Centre to increase food processing level in next few yrs

To reduce food wastage, government aims to raise the food processing level to 20 per cent in next few years, Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said today.
"The government aims to increase food processing level up to 20 per cent from current level of 10 per cent," the minister said at an international conference here.
She said the Food Processing Ministry is working as a bridge between farmers and consumers and it has set up 42 mega food parks and 138 cold chains in the country.
Food wastage has been estimated at around Rs 92,000 crore at present in the country and processing can help reduce the level of wastage as well as control inflation, create jobs and uplift the condition of farmers.

"Through food processing, demand for raw material is created and food loss can be minimised which ultimately leads to better price of the produce to farmers, availability of quality food, higher employment and contributes in reduction of poverty and malnutrition," Badal added.
Highlighting the government's achievement, she said there is 38 per cent increase in FDI in the country and India is the fastest growing economy in the world.

The country's ranking has also improved in Global Competitiveness Index and ease of Doing Business Index.
She also mentioned that government is aiming to double income of farmers and has taken various initiatives including Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to achieve the target.

The conference was attended by leading scientists from India and abroad including the US, the Netherlands, Nepal, Sweden, the UK and Nigeria.