Onf march 2017

Vol 12 Issue 05 March 2017 100/-

Women moguls in the Global Food & Beverage Industry

Automation & Robotics in Food Processing Industry Indian Pulses Industry has immense potential for growth

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Agro & Food Processing March 2017

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CONTENTS 9 Women Moguls in the Global Food and Beverage Industry

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Bry-Air launches the BrySmart Dehumidifier series with patented technology

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Emerson Continues To Invest In India

14 Automation and Robotics in Food Processing Industry

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Cosmo Films adds laurel to their growth Cargill Foods introduces technology for anti-counterfeiting

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Study says by 2024, food processing sector to generate 9 million jobs NITI Aayog prepares model contract farming law

22 Cold storage sector that's in nascent stage needs to wake up to the call

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Traceability ensures monitored farming, an effective food supply chain and transparency India should adopt Vietnam model of spice cultivation to boost production

28 Big Ideas, Big Dream and Big changes

53 Staple cooking medium oils outshines dairy as India’s largest packaged food item Ruchi Soya partners with Patanjali for edible oils

54 FSSAI to bring new regulations for organic foods, hotels, and restaurant FSSAI considers initiative to list nutritional info on restaurant menus

33 Indian Pulses Industry has immense potential for growth

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Farmers must be motivated to use micro irrigation technology

56 GE Mustard assessed over period of 10 years for safety

40 Government should clear its standards on Junk Food: Experts

Govt may consider imposing import duty on wheat: Food Minister During demonetisation period, sowing increased by 57 7 per cent Soon Iran may issue fresh permits for rice imports

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

EDITORIAL

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I EDITOR Manzar Aftab Naqvi CONSULTING EDITOR Basma Hussain GROUP EDITOR Firoz H. Naqvi firoz@advanceinfomedia.com Graphic Designer Naved H. Kazmi naved@advanceinfomedia.com Advertisement Execultive Anjali Mane anjali@advanceinfomedia.com Circulation Seema Hayat Shaikh seema@advanceinfomedia.com Delhi Sayyed Shahnawaz +91-8375034558 Gujarat Brijesh Mathuria +91-9924546999 Genreal Manager Gyanendra Trivedi Marketing & Circulation Office 121,1st floor, Rassaz Multiplex, Station Road, Mira Road (E), Dist. Thane- 401107 Telefax : +91-22-28555069, Tell.: +91-22-28115068 Mob.: +91-9867992299 E-mail: info@agronfoodprocessing.com sub@advanceinfomedia.com Vol 12 Issue 05 March 2017 Annual Subcription Rs.950/By Normal Post Add Rs. 400/-For Courier Charges Add Rs. 50/- For Outstantion Charge Overseas $80 By Air Mail Email:sub@advanveinfomedia.com Single Copy Cost Rs. 100/Printed, Published & Owned By Manzar Aftab Naqvi RNI No. MAHENG /2005/15987 Postal Regd. No. THW /50/2017-2019 Regd. Office Advance Info Media & Event 103,AmarJyot Apartments, Pooja Nagar, Mira Road (E) Dist Thane-401107(Mumbai) Printed At Rolleract Press Services A-83,Ground Floor, Naraina Industrial Area Phase-1, New Delhi -110028

The views expressed in this issue are those of the contibutors are not necessarilly those of the magzine. though every care has been taken to ensure the accuaracy and authenticty in infomation, "Oil & Food Journal" is however not responsible fordamages caused by ministerpretation of infomation expressed and implied with in the pages of this issue.

All disputes are not to be referred to Mumbai Jurisdiction

believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you’’ The lifestyles of millennial today are increasingly rushed and they are looking at nutrition solutions, thus it won’t be rocket science to comprehend that increasing awareness among the public about health has cornered the food processing industry to move towards healthier options. And apart from health, the scuffle is now turning into competition on whether which company is providing healthier nourishment than the other.

Indra Nooyi, CEO PepsiCo went ahead and met the Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi detailing him about how PepsiCo is going the healthy way. PepsiCo is launching a new range under the Nutri foods brand by the end of this year and four more variants this April and two more at the beginning of 2018 under the Tropicana Essentials brand. They are also considering to introduce products from their global portfolio in India in the future. The aim of the company is to provide healthy breakfast options while also maintaining local relevance in terms of taste.

And why then would another giant multinational company lag behind. Less sugar, less salt, fewer calories: Nestle is on a health mission. The world’s biggest foods company is reducing salt and sodium content in its Maggi noodles, cutting sugar by about 10 per cent in KitKat chocolate and dairy products, and stepping up portion control in Munch chocolates, extending to India its ambitious commitment to make healthier products.

Nestle has said that over 99 per cent of fats and oils in its foods and beverages, will not contain trans-fats across products and markets. By 2020, Nestle will reduce added sugar by 5 per cent and sodium by 10 per cent.

So if Nestle and PepsiCo is there, how can Coca Cola be behind? Coca-Cola is preparing to launch packaged coconut water – Zico- in India, as increasing consumer preference towards non-sugary drinks take the fizz out of cola sales.

Packaged coconut water is one of the fastest growing beverage categories in the world.

Irony: in India, Coke and rival PepsiCo are facing more troubles. Some trader associations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala said they would not sell the soft drinks made by the two companies, which they accuse were drawing too much groundwater and depleting the water resources in the states facing a severe drought.

Coming to health….. Milk is health concoction for Indian as well indulgence, we love to drink milk, it is a basic nutritious diet for babies.Mithais, curd, lassi, ice cream,chocolateand so many other things are made with milk, but now with early onset of summer in most parts of the country Indian dairies are experiencing pressure on their margins, leading to a sizeable fall in liquid milk production and a significant increase in milk procurement costs. Interestingly, the domestic dairies had witnessed similar situation of rising milk procurement costs and pressure on margins during the recent winter as well.

There has been a rise in cost of milk production due to high fodder costs. The companies have increased their procurement prices. Dairy major Amul has hiked the price of milk sold in the Delhi-NCR region by Rs 2 per litre, close on the heels of Mother Dairy increasing its cost by Rs 2 also.

Another issue that is pertaining comprehensively in the Indian food industry is the food wastage. Globally, the wastages are to the tune of 30 per cent. In other countries the wastage is more on plate, while they have zero wastage during harvest and transportation.Whereas in India, food wastage is not on plate but during transportation and post harvesting stages.

Accordingly, to overcome this vast predicament the government is going to sanction 100 more cold chain projects in time to come, it will help cut wastage of farm produce and check price volatility. These facilities will be part of the national cold chain grid being created to transfer perishables from farm areas to consumers seamlessly.

Health issues again, I wonder, now that we would not need to stand in a queue to get McDonald’s burger and fries; instead, make order on a digital self-order kiosk and wait for a staff member to serve the order on table, what is McDonald doing about the fried lizard found in its French fries in Kolkata.Well Investigation is on….But meanwhile Food Safety Authority has inspected its restaurant premises and given the chain permission to re-open the restaurant.

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

Women’s Day Special

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Women Moguls in the Global Food and Beverage Industry

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month for women, we thought this was an appropriate time to take a closer look at the various roles women play in the food and beverage industry.

As women have built their numbers at the very top levels of business and politics globally and of course March being the

Also notable are the segments in which these women are innovating. Agro & Food Processing magazine while paying a tribute to women power decided to analyze the presence of women in the food processing industry worldwide, which included Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing industry, India, CEOs: PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi, Mondelez's Irene Rosenfeld, Campbell's Denise Morrison, Kavita Shukla, Fresh

he food and beverage industry is like other business enterprises, predominated by male executives, but women have started to play a larger role at all levels of the industry. Their place ranges from politics to startup founders and major manufacturing CEOs to food scientists and food and beverage investors. One reason women may receive more recognition is that companies value their experience as often the primary household grocery shopper.

Paper and so on. Connoisseurs recognize these women for the roles they have played in turning around their respective companies, from PepsiCo's soda woes and Campbell's processed food pangs to Mondelez's pressure from investors to cut costs further or sell itself.

It’s a man’s world’ so they say, but throughout history and in modern times, women too have played an important part in society. In fact, some of these highly influential women entrepreneurs have surpassed their male equivalents.

From powerful leaders to media moguls, women often have had to battle against far

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

10 Agro and Food Processing made its own list of eleven best women achievers in food industry and not because of their financial position but based on their work and achievement. There is no number game here but rather coverage on individual accomplishment.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing Industry, India Harsimrat Kaur Badal is the Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing in the Government of India and Member of Parliament from Bathinda.Harsimrat Kaur Badal made a foray into politics when she won the Lok Sabha election from the Bathinda constituency in 2009.

The Food Processing sector in India, a sunrise sector is poised for immense growth and greater contribution to the world of food trade. The sector has witnessed several initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Food Processing.

India primarily has aimed at scaling up infrastructure for storage and transport, tackling the issue of food wastage in the country and creating value addition that will benefit both producers and consumers through facilitating domestic and foreign investment in the sector.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal is presently the Minister of Food Processing in the Modi government. The ministry aims to develop a strong and vibrant food processing industry to create increased employment in rural sectors, enable farmers to reap the benefits of modern technology and to create a surplus for exports and stimulating demand for processed food.

Harsimrat Kaur has chartered a growth trail for the food processing sector with a clearly envisioned growth trajectory for Punjab. Punjab heralded the first Green Revolution in the country and has made rapid strides in improving the quality and quantity of the food grain production. Currently food processing is the focus area of investment

Women’s Day Special

in Punjab and concerted efforts are being made by the government to facilitate big investments in food processing industry.

Union Ministry has earmarked Rs 2,000 crore for setting Mega Food Parks (MFPs) in the country. A total of 38 MFPs are presently under implementation, out of which 7 have been made functional so far; one each in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand.

Out of these, 5 MFPs have been made function in the present government; one each in Karnataka (Tumkur), Punjab (Fazilka), Assam (Nalbari), Madhya Pradesh (Khargone) and Jharkhand (Ranchi). One more MFP in Murshidabad (West Bengal) is also ready for operation.

Her next target is to create small and medium enterprises in food processing sector all over the country, and to give it a big push she has launched a new scheme ‘SAMPADA’ to focus on seamless development of Agri Processing clusters close to the surplus production areas. All these initiatives of the Ministry of Food Processing shall contribute in a big way in doubling farmers’ income and reducing food wastages.

Badal is also working on international basis to make amark for the indian food processing industry, she has been travelling to various global destination to promote the industry and doing important collaboration that will create new era for the sector.

Indra Nooyi, CEO and Chairman, PepsiCo Nooyi, now in her 10th year as CEO, shows no signs of slowing down. ¬PepsiCo’s $155 billion market cap is up 18% in the past 12 months, even as international volatility hit 2015 sales and profits, which dropped 5% and 13%, respectively.

Investors seem to have faith that Nooyi’s push towards healthier food and drink offerings will pay off and the $63 billion

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

company’s $3 billion in cost cuts over the past three years too. Some think more acquisitions in the health space may come soon, as Nooyi further diversifies out of the declining soda .

From the start of her tenure, she dared to acknowledge what was obvious to everyone outside the business but unutterable to those inside it: Junk food makes people fat and harms their health.

Nooyi began emphasizing products that are at least a bit healthier than the traditional chips and soda—a pivot some observers thought could sink the company. Now shoppers are proving her right.

Nooyi reclassified her company’s products into three categories: “fun for you” (such as potato chips and regular soda), “better for you” (diet or lowfat versions of snacks and sodas), and “good for you” (items such as oatmeal).

She put money behind her proclamation, shifting resources from junk foods into the healthier alternatives and vowed to improve the healthiness of even the “fun” offerings.

Nooyi’s strategy is looking like the right one in a tough situation, especially compared with Coke, which has suffered for its reliance on soda. Nooyi, only the fifth person to run PepsiCo and a darkhorse choice—a woman, a foreigner, a onetime strategy consultant has outlasted all but one of her predecessors and, at least for now, a powerful shareholder activist.

She seems refreshed and energized. But her challenges remain daunting. Can she lift PepsiCo from a success that requires qualifiers and explanation?

Irene Rosenfeld, CEO and Chairman, Mondelez International

As a child, Irene Rosenfeld dreamed of becoming U.S. president. While a

Women’s Day Special

career wasn't in her future, as head of the global food company Mondēlez, she has become one of the most powerful and highest paid women in business. She has deftly steered the maker of Oreos, Trident and Ritz through a world of increasingly expensive commodities and a strong dollar. And she has managed strident activist investors William Ackerman, who controls 7.5% of the Deerfield, Illinoisbased stock, and Nelson Peltz, who has a 3% share and a board seat, by promising to cut $3 billion from the company.

Rosenfeld hit a speed bump when she abandoned her pursuit of Hershey. The acquisition would have been the latest in a long line of moves that have transformed the $29.6 billion consumer packaged foods giant and its predecessor, Kraft, during Rosenfeld’s tenure. With the failed Hershey bid, some think ¬Mondelez could be a takeover target itself. About 75% of sales come from outside North America, but growth in key emerging markets is slowing. Revenues were down 13.5% last year, in large part from unfavorable currency conversions.

Denise Morrison CEO and President, Campbell Soup Since becoming CEO in 2011, Morrison is moving the biggest U.S. soup company beyond chicken noodle. Campbell became the first Big Food Company to say it would voluntarily label genetically modified ingredients in its products, and a month later it committed $125 million to a venture capital project investing in food-related startups.

Meanwhile, Morrison is targeting $300 million in cost savings by the end of 2018. The transformation is not easy.

Campbell saw revenues and profits drop 1% and 15%, respectively, in its last fiscal year.

Kavita Shukla, FreshPaper A billion people around the world still live without refrigeration, making food spoilage a global problem. But even those of us with big fridges can benefit from Shukla’s invention: naturally antibacterial sheets infused with herbs to keep produce fresh up to four times longer. Shukla had her eureka moment when on a visit to India, her grandmother staved off an

11 developing world, where, in some places, as much as 80 per cent of food spoils.

Christina Minardi, Whole Food As President of the Northeast region for Whole Foods, Minardi oversees 50 stores, including nine in New York City that are consistently top 10 performers for the company. A single New York City store serves 80,000 customers each week and, thanks to an automated checkout line system that Minardi pioneered, they do it more than 30% faster than they used to.

upset stomach with a homemade herbal drink that included fenugreek. Years of R&D on similar mixtures ultimately led to a patent, and FreshPaper is now sold everywhere from Walmart to Whole Foods. Next up: specialized sheets for cheese, bread, and flour.

The simple idea that natural herb could inhibit bacteria translated to an idea to infuse paper with those herbs and produce a way for fruits and vegetables to stay fresh, far extending its useful life. Shukla’s product, FreshPaper helps keep produce edible up to four times longer. FreshPaper is sold at grocery stores nationwide and Shukla also donates a significant amount of her proceeds to a program that benefits the developing world.

Shukla holds four patents, and has received several international honors as an inventor, designer and entrepreneur, including the INDEX: Design to Improve Life Award — the world’s largest prize for design.

Shukla infused the spices into sheets of paper, calling it FreshPaper. An average family loses 40 per cent of food to spoilage, but FreshPaper can keep produce edible up to four times longer.

