Oil & Food Journal January 2015

Vol 10 Issue 3 Jan 2015 Rs. 100/-

10th Volume

The use of genetically modified crops in developing countries Maharashtra Ice Cream Industry is expanding steadily due to high demands

Out of Hours: Nuts and Nibbles

BITZER: Reliable, Effecient & Sustainable

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

53 53

Food processing technology training application invited

54

The ive per cent increase in import duty on vegetable oil has less eect

Technology integration imperative in agri, food business

56

Indian edible oil sector should be take in the “Make in India' initiative

54

CONTENTS

Kellogg's closes Bisco Misr acquisition

14 9

Analysis of trials and tribulation of the Indian sugar industry

Out of Hours: Nuts and Nibbles

56

Monsanto eyes speedy plant breeding, research in works

57

56

Climate change: A silent agriculture killer?

Agri Minister goes all for reducing gap between farmer-krishi kendra

20

22

57

Acceleration of Agri GDP growth in 11th plan

37 The top three functional additives in the plastic packaging market

26

Advances in Packaging Methods, Processes and

BITZER: Reliable,

48

Skill gap and development in Food Processing Industry- 11

The use of genetically modified crops in developing countries- a guide to the Discussion Paper

Maharashtra Ice Cream Industry is expanding steadily due to high demands

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

Effecient & Sustainable 33

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EDITORIAL

reeting dear readers! Republic day is one thing I ought and need to mention before I go into my usual food processing chit chat. By the time this issue comes out the republic day will be over and out. I think that the Indian republic day on the 26th January will be the largest event of the year with President Barack Obama as the chief guest of the event. Delhi is all geared up to heartily welcome the American President amid all the securities and protection.

I am sure Indo-American ties will further strengthen after the Republic day and will augment the “Make in India” operation thus benefitting the Indian food processing industry amongst other industries. The food processing industry needs to catch up with this opportunity and internationally create an alcove for itself.

Okay now coming back to the food industry matter, I will start with the news that concerns United States itself, well a satirical start indeed! India is set to make the norms for imports of American chicken legs stringent by proposing to keep out frozen chicken older than six months and those that have consumed hormones or genetically modified feed as the country prepares to contest a WTO order to lift a ban on purchases of US poultry.

The new standards, which may kick in within six months, could offer some protection to the growing domestic poultry industry from competitively priced American chicken legs.

While the Indian industry will also have to meet these food safety norms, being brought in as part of the government's quality initiative; it has an advantage since it largely consists of fresh poultry and does not rely on GM feed.

The new import norms are being prepared by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India in consultation with the department of commerce and the department of animal husbandry, dairying & fisheries.

FSSAI has put out a draft order for meat and poultry products, inviting public comments.

It has proposed that poultry birds should not be given feed containing meat, bone and blood. Besides, the use of antibiotics in feed and growth hormones will not be allowed.

More than 20 countries, including members of the EU, South Korea and South Africa, have imposed curbs on poultry from certain US states or the entire country. China halted imports of US poultry and eggs after an avian flu strain was detected in the Pacific Northwest. The EU banned US chicken on account of chlorine treatment.

Talking of food safety, the Union Health Ministry along with the Food Safety and Standard Authority is working to streamline the process for time-bound approval of food products. This step will not only clear the approval of several pending proposals for food products but will also give the much needed push to the domestic food processing industry.

Food manufacturing process adheres to standards and procedures under the mandate of the Food Safety and Standard Authority (FSSA) Act 2006 to ensure that the food that is consumed is safe, healthy and wholesome and there is urgent need to have safe and wholesome food, and local manufacturing of food products under the 'Make in India' campaign of Indian government.

Apart from USA, India also needs to explore export potential of food products like dairy products, marines, fresh and processed items to China with a view to bridge the widening trade gap, industry.

In fact India has expressed concerns over widening trade deficit with China and limited market access to its products due to a host of issues related to tariff barriers, regulatory and other complexities. The trade deficit was $36.21 billion in the last fiscal.

India is quite keen to engage with the neighboring country on wide range of areas including tourism and food sector. China is a potential food processing market for India, if right policies and correct measures are taken both countries can create a vital trade market.

Many other pertaining issues has been solved this month like, India’s Alphonso mangoes will return to European market after the European Commission has lift a ban imposed on imports last year. The ban on imports of four vegetables - bitter gourd, brinjal, snake gourd and taro - from India is also on the path of resolution.

Lifting of the ban will cheer mango exporters who had to look at Gulf countries and the domestic market to sell their produce last year at lower prices. For local consumers, the price of the premium variety of mangoes may go up as exports will reduce the availability in the Indian market.

Lots of issues are still there to be discussed but unfortunately my editorial space is a short one and I need to quantify and write only those things that created some good waves.

Next time I promise to be more apt and more vigilant than this time, till then au revoir!!!

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

SUGAR

Introduction

s

ugar is a sector of significant importance to the national economy. While consumption has been growing historically, the production has been cyclical. At present, the sugar industry is regulated across the value chain. Investments in by-products are at a nascent stage, and the sector has struggled to generate a return on invested capital in excess of its cost of capital in most years, primarily due to a high mandated fixed cane price and a volatile sugar price.

year. In addition to farmers, an estimated 0.5 million workers are directly employed as agricultural labour involved in cultivation and harvesting. The sugar industry also supports diversified ancillary activities and skills that support the local economy. The dependent population creates substantial demand for local goods and services.

The sugar industry caters to an estimated 12 percent of rural population in these nine states through direct and indirect employment.

In addition to the sugar industry's contribution to the rural economy, it has significant social and economic impact for the nation as well. The sugar industry is a green industry and is largely self sufficient in energy needs through utilization of bagasse for generating electricity and steam. In fact, the sugar industry generates surplus exportable energy through cogeneration and contributes in reducing the energy deficit that India is currently facing. The sugar industry is also the primary source of raw material for the alcohol industry in India.

The annual economic contribution of the sugar industry to the exchequer through principal indirect taxes amounts to more than INR 2800 crores.

Effectively, each farmer contributes to the production of 2.9 MT of sugar every

The problems faced by Indian sugar industry

Sugarcane is primarily grown in nine states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat,Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. More than50 million farmers and their families are dependent on sugarcane for their livelihood.

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Analysis of trials and tribulation

of the Indian sugar industry

SUGAR In the past, the Indian sugar industry has commendably kept pace with the growing domestic sugar demand. As a result, the Indian domestic market became the largest in volume; the sector became the second largest sugar producing geography. Thus having established itself as a key sugar producing geography, it now aspires for greater frontiers. The sugar industry aspires to continue to service the domestic demand, while it also aims to enhance the value addition from sugarcane by focusing on emerging byproducts through integrated sugar complexes.

However, the entire value chain of the sector farm side, mill side and market side is confronted by significant. Since 2014 this industry is downsizing and facing many trials and tribulation. Competition faced with brazil in the international market or due to strike in sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh, hike in cane prices or need of export subsidy and many more, and these challenges not only impact the sugar business but also impair the high potential by-products' businesses.

We decided to analyze the complications that have plagued the Sugar industry in India and calls for immediate attention and rational solutions. Some of the burning problems are briefly described as under The Problems of high price of sugar: The efficiency and uneconomic nature of production in sugar mills low yield and

short crushing season the high price of sugar cane the heavy excise duties, leaved, by the government these are responsible for the high cost of production of sugar in India. The price of Indian sugar in considerably higher than the world price of sugar. A part from the manipulations of stocks by sugar factories, hoarding, Speculation. And black marketing of sugar by wholesale dealers are rampant in India.

Gur Price: The output of sugar is also greatly influenced by the relationship between cane prices and Gur price. From the production side sugarcane can be used for the price manufacturing of sugar or Gur from the consumption side the substitutions of sugar in place of Gur arises with the price of sugar full in relation to Gur Price.

Shift in locational Pattern: The sugar industry was initially located in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar which together accounted for about 60 Percent of sugar production in 1960. Analytical studies about production cost revealed the irrational nature of the regional pattern of production. Since the sucrose content of sugar cane begins to deteriorate soon after the stalks have been cut it is essential that mills must be located in close proximity to the sources of raw material.

Consequently attempts were made to locate to new unit in the can producing states. As a result of these the share of U.P. and Bihar declined from 60% in 1960 – 61 to 28% in 1980-81 while that of

Maharashtra, Andhra-Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu rose from 31% to about 60% in that year, if this is counted; there may be a further shift in the locational pattern. The decline in the importance of UP and Bihar is mainly due to server competition faced from other state.

Role of Co-Operative sector: In recent year's Co-Operative sectors has been increasing in importance in sugar industry. There are known 211 CoOperative Sugar Factories producing over 60% of the total output of sugar. CoOperative Sugar mills have to positive advantages in their favour. First they get the maximum supply of sugar cane as almost all the sugar cane farmers are members of the Co-Operative Sugar mills and secondly the profits of the cooperative unit are distributed among member – farmers, instead of going into the hands of a few “Sugar Barons”.

Problems of Production of Sugar: The Low yield of sugarcane, short crushing season, unsatisfactory location of industry in U.P and Bihar and inadequate supply of cane, create problems of production of sugar. Factories have low milling efficiency and recovery of sugar from sugarcane is very low. One reason for that is the uneconomic character of many of the sugar mills. Further Indian sugar mills do not have sugar plantations of their own (as in the case of west) and hence do not have control over the quantity and quality of sugarcane. Sugar is supplied by the innumerable cane growers.

The problems of by products: An important problem of sugar industry is the fuller utilization of byproducts specially bagasse and molasses. At one time, bagasse was used as fuel. While sugar factories did not know what to do with the accumulating molasses. At present small paper plants are coming up to make paper and paper board, packing paper etc. by using bagasse and molasses is now being used for the manufacture of power alcohol fertilizers cattle feed etc.

A number of sugar mills located in close proximity to each other are joining together to utilize by products fully and effectively in this they help to bring down the cost of production of sugar.

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SUGAR Problem's of faulty Government policy: The sugar economy is highly controlled and sugar factories were under compulsory licensing till recent years.

There is a statutory minimum price (SMP) for sugarcane fixed by the central government and state advised prices (SMP) fixed by each state over and above the SMP. There is a levy- normally 40% of the output on the sugar mills, which have to supply the levy quota at prices, fixed much lower than the market prices.

The levy sugar is allotted to the state / UT Government for distribution through the public distribution system (PDS). Prices of levy sugar are fixed zone wise on the basic of SMP of sugar cane plus conversion costs as recommended by the bureau of industrial cost and prices.

There is no price control on the sale of free sugar however the market suppliers of free sale sugar are regulated by government by fixing monthly release quota so as to maintain price stability.

There are price and distribution controls on molasses the major by – product of sugar factories. The government fixed export quotas and sugar exports have to be handled by designated export agency.

This whole scheme of sugar controls is not in the interest of the industry or the e c o n o m y. T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s announced its intention to review this policy regime with the objective of making sugar industry globally competitive and generating export surplus while insuring adequate supplies for domestic consumption as a part of restricting sugar industry beginning was made when price and distribution controls on molasses were abolished in June 1993 the government has also announced number of incentives to encourage sugar mills to maximize sugar production.

Old Machinery: Like jute and cotton textiles some sugar factory also requires replacement of old machinery and modernization of production technique.

The need is particularly great for the sugar factories located in U.P and Bihar.

Competition From cheaper Imports: Stiff competition from cheap imports is causing problem for the sugar industry.

Sugar import in recent years has been due to ample global availability and heavy export subsidies in several countries including Pakistan, Brazil, and the European union. The international sugar prices tumbled down so imported sugar is cheaper than domestic sugar.

Low sugar Recovery: The Sugar recovery from the canes as also the yield of cane crop has been stagnant for a long.

The average recovery (Extraction rate for the Indian sugar mills is just 9.5 to 10 percent against 13 to 14 percent in some other producing countries).

Cane Price: A High level Committee need to be appointed by the Government for determining cane price which should be linked to sugar price through some transparent formula based methodology.

The price so decided should also take into consideration inter-crop parity to avoid cyclicality in sugarcane production.

Release Mechanism: Sugar is sold by sugar factories on the basis of release orders issued monthly by the Sugar Directorate, Government of India.

Release mechanism should be discontinued in order to have better cash management and timely payment to the farmers. Price discovery should be done through a transparent Forwards and Futures market.

Levy Sugar Obligation: The

The Questions of minimum economic size: The minimum economics size as it exists in India is 2500 tons of came crushed per day (tpcd) this is much less than the minimum economic size in other countries, for instance in Thailand the average plant size is of 10000 tpcd against the average of 1400 tpcd. In these country according to some experts the sheer size makes us loss out in the economics of scale also the small MES makes efficient use of byproducts impossible.

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Government declares a certain proportion of sugar production as Levy sugar (at present 10% of total production) to be sold under Public Distribution System at pre-determined prices (which is way below the cost of production of the mills). This causes a huge financial burden on the mills. Levy sugar obligation should be totally abolished and if the Central Government wants to provide any sugar under the Public Distribution System it should buy such sugar from the open market and subsidies it from its own resources.

Import/Export Policy: The Government should have a Pro-active Import/Export Policy in order to ensure reasonable sugar prices so that sustainable cane prices can be paid to the farmers.

De-reservation of Cane Area: Reservation of cane area should be removed. This will help in efficient use of resources, better farmer-miller relationship and will provide a level playing field. Farmers will also have the option of supplying their cane to which ever miller he wants Priority Sector: Sugar industry has been cash striven for decades. Finance is not easily available from institutions to new sugar factories and to existing factories for expansion as well as for working capital requirements. Sugar sector being a very important sector in agronomy space should be classified as a Priority Sector. Besides major issues as above, sugar industry is facing other issues also as under:  Under utilization of plants' installed capacity due to low availability of Sugar Can  Utilization of sugar cane by Gur / Khandsari industry with out

SUGAR   

any control Low Recovery Prices of Ethanol Sale of Cogen power in open market

Remedies on the problems of Indian sugar industries To restart closed mills: Though Maharashtra has 163 sugar mills across the state 56 have been shut down permanently and more than 50 have already reached their capacity of carousing this. Situation has created panic among the growers that their crop will be wasted. The situation is not different in the at joining states of Karnataka, Tamil nadu, and AndhraPradesh. But the ultimate answer to these livelihood issue remains unanswered as not a single policy has so for been drafted to solve this issue The authority should regulate the situation arising as of now in the sugar industry and solve the problem at the earliest. Timely assistance is very essential in agriculture as “anything can wait but not agriculture”. (Nehru) To provide Minimum Supportive Price: Formulations of sugar policies are very essential which should support the domestic sugar industry and the sugar cane growers. Minimum supportive price should be announced before the beginning of the sugar production. This would avoid creation of glut in the sugar cane production.

To encourage exports: To encourage the export of excess sugar produced government should provide export duty exemptions and subsidies and tax waivers. Proper market analysis and forecasting of the price is also essential to avoid any harm growers Or to the sugar mills. The growers should be made aware of the crop insurance scheme which will help them in adverse conditions from losing any returns.

Credit for sugar cane farmers: Over 90% of the people dependent on the

agriculture do not have access to bank credit, however in the sugar cane sector all the farmers sponsored by the sugar mills enjoy timely credit from the banks with 100% recovery. Banks should advance more many to the sugar cane farmers.

