The processing food segment accounts for 29.4 billion, in a total estimated food market of about $91.7 billion. The food processing industry is one of the largest industries in India. It currently ranks fifth in terms of production, consumption, export and growth prospects.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has estimated that the food processing sector has the potential of attracting US$ 33 billion of investment in 10 years and generates employment of 9 million person-days. The Government has formulated and implemented several Plan Schemes to provide financial assistance for setting up and modernizing food processing units, creation of infrastructure, support for research and development and human resource development in addition to other promotional measures to encourage the growth of the processed food sector.

Though the industry is large in size, it is still at a nascent stage in terms of development. Of the country's total agriculture and food produce, only 2 per cent is processed. The highest share of processed food is in the dairy sector, where 37 per cent of the total produce is processed, of this only 15 per cent is processed by the organized sector.

Source: FreshPlaza