FreshPaper is now sold at grocery stores nationwide, and Shukla started a Buy a Pack, Give a Pack program to benefit the

She’s particularly passionate about prepared foods and in-store restaurants, likely the result of growing up in a food family. Her grandparents opened a bakery in 1927 that her family ran for 83 years.

As a result she’s involved in all aspects from securing top chefs, like the team behind Frankie’s Spuntino in Brooklyn who will have a fast casual spot in the new Bryant Park location opening soon, to menu development and tastings and overall design.

A store in Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood has become the model for locations across the country with its glass front butcher room, an extension of the brand’s commitment to transparency, to its in-store knife sharpening and shelves full of locally made products. Minardi excels at weaving the local fabric of each neighborhood into stores, whether that’s putting a coffee roastery and rooftop greenhouse in Brooklyn or making homemade naan and other traditional Indian foods in a New Jersey community with a large Indian population.

Emily Miller & Kimberly Jung, Rumi Spice Vermillion threads of fragrant saffron have long been one of the most soughtafter, priciest spices in the world. So, after these two former Army Corps of Engineers officers (and West Point and Harvard Business School grads) ended their military tours, they came up with the idea of harnessing Afghanistan’s underutilized abundance of this rare spice.

“We wanted to help get them into the international economy,” Jung says. “This

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

12 from them.” Initially sold to star chefs like Daniel Boulud and Eric Ripert, Rumi Spice’s saffron is now also available to ambitious home cooks through the company’s online shop.

The resulting demand has led Miller and Jung to set up three more processing plants this year and increase their harvesting team from 75 local women to four hundred. In 2015, Rumi accounted for 3.6 percent of the total foreign investment in Afghanistan’s agriculture, but Jung and Miller don’t plan to stop there: Their ultimate goal is to work toward replacing the ubiquitous opium poppies in Afghan farmers’ fields (proceeds from which help fund the Taliban) with acres of saffron-producing crocus flowers.

Kristy Lewis, Quinn Foods

Just because something is a snack food doesn’t mean it can’t be both healthy and socially responsible. Kristy Lewis, founder of Quinn Foods, took that realization and applied it to one of America’s favorite snacks: microwave popcorn.

Her “pure pop bag” uses recycled, compostable paper that’s free of the chemical-infused linings common to other, similar products; and her “farmto-bag” popcorn itself uses organic ingredients and is GMO-free (plus the batch number on each bag, when entered on the company’s website, shows exactly where every ingredient came from).

Women’s Day Special

from whole-grain sorghum flour. “Food should be simple, honest and transparent,” Lewis says, and it’s a message consumers have responded to: As of June, Lewis’s snacks were available in Target’s 1,700+ stores, as well as Whole Foods, H.E.B., and a plethora of other markets around the country.

Honest Company raised $70 million from venture capitalists in the summer of 2014 in preparation for an IPO — the financing put a value on the company of $1 billion.

Judith McKenna EVP and COO, Walmart U.S., Walmart McKenna is helping turn the tide at Walmart’s biggest division, where she has headed operations since December 2014. The U.S. business, with $298.4 billion in sales, has now had two years of positive same-store sales—an ¬important industry metric. ¬McKenna has been key in the company’s decision to invest $2.7 billion in training programs and raises for some 1.2 million U.S. store employees. She’s also pushing tech: Now all store and department managers get mobile devices so that they can spend more time on the floor rather than in the back room.

The company launched its first products in 2006, and by the end of 2012 the company employed more than 70 people and its products were available in over 14,000 stores and 30 countries. Groupe Danone acquired a 92 per cent stake in May 2013 and Visram continues as CEO.

Jessica Alba, The Honest Company As a successful actress, Jessica Alba didn’t foresee becoming a business mogul. After having her first child, however, she became frustrated with the lack of non-toxic consumer products in the market, leading her to co-found The Honest Company in 2012. The company strives to produce products that are not only effective, but unquestionably safe, eco-friendly, beautiful, convenient and affordable. As of November 2014, the company had 275 employees and was projected to do $150 millionin sales. The

Her rapidly growing empire now includes pre-popped corn and stovetop kernels, and she also recently launched the first GMO-free, gluten-free pretzel, made

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

Shazi Visram, Happy Family Organic baby food company Happy Family was founded in 2003 by Shazi Visram with a mission to provide safe, organic and nutritious food so that every child has access to the best possible start in life.

Happy Family won Food Processing Magazine’s R&D Team of the Year award and was named by Forbes as one of America’s most promising companies.

In 2011, Visram won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Award for the New York region and was ranked in Inc. Magazine’s list of Top Ten Female Entrepreneurs.

In 2012, she earned the American Dream Award and was included in the Crain’s New York Business 40 under 40list and Working Mother’s Most Powerful Moms list. She was named a member of the Young Global Leader Class of 2013 by the World Economic Forum.

In addition, Visram works with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship as a mentor to young and aspiring entrepreneurs from low-income communities.

Indian Women Entrepreneurs rising and shining In the twenty-first century, women have not only become wealth creators but also change agents by creating organizations of future. Recent years have seen an unprecedented rise of women in the different spheres of life.

Women have made strides in the corporate world in the last three decades, quietly breaking through the barriers of social compliance, both at home and workplace to become successful entrepreneurs and working professionals.

India’s female entrepreneurship environment has also revealed statistics

Women’s Day Special

A leader must have a clear vision, ability to strategize and lead the team towards achieving the vision by meticulous execution.

The leader should be unbiased, patient and possess people management skills, recognizing capabilities and delegating responsibilities accordingly, standing for what he or she believes in, fearlessly.

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Innovation is life

MOISTURE is the hidden enemy of Dairy Products Industry

The role of a leader is to keep the morale of employees high and steer the organization out of crisis.

India has witnessed a plethora of successful women entrepreneurs in all sectors like Radha Bhatia (Chairperson, Bird Group), Mallika Srinivasan (Chairman and CEO, Tractors and Farm Equipment), Priya Paul (Chairperson, Apeejay Park Hotels), Shahnaz Husain (CEO, Shahnaz Herbals Inc.), Ekta Kapoor (Joint Managing Director, Balaji Telefilms) and also women who have reached highest level of Multinational Companies like Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi (Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo), Naina Lal Kidwai (Group General Manager and Country Head, HSBC India), Chanda Kochar (CEO and MD, ICICI Bank).

Though women are equally competent in running their own business, there are social and cultural hurdles in the way to women entrepreneurship; the major being traditional mindset of male dominant corporate scenario not just in India but world over.

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Women have some inherent qualities that make them successful leaders. A woman’s ability to multitask is a great asset and comes in very handy at the workplace, especially at the senior management level, where one is constantly juggling several initiatives and wearing different hats while still moving with singular focus towards a goal.

India is at the cusp of economic transition, which provides fascinating opportunities for women participation in the field of entrepreneurship. Promotion of women entrepreneurship requires multi-pronged strategy involving various stakeholders namely government, financial institutions, think tanks, business and industry associations, and more importantly successful individual women entrepreneurs.

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of improvement in terms of starting new ventures and running them successfully.

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Leaders in Dehumidication ... Worldwide

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

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AUTOMATION IN FPI

Automation

and Robotics in

Food Processing Industry

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he food manufacturing industry has its origins in the household kitchen, as food is prepared in a factory that is essentially a larger version of the domestic environment.

As production demand increased, larger companies saw the benefit of automation.

This was particularly so for end-of-line packaging and palletizing. More recently, the availability of highly effective pick-

and-place robots allowed automation to move upstream and undertake operations with actual food products on production lines. However, these systems are currently only generally installed on the high-volume, long-life, and singleproduct lines. Smaller companies that constitute major per cent food manufacturers have been much slower to incorporate automation. The reasons for

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

this include limited low-cost labor and expertise, market volatility, a belief that automation is unsuitable for the assembly of soft, variable, fragile, slippery/sticky natural products and the predominance of short-term orders, which discouraged capital investments in automation.

The above considerations have influenced the evolution of the industry, particularly

AUTOMATION IN FPI

in the predominant SME sector, resulting in a strong reliance on manual manufacturing procedures. But over the last decade or so, a number of market and other trends have emerged that seriously challenge the traditional manualintensive manufacturing approach, including a decline in the availability of suitable, low-cost casual labor globally, employment law and health and safety

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directives that put pressure on labor costs, a demand for assured hygienic products, which can mean removing human operators from production processes, and higher commodity prices. The good news for industry and consumers alike is that robotics technology has been steadily advancing to meet these and other challenges. Modern automation is more versatile than ever, which makes it worth

a look for food manufacturers of almost all sizes.

The dynamics The demand for high-quality product, the flexibility to share equipment to manufacture several products and other factors has moved the food industries towards increased automation. Control system vendors have responded to these

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

AUTOMATION IN FPI

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goods, frozen food, fruit, meat, poultry, seafood, snack food, vegetables and other edibles.

Equipment categories include chillers, dryers, feeders, fryers, grinders, homogenizers, mixers, roasters, separators, slicers and ovens. needs by providing appropriate hardware and modular software capability so the process engineer can concentrate on the process control strategy rather than the control system design. Also, the development of sensors that measure product quality and subjective properties such as taste, smell, etc. is providing new vistas in automation. The advantages offered by the distributed control system (DCS) so far enjoyed by large, continuous process plants are now available to small users and to batch processing industries.

Food processing equipment features some of the most sophisticated automation around. But, most machines are assembled manually. That’s because high-mix, lowvolume production is the rule rather than the exception.

Food processing machinery comes in all shapes and sizes to meet the widespread demands of companies that produce beverages, bakery items, candy, dairy

Most food processing machines have similar automation and motion control needs, such as material conveying and positioning, heating, drying and cooling. They also require cleanliness, gentle handling and precise control of temperatures, pressures, treatment times and other process parameters. In addition, food processing machinery is often seamlessly integrated with high-speed packaging and labeling equipment.

Equipment and systems designed for the food processing industry share many of the same basic components used in discrete manufacturing, including compressors, electric motors, pumps and valves. But, the machines become even more complex once a labyrinth of digital sensors, pipes, transmitters, tanks, tubes, and other components are added into the mix.

Food processing machinery must be capable of withstanding constant cleaning

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

and disinfecting with all sorts of harsh agents, ranging from steam and water to alkaline solution, organic solvents, hypochlorites, iodine compounds and nitric acid. Above all, food processing equipment must meet strict regulations enforced by government agencies, such as FSSAI, FDA and others.

There are two distinguishing features of food processing machinery. First if the machinery comes in direct contact with the food product, it must be fabricated from stainless steel, and be free from cracks and crevices that might retain food particles. In those cases, stainless steel surfaces—particularly corners and joints must be ground to specific ‘smooth’ surface finishes to prevent the retaining of food.

The second distinguishing feature of food equipment is very high processing and packaging speeds. This is particularly true of beverage and snack food processing lines. Snack foods are typically processed and packaged at speeds of more than 100 bags per minute, while beverages are processed at rates of more than 2,000 cans per minute.

Those requirements make food processing equipment challenging to design and assemble. For instance, engineers must always consider ease of cleaning.

There are standard tubing and connectors designed for quick cleaning and sanitation and the commercial, off-theshelf-components are not the problem,

AUTOMATION IN FPI

however. All custom-designed features, structures and assemblies of food processing equipment must be designed for cleanability. The conventional name for this feature is clean-in-place or CIP. The most complex food machines tend to be the ones that have the highest need for clean design and the largest risk for food bacteria growth. These are machines that serve the dairy, meat, poultry and fish markets and are governed by the highest restrictions in equipment design, along with tighter limitations for the selection of materials and material finishes.

The food processing industry uses all types of conveyors, including traditional belted conveyors, modular belt conveyors, side flexing chain conveyors and positivedrive homogeneous belt conveyors. The type of conveyor technology used usually depends on where the [device] is being used in the food production process.

Big Appetite As new niche markets emerge and new products are developed to whet consumer appetites, demand for food processing machinery will remain steady. According to the Freedonia Group Inc., global sales of food processing machinery have reached more than $53 billion in 2016.

The largest trend defining the world food processing equipment market today is similar to many other industries: rapid sales growth in developing regions, particularly Asia.

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Rising personal incomes are driving increased overall demand for processed foods, along with dietary shifts toward more costly, non-staple items and increased meat consumption.

As a result, producers are seeking to locate their production facilities closer to these rapidly expanding markets in order to cut costs and capitalize on this growth, which is driving sales of machinery in these areas. The market for food processing machinery in China, India, Indonesia and Turkey has grown to a great amount.

Over the past 10 years, sales of machinery for processing meat, poultry and seafood have grown the most rapidly. Rising incomes in many developing nations are allowing diets to include more consumption of these items, which tend to be expensive relative to other food items.

Technological advancements in cutting, slicing and grinding machinery have also led to increased sales of these units over the past 10 years, as manufacturers replace older machines with newer products that boost their bottom line through either higher throughput or more efficient processing.For example, several companies have developed cutters that, when the item to be processed is irregular in shape, scan the incoming product and adapt the cutting strategy to produce as many correctly sized portions as possible with the least waste.

On the other hand, beverage machinery has lagged behind the rest of the market in sales growth due to the

relative technological maturity of these units. Compared to machinery used in processing other foods, there are fewer opportunities for technological advancements in these machines and as a result, there are fewer opportunities to generate replacement sales based on the availability of a more efficient unit.

Due to the incredibly broad range of machinery types and specifications demanded by food processing companies, the industry tends to be quite fragmented.

The seven largest companies have a combined market share of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent, which is a much smaller figure than for the top companies in most other industrial capital equipment markets. With thousands of different individual types of food processing machines produced worldwide, only the largest manufacturers can offer anything close to a complete range of products.

Most companies typically focus on producing machines that perform one specific task for a wide variety of food products, such as slicers or mixers. Or, they offer a complete suite of equipment covering every stage of processing for a specific product, such as beef.

One of the biggest trends affecting the food processing industry today is the Food Safety Act. As food safety is the most important in the food processing and to ensure no calamities happened the food industry have to act aptly. And recognizing its importance, food and

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

AUTOMATION IN FPI

18 manufacturers are now requesting and updating existing machinery that can be easily washed down.

To achieve tight, hygienic seals, welding is the most commonly used assembly method.

Engineers rely on

Most major food companies have been in compliance with food safety authority for years or are upgrading equipment as quickly as they can. It can be very expensive to buy new equipment, but a lot less expensive than ruining the reputation of a major brand if that product had a food safety issue.

Assembly Trends Most food processing equipment is not mass-produced. That allows food companies to customize machines to meet specific standards of their facility.

For instance, customers often have their own set of food safety design requirements.However, this trend has been changing slightly, with the need to shorten lead times and reduce prices.

Many manufactures have created standard design product with a large list of options that can be tailored to each customer’s needs. This process reduces lead time and also provides consistent design for machine expansion and maintenance in the future.

GEA PHE Systems, a manufacturer of plate heat exchangers used in food and beverage processing, takes a similar approach to flexible assembly at its stateof-the-art plant in York. However, how they are configured and assembled is different for every application. Likewise JBT Food Tech, one of the largest players in the food processing equipment industry, all machines are designed and built to address specific customer needs. They have base models, but then incorporate the customer’s modifications based on features, such as heat source, space availability, what types of food will be prepared and many other factors.

For example, customers may need the drive motor or operator station on a different side, or have specific control requirements. Also some of customers have specific hygiene requirements and ask to modify the equipment to meet these needs.

