, inclusive supply chain.
The event opened with the welcome address by Mr. Surendra Kumar Jaiswal, President, FHRAI followed by impactful addresses from senior leaders from the hospitality sector, including Ms. Ankita Jaiswal, Chairperson, Sustainable & Responsible Tourism, HRANI & UPHRA, Mr. Rahool Macarius, Market Managing Director - EURASIA, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Mr. Vishvapreet Singh Cheema, President, Lemon Tree Hotels; Mr. Ajay Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels; and Mr. M.P. Bezbaruah, Secretary-General, Hotel Association of India (HAI). The concluding remarks and Vote of Thanks were delivered by Mr. Garish Oberoi, Hony. Secretary, HRANI. The presence of Mr. Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary and Director General, Ministry of Tourism, as Guest of Honor and Mr. Devesh Chaturvedi, IAS, Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, as Chief Guest, further reinforced the government's as well as both the ministries' support for strengthening rural-urban value chains.
A key highlight of the Summit was the technical panel discussion on agri-hospitality linkages, moderated by food writer Mr. Sourish Bhattacharyya, featuring Ms. Asha Sota, Director (NRM), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer's welfare; Mr. Vijay Pratap Singh Aditya, CEO, Ekgaon Group; Mr. Kirti Prasanna Mishra, Co-founder & Director, Ecociate Consultants; Mr. Ashwni Kumar Goela, Area General Manager, Radisson Hotel Group; Ms. Meena Bhatia, Vice President & General Manager, Le Meridien; Chef Davinder Kumar, Executive Chef & Vice President - F&B, Le Meridien, New Delhi; and Chef Rakesh Sethi, Corporate Chef, Radisson Hotel Group. The discussion outlined practical steps to integrate FPOs into hotel procurement systems through standardised quality norms, predictable logistics, and capacity-building support for producer groups.
Other eminent personalities from the hotel industry, including Mr. Amarvir Singh, EC Member, FHRAI & Hony. Secretary, HRANI; Mr. Pranay Aneja, EC Member, FHRAI; Mr. Vinod Gulati, Member, FHRAI & Hony. Jt. Secretary, HRANI; Mr. Luv Malhotra, MC Member, HRANI; and Mr. Virendra Teotia, MC Member, HRANI, were also present in the audience, reflecting strong institutional participation and support for the Summit's objectives.
Another major highlight of the Summit was the Exhibition of 50 FPOs from 15+ states which brought the authentic farm produces and overall hospitality industry face-to-face, creating an unprecedented space for real sourcing conversations, product sampling, and business negotiations. As hotels explored the sourcing potential, the Exhibition also spotlighted the growing demand for authentic, region-specific and GI-tagged products in premium hospitality. India's culinary heritage--yellow tea from Cooch Behar, Kashmiri mamra almonds, Himalayan saffron, katarni rice, makhana, black turmeric, forest honey, Kandhamal haldi--was positioned not only as gastronomic excellence but as a symbol of India's agri-identity. To facilitate this, FHRAI is now building a national platform that connects farmers directly with hotel buyers through empowered FPOs, enabling luxury hospitality to access true farm-origin ingredients with no middlemen.
This directly supported the outcomes of the Summit. Several hotel groups expressed readiness to begin pilot procurement arrangements with select FPOs, particularly for millets, jaggery, honey, fruit-based products, and specialty regional ingredients. These commitments reflect a meaningful shift towards direct engagement between producers and hospitality procurement teams, helping improve price realisation for farmers while giving hotels access to traceable, farm-based supply chains.
The discussions in the Summit also led to consensus on the need for a structured onboarding framework to help FPOs meet institutional requirements. FHRAI confirmed that it will work on a mechanism to standardise specifications, strengthen packaging and logistics, and support FPOs in meeting hotel-grade quality parameters consistently. This framework will help reduce post-harvest losses and promote responsible sourcing across the sector.
Reflecting on the day's progress, Mr. Surendra Kumar Jaiswal, President, FHRAI, said, "The Summit has set in motion a partnership model that can reshape how the hospitality industry sources its ingredients. Farmers and hotels have always been connected, but we have created a platform where this relationship can evolve into long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships. The outcomes achieved here will help build a supply chain that is more transparent, efficient, and fair for everyone involved."
With participation from FPOs across Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal, the Summit offered hotels firsthand exposure to diverse agricultural produce and its sourcing potential, laying the foundation for region-specific procurement clusters and long-term collaborations.
FHRAI will now work closely with ministries, industry stakeholders, and FPO networks to operationalise the commitments made during the Summit and build a sustainable model that supports rural livelihoods while strengthening the sourcing ecosystem for India's hospitality sector.
About FHRAI
The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) is the apex body of the hospitality industry in India, representing over one lakh hotels and five lakh restaurants across the country. Through its Centre of Excellence for Research in Tourism & Hospitality (CERTH), FHRAI works to advance research, policy dialogue, and collaborative initiatives aimed at strengthening the tourism and hospitality ecosystem and its allied sectors.
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