Mysore labs to help spread food processing idea

Though food processing is an important step in value addition to the food chain, India is far behind the developed countries. Even compared to countries like Philippines and China, where value-addition is 45 per cent and 23 per cent respectively, India is far behind at a meagre 7 per cent in value-addition to food produce.

The country's food processing sector, though in a nascent stage, had a market size of Rs 4.6 lakh crore in 2003-04. It employs 1.3 crore people and two and a half times that number indirectly.

Realising the need to develop the food processing sector faster, the Union ministry of food processing industries has recently come out with a vision and policy documents aiming at doubling the market size of food processing industry to Rs 8.2 lakh crore by 2009-10 and trebling to Rs 13.50 lakh crore by 2014-15. The ministry sees the need for Rs 99,700 crore investment for building processing capacity, infrastructure and market development in the next ten years.

In this background, the Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) "� AFST (I) "� is organising a multi-event programme, "Foodplus 2005", with a major workshop series focused on "Value addition to foods" at various centres of the country during September-December.

The workshops, being organised in association with premier food research labs of the country, the CFTRI and DFRL of Mysore, will have its inaugural workshop covering "Frontier technologies of food packaging" in New Delhi on September 17.

The concluding workshop on "Processing engineering and product innovation" will be conducted at NIMHANS, Bangalore, during December 9-10.