Packaging industry growing at 17%, can bring district level jobs: Experts

The packaging industry is growing at 15-17 per cent and the sector has the potential to create employment opportunities in the country, industry experts said.

The experts also called for the promotion of domestic players and setting up the packaging industry in every district on the lines of the one district one product' initiative to create jobs at the local level.

"Presently, the demand for packaging of all things has increased a lot and there is a lot of scope for employment in this sector," Prof Tanveer Alam, Director of the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) Delhi, said at the Asian Packaging Congress here on Saturday.

The event was organised by the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, a release said.

The packaging business in the world is worth USD 79 billion and has a growth rate of 15-17 per cent, Alam said.

Industry experts opined that to boost the industry, packaging units should be set up in every district on the lines of one district one product scheme so that employment can be generated, a statement said.

Different types of packaging like glass, metal, paper and others are being adopted for each type of product, the expert said.

Recently, an MoU has also been signed with the Government of Uttar Pradesh and this product has already been launched in 15 districts of UP, IIP said.

Experts said that the packaging industry can also help bring agricultural products to the market which will increase farmers' income and cut farm production losses.