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India's Food Processing 'Chintan Shivir' Aims to Boost Farmers, Jobs & Global Hub Status

A two-day National Chintan Shivir organized by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries began in Udaipur with a focus on strengthening the sector's ecosystem. Union Minister Chirag Paswan emphasized the government's objective to develop a modern, competitive, and inclusive food processing sector to drive economic growth. The event featured discussions on increasing farmers' income, reducing post-harvest losses, promoting value addition, and creating employment opportunities. Stakeholders, including industry representatives and startups, shared experiences and suggestions on policy reforms and investment opportunities.

Key Points: Chintan Shivir on Food Processing Aims for Modern, Inclusive Sector

  • Boost farmers' income & reduce losses
  • Attract investment & promote startups
  • Strengthen farm-to-market links
  • Build global food processing hub
3 min read

Govt's 2-day 'Chintin Shivir' begins, aims to build modern, competitive & inclusive food processing sector

Union Minister Chirag Paswan inaugurates 2-day national brainstorming camp in Udaipur to strengthen India's food processing ecosystem and farmer income.

"This camp is not just a review program. This is such an opportunity. - Chirag Paswan"

Udaipur, Jan 19

The two-day National Chintan Shivir organised by the Union Ministry of Food Processing and Industries at a hotel in Udaipur began on Monday with extensive deliberations on strengthening India's food processing ecosystem.

The brainstorming focused on increasing farmers' income, reducing post-harvest losses, promoting value addition, and creating new employment opportunities for youth and women.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister for Food Processing and Industries Chirag Paswan said the Central government's objective is to develop a modern, competitive, and inclusive food processing sector that plays a pivotal role in India's economic growth.

He added that the food processing industry serves as a strong link between farmers and markets, ensuring better prices for agricultural produce while strengthening the rural economy.

Chirag Paswan said the Central government is continuously working to attract investment in the food processing sector and promote innovation-driven entrepreneurship.

He expressed confidence that such Chintan Shivir initiatives would provide a strong foundation for policymaking and help position India as a global hub for food processing.

The event was attended by Ministry Secretary Abhinav Joshi, Special Secretary Nandita Gopal, and Joint Secretary Devesh Dewal.

On the occasion, special publications highlighting technological advancements in the food processing sector and success stories of winners of the Startup Grant Challenge were released, marking an important step towards encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship.

During the sessions, stakeholders discussed practical strategies to enhance processing capacity, facilitate trade, strengthen infrastructure, and promote entrepreneurship.

Industry representatives, startups, and other stakeholders shared experiences and offered valuable suggestions related to policy reforms and investment opportunities.

In a post on X, Chirag Paswan said: "Today, the inauguration of MoFPI's 'Chintan Shivir' was done in Udaipur. I shared with the officials who came from the Centre and the states and the representatives of the industry world that this camp is not just a review program. This is such an opportunity."

Earlier in another X post, Union Minister Paswan said: "During the 'Chintan Shivir' in Udaipur, Rajasthan, the Union government will seriously understand ground-level experiences, feedback, and challenges, and through discussions on key issues related to the food processing sector, transform ideas into clear, result-oriented decisions, so that the future direction, priorities, and action plan for the sector can be determined."

Earlier on Monday, Union Minister Paswan in a post on X said: "Today, I will inaugurate the 'Chintan Shivir' in Udaipur, Rajasthan. This camp is focused on increasing investment in India's food processing sector, strengthening global competitiveness, and fortifying farmer-centric value chains."

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Aman W
Good to see focus on food processing. But hope this 'Chintan Shivir' leads to actual ground-level implementation. We have many policies, but execution is often slow. Let's see if this translates to better cold chain facilities and easier loans for small entrepreneurs.
R
Rohit P
Promoting value addition is the key! Instead of just exporting raw mangoes, we should be the world's supplier of mango pulp, juices, and dried snacks. This creates more jobs here in India. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
S
Sarah B
The emphasis on women's employment is very positive. In many rural areas, women are already involved in small-scale food processing at home. Formalizing and scaling this with proper training and market access could be transformative for gender equality and the economy.
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Vikram M
Hope they also discuss food safety and quality standards. To be a global hub, our processed foods need to meet international benchmarks. This will build trust in 'Made in India' brands abroad.
K
Karthik V
Attracting investment is good, but must ensure it benefits local MSMEs and startups, not just large corporations. The success stories from the Startup Grant Challenge are encouraging. More power to our young innovators!

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