India's ministry of food processing announces plans to develop food map to help identify food clusters across country

Nevin Barich

MUMBAI, India , June 16, 2014 (Times of India) – The ministry of food processing is planning to develop a food map to help identify food clusters across the country.

At a CII meet, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, minister for food processing industries said the food map will not only help identify strengths in terms of crop strength, production, processing, but also help the ministry to ensure the desired interventions to expand the Indian food export market and develop brand India.

She said the food processing ministry is working to devise new schemes to provide last mile delivery to farmers, which include 'farm to shelf' schemes like setting up mobile processing vans which could reach out to farmers, and setting up small food processing units providing business incubation, training and a processing centre at village level so that farmers' produce is processed and reach markets.

Outlining the priorities for the food processing ministry, the minister said curbing food inflation by boosting food processing was top of the agenda, followed by mitigating post harvest fruit and vegetable losses and driving and accelerating food processing industries growth and to de-regulate and simplify governmental systems, processes and clearances that delay food processing projects, causing huge losses to the companies putting up projects.

Members of the industry suggested the uniform implementation of the APMC Act across states, immediate delisting of perishables from the APMC list and giving farmers the freedom to sell fresh, perishable produce directly to food processing companies, aggregators and retailers.

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