Being set up by the Punjab Dairy Development Board in technical collaboration with the Israel Dairy Board, work on the Punjab Dairy Pavilion is in full swing at the Parade Ground. The pavilion will later move to Punjab as a permanent demonstration centre.

Two exhibitions - Dairy Expo `98 and Poultry Expo `98 will be held simultaneously during Agro Tech.

"CII is hosting the country's premier agri-business fair for the third time," says Regional Director, CII (Northern Region), Piyush Bahl.

Spread over an area of 16,000 square metres at the Parade Ground, Agro Tech will feature nearly 70 international exhibitors from Israel, the Netherlands, the UK, France, Canada, Italy and Spain. On display will be new agricultural technology, equipment, services and value-added products. More than 20 Israeli companies will focus on irrigation, water management, wine-processing and tissue culture. Dutch companies will focus on floriculture while the French and Canadians will mainly focus on dairy farming.

Three big overseas delegations from the USA and the SAARC nations are expected to visit the show. The US delegation will focus on cold-chain technologies.

More than 300 Indian exhibitors from various states are expected to participate. While Punjab and Haryana are the host states, Andhra Pradesh has been given partner state status. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu will speak on "AP Vision 2020" and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh will also visit the fair.

Coinciding with the five-day fair, the CII will organise international conferences on fruit and vegetable processing; emerging technologies in dairy industry; developments in poultry industry; agro- packaging; cold-chain technologies; biotechnology applications in agriculture and industry and water management. Experts from USA, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, France, Denmark, Germany, Australia and China will address plenary sessions.

An Israeli jazz group will performing on the evening of the inaugural day and Union Minister of State for Agriculture Som Pal will be the guest of honour at the valedictory session.

Among the 1,50,000 anticipated visitors, the CII expects to receive ambassadors, high commissioners and senior central and state government officials.