South Asia can generate millions of jobs through agriculture sector: World Bank Group
New Delhi, June 10
With agriculture sector employing around 43 per cent of the South Asian workforce, the region has strong potential to emerge as a global leader in food systems, said World Bank Group, as per a statement by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India, partnering with the World Bank Group-led SAPLING initiative, inaugurated the Regional High-Level Policy Dialogue titled "Unlocking Value: Advancing Food Processing for Employment Generation and Sustainable Growth in South Asia" in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Wednesday.
Noting that the region stands at a "critical" point in its development journey with millions of young people entering the workforce every year, "creating sustainable jobs has become one of the region's most pressing priorities," the release added.
Furthermore, the World Bank Group highlighted South Asia's agriculture sector contributes just around "16 percent of the region's GDP" despite being valued at over "USD 700 billion." Additionally, "more than 30 per cent of food produced in South Asia is lost or wasted every year -- enough to feed nearly 300 million people."
"The World Bank Group highlighted that transforming food systems beyond the farm can unlock significant opportunities for employment, investment, economic growth, and poverty reduction," the release said.
According to the release, the next phase of agricultural transformation lies on expanding food processing, storage, logistics, marketing, and value addition that can create millions of productive jobs while reducing food losses and increasing farmers' incomes.
India's food grain production has increased from 51 million tonnes in 1950-51 to over 330 million tonnes. It further noted India's processed food exports have more than doubled over the past decade, surging from approximately USD 4.9 billion to over USD 10 billion. "The food processing sector currently contributes around 9 percent of manufacturing value added and nearly 13 percent of India's exports," it said.
Despite this progress, the country's food processing currently accounts for "only a small share of total employment and a large proportion of agricultural produce still remains unprocessed."
Strengthening cold chains, storage facilities, logistics networks, and market linkages can substantially increase value creation across the sector.
South Asia can emerge as a global leader in food systems. "Rapid urbanization, a growing middle class, rich agro-biodiversity, and rising demand for safe and high-quality processed food are creating new opportunities for investment and innovation," the release said.
World Bank Group is advancing a combined approach through AgriConnect and SAPLING.
AgriConnect is a global platform aiming to connect 300 million farmers to markets by 2030 through investments in infrastructure, policy reforms, and private capital mobilization. "The initiative is already supporting projects and reforms across countries including India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka," as per the release.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great to see this focus on food processing. My brother runs a small pickle business in Punjab and he says the main headache is storage and transportation. If World Bank can help with those cold chains, it'll be a game-changer for small farmers like us. 30% food waste is criminal when people go hungry.
The numbers are impressive — processed food exports doubled to $10 billion! But I wish they'd talk more about how this benefits women farmers. In my village in Andhra, women do most of the post-harvest work but get little credit. This could be a huge opportunity for women-led enterprises if policies are inclusive.
Impressive growth from 51 million tonnes in 1950 to 330 million tonnes now! The potential for value addition is enormous. But I've worked with agri-business in India and the supply chain fragmentation is a real obstacle. World Bank's AgriConnect targeting 300 million farmers seems ambitious — hope they deliver on the ground.
Good initiative but I'm a bit skeptical. We've heard so many grand plans for agriculture — from MSP reforms to farm laws. The proof will be in implementation. Also, why is this dialogue in Ahmedabad? Should have been in a state like Bihar or UP where farmers really need this support. End of the day, talk is cheap, action matters.
As someone from a farming family, I can tell you the biggest issue is not just infrastructure — it's the middlemen! If food processing creates direct farm-to-factory links, that would be revolutionary. Also, we need to preserve our traditional food varieties while modernizing. Our mangoes and spices
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