The Food Processing Industry in India: Investment Prospects

India is the second largest food producer in the world after China. According to government estimates for the fiscal year 2019-20, the country’s total food market valued at US$39.71 billion and is projected to double in the next 10 years. Having successfully attained self-sufficiency in food, India benefits from marginal surplus in production, and is among the leading global producers of fruits and vegetables, milk, cereals, and wheat. Investment prospects for food processing in India Despite its strong agricultural production base, a significant amount of food produce gets wasted in India due to inadequate infrastructure such as packaging facilities, storage, transportation, cold chain, and low levels of processing. According to the Ministry of Food Processing Industry (MoFPI), post-harvest losses account for US$1.5 billion (Rs 92,000 crores) annually.