“We need to concentrate on eliminating food wastage that is a major concern for farmers of the State, and it can be prevented by adopting technology,” emphasised Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. He was addressing a gathering during the inaugural session of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) 12th edition of ‘Foodpro 2017,’ an exhibition on food processing, packing and technology, at the Chennai Trade Centre in Nandambakkam, on Thursday.
“Tamil Nadu is a leader in many areas of agriculture and related works. For example, we are the largest poultry market in the country, contributing 17.7% of the country’s produce. This expo is the greatest opportunity for our farmers to get to know the latest technologies in food processing so that wastage can be prevented,” Mr. Panneerselvam said.
Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, said, “Though the State is in the forefront of food grain production, including maize, oil seeds, fruits, including banana, and tapioca, we need to do more work when it comes to food management.”
Grain wastage
“Over 10-15% of our grain produce gets wasted before reaching consumers. This number surges to 30-35% in the case of fruits and vegetables. This is primarily due to lack of proper storage and involvement of a lot of middlemen. But our department will invest ₹1,000 crore in the next one year to start cold storage facilities in Dharmapuri, Villupuram, Hosur and Theni,” he said.
Delivering the expo’s theme, Foodpro’s chairman C K Ranganathan said, “This year’s exhibition focusses on two themes, Coldstore and Tfood. While the former showcases cold storage and refrigerated transportation, the latter will highlight the traditional foods of the State.”
The inaugural event witnessed the participation of the Japan Consulate Consul General Seiji Baba, Thailand Ambassador Chutintorn Gongsakdi, and officials from CII. The event will conclude on Saturday.
