States should join efforts to promote food processing industry: Minister
The value of wastage had come down now by Rs 8,000 crore after the Food Processing Industries (FPI) achieved a 10% growth against 6% in 2004.
Voicing concern over huge post-harvest food wastage worth Rs 50,000 crore in the country, Union food processing industries minister Subodh Kant Sahay has suggested state governments should join hands with the Centre in its efforts for promoting the sector.The value of wastage had come down now by Rs 8,000 crore after the Food Processing Industries (FPI) achieved a 10% growth against 6% in 2004, but much more needed to be done in the sector to completely avoid wastage, he said at a function here last evening.Though India was the largest producer of milk and second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, a large quantity of the perishable commodities was wasted, (due to lack of cold storage facilities) he said.
FPI sector in the country maintained a "good" growth even during the recession as the government had given a lot of conessions to it in order to reduce the wastage, he said inaugurating a building of the Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT).He suggested that state governments also could join hands with the Centre by shaping separate FPI policy. He urged Tamil Nadu Government to exempt FPI from tax.
"I met the chief minister and have also made the same request,"Kant said.
He said the second green revolution would be possible only if the FPI also grew. There was good market for Indian idlis, dosa vada and entrepreneurs should see the potential and export them. Sahay said a mega food park would soon come up at Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu.On IICPT, he said it had grown as a world class institute and scientists and students from it were involved in food processing in north eastern states.He appreciated Union minister of state for finance SS Palanimanickam for taking steps to retain the insitute at Thanjavur when the Centre planned to shift it to Chennai.
He also launched the website of the institute and released a souvenir on the occasion.
Palanimanickam said based on his recommendation, theCentre had allocated Rs.200 crore for upgrading the Paddy Processing Research Centre in Thanjavur into an institute fordeveloping processing technology for all crops includingcereals and pulses.A sum of Rs 50 crore had already been released, he added.