Better food safety can make India world's bread basket

Even as India is a major food producer, it's productivity is low. Prabodh Halde, vice president-AFST & head regulatory

Increased consumer awareness, globalisation, FDI in retail policy, health concerns of people are some of the key drivers for focussing more on food safety in India in the recent times. Bharat Lal Meena, Principal Secretary, Agriculture Department, Government of Karnataka, said, “Food safety is more relevant now than at any other point of time as the government of India allowed FDI in retail. Educated farmers are using integrated farming of many crops in a small area and getting increased yields." He also lamented: "Wastage in agroproducts is over 70 per cent in India and this is a national waste."

The event, organised by the CII titled 'Enhancing Food Safety in Food Retail Chains' mulled over various aspects of improving safety standards in the entire value chain of food processing. Speakers opined that it is very important to follow the best food safety norms to sustain the feeding needs of Indian masses and to stave off several epidemics like diarrohoea.

With sourcing now being globalised, countries like India can become the bread basked of the world if we pay more attention to standards. G Srinivasan, Deputy Director, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), said, “Globalisation of food trade necessitated transitional standards."

Even as India is a major food producer, it's productivity is low. Prabodh Halde, vice president-AFST & head regulatory, Marico Industries Ltd, said, “As India has the second largest arable land and has diverse agro-climatic zones that can grow a variety of crops, many global players are coming to India. But, India's share in global food processing is just 2.3 per cent and lags far behind even Pakistan and Bangladesh."

Despite some challenges, food processing industry and food retail chain business in India have been growing and there is a huge investment opportunity in this segment, according to experts, the growth of food retail chains in India as well as anticipated foray of global retail giants into India will require further huge sourcing of food products and this will give a thrust to the food processing industry.

Sunil Awari, General Manager, Namdhari Seeds, said, “Investment opportunities in food processing business are huge and if proper measures are in place, regarding quality assurance, India can cater to many global retail chains."

As of now, India wastes lot of agro produce. The growth of middle class market, low cost of production; change in consumption patterns; encouragement from government agencies like NHB, APEDA, and MPEDA; and FDI policy and food parks are top five factors that are attracting investment opportunities in food processing, he added.