Issue of Gur and Khandsari units: These units may be subjected to the some cane price obligations respective of weather it is a normal year or not in terms of cane production this will avoid the efficiency losses of sucrose by such unit.

If the consumers have specials preference for their products they must be prepared to pay higher price. A market best solution will thus avoid the insufficiencies associated with anomalous treatment of such unit through bureaucratic loopholes.

Issue of regulations on sale of sugar: Ideally the government should relieve the sugar mills of levy sugar payment at remunerative price. This will also relieve the factories of the unnecessary hustles and implied cost burdens, they face due to delayed lifting of sugar and delayed payment on levy sugar by the food corporation of India. The public distribution system (PDS) together with its associated inefficiencies ought to be maintained at a minimum scale. What the poor in India needs is meaning full jobs which alone can provide steady source of income and not and inefficient system of subsidy and that too at somebody else's cost. The government is of course free to maintain PDS at any desirable scale through open market purchase of sugar as

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it is doing in case of cereals. If the government cannot achieve this switch over in the short run it should progressively reduce the levy sugar commitment of the sugar factories.

Even the restrictions on free sale of sugar can be dispensed with. The fear that the mills would raise the domestic price through the creations of artificial scarcity is an immaterial one as long as the option of sugar import with reasonable tariff duties is open to the country.

The other fear is that the industry in its eagerness to sell too much within too short period will push down the domestics price level is an equally unrealistic one as this a common problem to any industry which it must manage itself the industry was earlier managing exports very well by spreading the loss across all units so given an opportunity to manage their supply subject to some broad guild lines and safeguards (for exp. A buffer stock requirement) which the government can prepared with adequate homework and stipulate the industry should be in position to handle the matter the artificial lowering of domestic price of sugar in merely serving the interest of downstream industries which are bulk consumers of sugar in the free market. Ones these bureaucratic barriers are removed the industry itself can take more interest in developing its own retails distribution system. It will also make the management incentive schemes a redundant issue.

Issue of Industrial sickness: Although the incidence of inefficient operations and resulting sickness is one average higher for Co-Operative and public sector unit's private sector too is not free of such problem as the present study demonstrates. As the Mahajan Committee and an earlier RBI Committee have suggested either the provisions BIFR for rehabilitation of sick mills should be intended or an alternative arrangement must be made without further duly to take care of the problems

SUGAR of sick Co-Operatives. However it appears that there are chronically sick mills in all the three sectors which cannot be rehabilitated they must be allowed natural death by switching over to a market based system in the functioning of this industry.

Financial Restructuring and meeting credit needs: The sugar industry in India has been in great financial stress since year 2001. It is therefore essential to understand the factors that have contributed to it.

Maharashtra can increase its ethanol production and the industry can get export subsidy and can take care of the 20 million tonne surplus sugar.

for the sector. If the top-ranking sugar producer produces more ethanol this year, it can result in lesser sugar production, which in turn will help improve prices of the sweetener. In 201314, Maharashtra had contracted only for one fourth of the ethanol that Uttar Pradesh had contracted.

Ethanol production capacity in Maharashtra is 75 crore litre, out of which sugar mills have capacity of 60 crore litre, with 49 sugar mills, including 38 in cooperative sector. However, despite a

However, some of the top sources from the state's sugar industry claimed that the cooperative sugar mills are more interested in conversion of the molasses

huge installed capacity, the sugar mills are not willing to produce ethanol.

into rectified spirit rather than ethanol for their own vested interests.

On December 10, 2014, Union government brought fixed ethanol pricing system. With a higher fixed price being offered by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), the sugar industry now wants the mills to make most of the opportunity. The current ex-mill sugar price of ethanol in Maharashtra is about Rs 25kg while the ex-mill ethanol price will be Rs 42 per litre.

ISMA wants some sugar mills to use even the B-heavy molasses for ethanol production, which will further reduce sugar production. However, very few mills are expected to go for it in 2014-15 seasons. Some of the private mills are likely to take trial run in the current season.

The reasons for poor response of Maharashtra sugar mills include some of the terms and conditions of the OMC.

Today's dilemma The apex body of Indian sugar industry red flagged "challenging situation" for the sector due to falling prices of the sweetener, excess production and tightening of lending by banks that is forcing millers to sell at cheaper rates for generating cash-flow. The industry also expressed its fear of Brazil producing more sugar than ethanol because of falling crude price, which may make the situation worse for them.

Government must take all possible steps to ensure that no quantity of sugar gets imported. "That's why this industry is demanding 40% increase in import duty and extending the subsidy for export of raw sugar so that it be export.

Brazil is the biggest producer of sugar a n d e t h a n o l a s w e l l .

In February this year, the Centre had announced subsidy for exports of raw sugar up to 40 lakh tonnes during 201314 and also 2014-15 marketing years (October-September) to help the cashstarved industry to clear cane arrears to farmers. However, the scheme has not been extended after September this year.

Also the sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh in particular are facing huge problem and about 50% of mills in the state have not got the loans from banks for working capital requirement. The body demanded that the government should create buffer stock of two million tonnes, hike in sugar prices sold through ration shops and creating infrastructure for 10% blending of ethanol in petrol.

Indian sugar industry in its miserable days has now pinned its hopes on Maharashtra in order to bring good days

The Indian Sugar Mills Association recently held a conference to encourage the sugar mills in Maharashtra to go for more ethanol production.

Maharashtra contracted only 9.20 crore litre ethanol in 2013-14 as against its established capacity to produce 75 crore litre. While UP contracted 35.52 crore litre ethanol in 2013-14. So, if

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

NEW TRENDS

Out of Hours: Nuts and Nibbles As the boundaries between 'conventional' mealtimes blur due to increasing hectic schedules, nutritious snacking on nuts throughout the day has become more common. Oil & Food Journal explores this new nibble wave

L

ong gone are the days of set meal times where breakfast was served at 7am, lunch at 12pm and dinner at 6pm. With more of us working alternative timetables, it seems that we have also taken a similar approach to our designated eating times.

With the decline of set meals slowly fading away into obscurity something else has moved in to supplement the lack of customary cooking. The snack food market has widely expanded as artisan products and premium brands offer consumers more choices. We profile the market to see where this exciting area is heading.

The rise of the 'snack' has been a gradual process. When we think about snacks, greasy and high-calorific items may come to mind, however a new uprising snacks

have come to light. The new selection of snack products on the market has a range of intriguing flavours that give consumers a healthy wholesome selection to curb their cravings- the great nuts.

With today's on-the-go mentality then, it's no wonder that 'snacking' has increased. The premium adult snack market is growing at over 9% per annum and believes the increase is down to "the demand for healthier snacks and the demand for appetising snacks as an indulgent adult treat Nuts as snacks High in fat and calories, nuts were a dieting no-no during the low-fat era.

Now these nutrient-packed powerhouses are making a comeback as a top heart-healthy snack.

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And what's not to love? They taste delicious, are naturally low in sodium, contain no trans fats or cholesterol, and are a good source of fiber and protein -the perfect combo for a hungerquenching nibble. A low-sugar content also makes them a healthy choice for diabetics, who are at greater risk for developing heart disease.

Nuts are rich in good fats like omega-6 fatty acids (walnuts are also rich in hearthealthy omega-3 fatty acids) and monounsaturated fatty acids, both of which have been found to improve cardiovascular health by lowering LDL or bad cholesterol. Besides healthy fats, nuts (especially walnuts, pecans, and chestnuts, according to one Norwegian study ) are loaded with powerful antioxidants, which may contribute to their cardio-protective effects by slowing

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NEW TRENDS the development of atherosclerosis.

They are also full of essential B vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, calcium, and potassium, which are all important for regulating blood pressure and have been associated with a lower risk of stroke. Selenium and vitamin E, which function together as a potent antioxidant, are both found in nuts, especially Brazil nuts and almonds.

How much do you need?

"Unsalted nuts, like walnuts and almonds, can be built into a healthful diet as long as you watch the amount you eat, because nuts are high in calories [around 160--200 calories per ounce.To keep your ticker in top shape, the DASH eating plan is recommended, a diet that has been shown to prevent and lower high blood pressure and emphasizes consuming four to five servings of nuts, seeds, and legumes a week.

According to DASH, a serving size of nuts is 1.5 ounces (about 1/3 cup) or 2 tablespoons of nut butter. You can avoid

overindulging by divvying up a large container of nuts into individual baggies for grab-and-go snack packs. Store in the fridge to maintain freshness.

So how can you get more nuts in your diet? Toss them with vegetables, pasta, or rice dishes, or sprinkle a handful on a salad for a tasty crunch. (Try toasted pecans or hazelnuts with roasted Brussels sprouts or top steamed broccoli or green beans with almonds. Walnuts or pine nuts add a rich and buttery flavor to roasted winter squash.)

Stir chopped nuts into your morning cereal for a satisfying breakfast. Or add a touch of honey and cinnamon to a mixture of nuts, dried fruits, and cholesterol-lowering oats, and bake on a cookie sheet for a yummy and energizing homemade granola.

For a quick afternoon pick-me-up, top apple or pear slices or whole-grain toast w i t h a l m o n d o r c a s h e w b u t t e r.

Supercharge your smoothie with a tablespoon of peanut butter for added protein and belly-blasting monounsaturated fatty acids. (Make sure to choose natural varieties of nut butters that have no added fats or sugarsand if you are watching your sodium intake, reduced sodium or no added salt as well.)

Nut power Nuts are underrated as nutritious snacks —particularly raw tree nuts, such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, and more, which have been linked to lower cholesterol, better heart health, weight control, and even a lower cancer risk.

Unfortunately, too few Indians eat nuts regularly: They account for less than eight percent of daily antioxidant intake.

"That may be because people are afraid of the fat and calories in nuts, or they find plain nuts boring. That's a shame, because a small handful can pack your diet with filling protein, fiber, unsaturated fats, and important vitamins and minerals.” Here's how your health benefits each time you nosh on a handful of nuts.

Walnuts: Inflammation Fighters In addition to containing the most antioxidants of all nuts, which help protect your body from the cellular damage that contributes to heart disease, cancer, and premature aging, walnuts are also the richest in omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation,. They're an especially great way to get these healthy unsaturated fats if you're not a fan of fish, where these types of fats are

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predominantly found. A walnut snack may also turn around a bad day during that time of the month: The manganese they contain may reduce PMS symptoms.

Almonds: Good for Your Gut Almonds contain the most fiber — about three grams per ounce — compared to other nuts, and are richest in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Almonds may even help you slip into those skinny jeans: In one International Journal of Obesity study, when two groups of obese adults followed low-calorie diets for six months, those who included almonds in their weight loss plans lost more weight than those who ate more complex carbohydrates. Other research shows that almonds are especially healthy for people worried about their blood sugar: Those who ate about 20 percent of their calories from almonds for four months saw their bad LDL cholesterol drop and their insulin resistance decrease compared to a control group who didn't eat them.

Almonds may even safeguard your gut: A test-tube study (funded by the Almond Board of California) found that the nuts raised levels of good bacteria that bolster the body's immune system.

Cashews: Brainpower Boosters Cashews are particularly rich in iron and zinc. “Iron helps deliver oxygen to all of your cells, which can prevent anemia, and zinc is critical to immune health and healthy vision,” says Bauer. Cashews are also a good source of magnesium: One ounce provides almost 25 percent of your daily need. Magnesium may help improve memory and protect against agerelated memory loss, according to a study in the journal Neuron.

Pecans: Artery Defenders Pecans aren't just for making tasty pies, they can also help improve your heart health. “Pecans are among the most antioxidant-rich nuts,” says Bauer. “They may help prevent plaque formation in your arteries.” In fact, a Journal of Nutrition study (funded partly by the National Pecan Shellers Association) found that consuming pecans can help lower LDL cholesterol levels by as much as 33 percent. Pecans may also buffer your brain health, according to an animal study from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The vitamin E found in the nuts could delay progression

NEW TRENDS of degenerative neurological diseases like amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Brazil Nuts: Potent Cancer Protector Just one Brazil nut packs more than 100 percent of the daily value for the mineral selenium, which may help prevent certain cancers, including bone, prostate, and breast cancer. A recent study in the Journal of Medicinal Food suggests that the selenium found in Brazil nuts, along with soy, may help fight prostate cancer by inhibiting the growth of cancerous cells. However, don't overdo it on Brazil nuts: High levels of selenium can be harmful, so stick to a serving or less.

Macadamia Nuts: The Most MUFAS Although ounce for ounce they're one of the most calorie-dense nuts, macadamia nuts contain the greatest amount of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat (MUFA) per serving. “This 'good fat' lowers LDL 'bad' cholesterol levels and blood pressure. A Pennsylvania State University study

(funded partly by the Hershey Company, which owns the Mauna Loa Macademia company) found that people who added macadamia nuts to their diets reduced their triglyceride levels, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol by nearly 10 percent.

Pistachios: The Skinniest Nut

Pistachios are the most slimming nuts, with less than four calories each. Their shells make them especially dietingfriendly: “Eating them in the shell

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automatically slows down your pace so the snack lasts longer and you eat less overall,” says Bauer. They may also help you breathe easier: University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center researchers found that eating two ounces of pistachios daily may reduce lung cancer risk. Pistachios are rich in the antioxidant gamma-tocopherol, a form of cancer-fighting vitamin E. Pistachios are also packed with potassium, a mineral essential for a healthy nervous system and muscles, and are a good source of vitamin B6, which can lift your mood, fortify your immune system, and more.

Hazelnuts: More Than Just Coffee Flavoring An all-around healthy nut, hazelnuts are notable for their high levels of monounsaturated fats, which can improve cardiovascular health and help to manage type 2 diabetes.

They're also rich in the antioxidant vitamin E, which may prevent cataracts and macular degeneration, maintain healthy skin, and reduce risk of dementia

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

PACKAGING

The top three functional additives in the plastic packaging market There is rapidly increasing demand for packaging materials that give even greater protection to their contents. Functional additives are an important technology in meeting this demand for greater product protection in the plastic packaging market. A functional additive modifies the properties of packaging to impart desirable or beneficial functions.

Oxygen scavengers Oxygen scavengers are the largest of the functional additives used in plastic packaging, making up a 57% value share of the plastic packaging market. Oxygen scavengers help to extend product life and improve product appearance by absorbing and removing any oxygen left in the closed packaged product. In recent years, innovations have enabled oxygen scavengers to be impregnated into laminates, cards, films, bottles, plastic lids and closures.

The technology has been widely used in PET beer bottles, often incorporated into closures or barrier materials. The growth in ready meals consumption has presented further opportunities for

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oxygen scavengers, with Japan dominating the ready meals market for oxygen scavengers. Oxygen scavengers are also growing in pharmaceutical packaging, propelled by industry demands because of regulatory pressures, cost-cutting exercises and the need to enhance patient care.

UV stabilizers Following oxygen scavengers, UV stabilizers make up the second largest value share of functional additives in the plastic packaging market, accounting for 12%. UV or light stabilizers are added to plastic packaging to protect the package and their contents from the damaging effect of ultraviolet and infrared radiation from sunlight. Protection from UV

PACKAGING

Many types of functional additives are used for plastic packaging, including antistatic agents, heat and UV stabilizers, impact modifiers, clarifying agents, blowing agents, brightness agents, impact modifiers, antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, oxygen scavengers, anti-block agents and various other processing aids. radiation can be important in plastic packaging as UV radiation can stimulate molecules to an extent so as to break their chemical bonds that can release highly reactive radicals, capable of destroying other molecules.

