With the overwhelming successes of the Green and White Revolutions, India is now fervently poised for the Food Revolution that will ensure agricultural diversification and large investments in food processing. The entry of multinationals, aggressive rise of commodity branding and low cost of technology are changing the economics of the Indian food industry. The rise of aggressive regional players making forays into categories where entry barriers are low and a boom in Indian FMCG markets and the rising need for these products are the key reasons for this growth in food business.
Indian agriculture is in the throes of a paradigm shift, thanks to the structural changes in the Indian economy. With the country achieving self-sufficiency in grains production, emphasis has changed from subsistence farming to commercialization, opening up vast opportunities for value-addition, packaging and exports, with a strikingly high level of technological involvement.
The holistic concept of food security, however, has two dimensions – availability of food and access to food. While the former has been achieved, the same is not the case with the latter. Despite bumper crops, distribution of food grains continues to be faulty – almost 30% of the food produced in the country is wasted. In such a scenario, it is important for us to reorient our historical agricultural policy framework – from managing shortages to promoting efficiencies and value addition. Moreover, there is a need to increase the range of foods available to improve overall nutrition. The benefits in terms of health, vitality and productivity are obvious, and cannot be underestimated.
F&B News, India’s first newspaper in this sector, provides a comprehensive view of the food and beverage industry The Indian food ...