According to Patnaik, the food processing sector has enormous potential for reducing post-harvest crop loss, adding value, and increasing farmers’ income.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Thursday that the food processing sector is one of the most important sectors in the state’s growth story.
Patnaik made the remarks after launching the Odisha FoodPro 2022, a one-of-a-kind meeting place for investors, manufacturers, producers, food processors, startups, policymakers, and organisations from across the Indian food ecosystem.
He stated that the food processing sector has tremendous potential for reducing post-harvest crop loss, adding value, and increasing farmers’ income, and that Odisha is naturally blessed with a vast geographic, climatic, and crop diversity, and that it presents a unique opportunity for exploring its potential for inclusive and exemplary economic growth.
Patnaik, who joined the programme virtually, urged everyone to work together to make Odisha a preferred destination for investment in the food processing sector.
According to the Chief Minister, the event was designed not only to help investors understand the investment environment in the state’s food processing sector, but also to expose micro and small food processing entrepreneurs to financing and newer skills and technologies.
He announced that Odisha Food-Pro will become an annual event, with the MSME department organising it each year in order to put Odisha on the food processing map of India and the world.
The CM emphasised the contribution of SHGs to the transformation of Odisha’s socioeconomic canvas, stating that it will see further escalation by making them partners in a modern supply chain.
He expressed his delight at the Women SHGs’ participation in this event and hoped that they would become more involved in food processing activities and prosper further.
Through the Industrial Policy Resolution 2015, the MSME Policy 2016, and the Odisha Food Processing Policy 2016, the state government is implementing a favourable policy framework.
Odisha is also one of the states that has taken the lead in implementing the Prime Minister’s formalisation of micro food processing enterprises scheme, he added.
According to state MSME minister Pratap Dev, it is the first of its kind in Odisha. He described his department’s efforts and the opportunities for growth in this sector, particularly for small investors and entrepreneurs.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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