Stainless steel is widely used in the food processing equipment industry.

If the machinery contacts the food product directly, then it most certainly is constructed from corrosion-resistant stainless steel and the most common alloys used are 304SS and 316SS.

food products. Similarly, research from within both academia and industry has developed a broad range of end effectors able to grasp the vast majority of products found in the food industry.

Robots Help Prevent Food Contamination: With the humongous stress on food safety on the food industry, the focus at present is to prevent contamination in the food supply. Modern robots feature improved sanitary designs making them ideal for work in this clean environment. Smooth surfaces that are not susceptible to the corrosive effect of cleaning chemicals, and tight seals that lock out contaminants are just a couple of the safety-minded design features.

Robotics in food manufacture In recent years, a combination of robotics and electromechanical systems has shown

SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) robots are typically used for food processing. Their low cost, small footprint and high throughput rates make them attractive to manufacturers looking to increase their efficiency. Currently 48% of dairy processors indicate a need for processing equipment improvements.

Look for increased numbers of robots to be implemented in food processing as manufacturers seek to eliminate contamination from human contact with food products.

they can automate processing of most food products. Initially, automation in the food industry concentrated on end-of-line work (think computerized mechanical baggers). And robots excelled at it, but there was a demand for faster and more agile machines able to work further up the production line and provide rapid pick-and-place operations on individual

Picking and Packing Robots: As robots do not suffer fatigue from performing repetitive tasks, they are also an ideal solution for primary packaging tasks such as bottle handling, bin picking, and tray loading. The main driver behind the growing implementation of robots for primary packaging is the increasing demand for more varied packaging, pack

a variety of joint designs, including butt joints, corner joints and T-joints. Less common would be lap joints, as those configurations would likely have crevices and cracks that might trap food particles.

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

AUTOMATION IN FPI

counts and retail-ready packaging.

Food packaging dominates global retail volumes with nearly 2 trillion units annually and beverage packaging ranks 2nd with just over 1 trillion units. By 2018, food and beverage manufacturers plan to increase their use of robots on the primary packaging line to 22%. This is due to the increased productivity, flexibility and efficiency that robots can provide on the primary packaging line.

Robots in High Demand for Secondary Packaging: The greatest growth in food and beverage robotics, however, is expected to continue in the secondary stage of the packaging line. From case packing to bundling and bagging, there are a variety of tasks a robot can perform in this area. Beverage manufacturers plan to increase usage of robots in secondary packaging lines to 22% by 2018. Food manufacturers are also expected to more than double their usage. These delta-style robots feature proven end of arm tools ranging from vacuum grippers to clamps that are integrated with sensors so a robot knows if it is safely gripping a product.

Robotic Palletizing Systems: After packaging, robots are then used to make

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products ready for transport. According to PMMI report, 2 out of 3 manufacturing locations either have palletizing robots installed, plan to install more, or plan to add them into their palletizing operations in the future. A wide variety of end of arm tools are capable of handling anywhere from single products to full rows, and even entire layers of product depending on customer needs. The use of palletizing robots brings increased end-ofline efficiency as well as improved flexibility and cost savings.

As cost continues to drop and capabilities continue to increase, industrial robots will be a key driver as manufacturers look to remain competitive in the food and beverage industry going forward.

The Future Looking to the future, food manufacturing procedures will likely remain the same, but the bias against automation has now

largely disappeared. Manual operation will likely continue for particular markets and products, but this will be interspersed with islands of appropriate automation.

The overall shape and nature of the industry will be determined by market forces, but the automation industry has an important role to play by providing technology that will ensure the sector continues to meet the demand for readily available, highquality and affordable food products.

Perhaps the greatest challenge the food industry faces in implementing automation and robotics is finding enough engineers to underpin the adoption of advanced manufacturing techniques.

Thus, schools, training centers and professional engineering institutions have an equally important role in creating a genuine 21stcentury food manufacturing industry.

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

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Agro & Food Processing March 2017

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COLD STORAGE

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Cold storage sector that's in nascent stage needs to wake up to the call Must turn the business from frigid cold to hot

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resent Scenario India being world’s largest milk producer and second largest producer of fruits and vegetables ends up wasting about 20-50 per cent of the total produce, valued at $ 440 billion annually (includes food grain wastages). Moreover, the quality of the product also diminishes as it reaches to the customers. The major reason for this, is the poor arrangement of cold storage in India.

Cold chain is the process which involves the transportation of temperaturesensitive products along a supply chain through thermal and refrigerated packaging methods to protect the integrity of these shipments. There are several means in which cold chain products can be transported - refrigerated trucks & railcars, refrigerated cargo ships, and air

cargo.

Although, the sector is fragmented and not mature but there is huge potential for retail to grow. The growth may require change the way of working and develop new capabilities around handling food collection, storage and transportation posing huge advantage given the current situation.

The government is going to sanction 100 more cold chain projects in the time to comethat will help cut wastage of farm produce and check price volatility. These facilities will be part of the national cold chain grid being created to transfer perishables from farm areas to consumers seamlessly.

As per government data, since 201314, the Food Processing Ministry has

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

sanctioned a total of 81 cold chain projects. Out of which, a maximum of 19 are in Maharashtra, followed by 13 in Uttarakhand.

There is about 30 – 40 per cent food wastage in India and the government is taking all policy measures, including FDI, to reduce wastage of farm produce during harvesting and transportation to a zero level. Globally, the wastages are to the tune of 30 per cent. In other countries, the wastage is more on plate, while they have zero wastage during harvest and transportation. Whereas in India, the food wastage is not on plate but during transportation and post harvesting stages.

Increasing food processing level is the need of the hour as it helps ensure better prices to farmers and curb price rise in

COLD STORAGE

farm commodities besides generating huge employment opportunity for youth.

The food processing Industry Union minister- Harsimrat Kaur Badal has set an aim to build up to 150 cold chain units.

Overview Cold chains are essential for extending the shelf life, marketing period, avoiding over capacity, and reducing transport bottlenecks during peak production period and maintenance of quality of produce. The development of cold chain industry has an important role to play in reducing the wastages of the perishable commodities and thus providing remunerative prices to the growers.

With the growth on the domestic manufacturing and retail segments, the demand for efficient warehouse management service has improved.

Despite the growing demand, warehousing continues to see little investment. Current spending on organized warehousing in India constitutes 9 per cent of total logistic spending, as against 25 per cent in the US. As per the World Bank’s 2016 Logistics Performance Indicator, India is ranked 54th and is behind countries such as

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Japan, the United States, Germany, and China. Logistic costs account for around 6-10 per cent of average retail prices in India as against the global average of 4-5 per cent. Therefore, there is a clear scope to improve margins by 3-5 per cent by improving the efficiency of the supply chain and logistic processes. Developing an integrated supply chain, including cold chain can save up to `300 billion annually and at the same time reduce the wastage of perishable horticulture produce.

It is worth noting that the price of vegetables, fruits, milks and eggs, meat and fish have been rising faster although India is the second highest producer of fruits and vegetables.

This is led by inadequate supply chain and logistic infrastructure and management.

temperature sensitive products along a supply chain through thermal and refrigerated packaging methods to protect the integrity of these shipments.

There are several means in which cold chain products can be transported, including refrigerated trucks and railcars, refrigerated cargo ships as well as by air cargo.

India's integrated cold chain industry - a combination of surface storage and refrigerated transport has been growing at a CAGR of ~20 per cent for the last three

The cold chain involves the transportation of

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

COLD STORAGE

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years. The cold chain market in India is anticipated to reach `624 Billion this year.

Cold chain infrastructure includes cold storage infrastructure, transport infrastructure and point of production infrastructure. There are approximately 6300 cold storages in India designed originally for single commodity storage.

Refrigerated transport or cold chain distribution is still in its nascent stage in India and is behind if compared to world standards for cargo movement.

Presently reefer transport business in India is estimated at `10-12 billion which includes reefer transportation demand for both exports and domestic.

Various industries covered under cold chain are agriculture, food processing horticulture & floriculture, dairy, confectionery, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, poultry, etc. India has around 6300 cold storage units, but can only store less than 11 per cent of the country's total produce. While 105 mn MT of perishable produce is transported across India annually, only 4mn MT is transported via reefers.

With initiatives by the Indian government and a steep growth in the consumption of processed foods, cold chain logistic is expected to witness huge growth in the coming years. High growth prospects for the food-processing sector along with attractive government incentives (including 51 percent FDI) make cold chain business a lucrative proposition for foreign investors as well. It should be specifically mentioned that many cold storage projects, located in different parts of the country, are based on old and inefficient technology.

plants with more automation, mechanized operations and operating conditions that are more hygienic. Currently, one of the focus areas is to make reefer trucks more energy efficient to withstand the variations in the ambient temperatures at drop-off points.

Indian warehousing market overview Indian warehousing market has evolved from traditional transport companies to full-fledged logistic service provider.

The economic environment in India has been pushing the demand for services such as warehousing, transportation, express cargo delivery, shipping services, container services, etc. as the freight volume is increasing significantly. In India, logistic is a critical factor for the growth of agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors and even in future, the growth of all these sectors would be impacted by the availability of logistic.

Warehousing plays a vital role in the complete value chain and forms approx.

20 per cent of the total logistic market.

Over the time and with the changing role of the sector, traditional warehouses have transformed to collection and storage points, where raw material, intermediate

The user industry would expect modern

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

and manufactured goods are collected, assorted, stored, and distributed to the point of consumption/sale.

The warehousing market in India is expected to grow at a rate of 35 to 40 per cent annually, displaying high potential for growth over the next few years.

Currently, the sector is highly fragmented with small players holding small units distributed across states with many challenges.

Almost 92 per cent of the market is dominated by unorganised players, while 70 to 75 per cent of the organised market is being controlled by Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) such as Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs).

The current capacity of the organised warehouses, controlled by corporates, cooperative and private sectors, is 108.75 million metric tonnes (MT), of which the private sector has only 18 million MT, while Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are yet to start off in the sector.

Storage Capacity of the Organised

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contain over 65 per cent of the cold storage units in the country and the rest are spread across India.

Warehouses in India The present state of food production & wastage in India India is bestowed with a varied agro climatic conditions which are highly favourable for growing several horticulture crops such as vegetables, fruits, aromatic plants, herbs, and spices, etc. India is among the foremost countries in horticulture production, just behind China.

However, despite the rise, India is way behind its nearest rival in per-hectare yield and processing of horticulture products. India stores only two per cent of its horticulture products in temperature-controlled conditions, while China stores 15 per cent and Europe and North America stores 85 per cent of their products in such conditions.

Cold storage in India has been largely adopted for long-term storage of potatoes, onions and high value crops like apples, grapes, and flowers.

75 per cent of the cold storage capacity is used to store potatoes, while only 23 per cent fall in the multiproduct category. Cold storages for meat, fish, and dairy items and for other items such as chilies and other spices account for only 1 per cent of total cold storage capacity. These cold storages are also usually smaller in capacity. Much of this multi-purpose cold storage capacity is in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The total production of fruits and vegetables in the country during the last three years Further enhancement in the cold storage capacity would be very beneficial to

storage capacity to be added in the next four years, with investment requirement of about `3,000 crore per annum. There is an increasing demand not only for capacity addition of cold storage facilities for a set of highly perishable products, but also for a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and grains.

(Growth in End user segments (food processing, horticulture): India ranks 5th in the world in terms of the value of food processing. The industry is expected to grow to `126,840 crore by 2016, growing at 13 per cent each year since 2012. The industry is critical from the economic point of view and hence the government must focus on the development of this industry. With the growth in this end user segment, cold chain infrastructure is expected to get a boost and help in reducing the wastage.

Government Initiatives: The government is taking steps for the sector, such as schemes for capital investment subsidy from the National Horticulture Board (NHB), the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) for the agri-investors to set up cold chain infrastructure. Government has as well set up National Centre for

Adequate cold storage facilities are available for just about 10 per cent of India’s horticulture production. Of the total annual production, 30-40 per cent is wasted before consumption. During the peak production period, the gap between the demand and supply of cold storage capacity is approx. 25 million tonnes.

Although cold storage capacity of over 30 million tonnes has been created in the country, the concept of cold-chain is still in its infancy in India. Since India is producing about 270 million tonnes of horticulture produce every year, the development of cold-chain networks assumes high priority. Owing to the tremendous pressure on improving supply chain and reducing losses during produce handling and movement, the need for creation of a cold chain network is crucial for perishable food commodities.

Regionally, the existing cold storage capacity is concentrated in terms of both number and capacity in the northern region. Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal

both the farmer and the consumer as it minimizes wastages and provides fresher and off-seasonal food items to the consumers.

INDUSTRY GROWTH DRIVERS Growth in Organised Retail: Over the last few years, organised retail and food service industrieshave emerged as new segments of cold chain, mainly due to the changing consumption pattern.

With the entry of big corporate into retailing, the supply chain including cold chain for food and beverages distribution is expected to get streamlined. India would need over 33 million tonnes of cold

Cold Chain Development (NCCD) which would help in establishing building standards through international benchmarking and to promote research and development activity in the cold chain sector. The government has also established partnership with Indian Railways to set up cold chain infrastructure.

CHALLENGES High Energy Costs: Operating costs for the cold storage business in India are approximately`80-90 per cubic ft. per year as compared to `40 per cubic ft. per year in the West. Energy

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COLD STORAGE

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tariffs, encouraging use of renewable energies, etc. to boost the development of cold chain infrastructure in India.

of the total expenses for the cold storage industry in India compared to 10 per cent in the West. These factors pose as a high entry barriers to potential players in the business.

Rising Real Estate Costs: With the rising real estate price, the cost of setting up a cold storage units are also rising. It constitutes approximately 10-12 per cent of the project cost. Also, as these units are not mobile, so choosing the right location becomes a critical factor. Being a capital-intensive project, it requires heavy investment in fixed assets like plant and machinery, building, insulation and panels. Depending on the size of the project and design of the infrastructure, the Capex is derived. Typically, a traditional cold storage of multi-tier walk in with a capacity of 6,000 tons would cost `5 crore, excluding land.

Uneven Distribution of Capacity: Major investment in setting up cold storages in Indiahas been in states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, and West Bengal. Further on analyzing the commodity wise storage capacity it is found that major cold storages have been set up to cater single commodities and this creates bottleneck for other perishable commodities.

bring commensurate economic returns to the farmers.

India needs a more effective, efficient, and well-thought-out cold storage infrastructure. The technology of construction has undergone a phenomenal change from conventional brick-wall construction to sandwich insulated panel and reinforced concrete (RCC) structures to pre-engineered buildings (PEB) steel structures. Energy-efficient practices like energy recovery systems, energy-efficient designs of refrigeration equipment and automation are some of the innovative features. Efforts need to be made to introduce the concept of green technology, as also the use of renewable energy for the cold chain sector. Special emphasis needs to be laid on development of reefer infrastructure in view of India’s exports thrust and potential.

Besides, to boost the investments, financial institutions should play a major role to encourage the investment in cold chain industry in terms of term loan sanctioning, nominal interest rates and disbursement.

