Food Processing: CEO of NITI Aayog said – Food processing is important for the economy and employment

NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Parameswaran Iyer on Friday said the food processing sector is important for the Indian economy as well as for job creation. That's why we should also emphasize increasing the production and export of processed products.

Speaking at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event, he said that there is a need to encourage MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) to enter the food processing sector as it provides the maximum number of jobs. Iyer said, food processing is not only an important sector for the health of the economy and people, but it can prove to help increase the income of farmers. Along with this, nutrition can also play an important role in achieving goals.

PLI scheme will encourage investment

Iyer said, there is a need to increase primary processing in the agriculture sector. The Government has taken several initiatives in this regard including the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. This important program will encourage investment. He said, there has been a lot of change in the methods of food production. There is a need to increase the already existing exports of processed food items from India.

Food waste has to be stopped

Iyer said food comes from all over the world through very long and complex supply chains. It covers all. Be it animal husbandry or agriculture, fisheries, storage, retail transportation, or even distribution. So we need to stop food wastage through processing. This will save billions every year. Also, millions of people around the world will be helped to get out of malnutrition.

some serious challenges

“Nutrition is critical from a health perspective, especially for children below five years of age. Despite the improvements, we have a long way to go in this direction. Also, farmers have to be led toward better cropping practices.

India is not as advanced as other countries in the field of food security. There is a need to increase the use of digital technology.

Food processing companies should also be suggested to move fast in this direction.

Need to boost R&D: VK Saraswat

NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat said in the CII program, at this time there is a need to promote research and development (R&D) activities. The time is ripe for the indigenous development of advanced materials for India. In this way, dependence on imports can also be reduced. Advanced materials serve to enable technology. Machine learning and new technology will have a big role to play in revolutionizing this field.

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