The agreement reflects the depth and breadth of the two organization’s shared interests.

The Global Pulse Confederation (GPC) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) signed a wide-ranging MOU during the Pulses 2019 Convention in Rio de Janeiro last week. NAFED, an entity under India’s Ministry of Agriculture, is an apex organization of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in country, and hence a key strategic partner for the GPC, the premier association for the global pulses industry value chain. 

“With this MOU, I envision a free flow of pulse-related information, both in terms of production and market strategy,” said NAFED Additional Managing Director Sunil Kumar Singh. “In the past decade, India added 10 million tons to its production. Therefore, we need to balance the interest of the farmers and consumers in India, as well, to see that imports continue to happen as required.”   

“India is the world’s top pulse consumer, producer and importer, and therefore a vital player in the global pulse trade,” said GPC outgoing President Hüseyin Arslan. “What happens in India drives prices and consequently affects planting decisions and pulse markets throughout the world.”

“This MOU comes at a crucial time for the pulse industry, with challenges in the area of market access, but also unparalleled opportunities for growth as consumer interest in healthy and sustainable foods drives up demand for our products,” said GPC incoming President Cindy Brown. “At the same time, it is vital that we don’t take markets with high per capita rates of pulse consumption for granted. We have work to do on the consumption side in India, too, and I look forward to working with NAFED to build a fruitful future based on our mutual interests.”  

The MOU, signed by NAFED Additional Managing Director Sunil Kumar Singh and GPC Outgoing President Hüseyin Arslan, lays out a framework for the two organizations to work together. It includes, among other things, provisions on the sharing of knowledge and information, and collaboration in the promotion of conferences, events and activities aimed at increasing pulse production and consumption.