India's Food Processing Push: 75,000 New Ventures

In a significant push to strengthen India’s food processing sector, the government plans to establish 75,000 new food processing units across the country over the coming years.

The initiative aims to boost rural employment, reduce post-harvest losses, and expand markets for farmers’ produce by enhancing local processing capacity. These units, spanning micro to mid-sized enterprises, will be set up through a combination of Central schemes, state incentives, and private sector participation. The PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme will play a key role in modernising existing micro units and creating new processing clusters.

The focus will be on high-demand products such as ready-to-eat foods, dairy, spices, and millet-based items, with priority given to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, which have substantial agricultural output but limited processing infrastructure.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.