Reduction of post-harvest food wastage critical, says Union Minister Chirag Paswan
Union Minister of Food Processing Chirag Paswan on Wednesday stressed on the need to develop a holistic supply chain to reduce post harvest agricultural wastage and prioritising increasing farmers’ incomes.
Addressing the curtain raiser event of the third edition of the World Food India scheduled in September, Paswan said: “India’s food processing sector has immense potential. Till date, we have not even tapped 10 per cent of the opportunities. Both Indian and international markets offer huge potential for this sector. ”He highlighted the vital role of the food processing sector in reducing agricultural wastage, promoting value addition, ensuring food security, and strengthening the supply chain from farm to fork. “The Government of India through its “whole-of-government approach” has placed a great emphasis on the holistic development of the value chain across the food and allied sectors and is working towards the goal of Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat,” he added.
100-day agenda
Responding to a query on the Ministry’s 100-day agenda, Paswan said, “I can only confirm the 100-day agenda after approval from the Cabinet. But our priority is to extend benefits to farmers, improve their lives and economic conditions. We want to reach every farmer in every village. We also want to promote reduction of food wastages in the supply chain,“ He pointed to measures such as setting up cold-chain storage facilities and processing units near farm gates to reduce post-harvest losses.
‘World Food India’
Paswan stated that the Ministry is organising the World Food India event to foster collaboration and partnerships among the global and Indian food sectors. The Ministry said special emphasis will be on fostering innovation and growing the start-up ecosystem in the food processing sector.
Talking about investment proposals at World Food India, Ministry officials said MoUs are signed by companies displaying their intentions for investments and that there is a gestation period before they are implemented.