Chennai, 9th August 2024: “With the world’s population expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, the demand for food is anticipated to increase by about 50%. This scenario presents both a challenge and an opportunity. On one hand, we face the crucial task of ensuring food security and nutritional adequacy for a growing global population. On the other hand, it provides us with a chance to innovate and redefine how we process, preserve, and distribute food,” said Ms Apoorva, IAS, Principal Secretary & Agricultural Production Commissioner, Government of Tamil Nadu in her special address at the Confederation of Indian Industry organized Foodpro 2024.

“To foster the growth of the food processing industry, the Tamil Nadu government has established a mega food park, along with seven agro-processing centers. In addition to these initiatives, more mega food projects are being developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Food Processing. State-of-the-art infrastructure has positioned Tamil Nadu as a leading hub for food processing in India. Furthermore, the government has introduced various incentives and subsidies to encourage investment in this sector,” she highlighted.

“Kerala is focused on agriculture and the major GDP comes from this sector. Kerala occupies 1.2% of land with 2.8% population with 4% GDP contribution. We have introduced a new industrial policy with focus areas of improvement. Our priority is the food industry and then the MSMEs. We are proud to say that we have established 2.75 lakh MSMEs in 2 years and 3 months and generated 5.7 lakh employment,” said Mr P Rajeeve, Hon’ble Minister for Law, Industries and Coir, Government of Kerala.

“Kerala’s industrial policy is centered on a balanced approach that integrates nature, people, and industry. The state has identified 22 priority sectors, including food processing, to drive industrial growth. In the past two years, Kerala is on a mission to enhance the turnover of existing MSMEs to ₹100 crores,” the Minister added.

“Additionally, the plantation sector has been officially declared as an industry, which marks a significant shift in policy and support for this sector. The state has also streamlined the licensing process to make it more accessible for industries, and a centralized inspection system has been implemented to ensure transparency and reduce bureaucratic hurdles,” he pointed out.

A Report on Food Processing Sector in India: Potential for Southern States and the Foodpro Expo 2024 Show catalogue was released by the Dignitaries on the dais.

Dr Sreedhar Cherukuri, IAS, Commissioner of Industries, Commerce and Export and Chief Executive Officer, AP Food Processing Society, Government of Andhra Pradesh “Andhra Pradesh produces the largest amount of shrimp and chillies in India. We export to various parts of the globe. We are also the largest producer of tobacco in India. All this is a testament to the fact that AP has a strong food processing sector, accounting for 10% of the GSDP,”.

Mr APM Mohammed Hanish, IAS, Principal Secretary (Industries & Commerce), Government of Kerala said, “For progress and growth of the food processing sector, we need investment in 3 key areas, which are R&D, value addition based on R&D and branding across the world. Innovation is the need of the hour for food safety and security. 264,000 MSME Units have come up across Kerala since April 1, 2022. Of these, 45% are from the Food Processing Sector.

Mr B Thiagarajan, Chairman – CII Foodpro Expo 2024 & Managing Director, Blue Star Limited, said “In our pursuit, of inclusive growth the food & agricultural sector is important. Foodpro 2024 is more than just an exhibition. It is the largest event in this sector cutting across the value chain,”.

Mr P Ravichandran, Chairman, CII National Committee on Cold Chain & President, Danfoss Industries P ltd said, “Potential opportunities exist in the agriculture and food processing sector in the Southern Region. The Southern states have seen tremendous opportunities in emerging sectors, including millets, ready-to-eat foods, ready-to-cook foods, and plant-based dairy alternatives,”.

Welcoming the states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana & Australia as partner country, during her welcome speech at the CII Food Pro 2024 inaugural in Chennai today, Dr R Nandini, Chairperson, CII Southern Region & MD, Chandra Textiles said, “This partnership highlights the global significance of our event and opens new avenues for international cooperation in the food processing sector. This partnership highlights the global significance of our event and opens new avenues for international cooperation in the food processing sector”.

Mr Srivats Ram, Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu & Managing Director, Wheels India Ltd, in his concluding remarks said, “There are a total 37000 food processing units and 1/3 comes from southern states. The per capita income is higher among the southern states leading to different food requirements and needs. The other factor is technology is evolving we have and a lot of opportunities to add and increase value.

Foodpro 2024 also saw nearly 9 technical sessions on the aspects of food safety and regulations such as Catalysing an Enabling Framework for Food Safety & Regulatory Ecosystem, Strategizing Interventions towards Staple Food Fortification, Global Food Regulatory Framework on Exports (Focus on Spices and Marine products) and Building Robustness in Infrastructure & Capacity of Food Testing Laboratories to name a few.