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Paswan stresses on value addition in food processing
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Saturday, 25 July, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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Indian food processing sector has built a strong momentum over the past decade but still had considerable ground to cover on value addition., said Chirag Paswan, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries.
He was delivering the keynote address at the second edition of Krishi Vikram, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on the theme "Viksit Krishi for Viksit Bharat 2047.
Krishi Vikram, the national platform of, ICC held on July 23 brought together policymakers, industry leaders, farmer producer organisations, financial institutions and farmers to chart the next phase of India's agriculture and food processing sector.
The event was addressed by Chirag Paswan, as Chief Guest, along with Ashok Kumar Lahiri, Vice Chairperson, NITI Aayog, and Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, as Guests of Honour, along with other industry stakeholders and dignitaries.
"For decades, we as a nation focused on production and volume in agriculture, and rightly so, because there was a time when India was food deficit. Today we not only meet our own needs but feed several other countries. What we missed, and what my Prime Minister has now made a priority, is value. Farmers throw potatoes and tomatoes on the roads not because there is no demand, but because they lack the holding capacity that only processing can give them. Through PMFME, we set out to create two lakh entrepreneurs and we have already met that target”, he said
“Our task now is to combine quality with scale so that Made in India becomes a mark of trust on every dining table in the world," Paswan added.
Ashok Kumar Lahiri in his address, pointed to India's expanding footprint in global agri-trade while flagging the scale of post-harvest losses that continue to hold the sector back.
"India's agriculture story has moved a long way from the famine years and the anxious decades of food shortage that followed independence. In 2025-26, foodgrain production touched an all-time high and our agri-exports crossed US $51 billion, making India the world's leading exporter of rice and a top supplier of wheat, millets and pulses to over 120 countries. But production alone will not take us to Viksit Bharat 2047. We lose close to US $18.5 billion every year to agricultural wastage, and post-harvest losses in fruits and vegetables run as high as fifteen to eighteen percent before produce even reaches the market. The transformation we need is a move from raw produce to value-added products, from fragmented farming to strong producer institutions, and from input-intensive agriculture to climate-smart and sustainable practices. We also need our finest produce, our mangoes among them, to find a genuine presence in the top markets of the world, not a token one. Platforms like Krishi Vikram have a vital role in turning this policy conversation into action on the ground," Lahiri said.
Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, in his address, called for a decisive shift from a production-led approach to an income-centric one for India's farmers.
"India's agriculture has grown at close to four and a half percent a year over the last decade, among the highest we have recorded for any large economy. But growth alone is not the goal. The government's focus has now shifted from a pure production approach to an income-centric approach for farmers. This means diversification into high-value crops, livestock and fisheries, stronger post-harvest and marketing systems, and a much greater push on food and agro-processing, which is central to both incomes and employment. With 86 per cent of our farmers being small and marginal, institutions like FPOs and cooperatives are not optional, they are essential to help them access better prices and markets. Agro-processing offers a genuine pathway to rural industrialisation, linking agriculture with manufacturing and creating employment beyond the farm. I see two clear export strategies ahead, smaller artisanal clusters building on geographical indication and traditional craftsmanship, and larger, more efficient clusters competing on volume. Both need consistent quality standards and stronger coordination between the Centre and the states," Dev said.
Dr. Rajeev Singh, Director General, Indian Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the dignitaries and delegates and underlined the role of trade and technology in reshaping the sector. "Two thirds of our population still depends on agriculture, and the gaps we speak of most often are at the farm level and in the movement of produce from farm to market. What is transforming this space today is technology and access to information. With nine free trade agreements now in place with more than 32 countries, India's agri-exports are set for a real shift, and that will benefit growers and the wider economy. We also need to make agriculture attractive to Gen Z, because the government today subsidises nearly half the cost of many agriculture projects, and young Indians need to see the opportunity that exists on the ground. Food is one sector where demand will never disappear, and as global supply chains realign, more countries are looking to India to both import from and diversify with. Krishi Vikram brings together policymakers, industry, financial institutions and farmers on one platform, and that convergence is exactly what this moment in Indian agriculture needs," Singh said.
Shrikant Goenka, Chairman, ICC Agri Business and Food Processing Committee, and Managing Director, Premier Irrigation Technologies Pvt Ltd, said the discussions at Krishi Vikram 2026 reflected a broader national imperative.
"Viksit Krishi for Viksit Bharat is a national imperative. If India is to achieve its full growth potential by 2047, agriculture must evolve to become more productive, climate resilient, technologically enabled and market linked. The future will not belong to systems that merely produce more, it will belong to systems that produce better, with greater efficiency, sustainability and value for farmers. We must think beyond conventional agriculture toward precision farming, efficient irrigation, protected cultivation, post-harvest management, value addition, market integration and digital decision making. Farmers need access to the right knowledge, the right technology and the right institutional support at the right time. The Prime Minister has given us clear direction in stating that India's agriculture must become a pillar of a developed India, and that statement reminds us that transformation on the ground will depend on awareness, adoption and action at the field level. At a time when India is being asked to deliver higher productivity, stronger resilience and greater farmer prosperity, platforms like Krishi Vikram must keep that conversation moving forward," Goenka said.
The event also saw participation from farmer producer organisations, agri-startups, financial institutions and delegates from across India, including farmer representatives who travelled from the Northeast and southern states.
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