Govt to hold World Food Forum in March 2017

While speaking at an, Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal also said that government plans to set up cold chain grid

In a bid to link farmers with global retailers and processors, the government will organise the World Food Forum at Delhi in March 2017.

The event is part of government's pland to grow the country's food processing pie rise to 20% from 10% over the next five years.

“The theme would be transforming 'India’s Food Economy' with the entire gamut of stakeholders beginning from food machinery, retailers, processors, logistics providers and progressive farmers. Unlike Vietnam and Thailand that process 70% of their agricultural produce, India processes only 10% of its farm produce. This results in lower realisation for farmers and higher prices for the consumers, which we intend to take overcome that,” said Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, here at India Retail Forum today.

To reduce the wastage in supply chain, the government is planning to set up a cold chain grid across the country as also establish food testing labs, she said.

“Having allowed foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail, there is an increased interest to invest in India’s food sector. Of the 38,000 queries that the Invest India team received, 18,000 pertained to the food sector,” she said.

  

Of the 42 food parks sanctioned by the previous government, only two were operational. "We have now commissioned six more and hope to add four more to the list by the end of the year. The balance 37 food parks will be commissioned within the next 24 months while three food parks which have been surrendered will be re-allocated," she said.