India, Japan postal departments tie up to ferry Japanese food

Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe have inked a pact for a ‘cool box service’ to ferry food from Japan to India via India Post

Gandhinagar: Sushi, sashimi or soba? For Japanese nationals in India who are missing their food, here is some “cool” news that will appeal to their taste buds.

The two countries have inked a pact for a “cool box service” which will ferry food from Japan to India. As part of an agreement signed on Thursday between the two countries, India Post and Japan Post will start a postal service that will allow the Japanese community in India to order their favourite food from back home.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe held wide-ranging talks in Gujarat on key bilateral, regional and international issues and discussed ways to deepen ties in trade, security and civil nuclear energy.

“Japan invested $4.7 billion in India in 2016-17 which is 80% higher than last year. Now, Japan is the third largest investor in India... And, looking at this investment, one can anticipate that in times to come, besides the business ties, people-to-people ties would also grow,” Modi said.

And now, through the partnership of the two postal services, the “cool box service” is going to be started, so that the Japanese people in India can order their food straight from Japan, he said. Modi also appealed to the Japanese business community to open more restaurants offering cuisine of that country in India. 

Japanese food is gaining popularity in India. Among the many delicacies on offer here are sushi or rice-wrapped rolls, sashimi or raw meat or fish, soba or buckwheat noodles, miso soup, a traditional broth, and various kinds of seafood.

“The two prime ministers also shared the importance of strengthening cooperation in the fields of agricultural and food related sectors. They welcomed Japan’s participation in World Food India 2017 as a partner country,” said the joint statement of the two leaders.

The two sides renewed their commitment to strengthening human and cultural ties commensurate with their Special Strategic and Global Partnership. “In this context, the two prime ministers welcomed a series of cultural events successfully held through the Year of India-Japan Friendly Exchanges in 2017,” the statement said. 

Source : http://www.livemint.com/Politics/o9YkAvVrMN6TrDrQHPnDtO/India-Japan-postal-departments-tie-up-to-ferry-Japanese-foo.html