Need food processing revolution: PM Modi

Says taking steps to integrate agri produce into global market

More options to farmers

We now have to give such options to farmers in which they are not limited to growing wheat and rice. We can try from organic food to salad-related vegetables, there are several crops.

Narendra Modi, PM

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today stressed diversification and expanding India’s agriculture sector into “a global market for processed food”.

Stressing the need for more contribution from the private sector towards R&D in the sector, the PM said India needed a food processing revolution and his government was initiating steps to integrate the country’s agricultural produce into a global market for processed foods.

“We now have to give such options to farmers in which they are not limited to growing wheat and rice. We can try from organic food to salad-related vegetables, there are several crops,” he said, addressing a webinar on effective implementation of Budgetary provisions regarding agriculture and farmers’ welfare.

Stating that empowerment of small farmers was central to his Government’s vision, the PM said: “We must increase the number of agro-industries clusters near the village so that people of the village can get employment related to farming in the village itself”.

Organic clusters and export clusters would play a major role in this, he said. “We have to move towards a scenario where agro-based products move from village to the cities and industrial products reach villages from cities,” he said, also emphasising the need to explore ways to leverage the ‘One District, One Product’ scheme to take Indian products to the global markets.

Empowerment of these small farmers will greatly help in ridding Indian agriculture from many problems, the PM said, highlighting Budgetary provisions for agriculture like increasing a credit target to Rs 16,50,000 crore with priority to animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries sector, increasing Rural Infrastructure Fund to Rs 40,000 crore, doubling the allocation for micro-irrigation, expanding the scope of Operation Green Scheme to 22 perishable products and linking 1,000 more mandis with e-NAM.

“India’s need for post-harvest revolution or Food Processing Revolution and Value Addition in the 21st century, amidst ever-increasing agricultural production, would have been very good for the country if this work would have been done two-three decades ago,” he also said.

The PM strongly emphasised on developing processing in every agriculture-related sector such as foodgrains, vegetables, fruits, fisheries etc., and stressed the need for expanding the options for the country’s farmers to sell their produce.

“The government has announced production-linked incentives worth about Rs 11,000 crore to encourage products such as ‘ready to eat’, ‘ready to cook’, processed fruits and vegetables, processed seafood and mozzarella cheese,” he said.

Speaking of Operation Greens, under which the 50 percent subsidy is being given for the transportation of all fruits and vegetables, he said in the past six months alone, about 350 Kisan Rails were operated and about 1,00,000 metric tonnes of fruits and vegetables had been transported through these trains.