AAHAR

The name AAHAR means "food", so most importers assume it's where you go to buy Indian food. Mostly, it isn't.

ITPO runs it at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi as a show for India's own hotels, restaurants and caterers, and about half the floor is kitchen and hotel equipment.

Our take, flat out - if you import packaged food, spices or ingredients then spend your trip budget on Indusfood. AAHAR earns a day only if you're in Delhi anyway or you buy hotel and kitchen supplies.

Next Edition

• Dates: Dates not yet announced for the 41st edition. ITPO's event calendar lists AAHAR 2027 against 25 February to 7 March 2027, but that's the hall booking window with build-up and teardown, not the show days. Trade press and listing sites have printed both, so don't book flights off either until ITPO publishes the show days.
• Venue: Bharat Mandapam
• City: New Delhi
• Buyer registration: not open yet (Unknown). The 2026 edition took visitor registration on ITPO's own event page (opens in a new tab), so watch itpo.gov.in (opens in a new tab) for the 2027 page.

Who Exhibits

ITPO is the government's trade promotion body, and it ran the 2026 edition with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. The 2025 edition had over 1,700 exhibitors, about 140 of them from overseas (ITPO), and most of them sell into India's hotel, restaurant and catering trade.

Nobody filters the stands for exporters. A stand may or may not ship abroad, and it may or may not make what it shows, which is perfectly normal because plenty of good food suppliers are traders. So ask two things before you give a stand an hour - who makes it, and do you export today?

Hosted-Buyer Terms

As at September 2026 we found no hosted-buyer programme for AAHAR, so you'd pay your own way. If you want a screened programme built for food importers then Indusfood is the one that has it.

Visa

Most buyers come in on the e-Business Visa. Apply at least two weeks ahead and ask the organiser for an invitation letter.

Getting There

Bharat Mandapam sits at Pragati Maidan in central New Delhi. ITPO says the 123-acre complex has metro connectivity and underground parking, but it's big enough that you should check which gate serves your hall before you set off (ITPO, read September 2026).

What to Expect

Expect a huge, busy domestic show. You'll walk past combi ovens, packaging lines and hotel linen to reach the food stands, and few of those are set up to talk export terms, proof of origin or your country's food rules. No knock on AAHAR there, because it serves its real audience (Indian hospitality) well.

If you do go, call it a scouting day. Collect names, then check each firm with how to check an Indian supplier before a single sample moves.

Past Editions

• 2026: 40th edition, 10 to 14 March 2026, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, organised by ITPO with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (ITPO event page).
• 2025: over 1,700 exhibitors, about 140 from overseas, with roughly half the halls given to equipment (ITPO).

Sources

• ITPO, AAHAR 2026 event page (opens in a new tab), read September 2026
• ITPO event calendar (opens in a new tab), AAHAR 2027 hall booking, read 25 September 2026
• ITPO venue facts for Bharat Mandapam (opens in a new tab), read 25 September 2026
• Exhibition Showcase, "ITPO announced dates for next edition of AAHAR", 16 March 2026 (opens in a new tab), trade press (not used for the dates above)

Where SourcingSync Helps

Want the food exhibitors checked against their public records and export-ready meetings booked before you fly? SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) does exactly that.

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