Union minister for food processing industries, Chirag Paswan, said India’s food processing sector offers immense opportunities and has the potential to play a major role in generating employment, promoting entrepreneurship, strengthening farmers’ incomes and enhancing India’s global presence.
Addressing the 7th Convocation of the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K), Paswan urged graduating students not to restrict themselves to becoming job seekers, but to emerge as job creators, innovators and solution providers. NIFTEM-K’s official portal also identifies the 2026 event as its 7th Convocation.
He said despite the progress made in recent years, the food processing sector continues to offer enormous untapped potential. The sector can contribute simultaneously to better food quality, value addition, stronger economic opportunities for farmers, employment generation and reduction of food wastage.
Paswan said India’s vast agricultural base, diversity of produce and large consumer market give the country the strength to emerge as a “Global Food Basket”. He underlined the need to take food value chains, processing facilities and technology closer to farms and rural areas so that the benefits of food processing reach producers at the grassroots.
Calling upon students to think beyond conventional pathways, he urged them to use technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to find solutions to emerging challenges. He assured young innovators that the Government would support new ideas and initiatives aimed at strengthening the sector.
The mMinister also made a strong appeal for maintaining quality, stressing that there should be no compromise on quality in the food sector. He said that the quality of an Indian product affects not merely the reputation of an individual company, but also the standing of “Brand India” in global markets.
Secretary, ministry of food processing industries, Avinash Joshi, highlighted the wider role of food processing in reducing food wastage, enhancing nutrition and value addition, creating livelihood opportunities and encouraging entrepreneurship. He emphasized the importance of developing skilled human resources and encouraging students and researchers to pursue ideas and innovations that can create value on a larger scale.
Trilochan Mohapatra, chairman, board of governors, NIFTEM-K, emphasized that the knowledge and skills acquired by students should contribute not only to their individual careers but also to the progress of the country and society.
He stressed the need to strengthen NIFTEM-K’s research, skilled human resource and innovation ecosystem, and called for disruptive innovations that could help India achieve global leadership in food technology, safe and nutritious food, sustainable processing and value addition. Joshi Sir Sec
NIFTEM-K director Harinder Singh Oberoi said the Institute has made significant progress in academics, research, infrastructure and industry partnerships.
A total of 260 students received degrees at the Convocation, comprising 140 B.Tech, 78 M.Tech, 18 MBA and 24 Ph.D. students. Eight meritorious students were awarded Gold Medals in recognition of their academic excellence and dedication.
Oberoi said that NIFTEM-K’s endeavor is to equip students not only with academic qualifications but also with capabilities in research, innovation, entrepreneurship and industry-oriented learning, enabling them to respond effectively to the evolving needs of the food sector.
RS Sodhi, president (Food and Agriculture), Reliance Retailsaid that this was one of the most opportune times for professionals to enter India’s food sector.
Sodhi described food as a relatively recession-resilient sector, noting that while consumers may postpone several discretionary purchases, food remains an essential everyday requirement. He said that with a population of more than 1.4 billion and changing consumption patterns, India offers substantial opportunities across the food value-addition ecosystem.
Deepak Agarwal, chairman and managing director, Bikaji Foods International, encouraged graduating students to make full use of emerging opportunities in the food industry and described them as the future of the sector.
The speakers collectively underlined that NIFTEM-K’s role extends beyond academic education. As an institution connecting research, industry, entrepreneurship and Government, it has the potential to play an increasingly important role in strengthening India’s food processing ecosystem and nurturing the next generation of innovators, professionals and entrepreneurs.
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An English-language food and beverage processing and packaging industry B2B platform in print and web, IndiFoodBev is in its third year of publication. It is said that the Indian food and beverage industries represent approximately US$ 900 billion in revenues which implies more than 20% of the country’s GDP. Eliminating the wastage on the farmside can help to deliver more protein to a higher number of the population apart from generating sizable exports. The savings in soil, seeds, water, fertilizer, energy and ultimately food and nutrition could be the most immense contribution that country is poised to make to the moderation of climate change.
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Naresh Khanna – 10 February 2025
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