Take part in Delhi mega food event in Sept: Bittu

Ludhiana, July 15

The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries would organise a mega food event in New Delhi in September, Minister of State (MoS) Ravneet Singh Bittu said in Ludhiana on Monday.

The Minister of State for Food Processing and Railways was here to inaugurate the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (PHDCCI) first regional food processing meet, bringing all major players under one roof.

Calling upon the people of the state and all invitees to come forward and participate in the World Food India-2024, which is a flagship event of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and being organised from September 19 to 22 in New Delhi, he highlighted how the third edition of World Food India will be one-of-a-kind gathering of manufacturers, producers, investors, policymakers and organisations from across the global food ecosystem.

Expressing satisfaction on large participation from the industry in the today’s regional meet, Bittu said their inputs would be shared with the relevant departments of the ministry.

He promised that his work would continue to push the agenda of development for Punjab. He pointed out that the food losses due to wastage from across the globe were huge and processing was the only way forward towards food security and prosperity. “The need is to take the food processing in every home of the state so that the people have more returns on their products and the shelve lives of the same is also increased,” the MoS stressed while directing officials from the department to take schemes of the Food Processing department to the grass-roots level so that they penetrate into every household.

The minister noted all feedback and assured that the industry would get all support from the ministry.

PHDCCI Punjab chapter chair RS Sachdeva appealed to the minister to look into the connectivity and cold storage problems in regions such as Malwa, Doaba and Majha.

Industry representative Upkar Singh Ahuja requested the chief guest to help connect micro scale industries for availing schemes of the Centre.

Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, Principal Secretary, Food Processing Industries, Punjab; Mili Dubey, Director, Food Processing Committee, PHDCCI; and Bharti Sood, PHDCCI, Regional Director, also spoke on the occasion.