FPI Ministry to ease norms to clear projects: Badal

Food Processing Industries Ministry will focus on simplifying norms to clear projects for setting up of processing units, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has said.
To strengthen this sunrise sector, the ministry officials have been asked to devise new 'farm to shelf' schemes to help farmers, Badal, who is heading the Food Processing Industries (FPI) Ministry, said.
The minister has discussed the issue of delay in granting product approval with the Food Safety Standards Authority (FSSAI), an official release said today.
To de-regulate and simplify governmental systems, processes and clearances that delay food processing projects, causing huge losses to the companies putting up projects are among the priorities expressed by the minister, the release said.

The ministry will also review role of FSSAI regarding long delays in clearing product approvals. It will work towards curbing food inflation by boosting food processing and mitigating post harvest fruit and vegetable losses, it added.
Also, industry chambers CII, FICCI, and financial organisations have been asked to take initiatives to be part of the drive to reach food processing out to the village level, the release said.