IFFCO LOOKS FORWARD TO THE CO-OPERATIVE GATHERING AT ICA EXPO2012

The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO) is ready to participate in the third edition of ICA EXPO 2012 to be held from 31 October to 2 November, 2012 in Manchester, UK.

The United Nations has declared the year 2012 as International Year of Cooperatives. ICA EXPO is the most coveted and respected international co-operative trade show where cooperatives from around the world showcase the co-operative model of enterprise, the quality of co-operative products and services and share their strengths in various business fields.

ICA EXPO 2010

Apart from the first expo held in Lisbon in 2008, IFFCO also participated and co-hosted ICA Expo 2010 Bangalore, India on a large scale.  “It was indeed a moment of pride for IFFCO to co-host such a significant international co-operative event where cooperatives from almost all sectors of the economy showcased their products and services. We are sure the forthcoming ICA Expo 2012 will further enhance significant cooperation among various cooperatives and provide an excellent platform for global cooperatives to expand their business worldwide”, explains Dr. Gopal Saxena, IFFCO Director of Cooperative Development.

IFFCO has spearheaded the Indian co-operative moment for 4 decades. By wielding the advantages of science, technology, and agriculture-centric diversification, the endeavour had fructified into sustained co-operation among farmers through the length and breadth of India ensuring an everlasting smile on the faces of Indian farmers and prosperity to proud nation.

The IFFCO effect endows better fertilizers, better harvests and better lifestyles by expanding the corporate spectrum auguring diverse prospects and thus narrowing the gap between technology and human effort to achieve the growth plan delineated in vision.

ICA EXPO 2010

The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) is the world's leading processed fertilizer marketing company in the cooperative sector with a turnover of around $US 4.66 billion in the year 2010-11. It is a cooperative society wholly owned by its members with a vast marketing network of 40,000 cooperative societies reaching more than 55 million farmers in India.

Today, IFFCO has a total of 19 associates & subsidiaries under its fold covering various sectors like General Insurance, Power generation, Rural Telecom, SEZ and Mining, apart from its core business of fertilizers. IFFCO also has joint ventures outside India with Legend International- Australia, JIFCO- Jordan, KIT-Dubai, UAE, OMIFCO-Oman,UAE, ICS Senegal and recently added Growmax Agri Corp., Peru and Americas Petrogas Inc., Argentina.

In India, IFFCO controls IFFCO Power-ICPL, IFFCO Kisan SEZ, IFFCO Sanchar –IKSL, IFFCO Insurance-IFFCO-Tokio, Rural Development-CORDET, Forest Development-IFFDC, Community Service-KisanSeva Trust, IFFCO Foundation, IPL – Potash. At a global level IFFCO also has business agreements with Phoschem-USA, PhosAgro-Russia & Mosaic – USA.

Citadelle showcases its cooperative difference to win over the world’s food coops.

CAPTION: Martin Plante, Citadelle Director of Sales, with Charles Gould, Director-General of the International Co-operative Alliance.

Last December 8 to 10, Citadelle set up its kiosk in Bangalore, India for an international trade show exclusively for cooperatives. An initiative of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), Expo Co-op was first held in 2008 in Portugal with the goal of promoting cooperative trade and to provide a window on cooperative organizations. Originating all over the world, participating coops can build awareness of their products among professionals in the business, discuss their individual situations and develop business connections with each other. Among participants in 2010 were over 120 coops from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, mostly from the food sector, including the Co-operative Group, one of the world’s biggest consumer cooperatives with 6 million members.

Interviewed upon his return, Martin Plante, Citadelle’s director of sales, says he was quite pleased with this first experience. “The show was everything we expected. So much so, we’ve already booked our space for the next exposition – 2012 in Manchester England!”

In addition to exposing a large number of visitors and exhibitors from all over the world to maple syrup, Citadelle’s representative was able to meet several potential business partners in person as well as promote an initiative he holds close to his heart. 

Affirming our cooperative difference

Citadelle’s first foray into the exposition field happened to fit with one of its underlying strategies, namely to conquer cooperative markets by promoting the cooperative difference.

“Food coops serve 100 million families world wide,” says Plante.  “We took advantage of this opportunity to talk about the cooperative and reach these customers.” 

Citadelle’s presence at the show also stems from the much broader goal of contributing to the development of coop-to-coop business on a global scale,” confides Plante, who had the opportunity to have a long conversation on the subject with the ICA’s new Director-General, Charles Gould.

Plante’s  recent trip to India only served to intensify his fervour to the concept of co-operative identification through the 100% coop seal. Invited off the cuff to present this subject during the Expo Co-op, he elicited enormous interest from an audience essentially made up of representatives of the International Cooperative Alliance’s Asia-Pacific sector. “The ICA needs concrete achievements to demonstrate the dynamism of inter-cooperative commerce,” he says with enthusiasm.  “The success of our strategy among food cooperatives would be a lovely example.”