Demand for barrier PET bottles which offer protection against UV light is rising, as light in this range is harmful to many of the nutrients in a product such as vitamins, lipids and fatty acids. Milk bottles pose a particular challenge for PET when it comes to providing UV protection, as the vitamins in milk especially vitamins B2 and B12 - are highly sensitive to UV light.

Antistatic additives

In third place, antistatic additives account for 11.9% value market share of functional additives in the plastic packaging market. An antistatic additive is a chemical added to a plastic part for the purpose of eliminating or lessening static electricity. Antistatic additives act to permit the body or surface of the polymeric material to be slightly conductive, thus preventing the formation of static charges and deterring the fixation of dust.

Polymers can accumulate static charge on their surface as they move through shearinducing production equipment. This positive or negative static build-up can hinder production operations and

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degrade final part performance for its intended use.

Antistatic packaging is a relatively mature sector in which demand tends to follow demand for electronics and electrical products.

Plastic additive demand growth is rising faster than overall plastic packaging demand growth as converters look for lower cost solutions, which additives can provide. As consumer demand for greater protection of products continues to rise, the market for functional additives in plastic packaging can be expected to continue to grow in tandem.

INTERVIEW

BITZER: Reliable, Effecient & Sustainable BITZER has the unique positioning for an eight year company to have the full variety of technologies available for any application that would be required in India.

Refrigeration and air conditioning technologies are key elements the BITZERworld.

The BITZER Group has been making a contribution with innovative products and services for 80 years. Their products maintain the optimum temperatures on buses, trains and in buildings and ensure food stays fresh at all times on its way to you. Perfection and precision shape theiroperations – and efficiency and sustainability is their way of thinking. With specialist skills and lots of passion, BITZER promote development in compressor technology and, in this way, fulfilltheir responsibility as a market leader.In a candid conversation with Mr. Rob de Bruyn, Managing Director, BITZER Refrigeration Asia Pte Limited, Oil and Food Journal editor, Firoz H Naqvi came to know the plans and perspective of BITZER and its affair with Indian market.

Excerpts from the interview:

How can you describe BITZER's tenure inIndian Cold chain market?

BITZER came to India in 2007 and since that time we had very good growth over the years. BITZER being a German company received a very perceptive and generous response from the Indian Market.

Cold chain has been the active part of BITZER's business; BITZER enjoys a very high brand recall with the customers.

The BITZER products are known for their very high reliability which is very important for end users and offer the highest efficiency in their class. In the past few years, BITZER India has rapidly expanded its Green Point Service Network with service centres at Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore & Kolkata making us the only compressor manufacturer with pan India service support capabilities.

The service centres have also been extensively used for imparting technical training to both our partners & end users This step has been very important to us to propel our new products out in India and it gives the customers the confidence to go and buy our new products.For example, in case of ice cream if the refrigeration fails we need to take a very quick action as it can cause an adverse effect to the vendor and the entrepreneur so our service centre is an answer to such troubles.

We see great growth in India and I can see that the east coast seems to be moving very well for us. We started the green

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point there in May this year and already we are getting very fruitful result.

What special strategy have you taken on to meet the Indian demand?

It is very important for any multinational to adapt to any market; we try to maintain a relatively consistent pricing policy around the world. India is definitely a price conscious country but stillone of the key issues for BITZER is that the customer base in India understands what quality is and is prepared to pay a small premium for a good quality product.

BITZER is well known to be a premium product and market proves that there is a viable and vibrant market for high quality products.

Also the type of business we are dealing with requires best quality assurance, e.g. the ice cream market or the cold chain market, the cost of the goods inside the cold space is many times more costly than the equipment itself and on this basis the cost of investment is really heavily scrutinized for the long serviceability and life time cost highly. These two factors are very influential to the Indian entrepreneurs nowadays and they look for quality rather than the cost.

How much is the Modi's “Make in India” campaign influencing BITZER? BITZER is a major global compressor manufacturer. But if we talk exclusive manufacture of compressors in India, it is not so likely in the near future. You see to become a manufacturer here we need a

INTERVIEW factor is the energy efficiency; the energy cost is very high here so for this we have products like the varispeed which is a compressor with an inverter, with this we can vary the speed of the compressor depending on the load and these types of technologies show excellent energy efficiency.

the northern states. We are getting a very good support with our Air cooled condensing units which are proving to be very popular.

Upgradation of technologies is continuous, how does BITZER gratify the food industry with this continuous cycle of upgradation?

BITZER has introduced compressors BITZER has this view that there is a need t o product that will take us for five with integrated inverters that offer year at least in maximum power o f saving to customers. BITZER has introduced compressors t e r m s technology and our The inverters are with integrated inverters that offer offered both with maximum power saving to customers e q u i p m e n t i s expected to last for bare compressors many years after and in Air Cooled that. But if we take a five year block Condensing Unit configurations. The position, then of course we are dedicated inverters modulate the speed of the to upgrade our equipments, as the compressors to precisely match the load customers business develops and grows. requirement and offer highest levels of There has to energy saving too but more energy savings possible. Since the important with the changes in global inverters are suction gas cooled, there is refrigeration, this is playing a lot of no de-rating in the performance on pressure on the market. Like in Europe account of high ambient temperatures for example there is new gase regulations prevailing in many parts of the country. which have very high demands on the types of gases or chemical that can be used.

For ice cream industry we have Ecoline Varispeed range of semi-hermetic reciprocating compressors with integrated frequency inverter optimized for refrigeration applications. This can also be used in air conditioning.

Then there is CSVH range of Compact Screw Compressors with integrated frequency inverter optimized for liquid chiller and heat pump applications. This is used in the cold storage systems. We also have Ecostar range of Air Cooled Condensing Units with inverter integrated on the compressor.

So BITZER has the unique positioning for an eight year company to have the full variety of technologies available for any application that would be required in India.

One of the things that we also produce in our factory is in Indonesia is the LH series condensing units – this is a design for high ambient condition which is of course very necessary for India, particularly in

From BITZER's perspectives the speed to bring the new products to markets is important but we should be very stable and we should not rush any product into the market. We should be steady and do long term planning for the upgradation of components and equipments. The ability to provide after services and spare parts support is also important and if an equipment fails for a reason it needs to be rectified very quickly and that's where our Green point service centre come into.

Do you think Indian cold chain can be compared with its international counterpart?

The Cold Chain infrastructure in India is being rapidly upgraded with the assistance of very generous grants from the Government of India through its carious arms like National Horticulture Board etc.

The entrepreneurs who are investing in the cold chains are opting for energy efficient compressors that use environmentally friendly refrigerants and are no longer being driven only by the initial cost of the project. The very high success rate

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enjoyed by BITZER with its Added Value Products Like Screw Compressor Racks, Screw Condensing Units &

Reciprocating Compressor Racks to name a few are testimony to this fact. In this sense Indian cold chains are at par with international counterparts.

The next step in the evolution process would be adaptation of natural refrigerants like CO2 that offer much higher efficiency than the existing systems but this is some time away from Indian perspective. In Europe, USA, Australia etc CO2 based refrigeration systems have been deployed extensively.

As a cold chain expert what eminent advice would you impart to the sea food and ice cream sector?

I believe very strongly that India in the next couple of years will do more export wise business and cold chain in India has very high potential for export. On that basis we need to seek and be assured of HACCP conditions of any export related activity.

We need to insure that the type of equipment is at the best possible level that it can be. We need to very well understand what the system loadings. Also quality of the refrigeration and enterprise is very important. Many people are getting interested in Indian export business and thus the whole system needs to uptight a n d genuine.

NEWS

Bry-Air to launch Adsorption Chillers

Power Partner- Bry –Air Asia License deal to expand market for environmental friendly cooling Bry-Air (Asia), headquartered in India and Power Partners, Inc. of Athens, GA, USA have signed a license agreement for Bry-Air (Asia) to manufacture and sell Power Partners' ECO-MAX brand Adsorption Chillers in India and other markets. This agreement means that Bry-Air (Asia) can further expand its broad product portfolio to include closed-loop adsorption products.

Under the agreement, Power Partners will share its extensive knowledge of adsorption chiller design, manufacturing, applications and marketing with Bry-Air (Asia) and assist with product commercialization.

“Adsorption chillers use energy from waste heat, with very low electricity consumption, to provide chilled water for process cooling and air conditioning, and they do this with “green” refrigerant (water) and desiccant (silica gel). We are

excited about the opportunities for revenue growth and innovation that this agreement provides,” said Deepak Pahwa, Managing Director, Bry-Air (Asia).

Luke Faulstick, CEO and Co-Owner of PPI, added “this license agreement and the ongoing positive working relationship between Bry-Air (Asia) and Power Partners will result in profitable growth for our two companies.”

Power Partners, Inc. markets energyefficient, environmentally friendly ECOMAX adsorption chillers that are manufactured in Athens, GA, USA. Adsorption chiller technology is attractive to hospitals, universities, office complexes, data centers, tri-generation facilities, processing plants, manufacturing plants and government facilities. Power Partners is part of PPI, a groundbreaking manufacturing company whose brands include Power Partners, ECO-MAX, Gap Partners and Change Partners.

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Learn more at ppiway.com/ecomax.

Bry-Air Asia is a global leader in the business of desiccant dehumidification (rotating wheel) systems and is a flagship company of the Pahwa Group. Bry-Air Asia has two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in India, fully owned subsidiaries in China, Malaysia, Switzerland, and Brazil, and a worldwide sales network.

Bry-Air Asia's plants are among the most modern in the industry --- supported by computerized 3D designing, CNC fabrication, powder coating facilities and automated conveying systems --- and are ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certified.

For more information, visit us at www.bryair.com/news-and-event.

Deepak Pahwa Managing Director dpahwa@pahwa.com

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

SKILL GAP-II

Introduction Accounting for about 32 per cent of the country's total food market, the food processing industry is one of the largest industries in India and is ranked ďŹ fth in terms of production, consumption, export and expected growth. The total food production in India is likely to double in the next 10 years with the country's domestic food market estimated to reach US$ 258 billion this year.

The food processing industry forms an important segment of the Indian economy in terms of contribution to GDP, employment and investment, and is a major driver in the country's growth in the near future. This industry contributes as much as 9-10 per cent of GDP in

agriculture and manufacturing sector, according to Mr J P Meena, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (GOI).

The Indian food industry stood around Rs 247,680 crore (US$ 39.03 billion) in 2013 and is expected to grow at a rate of 11 per cent to touch Rs 408,040 crore (US$ 64.31 billion) by 2018.

Indian agricultural and processed food exports during April-May 2014 stood at US$ 3,813.63 million, according to data released by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

India has 85,000 bakery units, of which 75,000 operate in the unorganized sector, garnering a 65 per cent market share. The per capita consumption of bakery

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Skill gap and development in Food Processing Industry- 11

SKILL GAP-II products stands around 1-2kg per annum.

The Indian dairy industry has grown considerably post the white revolution and reports suggest that with current growth rate of approximately 3 per cent-4 per cent, it is thought to grow to 185 million tonne and become a US$ 24 billion organised industry by 2020 and US$ 140 billion overall including the unorganized sector.

Bottlenecks in skill development The shortage of Quality and R&D specialists is one of the major bottlenecks

the immediate cause of worry, but considering the strong policy measures taken by the Government to promote investments in the entire value chain, demand for logistics & supply chain managers, retail managers will go up significantly and meeting this demand would be challenging for the industry.

The food processing industry is employment intensive. The sector employs people of different backgrounds and of different education level. The sector actually needs highly skilled people, who can contribute to the growth

they are large industries and hire more people. The another striking feature is that in rural areas OAME (Own account manufacturing enterprises) sector is much bigger than the NDME (Nondirectory manufacturing establishment) sector in employment generation, i.e. more people go for their own enterprises in rural areas, and in urban areas the OAME sector is almost negligible.

In division of employment state-wise it came out that Andhra Pradesh has the biggest share of persons employed in food processing industry, as Andhra Pradesh is the biggest center of food processing sector in India.

While analyzing the employment generation of food processing industry, it is important to understand the skill set which is required in food processing Industry. To understand the skill set required it is important to know value chain in food processing industry.

Value chain in food processing industry

hampering new product development and innovation in the food processing industry, unlike the food processing companies in developed nations, which have become competitive, because of inherent strength and strong focus on R&D and quality control.

The shortage of quality control specialists and regulatory and legal experts is one of the prime reasons for non compliance of domestic and international regulatory and quality standards. The non compliance to international quality and regulatory standards has resulted in rejections of agri products in the global markets.

Due to lucrative job opportunities in other sectors, there is scarcity of production managers and engineers in the food processing sector, which needs to be addressed, if this sector has to grow and become globally competitive.

Though the demand for shop floor technicians, marketing professional and supply chain and logistics managers isn't

of sector. The need of skills is different in different segments of the sector. For example: a person, who is working in dairy segment, might be highly skilled for that segment, but he will not be suitable in fish processing segment. In this part we will first analyze the employment generation capacity of food processing sector.

The value chain in food processing industry starts from farm inputs and ends at food retail and food service. The first stage of value chain includes delivery of agro-inputs, i.e. seeds, agro-chemicals, fertilizers etc. This also includes production of crop, and insurance of crop against any sort of natural or man-made calamity. The stage also involves procurement of agro-produce for value addition.

Food processing industry employs 13 million people directly and 35 million people indirectly, and the kind of growth industry is having it is expected that it will create job opportunities for large part of workforce. The food processing sector is h i g h l y u n o rg a n i z e d , 8 2 % o f t h e workforce employed in food processing industry is in unorganized sector, and i.e. out of every 10 person around 8 are employed by unorganized sector.

The second stage trade and distribution, which involves storage and trading of produce and here, comes the importance of cold chain facilities. The absence of proper cold storage facilities leads to wastage of produce, which amounts as high as 35%. This problem has been marked as number 1 challenge in food processing industry, by the entrepreneurs in a survey conducted by FICCI. The trade and distribution facilities also include transportation for export, and shifting of produce from one place to another and trading of sourced agroproduce.

As for unorganized sector, the maximum working population is in DME (Directory Establishment). The higher proportion in DME can be attributed to the fact that

Then, comes the processing part which involves grading, sorting and waxing in case of fruit and vegetable segment, milling, grading in case of grains (for

Employment generation capacity

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SKILL GAP-II example paddy-rice, wheat-flour). Then value addition of wheat into noodles, wheat into bakery items, processed fruit and vegetables, extruded snacks etc. In the next stage there is wholesale trading of value-added produce, export of produce and branding of products.

The entry of big brands in food industry has created a tiff competition for small players. The presence of MNC'S in the market, do not allow local players to grow, as they lack that extensive branding and publicity. The final stage food retail and food services, implies retailing of value-added foods by means of hotels, restaurants, eat-outs and retail stores (for packed items, grains, Ready to Eat foods etc.). There is increase in value addition in every segment of food processing industry with increase in demand for processed food.

The value addition in different stages in food processing industry requires different skill sets. Around 55% of the human resource in food processing industry is involved in production work, or in processing stage.

Having provided the functional distribution of human resources across segments in food processing industry, now we will reflect upon the educational profile of the employees involved in food processing industry.

The overall requirement for skilled human resource in the food processing sector is much larger, organized sector is considered to show the demand-supply gap.

