“This is my first time in Davos, first time as a minister also. I think this comes with a huge responsibility when you represent your country, especially a country like India, which is led by a Prime Minister with such a clear vision about Viksit Bharat. And when we talk about Viksit Bharat, I think in few years we will realise that food processing industries will play a major role in that,” Paswan stated.
He noted the government’s strides in building infrastructure and ecosystems to bolster the food processing sector, with initiatives like 41 food parks, nearly 400 cold chain ecosystems, and numerous agro-processing clusters already underway.
“We are not only focusing on tier-I and tier-II cities but ensuring the benefits reach rural areas as well,” Paswan stated, underscoring the sector’s significance in supporting farmers and minimising post-harvest losses. With a clear roadmap and targeted initiatives, he envisions the food processing industry as a cornerstone of India’s journey toward becoming a developed nation.
Excerpt:
Q: It’s your first Davos, and it’s your first day here in Davos. Take me through what the meetings have been like.
Paswan: This is my first time in Davos, first time as a minister also. I think this comes with a huge responsibility when you represent your country and that to a country like India which is led by a Prime Minister who has got such a clear vision about Viksit Bharat. Internationally, when I travel now, I can understand that there’s so much of scope through this ministry. When we talk about Viksit Bharat, I think in few years we will realise that food processing industries will play a major role in that.
Q: This has been a focus area of the government. In fact, the announcement of setting up large parks, etc., has also been part of the government’s agenda and plan. As you take stock of what has already been done but what more needs to be delivered, what would you prioritise?
Paswan: I’m happy that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, we are building that infrastructure and the whole ecosystem required for the food processing industry. India, as we all know, is an agro-based country. The majority of the population is associated with farming, and I think food processing plays a very, very important role in terms of not only improving and increasing the longevity of the products and minimising the wastage of the products that our farmers produce. So, it plays a very, very important role. As you mentioned, we are trying to build a complete ecosystem around it, with almost 41 food parks. And in terms of cold chain, I think we are one of the leading countries with almost 398 cold chain ecosystems.
We are coming up with a lot of agro-processing clusters. These are the different things besides the schemes that the government has taken as initiatives to promote this industry. So, when you are an agro-pro state, you need to concentrate on not only the tier-I, tier-II cities — it seeps down to the rural sector of our country.
Watch the accompanying video for the entire conversation.