40th edition of AAHAR – The International Food & Hospitality Fair inaugurated on 11 March 2026

Key facts

• The 40th edition of AAHAR – The International Food & Hospitality Fair was inaugurated on 11 March 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
• Italy is the partner country for the 40th edition, marking the first time the fair has featured a partner country.
• The event is organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and spans an area of 125,000 square metres.
• The fair features 1,800 participants, including 155 international participants from 17 countries.
• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal noted that India is the seventh largest exporter of agricultural produce globally.
• India’s annual food and agricultural exports have reached nearly ₹5 lakh crore, exceeding USD 55 billion.
• The official AAHAR digital app was introduced to facilitate QR-enabled interactions, B2B networking, and hall navigation.
• The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry will provide support to exporters under the Export Promotion Mission.
• India has concluded nine Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) over the past three and a half years, providing preferential market access to 38 countries.