Upto 50 pc food produced in India is wasted

Mumbai, Nov 9 (UNI) " Today almost 40 to 50 per cent of the food produced ends up being spoiled or wasted before it reaches the retailers and processors," Ministry of Food Processing Industries Secretary P I Suvrathan said at a seminar here today.

Stressing the need for a mechanism which will enable farmers, retailers and food processors to talk with each other, he said this will help understand each other's requirements. Farmers co-operatives can facilitate this interaction on a sustainable basis, he added.

He said only processing and retailing can drive growth in agriculture and , therefore, the Union government is mooting of an autonomous body - the Central Food Authority - to over oversee the process. The government, he said, is also looking into the setting up of a proper supply and cold chain.

Addressing the CII Food&Bev Summit on Emerging Opportunities&Challenges, Mr Suvrathan suggested that a cluster-based approach for food parks would cut down on the transportation time and help in reducing wastage. "If we bring the cold chain and supply chain closer to the farmer, it will mean more value addition, a better price for farmers and a lower price and better quality for consumers," he added.

He said the Ministry of Food Processing Industries plans to start off the process by jointly developing cold areas in certain cities with the Cable Corporation of India, Railways, Airports Authority of India and also encourage private participation.

He said there is also a proposal to monitor and regulate street food in association with NGOs. "If we can train people, ensure minimum standards, establish benchmarks and upgrade the quality, we can replicate the Bangkok model, where official 'food streets' are a major tourist attraction. The initiative substantially reduced contamination and the incomes of vendors in Bangkok's 'food streets' went up by 35 to 40 per cent," Mr Suvrathan pointed out.

He released the CII-KPMG Study on 'India Food&Bev Inc.

Emerging Opportunities&Challenges' on the occasion and inaugurated 'Food and Bevtech 2006,' the three-day exhibition on technology solutions for the F&B sector at MMRDA Grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex.

Over 150 exhibitors are showcasing technology innovations in sectors ranging from food&beverage, distillery&brewery, dairy, vegetable&fruit, meat&fish processing, bakery, sugar, edible oil processing and basic food.

Agro-processing equipment, packaging machineries and materials, containers, label, inkjet coding, printing, refrigeration&Cold room laboratory analysis and checking devices and hygiene technology are also on display till November 11.

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