In order to beef-up the India’s food processing value chain, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Cabinet Minister of food processing has insisted UK companies to participate in India’s processing value chain. The minister also stretched that if British companies enrolled in then they will be a part of a market which is worth US $600 billion.
Badal, while promoting her ministry’s first event ‘World Food India Summit’ revealed that Indian food market has a space to accommodate international players. She was attending a round table conference at Delhi.
“India has a US $600 billion retail sector, of which 70 per cent is just food retail. This is set to increase threefold in the next three years and in the next five years, Indians will be spending 50 per cent more on food. That is the kind of huge market we have. This market is waiting for you in India to participate in any part of the food processing value chain,” Badal was quoted by renowned news agency as saying at the Indian High Commission in London.
“India-UK share many warm bonds and I hope we can take our food diplomacy to the next level with world food India,” she added further.
Using Amazon’s commitment of a 500-million-dollar investment in the Indian food sector as an example of the growing foreign investor interest in the industry, the minister highlighted a range of incentives being offered by the Indian Government in the form of mega food parks and cold chain schemes.
“As we are creating the right infrastructure, we think the platform is now ready for World Food India, which is going to be a platform for people to meet and take partnerships to another level. Geographically, India is also very close to food importing countries, like UAE or Japan, and we have a highly skilled cheap labour force and one of the fastest growing economies in the world,” quoted Badal.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) supported summit to be held between November 3 and 5 in New Delhi is planned as a biennial conference to bring together various states of India to showcase business opportunities as well as their own unique cuisine as part of a “Food Street”, which is also likely to be replicated in the UK.
“The summit is designed to offer an unusual peek into India’s food and culture as well as opportunities to invest and prosper from one of the world’s largest consumer markets,” CII said in a statement.
Pic Credit- DNAIndia