India's Food Processing Sector

Centre to support food processing industry with slew of schemes: Official

The Centre has drawn up a slew of schemes, in the form of subsidies, to support the food processing industry, from micro to large units, a senior official said. Secretary of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Subrata Gupta, said that a lot of food, particularly fruits and vegetables, go to waste for not being processed to increase their shelf life. "On an average, processing of food in various sectors is only around 10 per cent. This is a matter of concern. There is a need to process and preserve food to curb wastage," Gupta said at an interactive session organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) here on Monday night. The ministry is supporting the sector with a slew of schemes for micro, medium and large units, he said. "There is a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs to invest in the food processing sector," Gupta added. The central government has also set aside an amount of Rs 400 crore for the small and medium food processing units, he said. The official said l

Govt to streamline regulatory framework for bakery-confectionery industry

Food Processing Industries Secretary Subrata Gupta assured on Wednesday that the government will address the concerns of the bakery and confectionery industry, including streamlining regulatory frameworks. During an interactive session with industry leaders, key focus areas emerged, including regulatory simplification, sustainability, and innovation, an official statement said. The secretary, who chaired the high-level roundtable discussion, assured participants of the government's commitment to addressing sector challenges and fostering collaborative growth. Industry representatives emphasised the need for policy alignments that can support both large and small-scale manufacturers. Critical recommendations included technology adoption, expanding domestic production of critical inputs like cocoa, and integrating informal sector units into the formal ecosystem. The roundtable discussions highlighted potential strategies for enhancing raw material availability, streamlining supply .

Food processing sector attracts $368.37 mn FDI till Sep FY25: Govt tells LS

The food processing sector received foreign direct investment (FDI) of USD 368.37 million till September of the current fiscal year, Parliament was informed on Thursday. Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu in a written reply to the Lok Sabha said, Ireland invested USD 83.84 million, Singapore USD 48.45 million, Mauritius USD 41.65 million, the United States USD 38.60 million, Australia USD 20.18 million, and Mexico USD 9.59 million in April-September FY25. In FY24, FDI in food processing was USD 608.31 million. The sector is being promoted through Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana, Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry, and Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme.

Food processing ministry to take up concern on GST with Council: Paswan

Seeking to promote the food processing sector, the Centre on Thursday held consultation with more than 100 senior executives of food companies to understand the problems faced by them related to ease of doing business, imports, GST rates and misconceptions about processed food items. During the meeting, food companies demanded reduction in GST rates of many food items. A high-level CEO roundtable, under the co-chairpersonship of Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan, was organized as part of World Food India 2024 event being held during September 19-22 in the national capital. It laid "focus on promoting investment and enhancing Ease of Doing Business and was attended by over 100 CXOs," an official statement said. Speaking on the sidelines of this meeting, Paswan said, "the objective of this CEO roundtable was to provide a platform to industry representatives of food companies to put forward their concerns and suggestions ..

Govt undertook many reforms for food processing sector growth: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government has undertaken many reforms in the last 10 years for the growth of the food processing sector and the effort is to ensure that India sets global benchmarks for innovation, sustainability and safety in the food sector. The Prime Minister's message was read at the third edition of World Food India 2024, which is being held in the national capital from September 19 to 22. The event will see participation from over 90 countries. "In the modern era, through progressive agricultural practices, strong administrative frameworks and cutting-edge technologies, our effort is to ensure that India sets global benchmarks for innovation, sustainability and safety in the food sector," Modi said. During the last 10 years, he said the government has introduced wide-ranging reforms to transform the food processing sector. "Through multi-dimensional initiatives such as 100 per cent FDI in food processing, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana,

The expanding horizon: How food processing industry drives economic growth

Being the largest producer of several food commodities like milk, millet, fruits, vegetables, tea, and fish, India has created a strong foundation for the food processing industry

