On its part, Ministry of Food Processing has drafted several schemes to promote the small and medium enterprises in this sector, with minimum capital requirement.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries Secretary Rakesh Kacker on Friday said at the “Food & Bev Summit 2012” organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) that India’s growing food processing sector can act as a catalyst to drive the back-end growth in the subdued agriculture sector in the country. The food processing industry in the country has surpassed the rate of growth in the agriculture sector, which indicates “we are adding more value to agriculture.”  The 3-day’s CII Food & Bev International exhibition, which ended on Friday was position on technology and food under one roof. The exhibition was a platform to explore the ways of making India the food factory of the world.  The fourth exhibition on the subject organised every alternate year, was successful in garnering a large number of enquires which will culminate into actual deals going forward. The increase interest by the delegates continues to grow indicating the growth story ahead in this sunrise sector.

“The government’s major area of focus is skill development. Industry needs skilled manpower and we are dedicated to developing that for the food processing industry,” Kacker said. Moreover, India’s food processing sector could play a lead role in resolving the issue of food security within the country as also reducing it across the globe.

On its part, Ministry of Food Processing has drafted several schemes to promote the small and medium enterprises in this sector, with minimum capital requirement. As Piruz Khambatta, Chairman, Food & Bev 2012 and Chairman & Managing Director, Rasna aptly puts it, “Food processing can do to rural India what information technology has done to urban India – bring prosperity and growth.”

Processing could reduce the loss -- which is estimated at 1.3 billion tons of food or about one third of the global food production -- incurred in the food supply chain across the world. Such reduction in losses could bring down the cost of food and make it more affordable from the point of food security. Apart from participation by the four states including Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab and Gujarat, the exhibition also had a pavilion from Holland, which attracted attention of large number of delegate keen to upgrade their technology.(NSSNS)