Share of various states in employment in food processing industry.

Name of the State

Share of employment in %

Andhra Pradesh

14.1%

Assam

4.7%

Gujarat

5.9%

Haryana

3.3%

Karnataka

6.0%

Kerala

11.9%

Madhya Pradesh

2.3%

Maharashtra

7.8%

Punjab

7.7%

Tamil Nadu

11.2%

Uttar Pradesh

12.0%

West Bengal

4.8%

Others

8.3%

Basic functional distribution of human resources across segments in food processing industry.

Function

% of employees

Procurement

10%

Testing and Quality

20%

Production

55%

R&D

1-2%

Storage

2-3%

Others (Sales and other support functions)

10%

Distribution of human resources by education level in food processing indusry.

Education level

% of employees

Employees with management education

1-2%

Proportion of food technologists

20%

Post-Graduates

0.5-1%

Graduates

10%

Diploma holders

2-5%

Certicate holders 10th Standard or below

2-5%

80%

While there are gaps in terms of excess of demand over supply in the organized sector at all levels, the gap is maximum when considering the demand for 'those trained by short-term courses' with low educational qualification (below 10th/12th standard) where there is a required demand for about 1 lakh trained persons annually against a supply of over 10,000 persons. This requirement will increas e to over 5.3 lakh if the unorganized sector is also taken into account.

Skill gaps in food processing industry There is a wide gap between skills needed and skill available. If India is to make its presence in the world market, then there is a need to bridge this gap as soon as possible. There is a huge gap in demand and supply market. According to a survey done by NSDC, there is a huge demand for skilled workers at all the stages in food processing industry, especially for person

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with short-term course training, having education level below 10th /12th standard.

The demand for skilled human resource is continuously increasing, but there is greater demand in unorganized sector rather than organized sector. This is because of the fact that organized sector is very small in respect to unorganized sector.

Most of the policies developed by central government are generic in nature. In order to benefit from these policies, respective states have to evolve their own policies, which are in tune with their socio-economic and agri-livestock resource base. The policy from the centre and state should incentivize and encourage Public Private Partnership (PPP) in overcoming various constraints namely, non-availability of adequate infrastructure facilities, cold chain, packaging and grading centers, lack of adequate quality control and testing infrastructure, inefficient supply chain, shortage of processible varieties of farm produce, season ability of raw material, high inventory carrying cost, high taxation, high packaging cost, affordability and cultural preference for fresh food.

The food processing sector is governed by multiple acts rather than a single comprehensive policy on food processing. The food laws governing food processing industry span nine ministries, comprising 13 central orders alone; in addition states have their own control orders. The policy to be effective will have to be comprehensive and adopt a number of legislative, administrative and promotional measures. According to NABARD village level agro-industry does not come within the purview of any single Ministry. Because of this problem, only a fraction of the village level agroindustries are registered.

An overwhelming proportion of the registered enterprises are registered with the village panchayats. To infuse technology and credit in agro-industry, it is required to bring them under single registration authority and start a massive campaign to register village level agroindustries. It goes on to state that in spite of the government programmes, lack of infrastructural facilities hinders the growth of agro-industries. These include

SKILL GAP-II electricity connection, power cut, transportation facilities, etc.

Infrastructural facilities need o be upgraded substantially for economic viability of these enterprises through widespread development of rural infrastructure. If Infrastructural facilities present at village level or all over India are considered, then the most important part of Infrastructure facility in food processing industry is Cold storage facilities, which are crucial for the value addition.

In India there are 5,381 cold stores with a storage capacity of 24.45 MT. Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal account for more than 60% of the cold storage capacity followed by Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Over ninety five percent of the cold storages are in the private sector.

According to the Report of the Task Force on Development of Cold Chain in India constituted by Ministry of Agriculture more than 80% of the capacities are utilized only for potatoes and about 17% fall under multi commodity category.

Most of the multi-purpose cold stores are also used for potato storage besides providing storages for chilies, dry fruits, spices, vegetables etc. Cold Storages for meat, fish, milk and milk products and for other commodities such as chilies and other spices account for about one percent of the total cold storage capacity.

These cold storages are usually smaller in capacity. This difference in storage of potatoes and other products is mainly attributed to the high and annual intake of potatoes, and its longer shelf life.

Technological challenges in cold storage facility in India 





Designed to store single commodity, not suitable for multipurpose.

Not suitable for providing storage conditions of uniform temperature, humidity, air circulation and fresh air requirements.

Pre-cooling technologies such as forced air evaporative cooling, package icing, and vacuum cooling are nonexistent in India.



Controlled atmosphere cold storages still in nascent stage.



Over 90% of cold stores use old ammonia refrigeration compressor without any capacity control, which is inefficient and expensive.



Managed by unskilled and untrained manpower, not aware of latest technology and techniques in handling and storing fresh perishable produce to international standards In context with food regulation laws, the Indian food regulations comprise various food policies that have been enacted at different points of time, and are under the ambit of various ministries of Government of India (GOI). Historically, they were introduced to complement and supplement each other in achieving total food sufficiency, safety and quality. This incremental approach has led to incoherence and inconsistency in the food sector regulatory scenario.

In addition the multiplicity of ministries and administering authorities at both the central and state levels has resulted in a complex regulatory system that is not well integrated adding an additional burden on the food industry.

Lack of skilled and trained manpower in food processing industry is also a big issue. Many positive developments in the food processing sector have also resulted in the apprehension about the emerging skill shortages due to mismatch between the demand for specific skills and available supply. In fact, of late, shortage of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers has emerged as a critical factor impacting the competitiveness of Indian food industry. Around 58% of the employers are dissatisfied with technical skills and knowledge needed for the job.

Also 72% showed discontent with employees' ability to use appropriate and modern tools, equipment, and technologies specific to their jobs [15].

The food processing industry has many challenges in front of it, ranging from infrastructure to human resources and to technological backwardness. Now, with the growing demand of processed food there is a need to address these problems and concerning issues on priority basis.

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Else, India will miss a golden opportunity of using its vast agri-livestock resources to strengthen its economy, revive its rural industries and create employment for thousands of people.

Annual demand for skilled human resource in organized sector in food processing industry Category

Required annual demand

Food technologists (Post Graduate)

2,384

Food technologists

5,363

Diploma

4,768

ITI/ITC

4,768

Short term-course trained personnel with education below 10th/12thst

95,351

Total

112,633

Incremental human resource requirement for persons trained through short-term/modular training initiatives in food processing industryannual requirements Sector resources in

Total demand of trained human resources

Demand of trained human in organised sector

Fruit and Vegetable Processing

12

Food Grain Milling

42

Dairy Products

68

12

Meat and Poultry Processing

104

19

Fish Processing

1

0

Bread and

258

46

Alcoholic beverages

42

8

Aerated water/soft drinks

2

0

Total

2

8

530

Indian food processing industry has seen significant growth and changes over the past few years, driven by changing trends in markets, consumer segments and regulations. These trends, such as changing demographics, growing population and rapid urbanization are

SKILL GAP-II The central government will pay particular attention to encouraging processing of fruits and vegetables.

India is among the top three producers of fruits and vegetables, dairy products and seafood, but just 2-3 per cent of the fruits and vegetables are processed. In dairy and seafood about 25-30 per cent of the output is processed, she said. Addressing the inaugural session of a seminar organised by the Indo American Chamber of Commerce, Badal said the development of this sector can provide mu l tip le b en e fi ts b y p r ev e n t i n g fluctuation in prices of agriculture produce, improve farmers' income and generate jobs.

expected to continue in the future and, therefore, will shape the demand for value added products and thus for food processing industry in India. The Government of India's focus towards food processing industry as a priority sector is expected to ensure policies to support investment in this sector and attract more FDI. India, having access to vast pool of natural resources and growing technical knowledge base, has strong comparative advantages over other nations in this industry. The food processing sector in India is clearly an attractive sector for investment and offers significant growth potential to investors.

There is a huge opportunity to develop S&T capability and R&D in the sector.

only need is to pay due attention on technological development of field, and generation of skilled manpower.

To be done The Union Ministry for Food Processing Industries will soon provide incentives to industrial units that provide skills training.

Badal, who is the first Minister for food processing industries, a separate portfolio created by the present government, said the industry can be a hub for job generation and skill development as there is a huge potential in food processing.

There is a need to train the unskilled labor force, need for development across various human resource profiles. India can harness all the opportunities present in food processing sector only when its labor force is educated and skilled. The government needs to strengthen its skill development program; new training institutes should be open up, which are in tune with market demand. The development of infrastructure facilities like cold chain, road facilities, and power will strengthen the food processing industry. It will have a very positive sign on perishable food products industry, such as fruit and vegetable, dairy industry, meat and poultry segment. The food processing industry is all set to drive Indian economy to higher growth,

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The Ministry is also working on a comprehensive food map that will give district-wise details of agriculture produce to help industry assess business opportunities.

In addition to the 22 ongoing projects for food parks, the new government has received over 84 applications for setting up food parks. Tamil Nadu, along with Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra is a leading state in the sector; she said hoping there would be greater participation from the state government and industry in utilizing the incentives provided by the Centre. According to officials, six applications have been received from Tamil Nadu for setting up food parks.

MAHA ICE CREAM

Maharashtra

Ice Cream Industry is expanding steadily due to high demands Ice cream business in Maharashtra is growing at a brisk pace with demand for the ice creams staying robust for most of the year and peaking during the summers, festive and wedding season.

However, along with the rise in demand, there is also increased competition, both from the large players as well as the unorganized manufacturers, who make the wholesale supplies very competitive and at cut throat prices, as in most of institutional sales prices are a big deciding factor.

t

he size of ice cream industry, estimated at Rs.4500 crore is likely to jump at about Rs.7000 crore by 2018 with its growing institutional sales coupled with youngsters spending habits on it as well as increasing disposable income of middle and lower middle class Indians in the recent times, which has developed its penchant for the frozen product.

segments and entry of multinationals into this business.

Other factors that are credited to fuel the growth of ice cream industry consist of part ners

The domestic ice cream industry would grow at the compounded growth rate (CAGR) of about 25 per cent in future with high proďŹ t margins ranging between 15 to 20 per cent to reach the projected level since its percapita consumption has gone up at 300 mlagainst world average of 2.3 liters. The trends responsible for the growth of ice cream industry in India in particular follow large investments in advertising and infrastructure development, diversiďŹ cation of product portfolio targeting speciďŹ c consumer

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hip and franchises pursued to boost distribution and increasing cost of raw materials offsetting the higher margins.

The ice cream industry confronts competition mainly from unorganized sector on price and quality, its consumer is growing quality conscious to fuel and stoke its sales. Another challenge arises from lack of well developed cold chain facilities in the country but in course of time, this challenge would be overcome.

India is the most rapid growing ice cream market globally, with ice cream treats fast becoming a part of Indian culture. Indian consumers are turning into regular patrons of ice cream parlors, helping to fuel greater interest in packaged offerings in the country.

The consumption of ice cream for each person in India was the lowest across major global markets in 2013, but it is set

MAHA ICE CREAM locals as well as an abundant inflow of those from other states who migrated recently or long ago. Ice cream has the numero uno place as Celebration delicacy.

Amol, Managing Director of Treat Ice Cream emphasized that, from status of just a seasonal dessert to the year round treat, Ice Cream has come a long way.

“With rising purchasing power and emergent rising trend on food-spend, Ice cream business is bound to boom. The boom will further boost depending on how the ice-cream servers adapt to changing times and how they usher innovations, from serving styles to serving menus and combinations”, he added on. to rise fast, as consumers come to associate ice cream with fun experiences shared with friends and family.

Ice cream business in Maharashtra is growing at a brisk pace with demand for the ice creams staying robust for most of the year and peaking during the summers, festive and wedding season. However, along with the rise in demand, there is also increased competition, both from the large players as well as the unorganized manufacturers, who make the wholesale supplies very competitive and at cut throat prices, as in most of institutional sales prices are a big deciding factor.

Ashish Nahar, Managin Director, Cremica ice cream, Nashik, consider Maharashtra as a developed state with huge potential for ice cream business.

“Almost all national brands have their presence in the state as the commercial capital of our country Mumbai is a part of this state which has a major share of ice cream consumption”, he said.

lower than they would otherwise be.

Treat Ice cream manufacturing facility is located in Gadchiroli - the most economically and industrially backward district of India, thus there is frequent power cuts resulting in very high power deficits in the recent years. According to Amol, due to long power cuts, the production cycles are longer for his company, thus reducing per day production capacity. “We have to spend on alternate resources of power affecting production planning, resulting in obstruction to our growth plans”, he supplemented.

Ravi Sharma, Managin Director of Frostee Ice cream, said, “Maharashtra has a lot of power cuts but my company handles the situation fine as we are well equipped with sufficient Power Backups due to which companies profit margins are sure to be affected as this industry needs all time power”. Frostee has its own Refrigerated Vans for Transportation and the company offers Eutectic deep freezers for urban areas where power cuts are more frequent, he added.

Frostee ice cream Started in 1987 By Manohar Sharma following strict policy of catering to institutional Market has earned a good name within a short span of time, Frostees production plant is situated in Five Star MIDC Kolhapur, accessing the entire Goa, Konkan Region of

The parent company of Treat plays dual roles of being the manufacturers and also the retailers as it runs its own ice cream parlors. The ice cream is marketed under the brand name TREAT. POWER DEFICIT

Creamica started in 1999 in Nashik, Maharashtra in to the business of ice cream manufacturing, and has been one of consistent and successful growth. This period has seen transformation from a trading company to a highly successful, responsive and dynamic group of manufacturing companies, which invest in building winning brands that continuously seek to create value for the consumer.

Maharashtrians are big foodies and ice cream lovers. Maharashtra has assumed a cosmopolitan nature as it houses the

Maharashtra is a power deficient state, leaving some cities out; the problem is vast and shadows the Ice cream industry drastically. The electricity gaps lead to damages at the both the manufacturer and retailers-end. The retailers in Maharashtra are impacted greatly due to this, thus affecting sales also. The growth in the ice cream industry has been primarily due to the strengthening of the distribution network and cold chain infrastructure… Due to the nonavailability of power in many places, ice creams sales have been 10-20 per cent

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Maharashtra along with Sangli, Satara, Pune and Aurangabad Area of Maharashtra.

Creamica has managed the power

MAHA ICE CREAM deficient factor by introducing eutectic type deep freezers for their dealers with back up of more than 12 hours. Profit margins are not affected due to proper preventive measures taken in advance.

While according to Naina Hedge, Director Kool marketing Pvt. Ltd. of Delzia Ice cream does not face such problem being located in Pune. She said that, “the power supply in our city is

largely stable with power holiday on a specific day, which enables us to plan our production schedules accordingly. We still have to rely on the gensets in case of power failures / power holidays, and self generated power is certainly much more expensive, which eats into our margins”.

ICE CREAM PARLOR CULTURE India's perception of ice cream is changing.

Traditionally the Indian ice cream market has been dominated by the impulse category, with consumers seeing ice cream as an occasional treat for the hot summer season. However, the growth of ice cream parlour culture in India is causing this perception to change, which is leading to more Indians enjoying their ice cream throughout the year, and a greater demand for take-home products.

As a result, Indian consumers' desire for fun sharing occasions will cause sales of take-home ice cream to rocket, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 15.5% from 2013-2018.

