India, Nov. 25 -- Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi on Monday asked hotels and restaurants to buy produce directly from farmer-producer organisations (FPOs) to improve returns for growers by eliminating middlemen from the supply chain. The secretary also called on the hospitality industry to promote Geographical Indication (GI) tagged food products to enhance the dining experience for tourists and visitors.

"We have a large number of hotels and restaurants across the country. And if you are able to develop a partnership with the local farming community to get authentic food, vegetables, spices and other things, then it will be a win-win situation," Chaturvedi said at an event organised by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Nor...