Keshav Sridhar
The Make in India initiative by the Government of India, driven under the able leadership of our beloved Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, has achieved some really remarkable milestones. As per the statistics published on the official website of Make in India, a staggering 112 Food Processing projects came into life in 2022 encompassing Mega Food Parks, Cold Chains, Agro Processing Clusters, Food Testing Laboratories, Backward and Forward Linkage projects; many of which have been fully operational, thereby contributing towards the strengthening of the Food Value Chain in India. The overall Foodgrain production in the country for 2022-23 has been at a record 3305 LMT which is higher by 149 LMT as compared to previous year and the total production of pulses for 2022-23 is estimated at 275 LMT which is higher by 2 LMT than previous year’s production.
The total production of Rice during 2022-23 has been at a phenomenal 1308 LMT which is higher by 14 LMT as compared to previous year and an interesting point to note here is that Non-Basmati Rice has emerged as India’s top export item among many agricultural and processed food products exported with the impetus of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). Rice is a staple food for more than half of the global population and it’s heartening to see that India has been a major contributor in feeding mankind worldwide as the largest exporter of rice for a long time now.
Thanks to a series of well crafted food security policies by able Statesmen since our independence and the grit for self-reliance in Rice production over the past few decades has created a naturally conducive eco-system for technology integration from farm to fork, thereby giving excellent results be it in cultivation, yield, harvesting, processing or distribution and selling.
The Indian Food Technologists have “Veini, vidi and vici” this fascinating and eventful journey of synergizing People and Process with innovative and affordable technology solutions in one of the fastest growing economies in the world that is India and hence, they are considered to be one of the best minds to cater to the Food Technology requirements worldwide. Today Indian Food Processing Technologists are the proud flag bearers of the ‘Made in India’ brand. The world appreciates and values the quality of technology that Indian companies offer, as it’s extremely critical that there’s no compromise whatsoever when it comes to quality of Machinery, Technology, Engineering and Scientific Expertise in the Food Processing industry. Indian companies like the APIT Group have emerged as the Global Pioneers in Food Processing Technology and have been successfully promoting the Indo-African Food Technology collaboration with a mission statement ‘Your Grain, Our Brain’.
In many of the African countries, Rice is their staple diet and due to political instability, lack of proper Governance and lower Human Development Index being some of the major challenges crippling most of the countries in the African continent, it becomes very critical for the Governments to come up with initiatives that ensures affordability of Rice to one and all; else it would worsen the situation in such countries with increase in cost of living and thereby worsening the inflation further. However, the answer to this problem is not providing prolonged subsidies from the Government, as it’s not a long term economic solution. As the saying goes “Teach a man to fish and you will be solving his problem of hunger forever”. Hence, the intent of such struggling countries should be to become self-reliant in Foodgrain production which eventually would solve most of their challenges. As we know, good food is nourishment not just for the body but for the intellect and soul and it is an extremely critical and basic requirement for nation building.
Nigeria is one such country which has been steadily progressing towards being self-reliant in Foodgrain production and Indian companies such as the APIT Group have been playing a commendable role in partnering with the local Business houses and providing the ‘Made in India’ Technology for Food Grain Processing. Be it in any field, today the world trusts an Indian brand for their excellent engineering, quality, durability, user friendliness, state-of-the-art technology, prompt technical support, reliable service and most importantly, for the personalized people connect.
The World Food Safety Day was recently observed on the 7th of June, marking the importance of following the global food safety standards. Sharing an interesting anecdote with a Nigerian businessman from the Food and Beverages industry who says : “The wonderful way in which you Indians have handled the entire COVID crisis for yourself, for a country which is the most populous in the world; I’m sure you people can handle any challenge”.
Trust always comes with great responsibility. And it’s extremely important for the Indian Food Technologists that we uphold this trust of the world in us by ensuring that the best practices are always followed in all our offerings worldwide.
Author Mr. Keshav Sridhar is a Mechanical Engineer, a Post Graduate in Business Management and a Certified Food Technologist with over 17+ years of experience in synergizing People, Processes and Technology.