Buoyed by rising disposable incomes, increasing home-freezer ownership, and the growing reach of cold-chain distribution pathways in the country, the time is now for the Indian ice cream market. Ice cream parlors are a booming business in India, and this popularity is making its way to retail. Manufacturers of packaged ice cream are tapping into the popularity of the parlour by presenting fun products for sharing occasions, as

well as ice cream party kits that allow consumers to add their own toppings to products, creating a fun, novel experience for all the family to enjoy together. “We at Cremica believe that ice cream is one of life's great, simple pleasures that can be shared with family and friends of all ages.

It is one of the most trusted brands in Maharashtra and we are looking to expand its exclusive ice cream parlors through franchising, said Ashish Nahar Treat Ice cream plays dual roles as manufacturers and as retailers. “We have our own Ice cream parlour chain, where we serve our own branded ice creams in the prevalent packing like cups, cones and bars in the impulse segments”. Treat Ice cream Parlors are also well known for innovative recipe and ranges of Sundaes for their consumers, informed Amol. On the same line is the Kool Marketing Pvt Ltd, according to Naina Hedge, they have a very well established brand – Delzia Ice cream parlors along with retail presence as well as whole sale supplies to institutions and events. Frostee ice cream has its very own parlors at Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Pune and Ratnagiri. The company also manufactures Products like Shrikhand, Amrakhand, Basundi, Lassi.

THE FLAVOR FIXTURE Ice cream flavors are what make an ice cream innovative and tasty. Ice cream companies are constantly coming up with new and fresh flavors to magnetize consumers and tingle their taste buds.

Nowadays there are umpteen flavors in the world of ice cream leading to stiff competition between both domestic and international ice cream companies.

According to Amol the Managing director of Treat Ice cream, Vanilla is highest grossing flavour, but the demand for other flavours is also increasing.

Strawberry and Chocolate have been the runners up in this. However in the ongoing times the volume consumption of Vanilla has increased, other flavours too have started to gain foothold.

“We see a sizeable rise in demand in Kesar Pista, Fresh Mango, Fresh Pineapple, Fresh Sitafal and such other flavours and Rajbhog is emerging as our speciality and we see a marked preference for ice cream with dry fruits”, Amol said. He also told us that there was now an increased demand for Sundae and a rise in demand for customisation of

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flavours at the parlour servings.

“My observation is that a regular patron will try a new flavour at least once and then react subsequently to that new flavor based on his own choices and preferences. We find our parlours to be a good testing ground for test marketing our new flavours” he stated further. Naina Hedge maintains that most events in India especially Maharashtra largely go for either vanilla or strawberry and to some extent chocolate. However in retail segment the demand for more premium flavours is much higher. On the same line Ashish Nahar also explains that maximum demand is for Vanilla, Strawberry & Butter Scotch flavours. He said, “apart from this we also have a customer base for all fresh fruit seasonal flavours and our hot selling item is a huge range of Jet Cones”.

Frostee strives to continuously upgrade and improve with the best flavor in this growing market of competition to satisfy the needs of ice cream lovers. Sharma revealed that there is a wide demand for our natural flavour like Sitafal, Anjir, Lichi, Fresh Mango, fresh Strawberry, Tender Coconut and in house developed flavours like English Royale, Diamond, Mello-Jello, Pista Munch and many other

exotic range.

POTENTIAL In recent years, consumption of icecream and other frozen novelties in winters has been on the rise. A mix of factors is responsible for lessening the seasonal impact and contributing to the overall growth of the country's ice-cream industry such as changing consumer perception, capturing regional variations, diverse consumer segments, favourable retail location, product range and innovation, festivities, and marketing and promotions.

MAHA ICE CREAM Currently growing at 12-15 percent annually, the future prospects of India's ice-cream market seem promising for manufacturers, suppliers and retailers.

development and competition and the company has just installed a fully automatic candy line plant producing 2500 Candies per hour and 2 automatic cup and cone filling lines in its new plant

A number of regional players have also started expanding. The entry of new players will further intensify the struggle to get a bigger market share.

Naina Hedge added that Kool Marketing has been constantly upgrading and improving upon the plant and machinery and the processes to stay ahead of competition and also looking to add capacities to the existing ones.

Ice cream companies are constantly upgrading technologically so as to meet the striving demand of the market. They have to be the best to present the best. The competition is leading to expansion and development of this industry so that the companies can be at par with local and international contenders.

Ashish Nahar informed that, Cremica has recently expanded their production capacity by more than 50% this year.

“Our plan for the next season is to go in for automatic rotary type candy line & extrusion line in order to procure a wide range of novelty items with speedy production. We have also plans to set up ice cream parlors throughout the state of Maharashtra in a very short period of time”, he added. Frostee thrive on

eastern districts of Vidharbha - Nagpur, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli, said Amol, and for the coming future we have targeted entry into all districts of Vidarbha.

CONCLUSION

in Kagal and Kolhapur. Sharma thinks to be in market they need to map out future prospects of market and technology, so as to satisfy the needs of ice cream lovers.

Amol Joining the group says that to be in the futuristic competition we have to be geared up with new machinery to streamline the production and other infrastructure to back up the growth plan.

Treat Ice Cream manufacturing facilities have set proper foundations in the three

Maharashtra Ice cream industry is expanding steadily. Ice cream companies are developing according to demands and need. The industry is determined to overcome hurdles like power cuts to produce best and innovative ice creams.

Competition is inflexible for them from their counterparts as well as from the international brand competition. But the ice cream industry in Maharashtra is continuously developing and upgrading technologically to create a niche and space for themselves in the Indian as well as international ice cream market.

121, 1st Floor, Rassaz Multiplex, Station Road, Mira Road (E), Dist Thane - 401 107, Maharashtra.

Ph. : +91-22-28115068, 28555069, 8689979988 Email : info@agronfoodprocessing.com www.agronfoodprocessing.com

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ADVANCES

Advances in Packaging Methods, Processes and Systems

1.Introduction

W

orldwide sales of processed food have reached more than $2 trillion. Of this, packaged foods take up almost $1 trillion.

Research has shown that the increase of incomes in traditionally less economically developed countries has led to a rise in standards of living.

Consequently, consumers in these countries have switched from staples such as rice and barley to processed food [1,2]. Packaging is the cornerstone of the foodd processing industry [3]. In fact, the processing and packaging industry transforms food from one stage to another

based on appropriate techniques and methods, and the entire chain of events can be subsumed under this one phrase.

As seen in Figure 1, packaging consists of a diverse array of options. Processing and packaging includes under its banner ďŹ ve important stages. It is driven by health and hygiene factors, food safety, high quality, fresh tasting, and balanced vitamins and nutrients [4]. Other important aspects of food processing and packaging are toxin removal, marketing and distribution, maintenance of taste, year-round availability, and long shelflife [5]. There are other beneďŹ ts as well.

Processed foods are preserved longer, protected from dust, moisture, and micro-

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organisms, and are odor-free. The advent of machineries, robotics, and automation technology has driven down the overall cost of processed food versus original food products. The California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research at the University of California, Davis reported that research areas for the food processing and packaging industry [6] would include (i) optimization of equipment and utilities; (ii) food safety and security; (iii) supply chain waste reduction; (iv) development of seasonal infrastructure; and (v) advanced automation and control methods. In summary, the productivity of a typical food processing plant depends on (i) pre-

ADVANCES process; (iii) percentage of gases emitted into the air per package; (iv) usage of water over the entire life cycle of a package; and (v) whether the packaging material is dumped into the land or recycled or reused. Thus, inclusion of lifecycle information into the packaging system is gaining momentum.

2. Materials and Advanced Packaging Methods

confer longer shelf-life, higher safety, and improved hygiene. The presence of iron in such an approach slows down the oxidation process. Yet another approach is modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), whereby the package atmosphere has an artificially reduced oxygen level and inflated carbon dioxide level. Smart packaging, an advanced active packaging, relates to use of sensors.

Fuzzy logic and neural networks have been incorporated to develop intelligent sensors [18] that have soft thresholds between reject–accept classifications of food. Nanotechnology-based packaging, another level of packaging principle, is drawing attention recently. This approach is concerned with molecular-level

Food processors use a variety of machines for different production lines and for various food types. Several machine types are integrated into a single packaging line. Some of the machine types are cartooning, wrapping, labeling,

This section presents several types of packaging materials followed by advanced packaging methods. Packaging materials are selected based on the specific food types. Oxygen-sensitive foods require packaging with barrier properties that can prevent spoilage due to oxidation. Plastics have been used for a long time, but sustainable and green protocols recommend forgoing plastics for other materials that are biodegradable and environmentally friendly. As most packaging generates waste, there is renewed focus on creating sustainable packaging and some of the examples of those materials are polylactide acid (PLA) plastics, sugar cane pulp, fiber composite, starch-based films, and so on.

Woods and glass are also used as packaging materials for a long time.

Aluminum packaging provides an impermeable barrier to protect food. It is chemically neutral, non-toxic and nontainting. Some foods need to be kept in a dark environment [15–19]. Aluminum is good in this respect [20]. Efficient packaging can mean cheaper, safer, and more hygienic foods. Active packaging is one of the ideas where the packaging material itself interacts with the food to

material manipulation that can reduce spoilage or oxidation. Furthermore, there is secure hygienic production, processing and shipment. Nanotechnology-based sensors and coating materials can be used for pathogen and contaminant detection and tracing. Nanoscale silica spheres [16–18] filled with molecules of a fluorescent dye have already been developed and are compatible with meat packaging, where they are able to detect the presence of the poisonous E. coli 0157 bacteria [19]. Food monitoring based on anti-counterfeit technologies is currently in the research and development stage at various companies. Important research studies in nanotechnology-based smart packaging are barrier, mechanical and heat-resistance properties, sensing and signaling microbiological and biochemical changes, and traceability.

Moreover, sustainability has emerged as the new face of the packaging industry, and one essential tool that can be used to trigger sustainability is Life Cycle Inventory (LCI). LCI provides a detailed description of how a raw material is extracted until the end of its life and includes: (i) material and energy used in the packaging; (ii) wastes involved in the

shrinking, sealing, case and tray forming, caping, cooling and drying, feeding, palletizing, picking and placing (robotic systems), cleaning and sterilizing, in addition to inspection and detecting machines. According to the Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC) [21], the number of packaging machine types employed in a packaging line ranges from two to ten. Food conveying systems in the plant: Medium to large-scale plants require an efficient means for food transport through the assembly line. Usually, transportation is achieved via conveyor systems and they are the real work force. Figure 1 shows a conveyor system in a tomato processing plant. Note that the total length of the entire conveyer system in a large-scale tomato processing plant could be up to one kilometer or more. The conveying systems perform functions such as washing, flipping, rotating, pushing, indexing, diverting, or accumulating products at various points in the product line. Some conveyor systems run around the clock for two to three months because of harvesting season. Their capabilities and limitations are therefore enforced and influenced by material and physical

preparation; (ii) processing and preservation methods; (iii) packaging materials; (iv) systems for material flow; (v) automation, instrumentation, and control scheme; (vi) degree of smartness in the sensors; (vii) sophistication in the machineries and mechanisms (including application of robotics); (viii) inspection methods; (ix) printing methods; (x) security identification; (xi) graphic design and digital work flow; (xii) sanitation and sterilization; and (xiii) factory-wide execution management strategy including supply-chain management [7–10].

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3.Packaging Machineries and Automation Systems

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ADVANCES properties such as tension, length, and friction, as well as operational capability that include electrical systems. Also, there are various metrics to consider during the selection and installation of a conveyor system, such as appropriate material, ergonomic and user-friendly interfaces, flexibility and scalability, application environment (horizontal, vertical or incline), and load capacity [22]. Industrial food processing requires a wide range of conveyor belts depending upon the applications. Some of the conveyor types are roller, vertical

Sometimes chemical sanitizers or physical scrubbing is required to prevent food contamination with pathogens such as listeria, salmonella, and staphylococcus. Essentially, there are other contaminants besides the bacterial forms. Known as food soils, these are sugar, fats, proteins, and minerals from extraneous substances. The removal of the food soils depends upon the food product being processed. There are several methods adopted: foam, high pressure, clean-in/out-place and mechanical. Commonly used procedures

reciprocating, horizontal, gravity, sortation, accumulation, dual timing, carousel indexing, round belt, end drive, incline, vacuum, vibratory, wheel, and wire mesh conveyors. Creating a safe environment free of toxins and contaminants is one of the great challenges in building a conveying system. The most important aspects of conveyor design are not the automation and control or electrical interfacings, however the materials used for the mechanical structure. Stainless steel is recommended to prevent microorganism growth in crevices and small joints in the belt system. The issue here is that over time bacterial biofilms form on stagnate areas. Anti-bacterial coating materials such as modified polyolefine improve safe food production [16]. The antibacterial coating contains an additive that prevents the growth of microorganisms on belt surfaces. Cleaning in regular intervals can prevent the issue. Cleaning is usually done with high temperature.

are pre-rinse, rinse, acid rinse, and sanitize. The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Working Group addresses food safety. The scope of the activity includes analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product.

Application of robots: Applications of robots are found in welding and assembly lines. Food processing is still a minor application area for robots. Higher cost and lower productivity are leading towards increased application of robots in the food sector [23,24]. Robotic system can pack meat and chocolates into the trays faster. FANUC robotics, Inc. has developed several models of pick-andplace articulated robot for the food industry that meet stringent hygiene requirements. The exterior design is smooth with no dark/damp regions for

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contaminants or microorganisms. The robot comprises of several arms called kinematic chains linking their base to mobile parts. Some robotic system can handle 300 parts a minute and attain accelerations of 200 m per square second with loads of two kilograms. Many food processing plants are constantly automating their final product with the palletizing robot due to the demand for increased productivity. The sophisticated control system with a built-in palletizing function makes it possible to load and unload the objects with high precision and accuracy. Robotic palletizers can handle up to four production lines and multiple product types simultaneously.

Their compact design makes them ideal for small space. Depalletizers provide an efficient means to sort containers from bulk layered pallets onto a conveyor or conveying system. Some palletizers are equipped with up to more than 4000 slots.

The system also palletizes 1000 cases with a load of 20 lbs.; working hours up to 10 h per day for 5–6 days is common. The machine can provide quality, reliable and high performance palletizer solutions to diversified industries. KUKA Robotics is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial robots, with an annual production volume approaching 10,000 units, and an installed base of over 75,000 units. The company's five and six-axis robots range from 3 kg to 570 kg payloads, and 635 mm to 3700 mm reach.

Automation: According to ARC Advisory Group [25] the food industries are in a state of change driven by cost of operations. This change is driving the need for automation solutions and IT equipment that can enable the industry to become leaner and more agile. Increasing safety and liability issues are a major concern for food companies and they are affecting their investment decisions. The need for more automated traceability has become a basic requirement. Although PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)based architecture has been commonly used in the food industry, they were not designed for making secure electronic records, nor were they designed with version control and software security in mind. It is becoming increasingly difficult to make PLCs compliant with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. The FDA and USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) will be looking for evidence of control system validation for regulated food processes.

ADVANCES There are about 28,000 establishments manufacturing food [26] in the US. Processed food sales worldwide are in the order of trillions of dollars and over tens of millions of people work in the industry.

Implementation of advanced automation and control strategy in the food packaging domain plays a vital role.

