NATIONAL FOOD PROCESSING
POLICY ON ANVIL
INTERNATIONAL
EXPO ON DAIRY AND FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY INAUGURATED
Following the policy of librelisation,
6657 Industrial Entrepreneur Memoranda (IEM) for setting up of
Food Processing Industries have been filed during July, 1991 and
April, 2002 involving an investment of Rs. 53,869 crore. Out of
this, 712 IEMs have been filed indicating the implementation of
projects worth Rs.7612 crore and an employment of 92,000 persons
during the same period. Besides 729 approvals have been granted
by the Government for setting up of 100% Export Oriented Units.
This was stated by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
for Food Processing Industries, Shri N.T. Shanmugam while inaugurating
the 3rd International Dairy and Food Processing Technology
Exposition and Conference here today.
The Minister also revealed that
a draft National Food Processing Policy and Processed Food Development
Bill to create enabling environment for investment and growth
has been prepared by his Ministry. Shri Shanmugam said that growth
in the Food Processing sector will immensely benefit the economy
by raising agricultural yield, increasing productivity, reducing
wastage and creating employment, specially in the rural areas
and added that the industry is poised for a major thrust. The
Minister said that the important stimulant for processed food
has been the rapid economic growth in the country resulting in
increased disposable income of the people. Besides, Shri Shanmugam
said, an average Indian spends 52% of his income on food, which
is much higher than in developing countries.
Shri Shanmugam said that his Government
has taken a number of initiatives to promote the Food Processing
Industry including regulating and delicensing of the entire sector
except alcoholic beverages and items reserved for SSIs. He said
that automatic approval for foreign investment is permissible
in this sector up to 100% except in a few cases and 100% Export
Oriented Units are permitted to import raw material and capital
goods free of duty. The Minister said that the main thrust of
the Ministry during the 10th Plan would be on creation
of infrastructure facilities which will include facilities for
Food Processing and their synergy with creation of cold chain
from the production to the processing centers and ultimately to
the retail outlets. Shri Shanmugam said that during the 9th
Plan Rs.196 crore has been provided as assistance to several.
The Union Minister of State for
Agriculture, Shri Hukum Deo Narayan Yadav said that the Dairy
and Food Processing Technology should take care of the needs of
the rural people. He said the short-term and the long-term impact
of any technology should be considered besides its sustainability
before adopting the same. He said that Indian farmers have traditional
knowledge which should be combined into the modern technology
for better results.
The four-day International Expo
showcases dairy, food processing and packaging products, processing
equipments, separation technology, preservation machinery, health-care
equipment of animals, vaccination equipment, refrigeration milk
chilling plants and milk storage plants.
