CFTRI to address rural sector issues

Emerging as a global leader with over a thousand patents to its credit, the Mysore-based Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) has drawn a new road map for the next five years with its director V Prakash getting an extension for the equal period.

Announcing his extension by the Prime Minister in his capacity as CSIR president at a media conference at the CFTRI on Tuesday, Prakash said the institute's further march would be "towards taking high science and high technology from urban to rural, to the lowest of the lowest."

"High science and high technology are our high priorities. There cannot be any bargain on it. We are aware that CFTRI has a great role to play in the entire food supply chain, from farm to customer, reaching all sections of the society. Food health and nutrition forms part of it. This is our future road map," he said.

Value-addition and lab to land was also part of the Eleventh Plan and in this endeavour the government alone would not be able to address the issues.

Private-public participation (PPP) becomes vital to build up the change in the food sector. NGOs, co-operatives, self-help groups, and a host of other agencies form part of the PPP.

"This is where the challenge lies. This is where India can lead. The emerging sector is food technology," he said.

Over the years, CFTRI processes had touched almost every section of the people in the country, he said and quoted the examples of availability in the market of parboiled rice without smell, soji of uniform size unlike of different sizes in the past, tamarind, chocolates and Rs 400 crore worth mango exports possible today.