It is an unfortunate scenario that food processing units in MP are witnessing sluggish growth, considering that the state saw surplus agriculture production in the recent past. Highlighting these issues to state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal, industry representatives said that the MP food processing sector failed to grow at par with other related industries like soyabean. This is leading to reduction in the number of food processing units in the state, which in turn is affecting the farmers as surplus farm yields lead to a crash in prices, making it tough for farmers to recover production cost.
According to Rajesh Agrawal, spokesman of Soyabean Processors Association of India, presently the total annual turnover of food processing sector in MP is about Rs 3000 crore, which is just half of the state’s capacity.
CM’s assurance
On a positive note, the interaction with the Madhya Pradesh CM appears to have struck the right chords for food processing sector representatives from the state. Mr Chouhan has promised that a citizen's charter would be prepared in the state soon, under which there will be a proper provision for issuance of licence to those keen to set up food processing units.
This move by the state government might see new food processing units coming up across MP. Sectoral players, professionals and farmers, in particular, would certainly hope for the same. This would also propel the growth of the sector on a national level.
Prasenjit Das |
