Government prioritises skill development in food processing sector

Updated on: Wednesday, November 07, 2012

The government has made skill development in the food processing sector as one of its top priority, a top official of Food Processing Industry Ministry said.

"Skill development is an important issue and it is one of our top priorities," Food Processing Industry Ministry Secretary Rakesh Kacker said during his inaugural address at an international summit on food processing, agri-business and cold chain here.

The government has started the Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology at Thanjavur, which has already started functioning, he added.

That apart, the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management has been conferred deemed university status and will be inaugurated on Wednesday, Kacker said.

The Secretary emphasised that developing cold chains is crucial for long-term development of the food processing industries.

"The ministry is working closely with the Department of Agriculture on developing cold chains. Development of sub-zero cold chains will be monitored by the food processing ministry and those above-zero temperature will be looked after by Agriculture," he added.

Agriculture Ministry's Joint Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said that building cold chains and integrated supply chains will be very critical and it will be important to arrive at a consensus by taking opinions from all the stakeholders.

"Economic entrepreneurs will have to play an important role in the development of cold chains," he added.

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