PRESSS RELEASE
Business Seminar on Mid-Day Meal Program and India-Guatemala Trade Relations
The Embassy of India in Guatemala City successfully organized a Business Seminar in the Alta Verapaz region, Cobán, focusing on India's Mid-Day Meal Program and bilateral trade opportunities between India and Guatemala on 2nd October 2025. The Business Seminar to disseminate information on India’s flagship welfare scheme like Mid Day Meal was aptly chosen on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The event particularly emphasized trade potential in sectors including textiles, timber, cardamom, and other commodities relevant to the Cobán region. The seminar witnessed distinguished participation, with the Governor of Alta Verapaz, H.E. Ms. Dilia Có Coy, and twenty Mayors from various municipalities in attendance. This high-level representation underscored the significance of the event and demonstrated strong interest from local authorities in strengthening ties with India.
The selection of Cobán as the venue for this seminar was strategic and purposeful. The Alta Verapaz region comprises numerous rural areas and municipalities that could significantly benefit from knowledge-sharing on welfare programs and trade enhancement. The seminar provided an ideal platform to inform Mayors directly about India's acclaimed Mid-Day Meal scheme and to explore avenues for increasing bilateral trade at the regional level. Cobán's importance as a commercial hub for key products such as cardamom, timber, and textiles made it particularly suitable for discussions on sector-specific trade cooperation.
H.E. Raj Kumar Singh, Ambassador of India to Guatemala, delivered the opening address, highlighting the strong and growing partnership between India and Guatemala. The Ambassador emphasized India's commitment to sharing its developmental experiences and successful welfare programs with friendly nations. He underscored the potential for mutually beneficial trade relations, particularly in sectors where Guatemala possesses natural advantages and India offers technological expertise and market opportunities. The Ambassador expressed confidence that enhanced people-to-people contacts and increased trade would further strengthen the bonds between the two nations.
Ms. Dilia Có Coy, Governor of Alta Verapaz, delivered warm and welcoming remarks, expressing appreciation to the Embassy of India for organizing this important seminar in the Cobán region. Governor Có Coy emphasized the significance of such initiatives in bringing international best practices and developmental experiences directly to the municipalities of Alta Verapaz. She highlighted the region's rich natural resources and productive potential in sectors such as cardamom, timber, and textiles, expressing keen interest in exploring trade partnerships with India. The Governor welcomed the knowledge-sharing on India's Mid-Day Meal Program, recognizing its potential relevance for addressing nutritional challenges in rural areas of Alta Verapaz. She assured full cooperation from the departmental administration in facilitating future collaborations and encouraging municipalities to actively engage with opportunities for partnership with India.
Mr. Ramesh Khulbey, Head of Chancery, delivered a comprehensive presentation covering two key theme, viz, India's Mid-Day Meal Program and India-Guatemala Trade Relations. Mr. Khulbey provided detailed insights into one of the world's largest school feeding programs, covering over 120 million children across India. The presentation explained the program's objectives, implementation mechanisms, nutritional standards, supply chain management, community participation, and measurable impacts on school enrollment, attendance, and child nutrition. He highlighted how the program addresses both educational and nutritional security simultaneously, making it a model welfare initiative.
The presentation on India-Guatemala Trade Relations explored the current state of bilateral trade and identified significant opportunities for expansion, with specific focus on the Cobán region. Key sectors discussed included India's expertise in fabric production and Guatemala's textile manufacturing capabilities; Sustainable forestry practices and value-added wood products; Trade in spices and agricultural commodities, where Guatemala is a major producer; and Pharmaceuticals, information technology, agricultural equipment, and renewable energy. Mr. Khulbey emphasized that strengthening trade relationships at the regional level would contribute to overall bilateral economic growth and create employment opportunities in both countries.
The seminar generated considerable enthusiasm among the participating Mayors and the Governor. The Mayors expressed keen interest in understanding the operational details of India's Mid-Day Meal scheme. Several Mayors emphasized their desire to conduct detailed discussions on implementing similar programs at their municipality level with their respective officials. They recognized the program's potential to address nutritional deficiencies among children while improving school attendance in rural areas.
Participants demonstrated strong enthusiasm for increasing trade relations with India, particularly in sectors relevant to their municipalities such as cardamom, timber, textiles, and agricultural products. They acknowledged the complementary nature of India-Guatemala economic strengths and expressed willingness to facilitate trade missions and business delegations. Recognizing the significant participation of the Governor and twenty out of twenty-eight Mayors from the Alta Verapaz region, a brief introduction on the Sister Cities concept was also presented during the seminar. The concept resonated strongly with the attending Mayors, with several participants specifically requesting that the Embassy organize a dedicated seminar focused exclusively on the Sister Cities program to explore partnership opportunities in greater detail.
People-to-People Contacts: The Mayors emphasized the importance of strengthening people-to-people contacts through cultural exchanges, educational partnerships, and tourism promotion. They viewed such connections as fundamental to building lasting economic and social ties.
Admiration for India's Development Model: Participants expressed high appreciation for India's developmental achievements and welfare schemes. They were particularly impressed by India's ability to implement large-scale programs effectively despite managing a vast and diverse population. The Mayors
acknowledged that India's experiences offer valuable lessons for Guatemala's own development initiatives.
The Business Seminar in Alta Verapaz, Cobán, marked a significant milestone in the Embassy's outreach efforts to strengthen India-Guatemala relations at the regional level. The event successfully achieved its objectives of introducing India's Mid-Day Meal Program to local authorities and identifying concrete opportunities for trade enhancement. The enthusiastic response from the Governor and Mayors, coupled with their commitment to follow-up actions, augurs well for deeper collaboration in the future. The seminar demonstrated that engagement beyond the capital city is essential for building comprehensive bilateral partnerships. By directly connecting with municipal leaders in regions like Cobán, the Embassy is fostering grassroots-level understanding and cooperation that will contribute to sustainable long-term relationships. The Mission remains committed to facilitating further dialogues, technical exchanges, and trade promotion activities that benefit communities in both India and Guatemala. The positive outcomes of this seminar reinforce the value of organizing such targeted events in strategically important regions, and the Embassy looks forward to continued engagement with Alta Verapaz and other regions of Guatemala.
