On the third day of his visit to Spain, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited Mercabarna in Barcelona and hailed its integrated model as highly beneficial for Madhya Pradesh. He emphasised the immediate need for improved ‘post-harvest management’ and an efficient export system in Madhya Pradesh, given its rising agricultural production. Mercabarna, spanning 250 acres, is a leading food logistics hub in Europe, where production, storage, processing and distribution systems are seamlessly integrated.

 

Chief Minister Yadav underscored that Madhya Pradesh today faces not just the challenge of production, but also of post-harvest value addition, processing, storage, and access to global markets. He stated that Mercabarna’s experience serves as an ideal model in this direction, from which inspiration can be drawn to prepare the State’s food producers for global competition. Mercabarna Expresses interest in Madhya Pradesh: Mercabarna CEO Pablo Vilanova greeted Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav and highlighted the strong potential for collaboration between India and Spain in areas such as agricultural logistics, food processing, and market infrastructure. He expressed particular interest in Madhya Pradesh and agreed upon future bilateral knowledge partnership. Chief Minister Yadav commended Mercabarna’s best practices in areas such as the ‘farm-to-fork’ model, cold chain systems, quality control, traceability, and food safety. He stated that these innovations would be incorporated into the mega food parks, agribusiness clusters, and rural industrial centres being developed in Madhya Pradesh.

 

The Chief Minister also observed Mercabarna’s operational food bank, zero-waste management system and incubation model designed for food-tech start-ups. He expressed confidence that these systems would strengthen innovation-based agricultural policy in Madhya Pradesh. Export and Investment Opportunities: Chief Minister Yadav stated that Madhya Pradesh possesses immense potential for exporting wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables and processed food. He added that by drawing inspiration from centres like Mercabarna, Madhya Pradesh would reduce post-harvest losses and produce goods conforming to international quality standards. Inviting Mercabarna management to invest in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Yadav stated that by embracing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The World is One Family), Madhya Pradesh is ready for global partnerships. He informed that the state government is promoting private sector participation and technological investment in the agricultural sector.