Compared to traditional methods, advanced control methods have several advantages. The traditional methods use discrete electronics, PLCs, Industrial Computers and even high-computing systems such as the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) platform. These automation platforms have issues such as reliability, flexibility, scalability. For example, PCor PLC-based systems are considered to be redundant because they require maintenance and additional expertise.

They have restricted interoperability due to incompatibility in host-platform requirements. Similarly, DSP systems require customization and expertise in addition to being very costly. Conversely, the modern food industry entails sophisticated control architecture. The food processing and packaging control system embeds a generic set of essential requirements with regard to timing, error diagnostics, coordination, peripherycontrol acknowledgement, and s y n c h r o n i z a t i o n . M o r e o v e r, i t s imperative error recovery and fault corrections are needed during run time [27]. Furthermore, the control systems should satisfy other fault-tolerant features such as interlock checking, lockout checking, and user-friendly, intuitive status display with error messaging. Applying modern control network technology to the food industry can markedly improve food productivity, manufacturing, preservation, and handling. Currently, however, the industry's automation systems are predominantly centralized. Though there is some modular approach, the overall system is implemented with static functionality. The conventional PC-, PLC-, or DSP-based centralized automation strategy characterizes a central processing unit with peripheral devices such as sensors, actuators, and drives. One of the important requirements is the integration of drive systems, I/O interfacings, instrumentation hardware, supports for diagnostics and prognostics, data collection and operator interfaces. The architecture needed to be flexible in terms

o f e x t e n d i b i l i t y, s c a l a b i l i t y a n d configurability to enable features to be developed independently and added, modified or removed, along with the addition of new features required for the future [28].

In order to be able to know about the appropriate control strategy for the food industry, the author conducted a survey. It was found that the industry preferred to implement the Distributed Control System (DCS) (Figure 2) instead of a more centralized one, because of its advantageous flexibility over the whole operating range. Other benefits include low implementation cost, easy maintenance, configurability, scalability, and modularity. The potential benefits of adopting decentralized automation have been widely recognized. However, fully integrated, distributed, agile and open control systems still need to be addressed [30]. DCS interconnects devices with a single serial link and it is evidently a fourlayer automation service. The bottom layer, referred to as the device level, includes the physical components such as micro-controller and sensors, actuators and switches. The interface layer is similar to the MAC sub-layer of the link layer protocol. The process layer includes application layer features. Since the control system does not transfer raw data through a physical media, an application layer should exist in the automation architecture. The application layer defines the variables, which are responsible for transferring data from one place to another when t h e y a r e connected l o g i c a l l y.

Advances in distributed c o n t r o l principles i n d e e d influenced many kinds of automation and control applications.

Although a dedicated networking system for the food industry

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does not yet exist, the available proprietary standards are somehow adequate because they provide essential features in order to implement both DCS (Distributed Control Systems) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) architectures [30]. Fieldbus technology is preferred for DCS implementation. The leading fieldbuses with their characteristics can be seen in [31]. The technology includes a protocol, which can transmit and receive digital data through multiple media and channels. Recently, many fieldbuses have been made available in the technology marketplace. For industrial control applications, the type of bus used is described as a sensor-bus or device-bus, and it usually deals with devices such as sensors, motors, drives, switches and valves providing process variable information. In summary, the fieldbus provides a good basis for distributed realtime control implementation which is essential in food processing and packaging areas. It has been successfully tried and tested in many applications, including a wide range of general industrial applications from food processing, to conveyor system automation and packaging plant automation. Fieldbuses are classified based on topology, processing power, type, and speed. The leading fieldbuses with their characteristics can be seen in [3]. There is a need for short production cycles with high performance and efficiency. Using fieldbus controls result

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ADVANCES in about 55% capital savings. There are various proprietary standards, including M o d B u s , P R O F I B U S D P, C A N , LonWorks, FOUNDATION FIELDBUS, AS-I, SERCOS, and InterBus. Selecting the appropriate fieldbus for food plant applications is nontrivial due to the lack of a standard. The ProLinx Modbus TCP/IP serves as a gateway to BOSCH Packaging Machinery, creating a powerful connection between devices on an EtherNet/IP network and BOSCH packaging machinery. It is claimed that the MNET-BSCH modules are the ideal solution for the many applications where Modbus TCP/IP connectivity can be used to integrate BOSCH Packaging Machinery devices into a system.

Profibus-DP technology is chosen by a beverage bottler in Germany to control its blow-molding machines. In addition, french fry carton maker Roberts PolyPro adopted Profibus technology for a new high-speed french fry scoop maker that can run at 1800 ft/min. DeviceNet, a system level product from CAN fieldbus, is used for a linear motor system that powers continuous vertical form-fill-seal and horizontal flow-wrapping equipment. The controller also incorporates the I/O for the sensing and actuation functions associated with the process, such as registration mark detection and zip position sensor. Using CANopen communication, the motion control system links to an operator panel, which allows the operator to define zip length, pouch size, etc. [32]. Echelon's LonWorks technology, a fieldbus system and more, has been designed for several automation applications. Energy management is one of the important areas in fast food restaurant franchises. Fast food chains seek to manage labor and energy costs along multiple nodes of their supply chain. Echelon reports that McDonald's franchise has already developed green kitchen technology via LonWorks fieldbus, which is a part of its LEED-Gold certification, a designation marking. FIELDBUS FOUNDATION has been successful in the food and beverage industry. Carlton and United Breweries, Australia's leading beer brewer, is one of the top five brewers in the world, producing more than half the beer consumed in Australia; it requires tight process control as beer production is a complex method. The company embarked on a $17 million plan to replace the filtration room with a fieldbus-based

control system that uses FisherRosemount PlantWeb® architecture [3–5].

Appropriate selection of technology standards can improve the effectiveness of food production, processing and packaging. Readily available enabling and foolproof technologies can facilitate plug and play modular design strategy.

Food processing and packaging industries entail: (i) integrated tool-set for design, implementation, installation, maintenance and modification of the automation architecture according to requirements; (ii) connectivity to support change; (iii) generic but flexible data models to accommodate emerging standards; (iv) flexible information storage mechanisms; (v) runtime functionality across the system based on enterprise-wide network technology; and (vi) dynamic configuration and reconfiguration of run-time systems over a distributed wireless platform, providing the inherent flexibility.

4. Safety, Traceability, and Supply Chain The most important requirement in food production and packaging is food safety.

According to the USDA, more than 75 million people per year become ill from food poisoning. In the US, per year, 325,000 people are hospitalized, and 5000 of them die from pathogens like salmonella and E. coli that can be found in raw meat products. The FDA has widened food safety regulations to encompass vegetables, including tomato and jalapeno, as these industries have suffered big losses due to pathogens.

Food safety research activities entail combined knowledge and understanding from both science and engineering, as well as technology fields. The importance of this collaborative effort is to use the expertise in these mutually inclusive sub-fields so as to help understand and eventually find the best feasible solution to real-world problems.

In food processing and packaging, traceability has been extremely important in order to maintain not only safety but also the authenticity of the product. The ability to trace and authenticate a product is of major concern. By and large, traceability is understood as the completeness of the

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information about every step in a process chain. In the foreseeable future, traceability guidelines will come into play that would even include withdrawal of dangerous food products from the market, operator responsibilities and requirements applicable to imports and exports, as reported. Currently, the bar coding and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) methods are very popular for exchanging information sophisticatedly. RFID technology provides many advantages for temperature and humidity monitoring and tracking. Compared to conventional circuitry, RFID confirms a reduced amount of required instrumentation and interfacings. The most important feature with RFID is that it does not demand manual scanning without ever requiring line of sight between the tags and the reader, thereby saving considerable time and man hours, as well as decreasing the number of errors.

Research interests in these areas are biosensors design intended for the detection of pathogens in food and cells.

Broadly, the interests are feasibility study and characterization of various spectroscopy and imaging approaches in order to enhance the sensitivity of the detection of target pathogens, and design of devices by the use of appropriate technology and methods. Considering the speed of detection, sensitivity, precision, accuracy, size and cost, the research should focus on analysis, design and development of biosensors as well, as other interfacing devices such as microfluidic devices and systems.

Te c h n o l o g y - d r i v e n i n s p e c t i o n : Automated food inspection is necessary to reduce both labor costs and maintain high productivity. Two important methods are widely used: X-ray-based inspection and multispectral inspection.

The absorption differences of X-rays are caused by the variations in density or thickness in the food to be packaged. It is possible to detect both small and large product contaminants such as plastic, glass, bone, rubber, stone, and metal in food. Image processing, known as the non-destructive method for food inspection and grading [33], has been a recent trend. Recent developments in hardware and software have expanded to accommodate multispectral and hyperspectral imaging technique for advanced food quality and safety

ADVANCES inspection, including detection of disease, defects, and contamination. The dual-band spectral imaging systems have a two-port camera system that consists of two identical monochrome CCD cameras, an optical system, and two narrow bandpass filters. The optical components of the imaging system consist of a lens unit, a beamsplitter, two bandpass filters and two back lens units.

The basic principle involves the reflected light of an object being collected by the front lens and split by the beamsplitter such that 50% is reflected at a right angle and the rest is allowed to pass through straight. Two bandpass filters are enclosed in C-mount filter holders and attached at each exit port of the beamsplitter. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy is applied to detect bacterial spoilage. Based on differences observed at unique wavelengths, nearinfrared chemical imaging is investigated as a tool for the high-throughput analysis of self-contained microbial identification including quality attributes such as physical and chemical characteristics, including determination of fat, protein, moisture and connective tissue content.

Pa ck a g e p rin t in g m et h o d s a n d security: The use of printing inks also in food packaging falls under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The regulations in effect require that the ink materials be manufactured under safe conditions. It is recommended that the ink be composed of organic compounds. Rubber plates with a raised image area are printed with quick-drying inks directly on foil, plastic wrap, and other material. The typical composition of inks consists of colorants, binders, and carriers, depending upon the application. High quality inks and varnishes address many technical expectations including specific resistance, curing time, safety, and sustainable environmental requirements.

Flexography printing process is appropriate for plastic-based cartons, and wrappers. Lithographic printing permits the reproduction and printing of finer screen rulings and photographic images.

The electron Beam (EB) printing procedure facilitates the coating and drying of adhesives without heat or light.

Some food manufacturers incorporate packaging security in printing to combat anything from consumer tampering to bioterrorism to product counterfeiting.

Processors and suppliers adopt a variety of techniques to keep food safe from such interferences.

Supply chain and transportation: The transportation industry lacks a uniform and formal security policy for the food supply chain. Loaded and unloaded vehicles are often left unattended and sometimes are parked overnight in insecure as well as unsupervised areas.

These locations are manually secluded and include production farms, transfer points, remote places, and hauling company property and even hauler residences. The existing methods used for securing during transport are very much paper intensive and prone to manual errors. There is thus a pressing need for the bulk transportation sectors to establish an enhanced security system that will reduce manual recording errors and enable normal transport activities, while providing peace-of-mind delivery strategy (Figure 3). The design of the transport security system incorporated all of the critical design requirements to ensure the secure transport of food between locations and specifically between farms, transfer stations, receiving stations and processors. The most important requirement in the food supply chain is the real-time data management for several reasons, though the prime concerns are safety and security. To ensure the production as well as delivery of quality products, food processors have to be able to efficiently produce, manage, and track items, information and resources throughout the supply chain, including across the enterprise. Concerns about food safety, potential liability issues as well as issues related to bio-security among consumers and suppliers are contributing to the increased demand for real-time information in terms of cradle-to-grave data management, security and safety (CDMS3) for food and food products.

Growers, suppliers, and handlers must be aware of issues concerning the shelf life and shipping requirements of produce to ensure freshness, quality and minimum loss. The shipper should protect the produce from extreme temperatures during transport. The important involved parameters are temperature, humidity and ethylene. These parameters affect internal quality, the tendency of fruit to rot, and dehydration. Moreover, some products generate ethylene, potentially

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damaging other products in the same transportation carrier. There comes the issue of load compatibility during shipping. Many commodities can be handled in unison because of their inherent characteristics. Although packing of typical food is carefully maintained as regards to relative humidity and insulation, presently a dedicated data management system for real-time remote monitoring and management of mixed load shipping is again not available [34]. Furthermore, because much food product shipping is managed by a third party, during transportation, both bio- and social security are of prime concern. To optimize the transportation conditions that can minimize impact of transportation on shelf life, environmental conditions during the long transportation period in temperaturecontrolled trailers are to be analyzed to detect spatial variation and time course environmental changes inside the trailers.

5. Software and Workflow Much like in other industries, an enterprise-wide software system plays a vital role in the food industry. In order to keep track of performance, most food industries have been using new methods and techniques, including lean principles and Six Sigma. There are IT solutions to support steady improvement by increasing visibility on plant performance and to implement easy-touse technologies. It was reported earlier that Packaging Execution Systems (PES) are IT solutions that support the production processes in the food industry [35]. PES especially closes the gap between the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software kernel and equipment control systems such as DCS and SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition). Because of the advent of technology and interoperability, PES now can support enterprise-wide internal supply chain management, production process, real-time automation and control, data collection and reporting.

Some PES embeds production intelligence in order to improve production performance. Depending on the size of the plant, diversity of operations and the level of required intelligence, enterprise-wide networks vary. Several protocols are used on the same physical platform. The data carried

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ADVANCES are diverse and come from production, maintenance, stores and purchase, utilities and chemicals, marketing and sales, finance, administration, and transport and logistics. Apparently, wireless network, RFID technology, modular database, fieldbus technology, client-server-based connection, rouch screen human interface, handheld applications, local wireless standards (e.g., Bluetooth), etc. have been common practice to incorporate CDMS in food industry (Figure 4).

Standardization has a major impact on system integration. In an attempt to harmonize the line of thinking as regards to processing and packaging technology the OMAC Users Group (UG) took a step in order to collectively derive common solutions for both technical and nontechnical issues in the development, implementation, and commercialization of open, modular architecture control (OMAC) technologies [36]. The objective is to enhance flexibility, capability, and reduce integration costs.

The guidelines for Packaging Automation version 3.1 documents the original guidelines developed by the group. There are five packaging subgroups and their dedicated activities are as reported previously [35]: (i) PackSoft: Guidelines for machinery programming languages; (ii) PackConnect: Define control architecture platforms and connectivity; (iii) PackAdvantage: Identify the benefits of connect and pack guidelines; (iv) PackML: Naming convention communications; and (v) PackLearn: Educational and training needs of the industry. For detailed information, readers may visit the E-maintenance: The food industry faces diverse challenges such as government regulations, harsh working conditions and complex equipment requiring constant maintenance to preserve safety and standards. The need for continuous cleaning mostly creates a wet environment which in turn causes havoc on processing machineries and equipment. Food safety regulations can affect a company in many different ways.

The Hazardous Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation is an FDA quality-related guideline. Emaintenance has becoming a trend in food industries. E-maintenance integrates software backbone,

information and communication technology for remote monitoring and control. Advanced technology systems such as sensor network, RFID, apps, and open-system standards are used to replace human-centered maintenance.

