14th session Food and Agri Week 2020
The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Food Processing Industries, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj virtually inaugurated the 14th session of the India – International Food & Agri Week 2020 on October 16, 2020. The Food and Agri week is being organised from October 16 to October 22, 2020.
Highlights
Indian food processing sector is 32% of India’s food market. So, the focus of this agro and food tech is to make use of technology in the field of food and agriculture sector. This would also help in increasing the income of farmers by 2022.
Potential of food and agriculture sector
India’s agriculture and rural economy is very robust. Proper marketing and latest technology can lead to greater development of the agriculture sector. GDP growth rate in Agriculture is 3.4%. The agriculture sector has also contributed to India’s economic growth even during Covid-19 times.
“Anna Devo Bhava” Campaign
This awareness campaign has been started by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) to mark the Food and Agri Week. Such campaign are required to raise the awareness about the value of food and to reduce food wastage.
Other Schemes by MoFPI
1. PM Formalisation of Micro food Enterprises(PMFME) scheme
This scheme has been launched under the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan by the MoFPI. It has an outlay of Rs 20,000 crores. The scheme will be supporting the 2 lakh micro food processing units with credit linked subsidy. It would also focus on supporting the Self Help Groups (SHGs), Food processing units (FPOs) and cottage industry.
2. PM Kisan Sampada Scheme
This scheme was also started by the MoFPI for providing the modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlets. Minor Forest Produce (MFP) scheme is an important element of PMKSY. The primary objective of the MFP is to link agricultural production to the market by bringing together the farmers, processors and retailers. 37 MFPs have been approved till now out of which 20 are operating.
3. Operation greens scheme
The scheme was also expanded by the Ministry from TOP to TOTAL. Ministry will be providing the 50% subsidy for transportation of eligible crops from surplus production cluster to consumption centre. The subsidy will be provided for six months.