Over 65 lakh people employed in food processing sector

More than 65 lakh people are employed in food processing units, Parliament was informed today.
Nearly 18 lakh people are working in the registered food processing units, while another 48 lakh workers are engaged in non-registered units.
Quoting the Central Statistics Office (CSO) publication, Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), Minister of State for Food Processing Charan Das Mahant said: "As per the latest ASI for 2011-12 (provisional), the total number of persons engaged in registered food processing units is 17.77 lakh."
As per ASI for 2010-11, the total number of workers in food processing units employed directly, indirectly, through contract labour as well as family members was 16.62 lakh.

Out of 9.03 lakh workers directly employed, 2.59 lakh and 6.44 lakh workers were female and male respectively.
The minister said the information on unregistered food processing sector is released by National Sample Survey (NSS) Office every five years.
"As per the latest NSS 67th round in 2010-11, the total number of workers in unregistered food processing sector were 47.9 lakh. Out of this, 11.9 lakh and 36.0 lakh workers were female and male respectively," Mahant said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.