6. Trends The recent trend is that food processing and packaging companies have been constantly upgrading the entire automation and supply chain processes (ASCP), utilizing advanced technology systems in the manufacturing and production areas, assembly lines, monitoring and control, instrumentation, data management and processing, and machineries [38]. Quality, cost, and productivity have been a mandatory requirement in food processing and packaging [39]. All this means an effective system-of-systems approach to ASCP that also includes (a) knowledgebased management and decision support systems; (b) novel technologies and strategies; (c) new technologies for waste reduction; (d) technologies for effective water and energy management and optimization; (e) waste reductions, recycling and reuse, sustainable technology; and, finally; (f) adaptation of ideas to face challenges and provide solutions. ASCP not only entails interdisciplinary knowledge, but also trans-disciplinary knowledge [40] that embeds the latest processing and packaging principles and practices.

Furthermore, in-plant research activities on how new science, engineering, and technology should be utilized in process, production, machineries, planning, management and logistics, and communication have been a recent trend [41]. Above all, food companies are now eager to establish more academic and professional links in order to provide opportunities to build community engagement [42]. Many industries have units to handle programs such as formation of membership database with partnering and client companies, development and submission and research grants and proposals, creation of internships and paid projects. The objectives of these programs are to establish organizational links and provide ad hoc information to the community and professional societies through industry–institute interactions. They also help establish indirect publicity and

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achievement plans, prepare future customers, remain aware of underlying principle and food processing integration methods (the designs, control systems and instrumentation, computer software and management, machine interfaces, and technology trends) for the promotion of technology-related business for the future, as well as understand organizational structure and hierarchy in staffing and professionals for future recruitment at the time of enhancements, share research and development knowledge, and distribute documentation for societal acceptance to their business strategies; these have all been new additions under trans-disciplinary entities [43].

7. Conclusions This paper is intended to provide an overview of the materials, methods, technology, systems, and standards which are being adopted in typical modern-day food industries. Food processing and automation systems involve multidisciplinary activities. This paper reviewed some aspects of packaging materials, regarding security and sustainability. It then discussed the particulars of the machineries. Advanced automation and control solutions for food industries are highlighted. In particular, features of DCS and its compatible technology—the fieldbus—was suggested. Supply chain management, including a technology-driven transportation system and its components, were identified and presented. Various inspection methods researched at several institutes were briefed. The usefulness of robotic platforms has been presented. A brief description on accepted printing methods was presented. Along with OMAC guidelines for the packaging industry, paper also presents the role of PES similar to MES in manufacturing sectors.

The paper concludes with a picture that illustrates how various interoperable systems such as bluetooth standards, wireless network, RFID technology, fieldbus technology, modular objectoriented DBMS, client-server-based distributed architecture, Human—Machine Interface and graphics, and user-friendly handheld devices play vital roles in a typical modern-day food processing plant.

GM CROPS

The use of genetically modified crops in developing countries a guide to the Discussion Paper Introduction

t

he Nuffield Council on Bioethics provoked vigorous debate with the publication of its Report, Genetically modified crops: ethical and social issues in 1999. One of the conclusions, based on the evidence available at the time, was that there was a moral imperative for making GM crops readily and economically available to people in developing countries who wanted them. In 2003, the Council felt it was important to examine whether the arguments for this conclusion were still valid. We have done this by publishing a follow-up Discussion Paper which focuses specifically on the use of GM

crops in developing countries. This summary sets out some of the arguments and recommendations which are discussed in more detail in the Discussion Paper. The Paper reviews recent scientific evidence, socio-economic trends, and developments in policy, regulation and trade. [Notes in square brackets throughout refer to Sections and paragraphs in the Discussion Paper].

The context There are many factors that contribute to poverty and hunger in developing countries, including war, political instability, lack of infrastructure and poor economic conditions. We do not claim that the use of GM crops alone will

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eliminate the need for political, social or economic change, or that they will simply feed the world'. We recognise that we are discussing only part of a much larger picture. But since agriculture has a crucial role to play in developing countries, especially as a source of employment, income and food for the poorest people, it is important to assess the potential contribution of GM crops.

Today, the majority of GM crops are grown in developed countries and address the needs of commercial farmers.

However, farmers in developing countries are increasingly beginning to adopt GM crops. 16 million hectares are being grown in developing countries, by 4.5 million farmers. Most of these are

GM CROPS small-scale farmers in China and South Africa, growing GM cotton.

RECENT TRENDS IN POVERTY AND HUNGER IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 

777 million people in developing countries, including one third of the population of subSaharan Africa, are undernourished.



Over one billion people, almost all in Asia and Africa, survive on less than US $1 a day. Over half of these people depend primarily on agriculture for their living.

There are approximately 817 million small-scale subsistence farmers in developing countries.



Estimates of population growth suggest that food requirements are likely to rise substantially in the next 20 years.



It is predicted that the proportion of the population which is of working age in developing countries will rise. Employment opportunities will also need to increase to provide income and economic growth.

New varieties of crops introduced in Asia between the 1960s and the 1980s increased crop yields s i g n i fi c a n t l y, a l l o w i n g agriculture to provide food and work for a growing population, and reduce p o v e r t y. H o w e v e r, t h e improvements in crop yields achieved then have now s l o w e d . A d d i t i o n a l l y, benefits of the Green  Revolution failed to reach Africa. 

Could GM crops make a difference?

We consider options for increasing agricultural production [Chapter 2]. One possibility would be to expand areas of farmland. However this is rarely feasible and usually not environmentally friendly.

It may involve, for example, destroying forests. The only alternative would be for farmers to find ways to increase yields from the same amount of land.

Raising yields of staple crops could provide more food and more employment (and therefore more income to buy food).

H o w e v e r, p h y s i c a l conditions for agriculture are worsening. Farmers are faced with problems of increasing water shortages and ever poorer soils.

Conventional cross breeding techniques have been slow to address these problems. There are indications that GM technology will provide new approaches and we review the evidence to assess whether GM crops, directed towards specific agricultural problems, could help to increase crop yields.

Risk assessment: the precau onary approach It is sometimes argued that GM crops should not be used because of the possibility of an unpredictable adverse effect. The precautionary principle is frequently interpreted to mean that, whatever the possible benefits, a new technology should never be introduced unless there is an absolute guarantee that no risk will arise. However, this restrictive interpretation is essentially impractical. It would mean technologies such as vaccination, aeroplanes and mobile phones, now widely accepted, would never have been allowed. We conclude that an appropriate interpretation is a more flexible precautionary approach. By this we mean that the risks arising from the use of GM crops need to be compared with the risks of other possible courses of action, and of 'doing nothing'. Introduction of a GM crop may pose fewer risks than exist with the current agricultural system. For example, a GM crop could reduce the amount of pesticides used. The risks of 'doing nothing' may often be as great, or greater than the risks of action.

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POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF USING GM CROPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Pest infestations, diseases and poor weather conditions may all significantly lower crop yields in developing countries. GM crops could address these problems, where other breeding techniques have failed. We consider a series of case studies [Chapter 3]: 

Insect / pest resistance Half the cotton grown in China in 2002 was genetically modified to produce a substance that is poisonous to the cotton bollworm, a pest that devastates many cotton crops.

Farmers had previously applied the toxin directly by spraying the crops.

The benefits of the 'Bt cotton' are a reduction in pesticide use, an increase in yields and profits, and health benefits for farm workers who often apply pesticides without protective clothing.



Disease resistance Plants can be genetically modified to be resistant to bacterial, fungal or viral infestation.

Examples include research on sweet potatoes to improve viral resistance and bananas modified to resist the Black Sigatoka fungus. Untreated, this fungus can reduce banana yields by as much as 70% but fungicides are expensive.



Crops that can withstand environmental stresses (e.g. drought, heat, frost, acid or salty soil) A gene

GM CROPS particularly unacceptable because it violates boundaries between natural species. We take the view that all forms of plant breeding have directly and indirectly changed individual crops or biodiversity in general. Risks and benefits of specific interventions need to be considered in individual cases. We do n o t t h i n k t h a t a rg u m e n t s a b o u t 'naturalness' are convincing enough to rule out the responsible exploration of the potential of GM [paras 3.7-3.17].

What are the environmental risks of i n t r o d u c i n g GM crops in developing countries?

from a plant which can survive prolonged water stress in desert conditions has been introduced into rice. This allows rice to produce a sugar that protects the plant during dehydration, allowing it to survive periods of drought.  Herbicide tolerance Plants can be genetically modified to be tolerant to a specific weedkiller. This allows farmers to control a wide range of weeds with less weedkiller while not affecting the modified crop.

Herbicide tolerant crops are grown mainly in developed countries.

However, recently they have been used in some developing countries.

For example, more than 90% of soybeans grown in Argentina during 2002 were GM. 



Improved nutritional value Crops can be genetically modified to contain additional nutrients that are lacking from the diets of many people in developing countries. One example is Golden Rice, which has been modified to have enhanced levels of ß-carotene, in order to help to prevent vitamin A deficiency. 14 million children under five suffer clinically from this deficiency, which can cause childhood blindness.

Biopharmaceuticals Plants could be genetically modified to produce vaccines or other medicines. Potatoes have been modified to produce edible vaccines against E. coli bacteria which cause diarrhoea. This would

allow cheap and easy distribution of the vaccine, but research is still at a very early stage.

CONCERNS ABOUT GM CROPS Are GM crops safe to eat?

Some people feel that the effects of GM crops on human health are not yet adequately understood. There are concerns about the use of viral DNA during the modification process, and some question whether there would be new health risks if genes introduced in a GM crop were to be taken up by the human body. The safety of GM crops is often assessed by comparison with the closest conventional counterpart. We concluded that the current evidence from safety assessments of GM crops does not suggest any significant risks to people who eat them. We welcome the fact that concerns about GM have focused attention on issues of safety attaching to new crops and varieties [paras 4.434.47].

Are GM crops unnatural?

Many people are concerned that genetic modification is 'unnatural'. Arguments about naturalness are complex, and raise many difficult issues. We discuss these in detail, particularly in relation to similarities and differences between conventional and GM plant breeding techniques. The transfer of genes between species is often thought to be

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There are concerns that the introduction of GM crops might lead to a reduction in biodiversity (the variety of plants and animals in the wild), particularly in areas where a crop originated and a wide range of natural genetic variation is found.

There might also be unexpected consequences of gene transfer (or 'gene flow') between plants, for example an irreversible or uncontrollable 'escape' of genes into neighbouring wild plants by pollen. There are also concerns that pests or weeds could acquire resistance to crops. We concluded that the risks of gene flow need to be assessed on a case by case basis. Gene flow occurs widely throughout nature. Whether or not it is acceptable depends primarily on its consequences. The possible risk would depend largely on the particular crop and trait. We are not persuaded that possible negative results of gene flow in some areas are sufficient to rule out the planting of GM crops elsewhere in developing countries. There are also a number of ways of preventing and controlling gene flow. It is important to have sufficient seed banks to conserve genetic resources of crops effectively [paras 4.28-4.34].

Should we be concerned about corporate control?

Five agricultural biotechnology corporations now control most of the technology needed to develop GM crops, as well as the agrochemicals and crop germplasm (tissue from which new plants can be grown, for example seeds, plants or leaves). There are concerns that companies and those who own intellectual property rights have undue influence over the availability of GM crops. Access to this technology and

GM CROPS germplasm is crucial for further research.

Additionally, much of GM research currently only serves the interests of large-scale farmers in developed countries, for example by focusing on traits such as herbicide tolerance. We recommend that additional resources should be committed by the UK government and the EC to fund a major expansion of GM-related research relevant to the needs of small-scale farmers in developing countries [Chapter 6].

THE USE OF GM CROPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES We consider a number of questions that are frequently asked about the introduction of GM crops in developing countries [Chapter 4]: In view of the amount of food available worldwide, are GM crops really necessary?

Some people argue that enough food is produced to feed the world's population already, and that more effort should be put into better food distribution.

However, there are several problems with this argument. First, there are serious logistical and political obstacles that hinder redistribution. Secondly, the growing demand for meat, milk and eggs also requires far more staple crops.

Agriculture is a vital part of people's livelihood in developing countries. Even in areas where there is a food surplus, such as India, there is currently undernourishment due to serious poverty.

While it is crucial to strive for a fairer distribution of land, food and purchasing power we take the view that it would be unethical to rely entirely on these means to address food insecurity. Redistribution is extremely difficult, and there is therefore a duty to explore the possible contributions that GM crops can make. It is unlikely that the amount of food available today will feed the population expansion expected over the next 50 years.

Will GM crops only be of benefit to l a r g e - s c a l e f a r m e r s ?

How would they contribute to international trade?

Although GM crops primarily benefit large-scale farmers, many small-scale

farmers in China and South Africa have already successfully grown GM cotton.

In China, yields were estimated to have increased by 10% compared to non-GM crops, and the amount of pesticide used fell by as much as 80%, leading to an increase in profits. The efficiency of agriculture has a major impact on the standard of living in most developing countries. It is also important to consider the implications that the introduction of GM crops may have for international trade. Exports from developing countries include tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar and cotton. We believe that in many i n s t a n c e s , G M c r o p s m a y o ff e r significant improvements to subsistence agriculture. It is also important that exports from developing countries can compete on the world market. If GM crops become more widespread in developed countries, farmers who use non-GM varieties may face financial disadvantages, and the gap between rich and poor could be increased even further.

Can GM crops help to solve health problems in developing countries?

Scientists claim that Golden Rice, modified to produce ß-carotene, could help prevent vitamin A deficiency in Asia, but opponents question whether it would actually achieve this aim. At present, there is no robust scientific evidence for either claim. There is uncertainty both about the bioavailability of ß-carotene from Golden Rice, and about conversion rates for the production of vitamin A in man. We recommend that it is essential to continue research to establish how effective the approach might be. Golden Rice could make a valuable contribution where other sources of vitamin A are not easily available. It should be compared with alternative methods of improving micronutrients in the diet such as the

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provision of vitamin supplements through public health programmes.

THE USE OF GM CROPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Can GM crops be introduced in such a waythat local customs and practices are respected? There are concerns that the introduction of GM crops will destroy traditional agricultural practices. One example is the practice of many farmers in developing countries of saving seed between harvests, rather than buying new seed each year. It is suggested that the introduction of GM crops will force farmers to buy seed. There are also concerns that in some situations, GM herbicide tolerant crops could lead to a reduction in the demand for labour for weeding on farms. We recommend that it is important to ensure that local traditions are respected and that farmers are involved in decision making. The use of GM crops will not necessarily spread Western farming practices and genetic modification can be used to improve traditional crops. However, there may be cases where one type of GM crop, such as a GM herbicide tolerant crop, is less useful for a specific kind of farmer in a particular country. There are also likely to be problems if a single company dominated the seed market. It is desirable that, as far as possible, farmers have a genuine choice. To provide this, it is important to encourage research, through public sector support, into crops (whether GM or not) that can be retained by farmers with minimal loss of yield.

What is the best method of achieving sustainable agriculture?

Yi e l d s o f a l m o s t a l l c r o p s a r e significantly lower in developing

GM CROPS

countries than developed countries, because of problems of poor soil and pest infestation. Some people argue that the use of organic farming methods, integrated pest management and mixed cropping would be a more appropriate solution than the use of GM technology.

We c o n c l u d e d t h a t s u s t a i n a b l e agriculture can be achieved most effectively when different approaches are combined appropriately. This includes organic and contemporary plant breeding as well as GM techniques. It is unlikely that organic farming alone can cope with agricultural challenges in developing countries, and other important strategies in agricultural practice should not be neglected.

