India's Food Processing Machinery: A Path to Reduced Import Dependency

India is striving to build its domestic capabilities in food processing machinery to reduce heavy import dependencies. A senior government official emphasized the importance of leveraging the nation's agricultural strength at the National Conference on Food Tech, organized by ASSOCHAM.

Devesh Deval, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, highlighted the need for industry and government collaboration to enhance quality and scale of production. A newly launched national stakeholder consultation portal by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) aims to gather inclusive and actionable inputs.

Stakeholders like Alka Rao from FSSAI and Sudhanshu from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) stressed collaborative regulation evolution and the potential of next-gen technologies, respectively. Addressing critical challenges like pesticide residue and perishability, they advocate for tech-driven innovation to advance food safety and sustainability.

(With inputs from agencies.)