Time to give a push to the food processing industry, says Praveen
The Indian agriculture sector is witnessing a robust growth with record levels of production while Food Processing sector has become one of the priority sectors for growth, says Anita Praveen, Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing https://www.mofpi.gov.in/ .
“We have already reached high levels of growth with the resources we have. There is a need now for the food processing sector https://www.wfp.org/ with R&D as focus for taking the sector to the next level,” she told the FICCI Scientific Symposium on ‘Processed Foods for Purpose’.
The Secretary said that food processing sector is one of the large investment generators particularly for the micro and small sector and has the potential to bring more private investments.
Speaking on the merits of the food processing sector on 5 Apr, she added that the sector has advantages of high raw materials availability at cheaper price, high consumer demands both in domestic and international markets. “This is the time to give a push to the food processing industry.”
Highlighting the importance of reduction in food wastage, Praveen stated, “Wastage is an issue where we need to segregate the waste and deal with it at farm level, transit and wastage after the processing is done.”
In order to increase exports, the Secretary urged industry to have more direct engagements with the farmers along with the small and micro food processing units.
“The time is right to bring these micro units and link them with large industries. The downward linkage approach will be advantageous for large industries to control quality, maintain standards and have a sustained supply chain,” she emphasized.
She further stated that the industry should focus on educating the consumer, and we must adopt a balanced approach to this educational initiative.
“Consumers must know what they are consuming, and quality food production is the responsibility of the industry,” Praveen underscored.
Siraj Hussain, Advisor, FICCI Food Processing Committee and Former Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, added that food processing serves as a critical link between farm and fork. It acts as a catalyst for economic growth, generating employment opportunities and driving innovation across the food sector.
“The role of food processing in providing safe, healthy and nutritious food has now taken centre stage,” he pointed out.
Sanjay Khajuria, President, CIFTI-FICCI and Director Corporate Affairs, Nestle India Ltd https://www.nestle.in/ , noted that the Food Processing sector is considered as a sunrise sector and has achieved notable progress in terms of modernization and sustainable economic growth in recent years. Fiinews.com
