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Cos should obtain ground water body’s NOC to set up units, says Tejani
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Saturday, 11 November, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Anurag More, Mumbai
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There is a new rule that companies should obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Central Ground Water Authority to set up their businesses. Steps should be taken to simplify the norms by the government.
This was stated by M A Tejani, managing director, Gits Food Products Pvt Ltd, and former president, All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA), during his presentation on reduction of transactional cost on the second day of Food Ingredients (Fi) India and Health Ingredients (Hi) 2017, which took place at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.
“It should be seen to it that the food industry in India grows in the domestic market as well in the international market. The industry is also facing a host of challenges,” he added.
AIFPA also organised a national workshop, whose theme was opportunities and regulatory challenges in the export or import of food ingredients. The welcome address was delivered by Mahesh Parikh, director, Prova Flavours (India) Pvt Ltd.
Prabodh Halde, head, technical regulatory affairs, Marico Ltd, spoke on the theme of the workshop.
He said, “In the last three years, the government of India has done a lot for the food industry, and a lot needs to be done. The demand for processed foods in India is increasing day by day because of various reasons.”
“India exports more processed food than it imports. It is estimated that the food processing industry is worth Rs 6 lakh crore, and both imports and exports play important roles in the industry,” Halde added.
P S Pruthi, retired chief commissioner, Indian Customs and Central Excise, said, “The focus of the government is to reduce food losses. India is the largest producer of food products, and a lot of it is wasted during the various stages.”
“There are many rules and regulations which are simplified and a lot has to be done, which will be done soon. It will surely benefit the industry to grow. A green channel for food products should be allowed in India,” he added.
Pruthi also mentioned that food testing by labs in some parts of India was very costly. “A large number of taxes have been subsumed in Goods and Services Tax (GST). GST has removed various taxes, such as value-added tax (VAT), Octroi, etc.,” he added.
There was a presentation titled A wholesome experience snacking in India by Neha Nayak, associate consultant, Mintel.
She said, “Wholesome snacking in India is poised to grow by 20 per cent in next the 4-5 years.”
“Between 2013 and 2017, 44 per cent of snacks were launched in India in categories such as nuts, fruit snacks and snack mixes. Trends in wholesome snacking include mood to order, the real thing and help me help myself,” Nayak added.
She said, “The reason for snacking is Indian consumers confirm emotional satisfaction, and there is a growing demand for authentic real ingredients.”
The technical session at the event was chaired by Tejani and Parikh. Aditya Save, co-founder, Agilio, made a presentation titled Marketing opportunities in import and export of processed foods and ingredients.
He said, “Money is the metric of any business,” and spoke about the things that hampered disruptive growth. He added that companies should ask themselves what is their target audience and what they really want.
M M Chitale, director, FBO Consulting and Technical Services, discussed the various food regulations for the import and export of food ingredients.
Subhaprada Nishtala, director, Food Adroit, and honorary secretary, Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India), Mumbai [AFST(I)], spoke about the food safety challenges for exports and imports of food ingredients. She said collaborative growth was the key for the sector.
Shatadru Sengupta, senior director legal, Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, made a presentation on regulatory challenges in the import of food ingredients.
“The shelf life of the food products is not mentioned in the law. There are specific laws affecting food import,” he stated.
“Permit conditions are not specified in the regulation and no timeline has been set out in the regulations for issue of the permit. Moreover, there is no transparency,” Sengupta said.
He suggested that a thorough review of the laws and regulations governing food import, and industry views, should be taken while drafting the rules.
Rahul Gupta, vice-president, sales and marketing, AAK Kamani, said, “There have been good footfalls at our stall so far, and we expect many more. We have been participating in this event for the last two years.”
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