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Agro and Food 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 total
food production in India is likely to double in the next ten years. Fruits
& Vegetables, Fisheries, Milk & Milk Products, Meat & Poultry,
Packaged/Convenience Foods, Alcoholic Beverages & Soft Drinks and Grains
are important sub-sectors of the food processing industry. Health food and
health food supplements are another rapidly rising segment of this industry
which is gaining vast popularity amongst the health conscious. India
is one of the world’s major food producers but accounts for less than 1.5 per
cent of international food trade. This indicates vast scope for both
investors and exporters. Food exports in 1998 stood at US $5.8 billion
whereas the world total was US $438 billion. The Indian food industries sales
turnover is Rs 140,000 crore annually as at the start of year 2000. The
industry has the highest number of plants approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) outside the USA. It is
estimated that there are an estimated 40,000 units in the food-processing
sector in India. 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. It covers an exhaustive database of an array
of suppliers, manufacturers, exporters and importers widely dealing in
sectors like the -Food Industry, Dairy processing, Indian beverage industry
etc. We also cover sectors like dairy plants, canning, bottling plants,
packaging industries, process machinery etc. Kerala contributes nearly half of India's
marine fish landing of 2,50,000 tons sardines, shrimps, lobster, cuttlefish,
squid, tuna and so on, which have very high demand in the overseas markets
are available in abundance. Ongoing technology upgradation in the
export-oriented marine product sector points to greater growth in the
immediate future. Kerala
is a land of spices considering the large variety of spices grown in the
state. Today there are as many as 26 Indian spices that are greatly in demand
in different countries. Apart from flavoring food and beverages, they are
increasingly used in the manufacture of spice mixtures, oils, oleoresins,
pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and aromatics. The most popular among the spices
are pepper, cardamom, turmeric, chillies and ginger. Pepper, known as the
'King of Spices' is perhaps the world's oldest known spice and is cultivated
in over 158,000 hectares in Kerala, which accounts for 96 % of the total
production in the country. Tamil
Nadu has a vibrant
Agro-based food industry because of the ideal climatic conditions for the
growth of fruits and vegetables. The Madurai-Dingidul belt in Tamil Nadu is
endowed with favourable climatic conditions ideal for the cultivation of a
variety of fruits and vegetables. SIPCOT has promoted an Agro park at
Nilakottai, Dindugul. The floriculture industry is also poised for a quantum
leap in the next few years with the area around Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, and
the Nilgiris being earmarked as places ideally suited for the cultivation of
flowers like Rose and Chrysanthemum - of these Coimbatore has been identified
as an intensive floriculture zone. Realising the tremendous potential in the
state, a number of joint ventures involving Dutch companies are, being set up
in the area - some involving major corporates. Govt. of Tamil Nadu has
introduced innovative policies like Contract farming policy and
Bio-technology policy. TIDCO is developing a floriculture park: TANFLORA at
Hosur and 6 BIO-valleys including a Genomics centre and a Bio-incubator park
in collaboration with Cornell University,USA. |
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State |
Units Surveyed by Questionnaire |
Units Visited |
Units Profiled |
Unit Profiled |
Technology/Project Title |
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TamilNadu |
17 |
3 |
1 |
Sugar Production |
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Kerala |
36 |
8 |
4 |
Herbal & Spice Extract |
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Grounded Spices |
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Spice Powder(Masala) &
Ayurvedic Diabetic Food Supplements |
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Ready to Eat Frozen Foods |