‘Lack of facilities leads to loss in F&P sector’

Lack of adequate infrastructure in the food processing industry (FPI) results in nearly 18-20 per cent wastage of farm produce and annual losses upto thousands of crores.

At a summit on “Mega Food Parks: Investment Destination” organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), JP Meena, joint secretary, MoFPI said that focus on the sector would reduce wastage of produce.

Adding to this, Rakesh Kacker, secretary (MoFPI), said the FP sector had emerged as the fastest growing sub-sector of the manufacturing sector in the last financial year.

He said that the FP units being set up on Mega Food Parks would be provided with facilities like warehouses, storage facilities, testing labs, fruit ripening chambers etc which any unit may use. He said that seven such projects were underway in Punjab, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. “The Chittoor FP is nearing completion,” he said and added that even the Tumkur FP was underway.

The FPI has a total investment of over Rs 1,92,000 crore, officials said.

Kacker added that the Central government was keen to decentralise implementation of schemes for the food processing sector. “States will be free to tailor the schemes that fit them,” he said. To push the FPI further, the ministry has already finalised four schemes for technology upgradation, cold chains for non-horticultural crops, skill development & HRD and promotional activities, they said.