| No. 1500 | 06 January 2012 |
|---|
Grain science and technology for food quality, safety and health
ICRISAT and ICC to hold first India
International Grains Conference
The demand for grains is growing as a number of major global issues continue to impact the
world’s food security. Hence, grain science and technology has become vital in addressing major
concerns such as postharvest losses of grain produce, providing quality and safe food, fighting
hunger and malnutrition, and improving livelihoods, particularly of resource-poor households in
the semi-arid tropics.
Aiming to open up new challenges and opportunities toward improving the quality, safety and nutritional value of grain-based foods, ICRISAT has teamed up with the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology (ICC) to conduct the 1st ICC India International Grains Conference. With the theme “Developments in Grain Science and Technology to Ensure High Quality, Safe and Healthy Grain-based Foods,” the conference will be held on 16-18 January at the Eros Hotel, New Delhi.
The event will bring together grain scientists and technologists, breeders, millers, bakers, cereal and grain food processors, suppliers and traders to discuss the quality, safety and nutritional value of grain and foods made from cereals, with specific reference to the needs of India and the Indian subcontinent.
The activity will serve as a forum for networking and exchange of information and ideas among all sectors of the local and international grains industry, decision-makers in the Indian cereals and food industry, and the food cereals, food and nutrition science community.
ICC has been instrumental in revolutionizing cereal science and technology through the dissemination of knowledge, conduct of research, and development of standard methods that contribute to improved food quality, food safety and security for the health and well-being of the people. The NutriPlus Knowledge (NPK) Program of the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) of ICRISAT is coordinating the conference along with ICC. In 2012, ICRISAT became the first ICC Institutional Member in India.
Renowned speakers from international and national research institutes, multinational and domestic food companies, entrepreneurs, and food research and consultancy organizations will share their knowledge on grain and food quality and safety, grain storage solutions and challenges, nutrition and health, equipment and tools to ensure quality and safety, crop improvement for enhanced grain quality and utilization, international and regional trends in food technology, and quality assessment of raw materials and products. The conference will include an oral paper program, an expert panel discussion, a technical trade exhibition, and a poster paper program.
For more details and registration, contact Saikat Datta Mazumdar (s.dattmazumdar@cgiar.org) or visit the conference website http://india2012.icc.or.at/.
Dileepkumar Guntuku joins as Global Leader of KSI
Dr Dileepkumar Guntuku, an Indian national, joined on 1 January as Principal Scientist/Global Leader – Knowledge Sharing and Innovation. Dileepkumar has a PhD (Information and Communication Technology) and MS (Information Technology in Agriculture) from the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. He also holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Entomology from the Gujarat Agricultural University (GAU), Anand, India.
Before joining ICRISAT, Dileepkumar worked as Program Specialist, Global Extension at Iowa State University, Ames, USA. He also worked as Principal Scientist/ Program Coordinator of the Training School of MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, India (MSSRF). He has over 7 years of experience in implementing research, academic and training projects. He developed and sustained many innovations in linking research– extension–farmer–markets for agricultural and rural development, and substantially contributed to the projects of many national and international agencies.
He was a Research Scholar at ICRISAT-Patancheru (2004-2007) and is proficient in knowledge sharing and capacity building, ICT for development, livelihoods and food security, drought and disaster management, human computer interaction, E-learning, E-governance and E-Commerce.
We welcome Dileepkumar to Team ICRISAT and wish him all success.
