Narendra Singh Tomar addresses the summit on ‘Agriculture and Food Processing Opportunities in Madhya Pradesh’
Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries, Rural Development, and Panchayat Raj, recently addressed the summit on ‘Agriculture and Food Processing Opportunities in Madhya Pradesh’ organized by the Ministry of Food Processing, in partnership with ASSOCHAM and Invest India through video conference.
Addressing the summit, Union minister, Tomar encouraged entrepreneurs to set up food processing units in the country and assured them that the government will provide all possible help. The union minister also stressed on the need to bring private investment and the latest technology in the field of farming.
Talking about the opportunities in Madhya Pradesh, Tomar has said that there is immense potential in the field of food processing in the Gwalior-Chambal region and this could improve the economic condition of small farmers of the region.
He elaborated that the Gwalior-Chambal region is rich in cultural, archaeological heritage as well as commercial and agriculture importance. The region has good production of paddy and wheat, and there is great potential for the production and processing of pulses and oilseeds, especially mustard.
Tomar noted that Morena district is also a pioneer in terms of honey. NAFED has created a Farmer Producer Organization of honey, through which it will be able to increase the quality of production, packaging and marketing of the honey. This honey is sold in the country as well as globally.
Speaking at the event, Reema Prakash, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India has said that Madhya Pradesh is known as the Food Basket and is the leading state in the production of oilseeds, pulses and medicinal crops and spices. She noted that huge profits can be made by processing these crops.
The event saw participation from major Food Processing companies such as Dabur, Hyfun, Patanjali, UPL and supply chain companies such as Flipkart. The summit included Business to Government (B 2 G) and business to business (B 2B) meetings.