The growth cannot happen without their support. The state government must make a step towards subsidizing the electrical

Insight The cold chain industry is emerging as a fast-growing business sector in India, with developments in the food processing sector, organized retail and government initiatives driving growth. To develop a world-class cold chain infrastructure, government and industry bodies need to work in collaboration to encourage the adoption of better and more efficient refrigeration technologies that can prolong the shelf life of food products and

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

One of the major road blocks for the sector to grow further is the operating cost of cold storage which lies at $ 60 per cubic meter in India compared to $ 30 in the west. The reason for this huge difference is on the account of higher energy expenses in India and shortage of adequate infrastructure. The major concerns that the cold storage sector faces are power supply, lack of trained personnel, outdated technology, and infrastructure. However, inconsistent power supply and poor electricity is the biggest obstacle in the development of cold storage industry.

How to make it work?

Setting up cold chain involves high cost and higher infrastructure cost for operations. Given the expected growth in grocery retail to $ 847.9 billion by 2020 from $ 500 billion in 2012, there are some changes expected by the industry to ensure the three significant areas of handling food collection, storage and transportation be more cost effective for retailers.

To start with, cold storages can be established closure to the source or agricultural land which will help in increasing the shelf life significantly, availability of agile and reliable logistic system to ensure reduce in transit wastage, robust planning, scheduling and execution which is again very critical given the limited capacity of cold chain and high requirement. Technology interventions like GPS and sensors which can be monitored centrally to track the temperature and position of truck to ensure better control on product quality.

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Agro & Food Processing March 2017

YOUNG TURFS

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Big Ideas, Big Dream and Big changes Turfs of young ice cream entrepreneurs out to change the Indian ice cream Industry a bunch of energetic and bright young professionals are now taking off in ice cream industry in India. They are winning over customers and investors with their irreverent approach towards giants that dominate the market.

They are innovative and under the growing demand for natural and traditional flavored ice cream that is liked by Indians. They have humungous competition with increasing penetration of international brands but their zeal is unfathomable.

T

he ice cream market in India is forecast to exhibit a CAGR of 17.03% during 2017-2021. Ice cream market in India grew at a moderate pace over the past few years, on account of entrée of young Indian entrepreneurs and increasing number of international ice cream brands, improving cold storage facilities, coupled with changing consumer taste.

Moreover, India is the largest producer of milk, as the country accounts for over 1/5th of global milk production, thereby offering ice cream market in the country with large volume of raw material for manufacturing of ice creams. GDP per capita of India is increased from USD1390 in 2010 to 1580 in 2015, which is positively impacting the ice cream market in India. Furthermore, growing inclination towards eating ice cream outside, growing number of flavors, coupled with rising purchasing power are further expected to drive India ice cream market during the forecast period.

Ice cream earlier was considered as a luxury food product, however with changing time taste and preference of consumers changed which propelled growth in India ice cream market over the past few years.

Moreover entrepreneurial ventures of

The turfs of young entrepreneurs in the ice cream industry are not afraid to acknowledge that failure is a real possibility. Nevertheless they are also turning out to be a pain for global brands including Haagen-Dazs and Baskin and Robbins, London Dairy and many more.

These new lots of entrepreneurs have a far higher level of confidence in the markets and in tomorrow. They are tomorrow's Amul and Vadilals……

At first look, it seems as if the odds are stacked against these minnows having any success against established giants in the ice cream market. And yet, at another level, it is as if these companies were just waiting to happen.

The ice cream industry in India has for long been dominated by totally terrible quality products from small, local chains.

And foreign brands do not cater to Indian customers the way the new Indians generation want it to…..the goal of fresh generation ice cream entrepreneurs is to change the game by creating not just a pan-India brand but a brand that they will take overseas.

These new entrepreneurs are wired very differently in seeking ambitious growth rates. Many factors are working in their favour now, more than ever before like availability of outside equity, higher consumer confidence to try new products, digital media which offers better returns for money spent, have all helped.

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

Not surprisingly, they also show a greater appetite for risk.

These are the met such young innovative ice cream entrepreneurs who are all set to rule the ice cream industry in the near future. They shared their thoughts, their determination, zeal to achieve the unexpected and the faith to change the course of the Indian ice cream…….

Indian Ice Cream as opposed to global brands Ankit Chona, Director, Havmor believes that Indian brands have the advantage of understanding the taste and need of customers in better manner than global brands. As far as innovation, consistency in product quality & ability to change as per customer’s need us at Havmor are nowhere less than any global Ankit Chona is the grandson of Satish Chandra Chona who started Havmor at a small shop in Karachi in 1944 and then resumed the journey in 1953 in Ahmedabad. Until 2007, Havmor was restricted to Gujarat.

Havmor Chairman Pradeep Chona, the second generation in the business, was happy with the brand’s success and legacy though the scale of the business was limited. But the third generation was restless and Ankit Chona wanted to leverage the brand’s potential. He returned to India in 2005 (after studying at Purdue University in the US and doing an internship at Panera Bread, a bakery cafe chain in the US and Canada) when Havmor had a revenue of around Rs.40 crore. He scaled up the business from two restaurants and two fast food joints to 16 restaurants and 50 fast food joints, which together account for about 15% of the group’s revenue.

Meanwhile, Havmor stepped outside Gujarat, opened stores in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and now has entered in North India

YOUNG TURFS

brand.

Speaking on the significance and development of Indian made ice cream Srinivas Kamath & Siddhant Kamath, Directors,Kamaths Ourtimes Ice cream Pvt Ltd, also called Natural Ice Creams said, ‘Indian ice creams have a greater potential and with the sophistication of better packaging and branding, it would be better equipped and probably much ahead.Actually the key differences between Indian and global ice cream is that we tend to focus on our principal product without focussing as much on presentation, unlike our global counterparts and we tend to retain more than add. We therefore tend to pay less attention on the look and feel and other external circumstances’’, they further revealed.

According to the Kamaths, India is a developing nation where people focus on food and not as much on the luxuries of desserts and ancillaries.In the west, they cater to a customer base which is looking for dessert, while in Indian market the customer base does not have luxuries engrained into its system.

‘It's probably harder for us to have consistent high revenue but we as a nation are growing and developing and what was a luxury a few years ago, is increasingly becoming routine and as I said the potential is huge, at the same time the key point is to retain where our true value lies’’, noted Srinivas .

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the product outside India is inferior but the focus, it seems to me has a wider base than just the palette.’’

Kamath really thinks that Indian food industry has great potential as we are a nation which has immense patience and ability to be artistic with respect to basics particularly food. ‘We in our brand don't allow even a minuscule compromise towards better revenue or cost saving if such action results in any way to compromise on the core product.

Perhaps I am digressing from the subject but the truth is that everything we do or we sell must be truly from our heart- no ability or potential to play with what our true business is’’, he added Viren Shah, Director, Scoops & Cream Stone Ice Cream has a different line of thought and explained that if you talk about per capita consumption of ice creams of other countries as compared to India, the per capita consumption of India is very low. Shah added that Indians prefer to be vegan (religious factor) and majority of ice creams are not purely vegetarian, while globally; one gets a lot of varieties like range, experience, excellent quality parlor set-ups.

Cost played a big role in Indian ice cream sale and the Indian manufactures always need to consider the consumer class like middle class, lower middle class and so on. Thus range begins from Rs 5 and increases as per the quantity size and today strawberry and vanilla command 30-40 per cent share as they are the classic flavors.

International market has all kinds of different flavors. If we compare India and abroad, a lot of shift is required in India and focus should be on creativity, presentation, and reach. How one can reach to the target audience is important, because today it is a reach game, Viren explained.

Despite the entry of many global brands in Indian market the Desi Indian ice cream brands hold majority of the market share.Amul is the leading ice cream player and holds close to 32% of the market share followed by Vadilal Industries. Other large players in the sector include Cream bell, Mother Dairy, Havmor, Mumbai based Pastonji and Natural ice cream.

At the same time many global brands like London Dairy, Walls, Baskin Robin, Haagen-Dazs and many others have successfully reserved their share in Indian market. The factors responsible for global brands to survive in Indian market is changing consumer taste, increase in purchasing power and their desire to try out newer, richer, tastier product.

Mr Aziz Hafizi, CEO, Pastonji Ice cream assures thatthe influx of international brands in the country is driving competition, and the industry is set to grow on the back of partnerships and franchises of brands to widen reach and distribution.

He further added, ‘Effectively we want to only add and not diminish what the customer gets. Not that I am saying that Viren Shah heads 3 different types of ice creams brands Scoops , Temptations , Cream Stone in Hyderabad and the companies are into chain of ice cream stores , wedding parties suppliers , high end ice creams bars and stations for weddings , Ice cream fondue s , ice cream cakes, etc.. Anything in deserts which is pure vegetarian and specialist in ice cream counters in weddings and chain of ice cream stores in pan-India.

Ice creams are something that can never fade off. Be it any age group, the love for ice creams is something that stays always. Believing on this fact and being ice creams Viren Shah thought of how the company could make these cold, mouth-watering desserts even more desirable, laid the foundation of the concept Cream Stone. In 2009, Cream Stone started its journey as ice cream designers and since then on, there has been no looking back.

Cream Stone has managed to create its niche, not just in Hyderabad but in various other cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Vizag, Cochin, Coimbatore, and many more.

Scoops ice creams are 100% pure vegetarian ice creams and have two formats Scoops & Temptations with range of Innovative Flavors in Bulk with Fresh Fruits, Hotel Packs and Retail Novelties Marketed in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Bangalore& Maharashtra with a network of 5000 Outlets & 36 Distributors with two Production units with 26 Cold Rooms for storage.

Our Presence is in All the Major 5 Star Hotels, Major IT Companies, Major Tourist Places & Major Shopping Malls and well recognized Brand.

With Shah’s young innovative strategy,Scoops and Cream Stone is well covered in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka states with Parlor Concepts, Temptation Concepts & Retail Network, the Company has a direct Distribution from the Day one in Vijaywada and has spread to whole of Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

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30 Innovations History has shown that many of the innovations that we have come to take for granted were a result of entrepreneurs, pioneers and early adopters willing to invest their own money, and sometimes lives, in a big idea.

Innovation is necessary. In fact, now it is mandatory. Increasingly, customers are demanding more and more from the organizations that they feel should be serving them. Their demands keep raising the bar for what is good enough and fueling the need for new, different and better.

Innovation is the main tool for growth in the Ice Cream Industry, as the sector is divided into different segment and every brand is perceived as a particular marque.

For example like Kwality Walls, Amul or any other major national brands, these are all retail consumer brands that are available in supermarkets, small retail stores, push-carts.

Thus an image has already been created in the minds of consumers. There are very few ice creams that are premium like Haagen-Dazs which follow a premium format and are only available at certain top-notch supermarkets. It carries a different kind of brand image that cannot be imitated. There are various international brands to name a few like London Dairy, Magnum that have entered the Indian market and are exploring.They thrive on constant innovative products and hence attract the new generation of consumers’ assiduously.

According to Viren Shah all brands thrive on innovation; in India experimentation initially was a risk taking factor, which now is taken to be challenge and innovation. The ice cream industry definitely is doing that. ‘’Scoops Temptation and cream stone could not have survived the competitive market if we had not innovated and experimented for the sake of our customers’’, he remarked.

Ankit Chona added that he has been with Havmor for over a decade now and worked dedicatedly to make the company grow over tenfold. Needless to say, that innovations and automations has played a huge role. ‘’Havmor has moved from a manual plant and has moved to a complete automated plant.

Though most players continue to play in the main stream flavors, there is a brand in India that has created a market for it in very different Ice cream flavors that brand is Naturals ice cream.

Established in 1984 in Mumbai, Natural ice cream has been pioneer in making artisan ice creams using only fruits, dry fruits, chocolates, milk and sugar. This idea was conceptualized by Mr. R S Kamath, CMD of Kamaths Ourtimes ice creams Pvt. Ltd. The unique thing about naturals is the heavy usage of local fruits and flavors in India. RS Kamath got a very good knowledge of fruits due to the work he had put in with his father, who was in the fruits business.

Srinivas brought with him a fresh perspective to make the brand more relevant to the changing preferences of consumers today. Srinivas’s basic aim was to want the youth to connect with their brand too. The target audience that patronizes Natural ice-cream fell in the category of middle age and Sri took the point in re-inventing it in terms of extending a young image. It shall take time as the company is taking one step at a time beginning from training their staff across each of our 123 stores spread throughout the country. The concept that the brand follows is to have a sit-in attached to each of its outlet. According to Srinivas they want the customers to enjoy their product sitting at their parlors just like they would feel at ease sitting at a coffee shop.

With 30 years of being in the business, over 100 outlets across the country and the recently launched state-of the-art factory in Mumbai, Natural Ice Cream is still raring to go places. And it is the rare combination of traditional methods and modern technology that will take us there.

We were the first ice cream company to get on SAP, ’said Chona.

Srinivas Kamath revealedthat at the time when he joined Natural ice cream, there was a big change happening in ice cream industry due to new rule enacted by FSSAI. It was particularly a big challenge for him because the new rules took into consideration only the conventional ice cream and not the artisan ice cream category where they majored.

Since Naturals is inherently different from conventional ice creams, Kamath had to develop their own technology to ensure they survived and not get 'banned' for not being compliant under new rules. ‘‘We developed our own unique process and the scale and extent we went through to develop our ice creams is something unheard of in any other ice cream brand in the world has ever done’’, Kamath proudly added.

Today Natural ice cream has created its own niche and is not only successful in ensuring that the consumers get the same taste like they enjoyed but also ensured that they could scale their manufacturing.

‘The result as you can see that we not only grew from little 25 outlets to now over 123 outlets. We also matched our product with the global brands not only in flavours but also in the overall improvement in texture and packaging

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of our ice cream. The true credit entirely goes to hard work and determination of my Father-founder of Naturals along with Mr Girish Pai and I was lucky to witness and learn from this experience’’, embarked the proud son.

On development and innovation, Aziz Hafizi said, ‘’ after my joining we have upgraded the plant capacity of production from 5000 liters to 28000 litres per day. Also we have changed our machineries from old fashioned manual handling to automated imported machinery’’.

He informed that they have improvised every stage of ice cream making, right from milk processing to packaging and storage and maintain a strict hygiene environment which is the basic mandate of any food industry. ‘’We also have introduced many innovative flavours, diversified and widened product portfolio and have closely worked to improving the quality of ice cream, added Hafizi.

Brand equity Brand equity is a phrase used in the marketing industry which describes the value of having a well-known brand name, based on the idea that the owner of a well-known brand name can generate more money from products with that brand name than from products with

YOUNG TURFS

a less well-known name, as consumers believe that a product with a well-known name is better than products with less well-known names.

The young ice cream manufacturers have new and advanced thought process to create conspicuous branding for their products which has in actual hardpressed the sale of their ice cream. Also it is important that as an Indian ice cream industry, all the manufactures need to come together and create awareness of the goodness of Indian ice-creams and their brands. Branding thus has become the lifeline for marketing and selling a good product and subsist the colossal competition presented by the international brand.

Right now, ice creams are still a very niche dessert, but Havmor has invested tremendously behind the brand from traditional television, print media to other Digital Space in market, informed Ankit Chona. ‘’ We have also changed the look and feel of our brand and connect better with today’s youth while maintaining the legacy of the brand. Ice cream being an impulse product, nothing is more important than branding at point of sale’’ he added.