Food Aid In 2002, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique faced dramatic food shortages which threatened more than ten million people with starvation. However, their governments rejected donations of food aid from the US because it consisted of GM maize. Zimbabwe and Mozambique eventually accepted food aid in the form of milled GM maize, but the Zambian government did not. We explore this controversy, and the reasons behind it. We recommend that developing countries must be given a genuine choice between GM and non-GM food aid where possible. When developing countries prefer to receive non-GM grain, it should be purchased by the World Food Programme and other food aid organisations wherever possible. If only GM donations are available, and the

concern is about risks to the environment rather than to health, food aid donations should be provided in milled form [paras 5.375.42].

We feel the most appropriate approach would normally be a centralised and evidence-based safety assessment at the national or regional level. Environmental and health risks should be assessed on a case by case basis.

DEVELOPMENTS IN P O L I C Y , REGULATION AND TRADE



Decisions about the development, planting and regulation of GM crops take place at many levels, from international regulations down to individual farmers.

We outline the system of international governance applying to GM crops and highlight ethical and regulatory issues.

We then discuss a number of specific challenges applying to developing countries [Chapter 5]: 

Level of regulation Developing countries have to ensure that their policies make sense in the context of their own development needs and also take account of the complex range of international regulations. Should decisions about the planning of GM crops be made at a local, regional or national level? We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of allowing decisions to be taken at a local level.

We b e l i eve t h at t h e t ra n sfe r o f experience from advisory and regulatory bodies in developed countries to the developing world is urgently needed. It is important to develop the technical capacity and exper se to regulate the use of GM crops in developing countries.

Local communities must be included as far as possible in processes of decision making, and balanced information must be provided.  

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Risk assessments Undertaking risk assessments, both for health and environmental safety, entails considerable financial and logis cal challenges. At present, few developing countries have the capacity for this.

The impact of European and international trade policy International controversies and European scepticism may deter those in developing countries from adopting GM crops. Additionally, EU policy is of considerable significance for developing countries that grow crops for export.

It would be extremely difficult for most developing countries to comply with strict EU requirements for traceability and labelling. Regulations propose that a GM crop must be traced throughout the entire production and distribution process. The threshold for labelling proposed is also very low: any food with more than 0.9% of an approved GM material, or 0.5% of an unapproved GM material, must be labelled. Many developing countries do not have the necessary infrastructure to meet these regulations. There is also concern that even planting GM crops purely for domestic use might jeopardise an export market for non-GM crops.

We concluded that the freedom of choice of farmers in developing countries is likely to be restricted severely by the agricultural policy of the EU. EU regulators have not paid sufficient attention to the impact of EU regulations on agriculture in developing countries.

Liability It has been suggested that the multinational seed industry might exploit farmers in developing countries using GM crops, by providing lower quality seed. We are not aware of any such instances. It is clear that the same standards of liability need to apply to both developing and developed countries.

Where there is clear evidence of damage attributable to the seed producer, compensation will need to be provided, regardless of whether the seed is GM or non-GM. Wherever possible, agreements between policy makers and the seed industry should be established, to facilitate compensation of smallscale farmers (para 5.36).

NEWS

Indian edible oil sector should be take in the “Make in India' initiative

I

ndia has become the largest importer of edible oil in the world. The country imported around 11.8 million tonnes of edible oil last year from October 2013 to November 2014, which is in record itself. This year, due to unfavorable weather conditions there has been 26 percent increase in edible oil i m p o r t i n N o v e m b e r.

Assumptions are that import will further increase to all time high to 13 million tonnes of edible oils this year that began from November. Nation's dependency on imported oil will reach alarming levels u p t o 6 0 - 6 5 p e r c e n t .

India needs to learn from countries like Malaysia and Italy, who have managed to sell their edible oil worldwide, which in return has contributed to their economy.

Government of India should formulate similar encouraging policy towards Indian oilseeds & edible oil so that farmers, consumers and manufacturers benefit from it. With right policies, India can become self dependent in edible oils and contribute to the economy by exporting it to the world. There is a need to have a vision and a plan for this industry. The Central government should to establish a 'Mustard Oil Development Board' for the integrated development of the mustard oil industry in the country, with focus on higher productivity and value addition.”

There are few main reasons behind the increase in edible oil imports. First, oilseed production in the country does not get the appropriate incentives and encouragement. Second, because of free trade agreement with ASEAN countries, there is a huge influx of palmolive and soybean oil from countries like Malaysia and Indonesia in the Indian market at very low prices. Also, internationally, there is a huge increase in the production of oilseeds and edible oil as a result there is a sharp decline in international edible oil prices. Whereas in India, there is

The ive per cent increase in import duty on vegetable oil has less effect

t

he five per cent increase in import duty on vegetable oil isn't enough, says the edible oil refining sector.

reduction in oilseed production the cost of production is also increasing steadily.

Even though, government has hiked the import duty on crude and refined vegetable oils in a bid to help farmers and the refinery industry.

Due to El Nino, this year Rabi crops has decreased drastically. According to the latest data, about 511 million hectares so far has Rabi sowing, about 5 per cent lower than the previous year. Mustard oilseeds sowing acreage has decreased by about 5-7 per cent.

Due to heavy yield of oilseeds worldwide, international edible oil prices are quite low at the moment and the foreign currency that the India has to shell out currently to import edible oil is not seen as a major economic pressure.

But there is no assurance that world's increased oilseed production and cheap prices would carry on for the longtime.

Due to this reason, it is imperative that India must have a policy and framework in place which encourages increase in domestic oilseed production in the country. The new technology and the use of high yielding varieties can give a fresh boost to our farming system as well as indigenous edible oil Industry. This is not the case throughout to save foreign exchange but increasing domestic oilseed production should be linked to of food security program and Prime Ministers 'Make in India' initiative needs to be imbibed in Indian edible oil sector as well.

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Since the announcement of an increase in import duty, the price of crude palm oil in the spot Kandla market shot up six per cent to Rs 449.70 per 10 kg. Similarly, refined soy oil jumped four per cent to Rs 670 per 10 kg in the benchmark Indore market.

To encourage domestic seed crushing and refining, it had urged the central government to raise the differential duty between crude and refined oil to 15 per cent. The government raised the import duty by five per cent on both crude palm oil (CPO) and refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) oil, the differential duty is unchanged at 7.5 per cent. The current duty on CPO and RBD is 7.5 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively.

The rise in duty, say trade sources, will from February begin helping domestic crushing units, while hurting refiners importing crude edible oil to refine and sell that. This is because the current nil export duty regimes by both Malaysia and Indonesia ends in January. In February, the export duty on crude oils from there will automatically be 7.5 per cent. Indonesia and Malaysia have both had a surplus in stocks, whose export they've been encouraging.

The five per cent increase in import duty will translate into a maximum of Rs 11.50 a kg rise in edible oil prices. This is too small to make any remarkable change in the realization for farmers and refiners.

B V Mehta, executive director of the Solvent Extractors' Association.

Anticipating the duty rise, Indian refiners had intensified import of crude palm oil (CPO). The rise was 40 per cent in November-December, resulting in a

NEWS massive swell into the pipeline inventory at an all-time high of around two million tonnes.

Also, oilseed prices have hit a five-year low, with lower crushing. Soybean, for example, is trading at Rs 3,180 a quintal, a decline of 16 per cent from Rs 3,790 a qtl in December 2013. In the past year,

refined oil prices have declined by 18 per cent to Rs 48,000 a tonne. Crude degummed soya oil is currently down by 13 per cent to Rs 56,500 a tonne and CPO by 26 per cent to Rs 41,000 a tonne.

“The major objective of the government in raising the import duty on veg oil was to check rising imports, which could have been possible through encouraging of domestic refineries. Since there has been no change in the differential duty, import would continue unabated.

Domestic refineries will continue to face a disparity, currently at Rs 1,000 a tonne on soybean oil,” said Mehta.

Of the estimated 19.5 million tonnes of overall demand, India's import in 201415 (November-October) is forecast at 12.3 mt. Lower seed availability might raise our import dependence, primarily from Malaysia and Indonesia. The Central Organisation for Oil Industry & Trade has estimated the kharif oilseed output at 27.6 mt this year as compared to 29.35 mt the previous year, due to delay in sowing after a month's delay in monsoon rain.

Output during the rabi season will also be lower. Against normal rabi oilseed sowing of 8.66 million hectares, about 7.2 mn ha has been done till now.

“India's import of edible oil will continue to grow, as the revision in import duty will have negligible impact on availability from local sources,” said Siraj Choudhary, chairman, Cargill India.to Chinese firms.

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Food processing technology training application invited

he VIT Technology Business Incubator (VITTBI) has launched a free 6-week non-residential training programme in Food Processing Technology with the aim of equipping students with adequate knowledge to initiate a venture in the food and agro-processing sector.

The training programme will be conducted from Feb 2 to March 14.

According to a VIT release, the objective of this programme is to expose the participants to the key steps in start-up venturing process and equip them with requisite skills, knowledge and competencies to convert their start-up

idea into a viable business entity.

The last date to apply for the programme is January 23. Graduates and diploma holders in engineering, management or science streams with interest in food processing technologies and planning to start a venture can apply for the programme.

Technology integration imperative in agri, food business

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xperts at the ongoing Amaethon 2015, the food and agribusiness summit organised by students of Indian Institute of M a n a g e m e n t , Ahmedabad, say that, amidst growing challenges and changing food habits in the agri and food business, technology integration has become imperative.

"Growing challenges in the agri business and food business has made use of technology and its integration imperative in the current scenario," said Balwant Singh, Director, Seedbuzz as one of the panellists in the 'ICT Dialogue' panel discussion during Amaethon.

The three-day event witnessed several sessions including panel discussions on various issues like ICT, venture space and development agenda through agriculture, among others.

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In her keynote address, Mohini Datt, R e s e a r c h A n a l y s t , Wo r l d B a n k , highlighted the need for cooperation that countries of South Asia should think of in view of their shared geography.

As part of the panel discussion on 'Food Dialogue', panellists spoke of the need of food security and suggested various ways like efficient PDS, introduction and commercialisation of GM food crops, extrapolating the growth and success strategy of dairy in other sectors of agriculture etc. to ensure food security.

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NEWS

Kellogg's closes Bisco Misr acquisition

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ellogg's has completed the acquisition process for a majority stake in Egyptian cake and biscuit maker Bisco Misr, in a deal worth $125m.

"Kellogg's has agreed to pay £89.86 per share for 85.93% of total outstanding Bisco Misr shares.”

Kellogg's has agreed to pay £89.86 per share for 85.93% of total outstanding Bisco Misr shares.

Commenting on the acquisition, Kellogg's chairman and CEO John Bryant said: "Bisco Misr is an excellent strategic fit for Kellogg, and Egypt is a growing market with a strong economy.

The acquisition will be financed through debt.

BiscoMisr owns three main facilities, one in Cairo and two in Alexandria, where it produces and distributes plain biscuit Luxe, alongside BiscoMisr's range of cakes and wafers.

Bisco Misr generated close to $70m in annual sales during 2013. However, Kellogg will now consolidate Bisco Misr's results into its own as it has majority ownership in the cake maker.

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Climate change: A silent agriculture killer?

While commercial crops could be in trouble, wild crops may be even more so, particularly certain species of peanuts,

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onsanto announced it is developing a faster plant breeding process. "By 2018 we

"A number of Kellogg's cereals and snacks are already offered in the market and the combination of the powerful Bisco Misr brands with Kellogg's iconic brands provides a tremendous opportunity for growth.”

Headquartered in Cairo, Bisco Misr employs 3,300 people and offers its products under various brands such as Bisco Luxe, Chico Chico and Bisco Wafers.

U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) policy paper reports that climate change could have a significant impact on agriculture and food diversity, potentially threatening the global food supply in the coming decades.

Monsanto eyes speedy plant breeding, research in works

potatoes, and cowpeas.

The paper outlines suggestions for remediation, such as reviewing breeding practices and creating community seed banks.

Nature and the world's food needs seem to be working against each other. Climate change threatens certain crop yields and wild species, while humans need more food than ever over the next few decades to accommodate a surging population. Climate change will have some offsetting results in global agriculture, such as less crop vitality in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, India, and northern Australia, while warmer temperatures offer new agricultural opportunities for areas like the northern U.S., Canada, and Europe, according to Reuters.

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015

expect our new hybrid testing should be more than six times our current rate," said Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley.

Faster plant breeding means that the company can produce new higheryielding seeds that need fewer acres at a faster rate to benefit farmers.

Monsanto also believes this more rapid seed development could lead to more "specific targeted breeding opportunities," says Fraley, which could mean new seeds that better adapt to their environments and thus can be grown in more places around the world, for example.

Just last week, the USDA approved Monsanto's herbicide-resistant soybean and cotton seeds, and two weeks ago the company was in the news with higherthan-predicted soybeans sales. But for a long time now, Monsanto has been at the forefront of the GMO debate, the prevention of which has been introduced as possible legislation across the U.S., including Oregon and Hawai.

NEWS

Agri Minister goes all for reducing gap between farmer-krishi kendra

Acceleration of Agri GDP growth in 11th plan

the other in North India — to augment breeding of dairy animals. He called upon scientists to adopt a village and visit it regularly to update farmers about crops and new technologies for better yield and production.

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nion Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today expressed concern over the “huge” gap between farmers and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and stressed the need to improve infrastructure of kendras.

Tthe Union Minister said youths must be encouraged to take up agriculture and the scientist selection process be made more effective, while Inaugurating a two-day brainstorming programme on optimising talent search for the national agricultural research and education system at NDRI

by Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB).

He said, the Agriculture Ministry would introduce soil health card to farmers to improve production and launch the PM Village Irrigation Scheme to increase availability of water.

He said two National Breeding Centres would be set up — one in South India and

He also announced a Horticulture University for the state and said land for the same would have to be given by the state government. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Minister of State, Agriculture, stressed upon the need to attract researchers and scientists of Indian origin working premier foreign laboratories. “The ASRB should frame policies to attract such talent as part of brain gain,” he said.

'Hooda govt wasted Central funds for farmers' in Chandigarh. Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the previous state government did not spend a large chunk of Central funds released for farmer welfare.

Presiding over a meeting of officers of the agriculture and allied departments here today, Radha Mohan urged them to submit reports on funds utilised under various schemes on a daily basis to the Centre to ensure speedy implementation.

Reviewing the progress of various schemes, he asked officers to update themselves on the utilisation of funds on a daily basis.

The Union Minister said a group of 50 farmers should be sent to the National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad, for training and skill development.

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griculture GDP growth has accelerated in the 11th plan, to an average rate of 3.3 per cent, compared to 2.4 per cent in the 10th and 2.5 per cent in the 9th plan.

The percentage of the population below the poverty line declined at the rate of 1.5 percentage points per year during 200405 to 2009-10, twice the rate at which it declined in the previous period 1993-94 to 2004-05 and rural real wages increased by 6.8 per cent annually in the 11th,.

India's food grain production has more than doubled over the decades that followed colonial rule to a record 264 million tonnes in fiscal year 2014. But, to feed the fast growing population, with more than a quarter of them still estimated to be below the poverty line, the country needs to produce more.

Even as the country has progressed in laying out the basic framework to take the economy to high growth path by building roads and ports and ramping up foodgrain production, a fast growing population and infrastructure woes demand more work to be done on multiple fronts.

Vol. 10 Issue 03 JANUARY 2015