| National Committee on Plasticulture Applications in
Horticulture (NCPAH) under the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA)
showcased precision farming & plasticulture applications and
innovative packaging solutions to promote hi-tech horticulture
innovations at 6th 'INDIAMART' Food & Technology
Expo 2010 held between 6-7-8 August, 2010 at Expo
Centre, Noida, U.P. The event was inaugurated by the
Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing, Govt of India. |
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| NCPAH focused on financial assistance provided for various plasticulture applications under
the National Mission on Micro Irrigation (NMMI), National Horticulture Mission (NHM), and
Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNH) etc for giving a boost to
hi-tech horticulture & innovation thereby benefiting visitors at the stall. The 3days event
provided platform on the status of advancements in Horticulture and 'Agri-food Business' in
terms of technology, market knowledge and latest developments in the processing, milling
and packaging of foods. During the three days event more than 2500 visitors visited the
NCPAH stall & interacted to learn about precision farming method & use of various
plasticulture applications for which financial assistance available under the GoI schemes. |
| JS, NHM, MoA, GoI visited NCPAH stall and appreciated the efforts made for displaying
various Plasticulture applications, scheme related information, literatures on precision
farming & plasticulture from PFDCs etc for the benefit of different stake-holders and end
users. |
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| India's agriculture production base is strong but at the same time wastage of agricultural
produce is massive. Processing level is around 2.2% for fruits & vegetables compared to
countries like USA (65%), Philippines (78%) and China (28%), 26% for marine, 6% Poultry
etc in developed countries. |
| The exhibition focused: |
| Hi-tech agricultural & horticultural innovations
Sorting, Cleaning and Milling Machineries & Equipments for Agri-products (Rice,
Wheat, Pulses, Cereals, Spices etc.).
Food Processing and Packaging Machines & Technologies.
Processed Foods, Organic Foods, Healthy & Nutritious Foods, Beverages, Bakery
Products, Dairy Energy Conservation, Water Conservation and Pollution Control
solutions.
Storage, Handling & Transportation Systems.
Refrigeration Solutions. |
| NCPAH exhibited various plasticulture applications related to horticulture, water
management practices & innovative packaging, showed documentaries on Micro Irrigation
and use of Protected Cultivation, circulated literatures from Precision Farming Development
Centres (PFDCs), system manufacturers and suppliers directory, Package of Practices on
selected fruits and vegetable, subsidy pattern under GoI schemes on National Mission on
Micro Irrigation (NMMI), National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and Horticulture Mission for
North East and Himalayan States (HMNH) for bringing awareness for the adoption of such
applications by prospective end users. NCPAH stall awarded for its active participation as
the informative stall at FOOD & TECH EXPO 2010. |
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| Path Forward: |
| The urban population density is high and this demands a chain or a network of retail
outlets. Indian food retailing is poised for a quantum leap. Not only are newer names set to
dot the retail landscape but also such new formats, such as as hyper-and super-markets are
to emerge. The key drivers for increased demand in value-added processed food products
are growth in consumer class; |
| a) change in lifestyle characterized by expanding urban population, increased number
of nuclear and dual-income families;
b) change in attitudes and tastes with increasing modernization and to a lesser extent
westernization of tastes, particularly, of the youth;
c) low penetration rates; and
d) ability to offset seasonal supply-and-demand effects in fresh products. |
| India's Potential Untapped |
| India is the world's second largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of
being the biggest with the food and agricultural sector. The processing food segment
accounts for 29.4 billion, in a total estimated food market of about USD 91.7 billion. The
food processing industry is one of the largest industries in India. It currently ranks fifth in
terms of production, consumption, export and growth prospects. Of the country's total
agriculture and food produce, only 2 per cent is processed and nearly 15 per cent is only
processed by the organised sector. |
| India's food processing sector covers fruit and vegetables; meat and poultry; milk and milk
products, alcoholic beverages, fisheries, plantation, grain processing and other consumer
product groups like confectionery, chocolates and cocoa products, soya-based products,
mineral water, high protein foods etc. |
| The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has accorded high priority, with a number of fiscal relief
and incentives, to encourage commercialization and value addition to agricultural &
horticultural produce; for minimizing pre/post harvest wastage, generating employment
and export growth etc through GoI schemes such as NHM, HMNH, NMMI, NFSM etc for
providing required impetus for value processing of agricultural produces in the country. |
| NCPAH through its 22 Pecision Farming Development Centres have been working on state
focus crops on which conducts trials for making package of recommendations for farmers in
varied agro-climatic conditions. NCPAH with the help of PFDCs have been undertaking
transfer of technology at the farmers' level through awareness cum training programmes,
kisan gosthi etc. At the same time organizing seminars & workshops and participates in
print & satellite media programmes to popularise adoption of precision farming method
and various plasticulture applications for hi-tech commercial cultivation of agri/horti
produces. Use of plastics in different forms in agriculture have been gaining momentum
right from nursery to production and processing to retail for optimizing indirect inputs for
maximizing output with improved quality of various produces used in food sector. |