Agreeing on the same line, Srinivas Kamath thinks Brand equity is a wonderful concept and it matters as we are not just manufacturing ice

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highlighted the fact that we work with 3 basic ingredients - milk, sugar, and fruit.

Our new logo is a simple ice cream cone in the word Natural, explained Kamath.

Of course, there are legal and trademark related concerns, there is a need to protect the customer from imposters.

Brand equity therefore is important and we have changed our Brand to address such issues, he further added.

Brand equity has gained a lot of importance today. Ice cream, which was considered an indulgent category in the past, has now evolved to a stage where it is largely and happily perceived as a snacking option by consumers. The industry is growing at a CAGR of 10-15 per cent. This growth is, and will, supply momentum to ice cream consumption, especially in the branded and innovative categories. Consumers have become more quality conscious and thus are willing to spend on brands. ‘’Pastonji has been in the market serving 100% vegetarian ice cream to people since 25 years, which has led to create successful brand recognition among consumers and we are constantly aiming to create our brand equityPastonji brand’’, said Aziz Hafizi. He further supplemented that Pastonji is a consistent performer and has been providing quality product due to which consumers get associated with Pastonji

Pastonji Ice Cream was set up by Suleman Hafizi in Andheri, Mumbai, who started manufacturing Ice Candies with a very small scale area of about 600 sq. feet in the beginning under the brand name 'Pastonji'. After receiving an outstanding response from the market, the company bought a larger premise to carry out the manufacturing activities which measured about 6,600 sq. feet, at Kandivali (West) Mumbai, India. Suleman V. Hafizi is the Chairman and Managing Director of the company and also holds presidentship of Kings Ice Cream USA Limited. The manufacturing plant of Pastonji Ice Cream located in Mumbai has an installation capacity of 6, 000, 00 Liters per annum.

Mr. Hafizi's youngest son Aziz A. Hafizi is now the CEO of the company and very diligently looks after production and Quality assurance of Pastonji ice cream and is aggressively promoting the varieties of ice cream they produce. He said their consumer following is based on the way they maintain hygiene and cater food safety.

The Mumbai plant is the biggest plant of the company and it manufactures a huge variety of ice cream products such as ice cream cake, matka kulfi, nut coated roll, magic roll, swinger sundae, natural fresh, sandwich and ball. creams or serving customers,but it is a commitment and it has value, he stated. ‘’When you link equity to brand, your brand becomes a commitment and we at Natural Ice cream have created a brand that's about simplicity and purity - because that is what we serve. We have

which has created brand equity through word of mouth. ‘’Also proper use of social technology has made public familiar to Pastonji brand and gain consumer loyalty, Hafizi added.

Funding& expansion Viren Shah, cleared that scoops and stone ice cream is not looking for any angel funding, and only through organic growth and own resources the company will expand.‘’At the moment expansion and growth are synonym terms, and is always ongoing process for any company.

If any company thinks that they don’t need expansion anymore, their downfall is evident. But as of now there are no expansion plans for us’’, said Shah.

While Pastonji is all for private equity and though supply chain management is a great challenge in the Indian market, Pastonji is still planning to expand to other states too. ‘’Thus to ensure our reach to even rural areas we are planning to increase our cold storage and transportation facilities’’, Aziz Hafizi informed, and is also in the process of introducing a super-premium brand “BrainFreeze”with unique flavours and mouth melting effect and variants of ice cream which will be available only at our high end sophisticated premium parlours’’, he added.

Consumers are willing to experiment with unusual flavours, combinations and boutique offerings such as gelatos, but they have not forgotten the plain, good old ice cream is being consumed alongside. These quality conscious consumers also want smoother, creamier products. The premium icecream market has been expanding on the back of growing disposable incomes of consumers and their desire to try out luxury products.

Hafizi added, ‘’At Pastonji we are constantly aspiring to match the rising desires of consumers and their willingness to pay a premium. We also plan to introduce low fat range of ice cream for health conscious consumers.

Havmor has made its presence felt with desired effect in thirteen markets of India. Their plan now is to grow very aggressively in these market using their brand value and gaining customers’ confidence, but are not looking for any external funding as of now’’, elucidated Chona. ‘’Natural Ice cream works in a purposely slow rhythm, which effectively means that our requirement for funds is

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32 ordinarily at pace with our growth’’, said Srinivas Kamath and therefore haven't yet felt the need for private equity or funds otherwise other than usual limited bank loans.

To this Siddhant Kamath added that they are in the process to strengthen their retail service aspect and the ability to continue to procure the best. In fact we are in the process of expanding our procurement side and perfecting our service such that we can have a larger consumer base but it is all, as said, purposefully slow. ‘’We don't want a situation that just to have more customers or more revenue we do not give the customer the experience that the customer is paying for or that what we stand for,’’ remarked Srinivas.

Future plans Indian ice cream industry is one of the fastest growing segments of the dairy or food processing industry in India at the moment. Our consumption is way too low when we compare it with the USA or Australia. It is even lesser than China or Pakistan as well but we have seen in the past 3-4 years it has doubled from 200ML to 400ML.

But the entry of Young ice cream manufacturers and entrepreneurs, the scenario is changing and taking a better turn. The have increased the level of competition for the international brands by their foresightedness, innovation and determination.

have different experience, look and feel.

Viren Shah said, ‘’we are growing at a good number and at the same time we wish to explore different markets and enter urban market. We also are concentrating on the premium segment as well.

Pastonji Ice cream is already in plans to set up new manufacturing plant in Gujarat with more increased per day capacity so as to reach out and capture the north western region. The project is planned to complete by the year end.

While Ankit Chona informed that Havmor is displaying intellectualism in its marketing strategy and are also scaling up their production capacity as well. ‘’We are significantly focusing the rural market as maximum growth will come from there. We might even consider inorganic ways of growing the company in the future’’, he remarked.

‘’We also plan to set up some more cold storage and transportation facilities thus increasing and facilitating our supply chain management and plan to open at least 40 franchisees of our premium brand parlor “BrainFreeze” in the next 5 years.

Scoop, Temptations, and Cream Stone have different target audience; Scoops is targeted towards retail chain, supermarkets, etc. and Temptations – is that format wherein exclusive ice creams are available along with food, there are about 34. Premium segment – Cream Stone provides variety in range and flavours. All the aforementioned brands

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In the next five years, Natural Icecreams intend to reach increase their customer pool through better offers and aggressive marketing. ‘’We are accordingly working on creating a better brand, a better procurement arrangement, better retail and our production is already ahead of the remaining factors. At the same time however we are acquiring more space (retail) and getting more people trained so that we are equipped to continue our basic principles, said both Srinivas and Siddhant Kamath.

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Indian Pulses Industry has immense potential for growth

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ariety of food crops including rice, wheat, coarse cereals, minor millets, maize and pulses are grown in India with total production of 253.16 mt (2015-16). India is the largest producer (17-18 mt), consumer and importer (4-5 mt) of pulses. The import of pulses has crossed 5 mt during 2015-16. Hence to fulfil the growing demand, pulses production need to be increased from present level of 17.33 mt (2015-16) to 26.5 mt by 2020. With the

conjunction of potential of technology available, policy support for research and development that creates environment for farming community to grow more pulses with adequate amount of farm inputs.

Under the realm of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), many high yielding varieties and integrated crop management technologies have been developed in recent times, that have the capacity to enhance pulses production by

25-30 per cent within short span. When appropriate policy support is provided to address various issues like infrastructure for irrigation, quality input supply, storage, buffers stock for seed and grains, remunerative MSP (Minimum Support Price) and procurement, market and issues dealing with import of some of the less preferred pulses etc. there is huge scope to popularize pulses as ‘Health Food’ or ‘Nutri-Rich Food’. Higher production combined with larger imports

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34 has resulted in a marginal increase in pulse consumption estimated at around 50 grams per day in 2012-13 compared to less than 40 grams prior to 2012-13.

In India, pulses are cultivated on marginal lands under rain fed conditions. Only 15 per cent of the area under pulses has assured irrigation. The reason being is that the high level of fluctuations in pulse production and prices, farmers are not very keen to take up pulse cultivation regardless of high wholesale pulse prices in recent years. Farmers are more attracted towards cash crops like Bt cotton, maize and oilseeds (mainly soybeans) because of better return and lower risk. Consequently, area under these crops has increased over the years to the detriment of pulses. Pulses are grown in all three seasons and they are categorised as under: i) Kharif – Arhar (Tur), Urd (Blackgram), Moong (Greengram), Lobia (Cowpea), Kulthi (Horsegram) and Moth. ii) Rabi – Gram, Lentil, Pea, Lathyrus and Rajmash iii) Summer – Greengram, Blackgram and Cowpea.

The technologies related to processing and storage of pulses at village level in form of seed/grains/splits (dal) still need refinement so that post-harvest losses can be minimized. Similarly, in view of climate change and requirements for new varieties, there are few researchable issues that need to be tackled through systematic crop improvement and other approaches. The Government of India (GoI) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is fully aware of the people's demand. Therefore, ICAR will provide all need based technology backstopping and demonstrate pulses production technologies.

Being the largest pulse crop cultivating country in the world, India’s pulses production is relatively mere in comparison to total cereal crops production. In India, pulses can be produced with a minimum use of resources and so it becomes less costly even than animal protein.

In comparison with other vegetables, pulses are rich in protein which are less expensive and can be cultivated as an inter-crop and as mixed crop. Pulses possess several other qualities like they are rich in protein, improve soil fertility and physical structure, fit in mixed/intercropping system, crop rotations and dry farming and provide green pods for vegetable and nutritious fodder for cattle as well.

Area of production pulses The total pulses production showed notable growth after 2009-10 (14.66 m t) and pulses production (19.78 m t) was at its best in 2013-14 with an addition of over 5 mt to the pulses basket just in 4-5 years. The major contribution was the impressive production and productivity growth in chickpea and of additional area under other pulses. Due to unfavourable weather and untimely heavy rains during crop season pulses production reduced to 17.20 mt (2014-15). It is also a fact that in almost all rabi season crops shown decline in production and pulses were not only

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the exception. The crops also suffered due to less rains during monsoon season in 2014. The weak monsoon continued even during 2015-16 and that resulted in loss of area under rabi pulses in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh whereas crops suffered due to drought in Maharashtra and Karnataka in 2015-16. Since, enabling environment was created for pulses production through special campaigns and several other steps were taken by the Central and State Governments, pulses production could be maintained at the level of 17.33 mt during 2015-16 as per second advance production estimates In India, Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer of pulses followed by Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. These six states together constitute 79 per cent of pulses area and 80 per cent of pulses production. There are four states viz., Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh and there exists ample scope to increase coverage and enhance productivity of pulses as plenty of water is available to raise crops in different seasons and niche areas.

Demand and supply of food grains including pulses: Government of India has taken several steps to ensure nutritional security to the largely agrarian population of the country. As increasingly people are becoming health cautious, demand of protein is growing day by day. The projected estimates suggest that by 2020 about 26.5 million tonnes of pulses will be required to fulfil growing demand for human consumption to maintain present level of availability at 37g per capita per day against 70 g per capita per day as per World Health Organization recommendation and demand for seed and miscellaneous uses. India has imported about 5.51 m t of pulses till February 2016 and exported about 0.22 m t during same period. The major 87 per cent export was of large seeded kabuli chickpea. Further, the pulses demand has been projected to

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the tune of 26.5 million tonnes by 2020, 32 million tonnes by the year 2030 and 39 million tonnes by 2050.

Proposed measures with available technologies to enhance pulses’ productivity Additional area Ample scope exists for promotion of pulses in intercropping and sequential cropping. For example, short-duration (120-150 days) pigeonpea varieties are now available for northern India making cultivation of wheat after pigeonpea crop in irrigated area that is required for diversifying of cereals-dominated cropping systems. Vast area of ricefallows available in Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal offer opportunities to expand area under post-rainy season pulses like chickpea, lentil and lathyrus.

Farming system approach need to be adopted for cultivation of pulses in the rainfed rice-fallows that include promoting (1) cultivation of early maturing paddy followed by early maturing chickpea, lentil and lathyrus varieties, (2) suitable agronomic practices (seed priming, sowing under zero or minimum tillage condition) for ensuring optimum plant population in rainfed rice-fallows, and (3) integrated crop management practices (nutrients, weeds, insect-pests, diseases, etc.). Similarly, ample scope exists to popularize Rajmas, lentil and fieldpea in NEH region.

To ensure additional income to farmers: In several parts of India, people prefer to consume immature green chickpea and pea grains as vegetables and after maturity, preference is for vegetable type (green coloured) pea grains for cooking as whole grains. Since, immature green

pea grains (IGPG) are utilized as fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables, ICAR-IIPR has developed green, round, and large seeded variety with high yield potential for central India. Further, in North India, mercury dips during December/January to less than 10-degree C leading flower or pod drop constraining availability of (IGCG).

Sincere efforts need to be diverted to tap the potential for popularization of Immature Green Chickpea Grains (IGCG) and Immature Green Pea Grain (IGPG) for vegetable purpose as 'Health Food' in areas where people have preference.

Chickpea and fieldpea can be promoted in parts of Punjab, Haryana, southern Rajasthan, western Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhota Nagpur plateau (south Bihar, southern West Bengal, parts of Odisha), and in central (Maharashtra) and south (Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh) as people of these regions have long tradition to consume immature green chickpea and pea grains.

Expand pigeonpea hybrid production: Many demonstrations of pigeonpea hybrids need to be conducted in farmers’ fields of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka,

and Jharkhand so that farmers are convinced about the performance. The stakeholders must be informed regarding conduct and performance.

Increase of mechanization Mechanization would play a key role in modernization of agriculture due to its benefits of improved labour efficiency and productivity, efficient use of expensive farm inputs and timeliness of operations.

Line sowing by seed drills or ridge maker-cum-planter should be developed and promoted in the states where farmers are making use of broad casting seed for sowing. Machine harvestable chickpea varieties (NBeG 47 and GBM 2) developed need promotion in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Ridge and furrow system of sowing must be promoted Water logging causes severe damage to rainy season pulses such as pigeonpea, mungbean and urdbean. Ridge and furrow method of planting reduces the losses from water logging and lessens the incidence of phytophthora blight.

Integrated nutrient management Proper nutrient management based on soil analysis is important to maximize pulses productivity. Farmers generally provide nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and in some certain cases Potash (K) ignoring others nutrients like sulphur (S), zinc (Zn), boron (B) and molybdenum (Mo) etc. Wide-spread deficiencies have been observed for these nutrients in pulses growing areas. There is a need to develop

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soil map for availability of nutrients for each state and recommend application of nutrients accordingly. It is also important to ensure availability of the fertilizers/ micro-nutrients to the farmers at the local level and right time.

Promotion of micro-irrigation system Pulses are largely grown under rainfed conditions and moisture stress leads to reduction in productivity. Sub-optimal moisture in the soil at sowing time leads to poor germination and plant stand.

High emphasis should be given on water conservation so that the pulses received required irrigations. Micro-irrigation (sprinkler irrigation) needs to be promoted for pulses. In areas where pigeonpea (Tur) cultivation is more between rows and plant spacing, drip irrigation must be encouraged.

Integrated pest management There is a need to promote integrated pest management (IPM) approach to manage the disturbing pest. An effective pest surveillance mechanism should be in place at district/block level and region specific advisories should be given to farmers for pest management.

