KOCHI:
Food processing sector is an important industry in India in terms of output and employment. India’s export of processed food was valued at 26,067.64 crores in 2015-16.
India is ranked 12th in the World in exports of food and food products in 2015. In India, the food sector has emerged as a high-growth and high-profit sector, said Navas Meeran, Chairman, Eastern Group announcing the CII Kerala Food Summit.
Kerala has always been a “leader state” in food processing and is the largest producer of rubber, pepper, coconut and coir. As per budget 2018-19, Government of Kerala proposed an outlay of US$ 1,131.75 million for the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Co-operation sector. As per budget 2018-19, the Government of Kerala proposed an outlay of US$ 92.68 million for fisheries sector. The state, with the aid of Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA), has played a pivotal role in boosting the food industry in the country for the past two decades, he said.
KINFRA has established five food parks with two in Malappuram district and others in Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta. The KINFRA Mega Food Park when complete will create employment for about 2000 persons inside the park and benefit about 50,000 fishermen directly and indirectly. CII with a long term vision in Food Processing has conducted several Workshops, Conferences and Trainings to help the existing industries to scale up.
CII along with the Government of Kerala and Spices Board has been working towards branding Kerala as a Safe Food Destination and making companies aware of the need to be GMP certified. CII with the support of its members in food processing industry will guide and handhold the smaller companies to follow the procedures.
This will play a major role in attracting Tourism to Kerala and also help in showcasing the culinary and authentic cuisine of Kerala. CII Kerala Food Summit will focus on the theme Made in Kerala, Going Global. The objective of the summit is to encourage and motivate food processing industries and food start-ups in India to work at competitive Global Standards, maintain food safety and quality.
Two thirds of Kerala’s export income comes from processed food. Kerala exported processed food products valued at $ 238.5 million in the 2014-15 financial year, which was around 12 per cent higher than the previous years’ $ 213 million, indicating a robust growth. The Summit will aim at doubling the exports in the food processing to 476 million by 2022.
Larger exports will also lead to greater employment opportunities in the Food processing sector. The Summit will also provide a platform for Startups in Food processing Industry to pitch their ideas to the leaders and venture Capitalists. The Summit will help and support young entrepreneurs especially women entrepreneurs from the bakery and catering Industry to scale up and identify the opportunities in the Food Industry. This will improve the competency and establish the connectivity with the service providers through exhibitors.
Delegations from Africa and Germany will be also joining for the Summit. The Food Summit will be Inaugurated by Adv V S Sunil Kumar, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Kerala.
The Summit will witness exclusive Interaction with Anupam Dutta, Former Managing Director, Kellogg South Africa and Southern Africa who will address on Brand Building and share his expertise on Turnaround of Big Brands. The Summit will have Sessions related to Developing Raw Material Sources in Kerala for Food Processing, Tapping Overseas Market: Country Specific Regulations & Entry Strategies, Emerging Food Business & Service Models, Innovations in Food Processing, Affordable Waste Management in Food Industries, Support Eco-system for Food Processing Industries in India: Policies, Schemes, Subsidies & Venture Capital, and Best Practices of Marketing & Distribution.
The Key speakers of the Summit are : Navas Meeran, Chairman, Eastern Group; Dr Chindi Vasudevappa, Vice Chancellor, NIFTEM; Kalyan Sivalenka, CFA, Founder & Managing Director, Springforth; Chuck Bird, Senior Director, Food Safety Product Management and Marketing, Neogen Corp; Dr R Ajayakumar Varma, Executive Director , Suchitwa Mission; Dr A S Bijulal, Managing Director, Meat Products of India Ltd (MPI); Sameer K Mohamed, Managing Director, Jaleel Holdings LLC ; Dr Manish Pande, Joint Director & Head, PAD Division, Quality Council of India; Faraz Javeed, Senior Director , Abad Fisheries (Wild Fish); Dr KSMS Raghavarao, Director, CSIR – CFTRI and many others.