But his bigger dream is to see the day where grocery stores would have a cooperative food section, at least in food cooperatives, like those that already exist for fair trade foods. With less than a year before the international year of the cooperative, one can only dream of the day...

The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) invites everyone to celebrate the International Year of Co-operatives at ICAExpo 2012

The United Nations has proclaimed 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives.

Aiming at increasing public awareness about co-operatives and their contributions to socio-economic development, the ICA is organizing international events which will raise the profile of co-operatives within international institutions in particular and attract international media attention.

ICA Expo, the global co-operative business trade fair is one of the ICA initiatives for the year and promises to be one of the main celebrations.  With the close collaboration of the Co-operative Group, the ICA is calling all co-operatives to join us to present the quality and excellence of co-operative products as well as promote co-operative enterprise around the world.

ICAExpo 2012 will provide the co-operative movement with the opportunity to show the benefits of a co-operative economy guided with values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity, honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

The trade fair will help promote the importance of this successful business model which serves their members and communities.  Co-operatives are trading enterprises that produce quality products and services and provide these at affordable prices. 

Trade and entrepreneurial activities ensure that co-operatives can undertake their purpose to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations.  They draw attention to the fact that co-operatives are competitive enterprises operating locally as well as on the international market. ICA Expo facilitates contacts, exchange of information, partnerships and provides trade related capacity building. 

To host the event, the ICA has decided that there is no better place than Manchester, UK - the birthplace of the co-operative movement. The trade fair will be held from 31^st October to 2^nd November, 2012. 

The ICA has approved several large-scale events to be held during the ICAExpo week to maximize cross-promotional opportunities.

The Co-operative Group – UK , the largest co-operatively owned consumer organization in the world, has partnered with ICAExpo to offer exhibitors a state-of-the-art exhibition which promises to be a landmark for the co-operative sector.

So don’t miss this unique opportunity and join us now!

ICAEXPO 2010 - Photos from India

Online Blog visitor free invitation

Please print the free pass and return the duly filled form to the ICA ExpoCoop registration desk.

http://www.icaexpo.coop/imagens/invitation.pdf

The global co-operative movement is getting ready for the biggest trade event promoted by the International Co-operative Alliance.

ICA ExpoCoop 2010, the second international trade fair for the global co-operative movement, will be held from 08-10 December, at K.T.P.O. Trade Centre Bangalore, India.

Co-operatives from many countries such as Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, England, Georgia, Korea, India, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, East Timor, UK and the U.S.A., will join the hosted country to showcase exclusive co-operative products and services and increase their import/export opportunities. They will benefit from significant business opportunities offered by the market today.

ICA ExpoCoop's professional visitors will have a wide selection of competitive products and services from which to choose. Agricultural, consumer, worker and service co-operatives (health, energy, and others), organisations supporting co-operatives, and suppliers of goods and services for the co-operative sector will demonstrate the financial and competitive advantages of co-operative products on which supermarkets, tourism (hotel and restaurant), distributors and wholesalers, traders who specialize in food and beverage, importers exporters as well as government entities, rely.

Exhibitors will showcase products that respect co-operative values and the co-operative difference. at thesame time as marketing the co-operative advantage in the international market place.

Buyers are attracted by the diversity of cooperative products.

The ICA ExpoCoop 2010 already counts on the presence of exhibitors who will bring a variety of products and services. The intention of the fair is to multiply the cooperative business around the world.
ICA ExpoCo-op 2010 has already confirmed the presence of exhibitors who will bring a variety of products and services. The fair intends to increase the co-operative business around the world.
Here are some of the products you will find at ICAExpo Co-op:
Sweet peanut in bars, sweet in straw, banana paste, guava jelly, preserves, jellies, lollipop, sweets in bars, crackling, cereal bars, granola, honey, cashew nut, tinned dry tomatoes, tinned garlic, pepper, pepper jelly, pepper sauce, seasonings, crystallized sugar, apple vinegar, tinned dry tomatoes with mushrooms, chutney, liqueurs, coffee, rum, honey, cotton, cocoon silk, material products, garment, socks, bags, cases, black tea, green tea, woolong tea, hard wares, mushrooms, hawk thorn, garlic, fruits, vegetables, organic
food, chinese collagraphy and paintings, fish, fertilizer and farm chemicals, recyclable material, cashew nuts, dried chilies, ginger, garlic, yam flour, cassava flour, beads, textiles & garments, kaolin, gems as well as banking and insurance services.