Seed hubs creation Enhancing seed availability of new varieties must be encouraged. Seed rolling plans should be developed for each state.

Upscaling of already developed models for production of quality seed at village level involving various stakeholders is needed. Supply of quality seeds of improved varieties must be ensured to achieve desired seed replacement rate.

Government of India is providing funds to establish 'Seed Hubs' for pulses.

Approximately 1400-1500 tonnes of breeder seed of over dozen pulses are required to achieve desired (30%) seed replacement rate. Breeder seed production in sufficiency quantity

(around 1800 tonnes) should be produced

by ICAR-IIPR must be considered by conversion efficiency (about 60-70%) by considering weather conditions and other factors. Breeder seed should be supplied to National Seed Corporation, State Seed Development Corporations (SSDCs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). These institutions should convert breeder seed to foundation and certified seed.

Since, KVKs are directly responsible for transfer of technology, hence it should be empowered to produce and purchase quality seed from farmers’ fields and allowed for large scale sale to farmers.

ICAR has already made provisions for Agronomist and/or Plant Breeder in KVKs. Strict quality control may be implemented with proper monitoring and evaluation system and accountability following Seed Act. The seed production hubs must be supported with required

infrastructures for seed production, processing and storage for the next season and as buffer stock.

Production Problems World supply is the most important factor affecting farm pulse price changes from year to year. For production, almost everything is dependent on weather conditions, the long-run factors are area under cultivation and potential yields. Compared with markets in other commodities like cereals and oil seeds, the pulses market is a relatively thin market due to its small aggregate global output. In

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absolute terms, pulse production saw an increase from 41 million tonnes in 1961 to 70 million tonnes in 2012 indicating a net increase of around 29 million tonnes with a growth of 1.4% yearly. Over the past 15 years, the overall pulse production has increased at a rate higher than the growth rate in population both in developing and developed countries. There are significant improvements in production due to the increased consumption trends globally.

Pulses production increased from 56 million tonnes in 2001 to 70 million in 2012, representing a growth of 2.2 per cent yearly.

Though the pulses market has improved in recent years, the issues of pulse production compared with other crops span from agronomic to other problems like policy matters. In major pulseproducing countries, due to the lack of policy attention by the government, investments attracted by pulses are fewer than those in cereal and other crops.

Other factors that have inhibited the productivity growth are lack of irrigation, low appliÂŹcation of fertilizers, climatic conditions, and low remunerative prices to the farmers.

India being a major producer and consumer of pulses, due to restricted irrigation facilities and barren land areas, and poor policy initiatives to promote the pulse market, the productivity problems are much worse than those in

other major pulse-producing countries.

Pulse productivity is much higher in most major pulse-producing countries than that of India. Pulse yield in Canada improved from 1141 kg/ha in 1961 to 1893 kg/ha in 2012. Other countries such as Brazil, China, and Myanmar showed similar trends through the same period.

Nevertheless, the yield in India has not improved much around 600 kg/ha since 1961.

Global trade The trend in cross-border trade across the world is a major factor that influences

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37 contribution towards total global acreage and production of pulses at 32 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.

Economic Importance of the pulses CHICKPEA: The most important pulse crop of India contributes about 30 per cent of total pulse acreage and about 40 per cent of total pulse production of the nation. It is mainly consumed as chole. Many attractive dishes viz – sweets, snacks and namkeen are also prepared from its floor called besan. Also, eaten as whole fried or boiled and salted, Fresh green leaves (sag) are used as vegetables and green grains as hare chhole or chholia. Straw of gram is an excellent fodder while both husk and bits of ‘Dal’ are valuable cattle feed. Leaves consist of mallic and citric acid and are very useful for stomach ailments and blood purifier.

pulses prices. Global trade in pulses increased almost six-fold over the past three decades from 1.7 million tonnes in 1981 to 12.4 million in 2011. The value of global exports increasing more than 11 times in the same period, the unit value of exports also rised almost four times from $133.8 in 1961 to $654.6 in 2011.

Thereby representing an annual average increase of 7.6 per cent.

Prices of pulses traded in the international markets are rising more rapidly than their production, with demand for pulses going ahead than their supply. It follows that the growing import demand for pulses is influencing the prices of pulses. That signifies the future of pulse prices, as demand is destined to rise with anticipated population growth and increase in incomes of developing economies of not only India, but across the nations in southeast Asia, including Western and South Africa. The expansion of global trade of pulses has delivered a platform for many countries to be engaged in pulse cultivation and export trade. Canada, the U.S, and Australia amidst developed countries and China, Myanmar, and Argentina among developing countries

have emerged as major exporters of pulses over the years.

Global consumption Pulses’ global consumption for food use varies from production, due to stock variations from year to year, and the use of pulses for seeding, animal feeding, and other non-food utilization, besides wastages. The year-to-year production will necessarily reflect the year-to-year variation in consumption, as non-food uses do not vary much from year to year, and may well be assumed to remain unchanged from year to year like yearbeginning stocks, too.

Nutritional security is another area to be taken care of as vegetarian population is devoid of balanced diet that further leads to diverse forms of ailments and associated deficiency diseases. Pulses fill the void in supplementing the nutritional shortfall with the proteins that they possess in fair qualities. Vital roles of pulses in sustaining the soil fertility by way of nitrogen fixation, feed and fodder values among other things that add the degree of their importance in sustainable agriculture India’s outstanding

PIGEONPEA Pigeonpea (Arhar) commonly known as red gram or tur. After gram, arhar is the second most important pulse crop in the country. It accounts for about 11.8 per cent of the total pulse area and 17 per cent of total pulse production of the country. It is a rich source of protein and supplies a major share of the protein requirement of the vegetarian population of the country.

Mainly eaten in the form of split pulse as ‘dal’, arhar seeds are also rich in iron and iodine. They are rich in essential amino acids like lycine, tyrocene, cystine and arginine. The outer covering of its seed together with part of the kernel provides a valuable feed for milch cattle. The husk of pods and leaves obtained during threshing constitute a valuable cattle feed.

GREEN GRAM Green gram is an excellent source of high quality protein. It is consumed as whole grains as well as dal in several dishes made at home. Sprouted whole moong is used in south India for preparing curry or a savoury dish. Moong dal (split) and dehusked fried in fat goes very well with tea or drinks as a snack. Moong can be used as a feed for cattle. After harvesting

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BLACK GRAM Black gram (urd) is also one of the important pulse crops grown in India.

It is consumed in the form of ‘dal’ (whole or split, husked and un-husked) or perched. Chief constitute of ‘papad’ and of ‘bari’ (spiced balls) that make a delicious curry. Urd differs from other pulses in its peculiarity of attaining when ground up with water a somewhat mucilaginous pasty character, giving additional body to the mass. In the south, the husked dal is ground into a fine paste and allowed to ferment and is then mixed with equal quantity of rice flour to make ‘dosa’ and ‘idli’.Urd dal is also used in the preparation of ‘halwa’. It is used as a nutritive fodder especially for milch cattle.

LENTIL Considered a valuable human food, mostly consumed as dry seeds. In Indian sub-continent, it is mostly consumed as ‘Dal’ by removal of outer skin and separation of cotyledons. Whole pulse grain as ‘dal’ and snack preparation and soup preparation is also served in city restaurants. Easily cooked and digestible with high biological value, sick patients consume them. Dry leaves, stems, empty pods, and broken pods are used as valuable cattle feed. Bold seeded, attractive shaped grains have high demand for export at premium price, if lentil production is sustained at high level, mainly through per unit productivity enhancement.

PEAS Pea is another important pulse crop at global level, after dry bean and chick pea and it is one of the popular rabi pulse of India. It has good nutritional value and is a part of several vegetarian diet hence it is enjoyed throughout the world. The mature seeds are used as whole or split into dal and used in various ways for human consumption. In addition to the vegetable purposes, it is also grown as a fodder crop for cattle and cover crop to prevent soil erosion but only matured seeds are used for human consumption.

MOTHBEAN

Mothbean (Vigna acontifolia) is a native crop of hot and dry habitats of northern and western parts of India. This crop is rated as most economic and useful annual grain legume. Probably due to genetic buffering entrenched in this arid legume to quickly adjust and adapt to the fast fluctuating situations. The very adjusting abilities have rendered this crop as a crucial component of cropping system prevailing in arid regions.

Most commonly recognized as the potent source of several confectionary items like Papad, Bhujia (crispy snack), namkeen mogari, wada etc. used as daily snacks by the people along with its main use as ‘Dal’. This crop is used as a source of food, feed, fodder, green manuring, and green pasture. Green Pods are delightful source of vegetables. Being a pulse, it is a cheap source of vegetable protein for balancing nutritional deficiency.

Mothbean is known for higher proportion of albumin and glutamin fractions of protein along with a good source of lysine and leucine amino acids.

HORSE GRAM Another crop of south India, horse gram. The grain is used as ‘dal’ and in preparation of so-called ‘rasam’ and plus it is used as concentrated feed for cattle.

It may also be used as green manure.

This crop is generally grown when the cultivator is unable to show any other crop for want of timely rains it also grown in vacant space of citrus orchard. Horse gram is mainly cultivated in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, M.P., Chattisgarh and in foot hills of Uttaranchal and H.P., in India.

Cultivated in other countries mainly Shri Lanka, Malaysia, West Indies and so on.

RAJMA (KIDNEY BEANS) An important pulse crop required for immediate attention in India, due to its very high yielding capacity under well managed conditions as compared to gram and pea. Presently it is grown only in Maharahstra (Sitara district), H.P., U.P., Jammu & Kashmir, and North East hill states covering 80-85 thousand ha area. But its cultivation during Rabi and

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

summer is gaining popularity in northern Indian plains. Traditionally, Rajma is grown during kharif in Himalayan hills though high yield is attainable in Rabi in plains due to better management.

COWPEA This crop is known as drought hardy nature, its wide and droopy leaves keeps soils and soil moisture conserved due to shading effect. It is also known as Crowpea, black-eyed pea or southern pea etc has multiple uses like food, feed, forage, fodder green manuring and vegetable.

Cowpea seed is a nutritious component in the human diet and known as cheap livestock feed as well. The tender green leaves are also used as source especially by small scale farmers in the rural areas.

Choice of cowpea as vegetable is due to being palatable, highly nutritious, and relatively free of metabolites or other toxins. Both the green and dried seeds are suitable for canning and boiling as well.

STORAGE/PACKAGING Good packaging material must protect quality and quantity, hence preventing spoilage during transit and storage.

It should display about grade/quality, variety, date of packing, weight and price among the rest. It must also be convenient in handling operations, convenient to stack, cheap, clean, and attractive.

Important packaging materials are i) Jute bags, ii) HDPE/pp bags, iii) Polythene impregnated Jute bags, iv) Poly pouches, and v) Cloth bags. About 10-15 per cent moisture is safe for storage of pulses.

For small-scale storage, air-tight metallic bins must be made use of; for large scale storage of pulses, large soils are commercially available. The storage of the product affects the cooking quality of whole and split pulses (dal).

VALUE ADDITION & PRICE ISSUE Promoted by the western habits, food consumption habit in India has seen a radical change in recent times. Export of value added products has taken the upward ladder. Food Processing industry

PULSES INDUSTRY

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has made its mark in the last few years as every sector is showing a good growth rate. The Industry has wide range of consumption of food processed items in the country. Due emphasis must be paid to the agro-industries based on the prevailing nature of perishable crops including pulses. There is a great scope of canning fresh peas, but lack of facilities for preservation particularly in the rural sector where all types of infrastructures are not available.

The produce of the farmers is sold at low prices hardly meeting the economic needs of the farmers. Middlemen involved in the transportation of pulse grains exploit the rights of the farmers to sell them at reasonable prices. Lack of processing plants in the near locality of the farmers’ field have encouraged these the traders to interfere for converting the raw and fresh pulses into various processed food items and the by- products where value additions are the prime target.

in the future, and high income coupled with growing population and the supplyside limitations like land availability for pulse cultivation, lack of technological breakthrough in pulse varieties and cultivation, resulting in low productivity; it seems that unless area for pulses expands significantly or production improves noticeably, the pulses market shall not see any significant growth in the coming years.

Conclusion Pulse crop is an important source of nutrition and income for millions around the world, and is cultivated over 58 million hectares in developing countries and another three million hectares in developed countries. Considering the anticipated increase in global demand

Considering the estimated population in 2020 and 2030, and based on the last 10year trend growth in global consumption, the demand for pulses for in two years would increase to 75.9 million tonnes in 2020, and 81.9 in 2030, from the current level of a little over 70 million. It follows that the supply–demand gap will widen

in the future, resulting in further inflation in pulse prices. India, being a major producer and consumer of pulses, will necessarily have to endure the most of such price inflation.

The authorities should therefore take appropriate steps to divert, to some extent, the demand for vegetable proteins from pulses, to proteins from oil meals, if not than to encourage consumption of milk and meat products among the Indian populace.

Pulses are a part of the Indian culture and the consumption pattern will also increase, hence the government must ensure there is balance between the demand-supply ratio.

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

JUNK FOOD DEBATE

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Government should clear its standards on Junk Food: Experts Junk food needs to get a clear definition as many are confused with what exactly should be considered as junk Centre has recently announced sin tax on instant food items claiming it as junk food Industry opposed to categorised all items as junk food

Who does not think of food? Every living person has natural feeling of hunger and to satiate it, they need something to eat, whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

When your stomach is craving for food, you need to satisfy it immediately. Hence the concept of fast food evolved to take consumers in a world of pleasant, appetizing, instant food items.

Indian fast food industry is increasing

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

because of the rising consumption and changing lifestyle of the young generation.

Popular Indian fast food dishes include vada pav, pani-puri and dahi vada and so on. Now many traditional food items are being adapted to suit the needs of the people. Now-a-days, even food courts and restaurants innovate the variety of food items on their menu cards. The various fast food outlets established is for the very same purpose, to serve the

JUNK FOOD DEBATE

customers quickly.

With the government planning to impose a huge tax on junk food category, it is bound to create some noise in the industry.

Because on one side, when the food processing industry is keenly promoting the food sector, the high tax could act like a demotivating factor for the same.

Junk food needs to get a clear definition as many are confused with what exactly should be considered as junk. Chheda Specialities Foods Pvt. Ltd.- MD of

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Ashok Chheda said “all items cannot be categorised as junk food. My product is snacks, though it is fried but they do not have adverse effects on health.” If an individual wants to maintain healthy lifestyle, he/she needs to get the required nutrition daily, which is only possible if a specific diet plan is followed rigorously.

Partner, Mota Chips - Jigar Ajit Mota said I do not make junk foods, as I try to make all products as healthy as possible.

Every product is made up of specific

number of ingredients that gives the food its taste. If it is in excess, then consumers eating are likely to face certain health issues. Director of Urmin Group of Companies, Rajendra N Majithia said the food item should be treated junk food only if the ingredients exceed the maximum limits prescribed under the laws. “Universal rule cannot be applied to all products at one time since every product has different specifications, formulations, usage, etc. Every product

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

JUNK FOOD DEBATE

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contains nutritional information which is certified by the respective laboratory & claimed by the manufacturer. Therefore, if such product is nutritious in nature, claiming the same as junk food is not viable. Food products that are processed and packed as per government regulating standards shouldn’t be claimed as junk food as long as those packaged foods follow regulations during manufacturing, packaging and labelling. Food habits of different areas vary as per their culture, climatic conditions, availability of food, and those foods provide different macro & micro nutrients which cannot be ignored to maintain human body equilibrium.”

