‘Global & domestic firms to invest Rs 1.02L cr in food processing sector’

New Delhi: The government has signed agreements with 26 overseas and domestic firms during the ‘World Food India’ summit for investments worth Rs 1.02 lakh crore in India’s food processing sector.

The summit, organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, was held at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital from September 25 to 28.

In an official statement on Sunday, the ministry said the World Food India 2025 concluded on a historic note with investment commitments of unprecedented scale. “Over the course of the four-day event, 26 leading domestic and global companies signed MoUs worth a total of Rs 1,02,046.89 crore, marking one of the largest investment announcements in India’s food processing sector,” the ministry added.

On the first day of the summit, inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan had asserted that MoUs worth over Rs 1 lakh crore would be signed during the four-day event.

“These MoUs are projected to generate direct employment for over 64,000 people and create indirect opportunities for more than 10 lakh individuals,” the statement said.

The companies that signed MoUs include Reliance Consumer Products, The Coca-Cola System in India, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul), Fair Exports (India) Pvt Ltd (Lulu Group), Nestle India, Tata Consumer Products Ltd and Carlsberg India Pvt Ltd.

BL Agro Industries, ABIS Foods & Proteins, ACE International, Patanjali Foods, Godrej Agrovet, Agristo Masa, Tiwana Nutrition Global, Haldiram Snacks Food, Indian Poultry Alliance, Mrs Bectors Food Specialities Ltd, Dabur India Ltd, Allana Consumer Products, Olam Food Ingredients, AB InBev, Cremica Food Park, Dairy Craft, Sundex Biotech, Naso Industries, and Bluepine Foods are the other companies which have signed MoUs.

The commitments span across diverse segments, such as dairy, meat and poultry, packaged foods, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, spices and condiments, confectionery, edible oils, fruits and vegetables, and ready-to-eat products.

The proposed investments would be spread across multiple states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and the north-eastern region.

Reliance Consumer Products Ltd has signed a Rs 40,000-crore agreement with the Food Processing Industries Ministry to establish integrated food manufacturing facilities across the country.

Three Coca-Cola bottlers in India will jointly invest Rs 25,760 crore ($2.96 billion) to expand the country’s food processing infrastructure and have signed memoranda of understanding with the ministry for greenfield and brownfield projects.

Invest India, the national investment promotion and facilitation partner, assisted the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in signing these MoUs, the statement noted.

Besides attracting huge investments, the World Food India 2025 summit reaffirmed India’s position as a trusted global destination for food processing, the government said.

The ministry, in partnership with Invest India, will continue to work closely with industry stakeholders to facilitate these investments and ensure their effective implementation,

it noted.