Food Sector a Sunrise' Industry: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India’s “sunrise” food processing sector has attracted Rs 50,000 crore of FDI in the last nine years, as he stressed on minimising post-harvest losses and food wastage.

Addressing the second edition of World Food India at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital, the Prime Minister said that in the last nine years, the share of processed foods in India’s agricultural exports has grown from 13 per cent to 23 per cent, leading to 150 per cent growth in exports of processed food.

Modi said that due to the government’s pro-industry and pro-farmer policies during the last nine years, India’s food processing sector is being recognised as the sunrise sector. “Today, India stands at the seventh position with an overall export value of more than $50,000 million in agricultural produce,” he said.

Talking about the PLI scheme in the food processing sector, the Prime Minister said that it is providing huge assistance to the new players in the industry.

Modi said that work is underway on thousands of projects under the Agri-Infra Fund for post-harvest infrastructure with an approximate investment of more than '50,000 crore, while processing infrastructure in the fisheries and animal husbandry sectors is also being encouraged with an investment of thousands of crores.

Underscoring that there is no sector in the food processing industry where India has not shown unprecedented growth, he said that it is a golden opportunity for every company and start-up associated with the food processing industry.

The Prime Minister credited the consistent and dedicated efforts by the government behind the speedy and rapid growth in India’s food processing industry. He mentioned the creation of an agri-export policy for the first time in India, the development of nationwide logistics and infrastructure, the creation of more than 100 district-level hubs connecting the district to global markets, an increase in the number of mega food parks from two to more than 20 and India’s food processing capacity increasing from 12- lakh metric tonnes to more than 200-lakh metric tonnes, which is a 15-time increase in the last nine years.

Modi gave examples of agricultural produce that are being exported from India for the first time and mentioned black garlic from Himachal Pradesh, dragon fruit from Jammu and Kashmir, soy milk powder from Madhya Pradesh, Karkitchoo apples from Ladakh, Cavendish bananas from Punjab, gucchi mushrooms from Jammu and raw honey from Karnataka.

The Prime Minister credited small farmers, small industries and women for India’s growth story in the food processing sector. He called them the “three main pillars” supporting the growth.

Highlighting the effective usage of farmer produce organisations as a platform to increase the participation and profits of small farmers, Modi said, “We are making 10,000 new FPOs in India, out of which 7,000 have already been made.”

Mentioning women-led development in the country, the Prime Minister highlighted the increasing contributions of women to the economy and the food processing industry.

Modi further informed the audience that more than 9-crore women in India are associated with self-help groups today. Highlighting that women have taken the lead in food science in India for thousands of years, the Prime Minister said that the food variety and food diversity in India are a result of the skills and knowledge of Indian women.