For a healthy lifestyle of an individual it is important that all the daily nutrition requirements are fulfilled in his or her diet, thus anything consumed in excess as per the norms set for the same is harmful to one’s body.

High tax will affect the food industry The increase in tax rate for food category will have an impact on the industry players.

Chheda feels that it is a wrong move to impose high tax because this will crush all the SMEs segments and create a chaotic atmosphere. It will have an adverse impact on the economy, because prices will rise and there will be indirect effect on raw materials and process.

Eventually this will create obstacles for the support of SMEs and MSMEs that seek growth. Specific criteria need to be set in place where in every product that meets those limits should fall in those detailed categories. Mota said “any kind of food that is unhealthy will always be called as junk, but the government’s criteria of taxing the junk food category

high is not correct. Because you cannot stop a person from eating what he feels is right. The criteria should not be that it is junk food, criteria should be that these food stuffs must be categorised under certain groups and then accordingly tax it.

They should not levy a huge number but rather the amount should be reasonable and these items must be taxed, so that the government gets the right kind of revenue.”

Traditional food items cannot be categorised into junk as they have been consumed since many years by citizens of this country. Also, India is a nation with so many different cultures and traditions that you are bound to get several different cuisines that are rich in nutrition. Hence any kind of change in the tax slab affects the industry and allied segments.

Mota said the economy and the people associated with this industry are affected as small traders and small manufacturers will completely be wiped off. Just like how alcohol and tobacco industry is taxed heavily but the sales keep on increasing, in a similar way the scene is the same with so-called junk food category. On one side, you are trying to bring in all the MNCs to India by giving them licenses and allowing them to prosper, then you call them junk food. You cannot categorise samosa as junk food, can’t call chole bature as junk because they have been Indian traditional snacks since years.

Majithia stressed on the aspect that there needs to be a clear and precise definition as to what all products should be considered as ‘junk food’. He said, “The most important aspect that needs to be addressed is the definition of ‘junk food’. There needs to be a justification for why a certain ingredient or products

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

falls into the junk food category and to do this all aspects and stakeholders need to be taken under consideration. Without properly assessing product categories and consumption pattern of individuals based on regional tastes, preferences and culture implementing high taxes would have a very negative effect on not only the food industry but on the overall economy of our country.

Promoting or demotivating the industry?

The high tax that could likely be imposed on junk food can act like a demotivating factor. The time since Modi’s government has come to power, it has keenly trying to promote the food processing industry.

Mota said the government is not just demotivating but rather playing two drums together; wants to promote and on the other hand tax the sector heavily.

They must tax it, because the govt. needs to get the revenue and the existing tax rates are reasonable and these rates should continue to stay as it will give them stable revenue throughout. But in the name of junk food, you cannot tax people.

Chheda said government is trying to advertise that they are providing a lot of facilities to food industry but in actual we don’t get any facilities. There are octroi, anti-tax coming up but money is just being collected all in the name of tax and no useful benefits as such.

The government must focus on both the organised and unorganised sector of the food industry. The food processing industry is very competitive and capital intensive with lot of regulations to be followed with high customer expectations & aspirations for a safe, hygienic food.

Majithia said “the government needs to focus on unorganized sector and

JUNK FOOD DEBATE

unorganized food manufacturers who are producing and selling food products in unhygienic conditions. Rather than increasing taxes on food, it is important to regularize and strictly monitor the manufacturing, packaging, labelling, storage, and distribution norms so that the end consumer’s interest is protected. The government needs to ensure that proper infrastructure and manpower is allotted from the grass root level to curb unethical activities that are largely practiced in our country today. If anyone in the supply chain is adopting unfair means, it has direct impact on the end consumer.”

There is one tax – GST (Goods and Service Tax) everywhere in the world. A single tax should be made in place wherein both the small and big businessperson can rise on the same platform. The small enterprises will be able to run their business more affluently. If you go in for 3-4 tax rating then that will create chaos as there will be state GST, central GST which will be even more worse for the small, medium companies.

Organic food consumption With health-conscious individuals preferring to consume only healthy food, the concept of organic food is yet to gain prominence. A health-conscious person will maintain the diet five days of a week, but over the weekend that person forgets everything and indulges in drinks & parties. It is difficult to abide strict

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schedule to healthy lifestyle. In regards to organic food consumption in India, Mota expressed it is all a matter of time as it will work only if there is sufficient growth of organic products in the country. “I don’t think in near future it is highly possible, because here the need of the hour is excess production in terms of volume where farmers get his produce’s worth. Organic food will always come out in very small quantum from the farmers’ perspective that will yield a certain price but will not be enough in volume for his entire year cycle. Our farmers are not big farmers, they are small farmers and even if they cultivate organic, it will not yield that much price, because the consumption pattern of the organic foods is not that high. It will be beneficial only if it’s done on a large and voluminous scale, because organic food has been the talking point since the last 5-7 years but the growth till date has been very minimal.”

Alternative measures for a healthy lifestyle If a person overeats or indulges in consumption of food items excessively then he/she faces certain health issues.

People do not know about the health benefits of several products; hence they must be aware of all beneficial points that contains. Chheda said it will take time for common public to replace their eating habits.

“They need to understand & know the difference between what is wrong and right.

Main criteria should be to create awareness of all the ingredients, consumers need to be educated what is good and bad to promote the brand.”

Another factor is the bodily behaviours associated with climate change.

Eating patterns is closely linked with the mind and body system. Mota is of the view that there is some certain climatic pattern that the country follows.

These climatic changes affect the bodily behaviour. “As per my knowledge, the bodily behaviour has different needs at different hours. When you are perspiring too much, there should be intake of oily product because even if you drink water, that will not quench your thirst. Hence people have a lot of oily foods during summer season, then in the winters people want to consume hot and spicy food as here it is not very cold unlike the US & other parts of the world. So, there is a certain pattern that is linked with the behaviour and consumption of the people.

It is very difficult to change that, because you need to fulfil the cravings that you feel at that time.”

He also added that another factor is cultural roots. “Indians can never leave their culture unless and until you are completely modernised with the West.

The Indian culture provides you with the base, since childhood you are accustomed with that base and so it is not easy to give up on it.” Majithia said “initiatives by government and private entities on health awareness programs that focus on nutritious diet and exercise programs in both rural and urban areas will be a huge step forward to reduce the rate of lifestyle diseases.”

Fortified foods Food fortification is the process of adding micronutrients to food. It is a purely commercial choice whether to provide extra nutrients in a food, whereas in certain places it is a public health policy which aims to reduce the ratio of people with dietary deficiencies within a population. Diets that lack variety can be deficient in certain nutrients.

Addition of micronutrients to staples

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JUNK FOOD DEBATE

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and condiments can prevent large-scale deficiency diseases in these cases. Mota said “our foods are basically vitaminrich, and due to the high productivity that farmer’s use and certain crop seeds that have come up, the levels of vitamins have reduced. Hence people require these supplements. If you have a normal diet, routine environment, and consume junk food in limited quantity, that pattern gives you the required enrichment that the body requires like that of vitamin A, B, C, D, E, and everything.”

Majithia understands the role of fortified foods that will help maintain balanced diet and for a healthy lifestyle. “To have a balanced diet in today’s world, it has become important for our foods to have all kinds of nutrients and vitamins to stay fit. With the advancement of technology, food fortification will play a major role in maintaining a balanced and healthy diet.” Worldwide there are many foods and beverages that are fortified, whether a voluntary action by the product developers or by law. Before a product could be fortified, it should firstly be proven that the addition of this vitamin

or mineral is beneficial to health, safe, and an effective method of delivery.

The addition must also abide by all food and labelling regulations and support nutritional rationale.

Conclusion Junk food simply means an empty calorie food. An empty calorie food is a high calorie or calorie rich food which lacks in micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, or amino acids, and fiber but has high energy (calories) but the central government is preparing to impose a

high tax on fortified or instant food items containing vitamin and other minerals claiming it as junk.

The government needs to focus on unorganized sector and unorganized food manufacturers who are producing and selling food products in unhygienic conditions. Rather than increasing taxes on food, it is important to regularize and strictly monitor the manufacturing, packaging, labelling, storage, and distribution norms so that the end consumer’s interest is protected.

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

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

BAKERY INDUSTRY

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Bakery Industry: Growth and its innovations

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ndian Bakery industry is booming The Indian bakery industry is one of the largest segments in the food processing Prakash industry has witnessed a phenomenal growth during the past years. Due to change in the food eating habits of the people, urbanization and improved standard of living, bakery products have gained popularity among masses especially the kids. This category is estimated to be over Rs 7,000 crore accounting for a CAGR of 12-15 per cent approximately.

The industry comprises of – organized and unorganized sectors and is currently dominated by the unorganized sector which contributes over 60 per cent of the total production. Consuming bakery products was not part of Indian culture many years back but largely due to the influence of the western culture these products have lots of takers across the age groups. The per capita consumption of bakery products in India remains1-2 kg per annum, whereas in the advanced countries the consumption is between 10 and 50 kg per annum.

The bakery segment majorly comprises of bread, cakes, biscuits, and cookies. At present the bread and the biscuit industry accounts for more than 80 per cent of the total bakery products in the country.

The other products that are gaining importance in this category are – khari or puffs, buns, toast, rusk, croissants etc. Out of the total production of breads and biscuits, almost 40-50 per cent is produced in the organized sectors and rest in the unorganized sectors.

The organized sector consists of large, medium and small-scale manufacturers.

Another product segment worth mentioning is cakes and pastries which is fast catching up.

Bakery industry has faced a lot of challenges Until the last decade, the bakery industry growth was slow due to lack of technology, inadequate man-power, and irregular raw material quality whereas now we are witnessing a complete paradigm shift.

Outdated technologies (manual) have been replaced with automated machines.

This has increased the out-put and at the same time yielding a better quality product. For e.g. the traditional furnaces (bhatti) used in artisan bakeries have been replaced by electric ovens which can be operated easily. Traditional blenders are being replaced by high speed mixers.

Formulators and bakers are bringing in advancement in the technology and ingredients that they use. Industry is also looking at packaging to attract consumers.

Premium biscuits category like the sandwich cream biscuits and cookies would continue to grow because of strong consumer preference towards these products. This category has seen a series of new product launches in the health segment which are majorly catering to the health conscious population.

Several bakery chains (domestic and international) have entered the market and are popularizing their brands. The main ingredients used in any bakery product are – flour, sugar/salt and vegetable fat. These ingredients are abundantly available in India and hence sourcing of raw materials has never been a bottleneck but the challenge that is faced is in terms of price fluctuations of the raw material

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

BAKERY INDUSTRY

46 since they are majorly agricultural produce and competition because of low capital investments. But in spite of these challenges, bakery industry will continue to thrive as it is in a favorable position.

With increase in rural penetration of the bakery products, the segment will get a further boost.

Focus is now on Innovation Innovation can be in terms of technology, packaging and formulation i.e. use of specialty additivesfor a specific function.

Bakeries especially in the organized sectors are adapting new technologies and as discussed earlier are upgrading their equipment. The industry is using fuel efficient equipment like the infrared burners that emit less pollution. Bakery industry is also implementing systems which ensure good manufacturing and hygienic conditions cum practices.

Improved packaging: Packaging of the finished product plays an important role not only in attracting the consumer but also in determining the product shelf life, retaining the freshness, nutritive value and avoiding any microbiological contamination, tamperproof, resistant to mechanical damage, labelling etc, etc and the list is endless.

Developments in packaging technologies are underway to help in the preservation of the bakery product and address the above issues.

Innovations in ingredients/additives Bakery industry uses a lot of specialty

additives in the recipes and some of them are – Emulsifiers, Stabilizers, Leavening agents, Enzymes, Preservatives/ Antioxidants, new innovative flavours.

These additives enhance the performance of the product in terms of texture, taste and shelf life. Apart from these regularly added ingredients, the industry is also developing recipes for the health conscious consumer. The present day consumer looks for health and nutrition apart from taste and convenience.

Growing incidences of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cancer, cardio vascular disease, obesity etc have prompted the consumers to switch to a more healthy diet. Some of the additives that give health benefits and are added for fortification are- minerals and vitamins, omega-3, phytonutrients, fibre, etc, Sugar substitutes/Sweeteners, etc.

Flour is one of the major ingredients in any bakery formulation, but we now see a switch from a plain flour (maida) to whole wheat flour, multi-grain or fortified flours which are rich in micronutrients.

There are companies manufacturing fortified biscuits to tackle micronutrient deficiencies which are prevalent in the country today. Consumers are also demanding gluten-free products.

Vegetable fat or vanaspati/Bakery shortening is another major ingredient used in the recipe and its main functions are – to prevent aggregation of flour gluten, to impart lubricity, tenderness, to enhance air entrapment while dough

mixing, to enable formation of flakiness and crust. Trans free vegetable fats and fortified fats have now replaced the regular fats which contain the unhealthy trans fats. With Indian food laws, theFood Safety Standards Act of India (FSSAI), getting more stringent by the day, it is appropriate to be updated on the regulatory aspects before finalizing the recipes. It is now mandatory to declare the content of trans fats and saturated fats on the labels of packaged foods along with other nutritional information. Vegetable fats are now available in the market which are low trans or zero trans, low in saturates and are fortified with vitamins, minerals, and specialty ingredients like omega 3 fats, phytosterols, natural antioxidants etc.

Opportunities Bakers do face challenges like rising raw material costs, production costs, Govt regulations, and competition due to price sensitivity. But the bakery industry continues to grow steadily despite the challenges. The unorganized sector still accounts for > 50% of the market and this needs to be tapped as there is a huge potential. With the rapid expansion of modern retail outlets/ e-retailing, the segment will grow exponentially.

Consumers are ever demanding and hence the baker has to be abreast and well-informed on the latest technology, products and services to meet the changing needs.

Due to rising concerns of lifestyle diseases, health has become the major focus and hence value- added products like whole grain breads, high fibre baked products would start gaining importance.

Government of India is also encouraging small and medium enterprises with very attractive schemes to upgrade their units.

This has further opened up immense opportunities for new start-ups also.

Bakery Industry in India continues to shine ……….

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

TECH NEWS

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Bry-Air launches the BrySmart Dehumidifier series with patented technology

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ry-Air recently launched a new series of Dehumidifiers, the” BrySmart Dehumidifier…

BBS series”, which has two patented technologies, BrySmart® and BryTherm™, embedded in its architecture.

This super, intelligent dehumidifier can deliver a baseline additional 20% saving plus a further additional 48% saving, with the respective incorporation of the Bry-Air high performance rotor and the BrySmart™ and BryTherm™ patented technologies. The product modulates various critical components to optimize the energy consumption and moisture removal on a continuous basis.

The eco-friendly dehumidifier is a step forward in energy conservation through enhanced technology (on real time). The user has the option to control parameters and ensure maximum

flexibility in operation with the patented BryTherm™ technology. It also has an option to incorporate predictive failure/ maintenance tool for continuously diagnosing and forecasting the component failures - Bry-Air Prognos™, as an addon.