Domestic food market likely to grow by over 47% to touch $1,274 bn: Report

The domestic food market is expected to grow by over 47 per cent to reach USD 1,274 billion by 2027, a report released by the Confederation of Indian Industry and supported by Danfoss India said. India's food processing industry sees innovative startups emerging with cutting-edge technology, the report titled 'Food Processing Sector in India - Potential for Southern States. and released by CII, CII FACE (Confederation of Indian Industry -- Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence) and Danfoss India, said. Danfoss India is a leader in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning and is the subsidiary of Denmark-headquartered engineering major Danfoss. Some of the key highlights of the report, which was released at the CII-FoodPro 2024 include the potential that southern states hold for food processing industry. "Tamil Nadu leads India's export of processing fruits, juices and nuts, with a 33 per cent share by quantity and 27 per cent by value, exporting 2,08,370 metric tonnes worth US

Govt invites EoI to build multiproduct food irradiation units under PMKSY

The government has invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) from entrepreneurs for the setting up multiproduct food irradiation units under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY). The last date for submission of EoI/ proposals is September 21, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries said in a statement. The entities are required to submit their proposals online only at https://www.sampada-mofpi.gov.in/ with relevant details under "PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN SAMPADA YOJANA". A financial assistance in the form of grants-in-aid/ subsidy will be provided to the eligible projects under the demand-driven Cold Chain scheme. All proposals are required to be prepared and submitted on or before the due date as per the scheme guidelines.

Rs 50,000 cr FDI in food processing sector in last 9 years: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India's food processing sector has emerged as a "sunrise" industry and has attracted Rs 50,000 crore in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the past nine years. Modi was addressing the second edition of World Food India at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital. The three-day event will conclude on November 5. "In the last nine years, FDI worth Rs 50,000 crore has come into the food processing sector. It is a result of the government's pro-industry and pro-farmer policies," Modi said. He said export of processed food has increased 150 per cent in the last nine years and the domestic processing capacity has increased significantly. The prime minister disbursed seed capital assistance to over one lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs) and inaugurated a 'food street' as part of 'World Food India 2023'. The event aims to showcase India as food basket of the world' and celebrate 2023 as International Year of Millets. The first edition was held in 2017,

Govt asks industry to take benefit of PLI, food processing sector schemes

Food Processing Industries Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday called the industry players to take benefit of the government initiatives, including the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. "The government is committed to the development of the food processing sector. The government has taken several initiatives to harness the food and horticulture potential of the country," an official statement quoted Tomar as saying at the northern region food processing summit organised by industry body CII. The government has launched the PLI scheme for the food processing industry, under which Rs 11,000 crore will be spent, he said. Another scheme 'Prime Minister formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) has been launched under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganised sector. The scheme focuses on supporting groups engaged in agri-food processing such as Farmer Producer Organizations ..

Centre approves Rs 10,900 cr PLI scheme for food processing sector

The government on Wednesday approved a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the food processing sector, entailing an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the scheme which will help create 2.5 lakh jobs, boost exports and ensure availability of a wider range of value-added products for consumers. "The PLI for the food processing sector with Rs 10,900 crore incentive has been approved. The decision is a fitting tribute to our farmers," Food Minister Piyush Goyal said while briefing the media about the cabinet decisions. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the government in the Budget had announced PLI scheme for 12-13 sectors. PLI has been announced for six sectors already. "Today, PLI for the food processing industries has been approved," he said. This will boost production of value-added food products, attract foreign investment, create job opportunities besides benefiting farmers with

Govt focussing on growth of food processing to boost farmers' income: Tomar

Agriculture and Food Processing Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said the government is focusing on growth of the food processing sector as it has potential to boost farmers' income. The prosperity of agriculture and farmers is must for achieving the objective of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Tomar said in an official statement. Inaugurating the student's residential complex and pilot food processing plants in IIFPT, he said the central government has identified food processing as a priority sector for the government and as one of the focus sectors in the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. He said the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is focussing on boosting the food processing industry so that the agriculture sector attains an exponential growth and majorly contributes towards doubling the farmers' income. Tomar laid the foundation stone for new infrastructure proposed to be created in the newly procured land through video conferencing. He inaugurated the students' ...

High wastage keeps food companies from ploughing export benefits

The second of a 5-part series looks at the challenges in food export business

UP garners food processing proposals worth Rs 1,890 cr from 368 firms

The projects are estimated to generate 30,000 jobs and are mostly pertain to rice mills, oil seeds, fruit and vegetable processing, and consumer food products

India's food processing sector may attract $33 bn by 2024: Assocham survey

Food processing sector has potential to generate employment of 9 million persons days by 2024: Report