To foster the growth of the food processing industry, the Tamil Nadu government has established a mega food park, along with seven agro-processing centres, said Apoorva, Principal Secretary and Agricultural Production Commissioner, Government of Tamil Nadu.
“In addition to these initiatives, more mega food projects are being developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Food Processing. State-of-the-art infrastructure has positioned Tamil Nadu as a leading hub for food processing in India. Furthermore, the government has introduced various incentives and subsidies to encourage investment in this sector,” she said, while delivering her special address at the 15th Edition of Foodpro 2024 that was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.
With the world’s population expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, the demand for food is anticipated to increase by about 50%, she highlighted and said: “This scenario presents both a challenge and an opportunity. On one hand, we face the crucial task of ensuring food security and nutritional adequacy for a growing global population. On the other hand, it provides us with a chance to innovate and redefine how we process, preserve, and distribute food.”
P. Ravichandran, chairman, CII National Committee on Cold Chain and President, Danfoss Industries Ltd said, “Potential opportunities exist in the agriculture and food processing sector in the southern region. The southern States have seen tremendous opportunities in emerging sectors, including millets, ready-to-eat foods, ready-to-cook foods, and plant-based dairy alternatives.”
Kerala’s Minister for Law, Industries and Coir, P. Rajeeve said that the State is focused on agriculture and the major GDP comes from this sector. “We have introduced a new industrial policy with focus areas of improvement. Our priority is the food industry and then the MSMEs. We are proud to say that we have established 2.75 lakh MSMEs in 2 years and 3 months and generated 5.7 lakh employment opportunities,” he added.
A report on Food Processing Sector in India: Potential for Southern States and the Foodpro Expo 2024 Show catalogue was released at the event. Sreedhar Cherukuri, Commissioner of Industries, Commerce and Export and Chief Executive Officer, AP Food Processing Society, Government of Andhra Pradesh said: “Andhra Pradesh produces the largest amount of shrimp and chillis in India. We export to various parts of the globe. We are also the largest producer of tobacco in the country.”