The BBS integrates futuristic trends like Industry 4.0 and ISO 50001, which gives the users the edge in their technology upgradation and energy conservation.

Bry-Air, leaders in dehumidification worldwide has been at the forefront of energysmart adsorption and airgineering technologies having filed 107

international patent applications for 12 new technologies. Out of which 22 has received grants.

Bry-Air is fastest growing adsorption technology group in the world.

With over 50 years of experience, BryAir is a global leader in manufacturing dehumidifiers & dryers, gas phase filtration systems, high temperature heat recovery wheels, plastic auxiliary equipment, and adsorption chillers.

Bry-Air is one of the flagship company of the Pahwa Group. The group has 11 manufacturing facilities in India, Malaysia, China, Brazil, USA (associate plant) and 8 R&D laboratories in India.

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

NEWS

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Launches the Gurgaon Cold Chain Center To Address The Needs of North India’s Cold Chain Market

EMERSON CONTINUES TO INVEST IN INDIA

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Hakan Erdamar

ndiais one of the fastest growing economies in the world and offers immense potential for the cold chain industry. The government has enabled growth by taking many steps in this direction promoting cold chain infrastructure by encouraging adoption of environmentally responsible and energy efficient technologies, while also enablings kill development to support the industry.

Emerson received overwhelming response from the key Industry stakeholders for its First Cold Chain Center located at Chakan, Pune. Encouraged by this success Emerson opened its new Cold Chain Center at Gurgaon, to be close to its customers in North India.

This center provides expert project design services to end users, contractors,

and consultants. From heat load calculations to customized refrigeration solutions, Emerson’s team works to ensure that the cold storage project is optimally designed. These services cater to the wide range of cold storage facilities such as fresh produce collection centers, pack-houses, fruit processing, dairy, logistics warehouses and retail. The Gurgaon center also offers practical hands on training covering a wide range of topics along with live equipment, simulation, and solutions in action.

Speaking on this specia loccasion, Mr. Hakan Erdamar, President Asia and Middle East& Africa, for Emerson’s Commercial & Residential Solutions platform said, “Emerson has an unmatched array of products and solutions to support the Cold Chain Industry. Our value proposition of offering the bestin-class global technologies, customized locally for the India Cold Chain market, places us in a unique position to serve the industry in an optimal manner. We are delighted to meaningfully contribute to the development of the Cold Chain segment in India”

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

It is recognized that strong cold chain infrastructure leveraging highly energy efficient technologies and intelligent solutions will be vital to preserve food quality and minimize food wastage in India. Raising awareness levels through training and ensuring strong lifecycle support will act as catalysts for scaling up the Cold Chain Infrastructure in the country.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Sridar Narayanswami, Vice President and Managing Director of India, Emerson’s Commercial & Residential Solutions platform, said, “North India is the largest region for Cold Chain with presence of key industry players across farm to fork.

Several nodal agencies are based in this region. We are pleased to open this fully equipped facility to provide training, design services and technical support to our customers and partners.”

Sridar Narayanswami

NEWS

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Cosmo Films adds laurel to their growth Inauguration of 10.4 metre BOPP Line

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osmo films successfully organised Line 10 Inauguration function was attended by more than 250 customers around the globe representing all sales verticals. The company was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic participation of the customers in various events organised during the two days which included the main line 10 inauguration function in the day and entertainment programme in the evening on day one and line 10 plant tour and

Cargill Foods introduces technology for anti-counterfeiting

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eading edible oil firm Cargill Foods India has introduced anticounterfeit technology in its

cooking oil brand Gemini at a cost of about Rs 2 crore to fight against fake products, besides protecting brand image and revenues.

Cargill Foods India, part of the US food major Cargill, will launch this technology in other brands from next month, such as Nature Fresh, Sweekar, Rath, Sunflower and Leonardo, as the company said that it witnesses 10-20 per cent business loss in smaller cities and rural markets due to

fake products.

The Chief Marketing officer (CMO) Neelima Burra of Cargill said, "We have introduced new-age anticounterfeiting technology in Gemini, which is our popular brand in South and West India.

This will be in our all other brand and will soon bring new range of 'Leonardo' olive oil.’’ Burra said this anticounterfeiting technology has a unique feature with a two-way process to check the authenticity.

The estimated cost would be about Rs 2 crore.

Anti-counterfeiting technology includes a 3D Hologram of Cargill Foods India which signifies the authenticity of the product. On looking at this hologram using the phone's torch light, one can see '1865' written - the year of foundation of Cargill Foods India's operations. And we can now identify where the counterfeit has been detected and take immediate action," Burra said.

Besides, the customer can download an app called 'Mojo Tags' to scan batch code

of the product and receive the reassurance of the genuineness of the product.

"According to a study by KPMG-FICCI, about 80 per cent of the consumers are victims of deceptive counterfeiting, i.e. they buy fake goods in the belief of buying genuine ones, the company said.

"Counterfeiting in India is rising at an alarming rate, especially in the FMCG sector. A report by FICCI-KPMG suggests that out of the total counterfeit market, 65 per cent is from this sector. Edible oil industry is one of the most unorganised sectors in terms of distribution in India, hence, it holds a larger risk of duplicity," Burra said.

While consumers end up paying excessively for low quality products that could possibly have health and safety risks, producers risk damage to brand image, she said.

Burra said the company would launch awareness campaign for consumers as well as its wholesalers and retailers, while continuing to take necessary legal action against counterfeiting and getting the cases registered.

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Study says by 2024, food processing sector to generate 9 million jobs

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n ASSOCHAM-Grant Thorton Research paper revealed that Indian food processing sector can attract USD 33 billion of investment and create nine million jobs by FY 2024.

The ASSOCHAM-Grant Thornton joint study on 'Food Retail: Investment: Infrastructure' noted food processing sector is expected to employ nine million people in India by 2024, and expected to generate about 8,000 direct and 80,000 indirect jobs in the state. The food processing sector is a key contributor to employment generation in India.

The policymakers have identified food processing as a key sector in encouraging labour movement from agriculture to manufacturing.

As per the study, Indian food processing industry is pegged close to USD 130 billion. With the second largest arable land in the world, it is the largest producer of milk, pulses, sugarcane, and tea and the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits, and vegetables. Despite the massive production, the degree of processing is low and ranges between 2 to 35 per cent for different produce. India is one of the top rankers in the production of bananas, guavas, ginger, and papaya among others signifying an extensive opportunity in the food processing sector, indicates the paper.

accounting for around 31 per cent share in the total. After China, the world's second largest producer of food is India. The arable land area of 159.7 million hectares (394.6 million acres) is the second largest in the world (after the US). India has a strong raw material base for the food processing industry.

With globalisation and increase in trade across the borders approximately about 460 million tons of food valued at US$ 3 billion is traded annually. India has a great potential for global trade in agricultural and processed food products. In the last few years, the share of food processing exports in total exports was around 12 per cent. During FY 2011-15, India's exports of processed food related products have been growing at a CAGR of 23.3 per cent.

The unorganised sector accounts for 42 per cent of India's food processing industry.

The presence of small-scale industries points to the sector's role in employment generation. As per the study, though the market falls under the unorganised sector in the country, the organised sector has a great share in the secondary processing segment than the primary one.

Food and grocery constitute a substantial part of India's consumption basket

Demand for processed food is rising with growing disposable income, urbanisation, young population and nuclear families.

Household consumption is anticipated to double by 2020. The changing lifestyle of people has facilitated an increase in expenditure on health and nutritional foods. India benefits from large agriculture sector, abundant livestock, and cost competitiveness.

Investment opportunities are being tapped in agriculture, food infrastructure and contract farming. Also, diverse agroclimatic conditions encourage cultivation of different crop.

Investment including FDI would rise with strengthening demand and supply fundamentals. Furthermore, launch of infrastructure development schemes can increase investment in food processing sector.

NITI Aayog prepares model contract farming law

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overnment’s premier thinktank NITI Aayog is preparing a model contract farming law to connect farmers with the food processing industry. NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya said “NITI Aayog is preparing a model contract farming law.

That would connect farmers to the food processing industry.”

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech had said: “We also propose to integrate farmers who grow fruits and vegetables with agro processing units for better price realisation and reduction of post-harvest losses. A model law on contract farming would, therefore, be prepared and circulated among the

agreement on what we need to do immediately and in this sense, what budget 2017-18 is doing would contribute to 15year vision document, which we would be putting out soon,” he said.

states for adoption.” To a separate query, Panagariya pointed out that part of the 15-year vision document shares sets of issues that “concern us immediately, i.e. what we should be doing in 2017-18 and 2018-19”. “And there is a general

The Aayog has been entrusted with preparing a 15-year vision document beginning 201718, which will replace the Nehruvian 5-year planning followed for over six decades. Besides the vision document, the Aayog will be ready with 7-year strategy and 3-year action plan based on which funds will be allocated in the Budget.

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Traceability ensures monitored farming, an effective food supply chain and transparency

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hairman of European Spice Association Nils Meyer Pries said a packed spice conquers the world when it manages to take the consumer directly to its origin and thus wins his heart. He said this at the International Spice Conference hosted by the All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF) at Kovalam. When the produce will be under the scanner of the consumer and health agencies for traceability, it can dispel all concerns on safety and quality standards and thereby ensure sustained growth of the spices sector.

Digital platforms could be used to manage traceability by collecting, storing, processing and disseminating data regarding farming, harvesting, processing, packaging, and distribution.

Cost-effective numeric and alphanumeric bar coding, matrix bar coding and other labels when linked with automated systems or mobile technology allow immediate retrieval of product information. Innovative coding can help statutory authorities’ consumers, health, food safety officials or even consumers easily track down growers, field, processing and packaging operations

and movement of spice products through the supply chain, including transit and storage.

Executive Director of American Spice Trade Association, Cheryl Deem said that technological innovations in traceability have enabled quick and accurate identification of contamination, pesticide residue and other toxins and causes of food-borne illnesses. Traceability ensures monitored farming, an effective food supply chain, operational excellence, and transparency. It also helps cut down inspection time and many challenges in exports, food safety, quality control,

and certification. In the changed world where consumers are entitled for informed decisions, traceability boosts overall consumer satisfaction and the sustainability of the spices sector, she added.

GeemonKorah, CEO, Kancor Ingredients, emphasized on the need for different sectors of the food industry to work together towards establishing proper and harmonised maximum residue limits.

KS Thyagarajan of BASF India led the session on the necessity of quality at source and the role of the inputs industry in saving and improving the crop and complying with residue standards.

India should adopt Vietnam model of spice cultivation to boost production

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.I. Ganagi, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Bengaluru has said that Vietnam has overtaken India as the leading producer of black pepper and its productivity has reached supreme proportions in a short span of time. Present at the inauguration ceremony of the national conference on ‘Strategies for sustainable spice processing’ at the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Ganagi said that Indonesia stood second and India has dropped down to third spot in pepper production.

Vietnam never existed in the spices market 8 years ago, but today it stands at the number one position in pepper production. It produces 10 times of India’s overall production. Vietnam produces 2.5 tonnes of black pepper on an acre, he said.

Indian spice producers must adopt new

strategies to increase output and monocropping was an alternative to double the yield. Ganagi said, “It is time we analyse what is lacking in us to become a leading spices producer. What is affecting our cultivation practices or whether diseases are affecting our production should be looked at. We should reach 75 to 80% of Vietnam’s production in the years ahead.

Karnataka has overtaken Kerala in black pepper production.

Lack of productiveness or farmers’ interest may be the reason besides climate change since Kerala was currently facing drought for the first time after several years.

Ganagi stressed that demand created and plan production strategies since climate change has affected spices production.

Pricing has become unviable. If farmers

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

want to continue in farming, they must get a good price for their produce, he said.

Regarding the doubling farmers’ income in 5 years, he said it took 14 years for the farmers’ income to double in the past.

Income can be doubled if productivity goes up, expenses are trimmed down and price constancy was assured. NABARD has supported 2,000 farmer producers’ groups and was also open to support cropspecific farmers’ organisations, including spices.

NABARD was ready for direct funding to entrepreneurs willing to establish their processing units at the parks.

Over 300 delegates, including academicians, growers, and scientists attended the two-day conference.

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Staple cooking medium oils outshines dairy as India’s largest packaged food item

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einforced by increasing consumer awareness that now prioritize health and hygiene over expenses on the staple cooking medium oils outshined dairy as India’s largest packaged food item.

the reach of price-sensitive consumers in semi-urban and rural India. By contrast, companies are stressing health and we l l n e s s through innovative marketing in urban India, helping shift value to the premium end of the spectrum.

According to Euromonitor International, sales of cooking oils increased 22 per cent at Rs. 1.05 lakh crore, outpacing dairy that was below Rs.1 lakh crore during 2016.

Domestic companies harnessed their last-mile distribution network beyond metropolitan centers to dominate sales: The top five companies in the overall packaged foods industry worth Rs. 3.5 lakh crore were homegrown.

Ruchi Soya, the third largest company within the foods segment, launched the "Kill lethargy with Sunrich Sunflower Oil" campaign as part of the strategy to focus on health and well-being: Similarly, Adani Wilmar sought to attack diabetes, a condition that affects millions of Indians, with the Fortune VIVO diabetes care oil.

Siraj Chaudhry, Chairman, Cargill India said the efforts of the industry and the government to increase consumer awareness on food adulteration and safety have helped spur sales.

AngshuMallick, chief operating officer at Adani Wilmar that sells the Fortune brand of cooking oils, said rural India was at the vanguard of sales growth. "People are becoming conscious of what they eat.

The per capita consumption of edible oil too has increased from 8 kg per person annually to 16 kg in the past one decade," he added.

Sales are increasing by more than 25 per cent in rural India, where increasing farmgate prices of cereals and vegetables are helping broaden the consumer base.

The introduction of smaller and more affordable pack sizes is also bringing more packaged food categories within

Consumers believe it is convenient to buy packaged oil. The cost difference between the two is also not much; however, experts attribute higher sales in part to a wider category: Dairy is consumed largely by end-users, but cooking oils have consumers within the processed food industry.

"The growth in edible oils is driven more by out of home consumption by fast growing snacking companies and quick service restaurants. Also, oil comes with a higher price tag compared to dairy

products on a similar pack size," said Devendra Chawla, Group President at Future Group, adding that dairy will be the next big bet within foods as the economy matures.

Changing lifestyles are leading to strong growth in areas such as savoury snacks, and manufacturers remain sensitive to the peculiarities of the Indian palate.

By contrast, dairy has not innovated much and the industry is largely controlled by state-led co-operative producers that are beset with challenges of prompt logistics and preserving products that have short shelf lives. Amul and Mother Dairy, the state co-operatives that lead the dairy business, remained the two largest food companies and accounts for about 10% of the entire packaged food market.

Dairy was the slowest-expanding category with 4 per cent volume growth last calendar year due to its relative maturity in the food sector. India is the ninth-largest market for dairy products and the largest for milk, globally. "Dairy is still driven largely by loose or unbranded products even at urban centres. Hence, as a product category, it is way bigger than edible oil that is hardly being sold loose now," said RS Sodhi, managing director at Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation that sells Amul.

Ruchi Soya partners with Patanjali for edible oils

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uchi Soya Industries said it has signed an agreement with Patanjali Ayurved for physical refining and packaging of edible oils. Under the agreement, