CM Chandrababu Naidu Urges Growth in Andhra Pradesh’s Food Processing Sector

Quick Summary

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu highlighted IndiaS rapid emergence as a global food processing hub during the India Food Manufacturing Summit in Visakhapatnam.
• Andhra Pradesh contributes 9% of India’s total food processing output, with the State’s sector valued at U.S. $50 billion.
• The State is ranked first in registered food processing industries,boasting 6,000 functional units and nine integrated food parks equipped with world-class facilities like cold storage and warehousing.
• Andhra Pradesh leads in fish, shrimp, and egg production (producing 17.85% of eggs), along with significant contributions to marine seafood exports (32%) and meat exports (10.41%).
• Climatic diversity and aquaculture/horticulture richness position it as a key region for prospective entrepreneurs; it produces 15.6% of India’s total fruits, earning it the title “Fruit capital of India.”
• The target is to attract ₹30,000 crore investments into the agro-food sector within five years while creating three lakh jobs under attractive incentives like power subsidies and single-window clearances via A.P.’s Food Processing Policy-4.0. Last year alone saw ₹9,000 crore investments in this domain from private entities.
• TPCI Southern Regional Office was announced for Amaravati by Trade Promotion Council Chairman Mohit Singla at the summit.
• Other speakers emphasized value addition to products and reducing food wastage as crucial steps for sustainable growth.

Indian Opinion Analysis
Andhra Pradesh’s proactive measures to leverage its natural resources underline its ambition to be a leader within India’s evolving agro-industrial landscape.With robust policies such as Food Processing Policy 4.0 offering enticing incentives alongside infrastructural readiness evident from its integrated food parks system and significant export figures across marine seafood and eggs/meat products-AP solidifies its agricultural strengths into economic opportunities.The broader impact can be twofold: firstly enabling job creation on a large scale which aligns well with national ambitions around employment generation; secondly contributing considerably to boosting India’s export portfolio globally amidst rising demand for processed foods fueled by shifting consumer preferences locally/internationally.

Opening TPCI’s Southern Regional Office signals further institutional support geared towards better coordination/stability in trade activities-key factors likely aiding faster realization targets set forth (₹30k crore). Though sustainable long-term growth demands focus reducing wastage/value improving optimizing high existing capacities while seamlessly aligning reforms next-gen quality control practicesas shared targets outlined CM stakeholders presence summit discussionshighlight possible help state leadership roleassert industry/hub nation vision future.Read more: https://www.thehindu.com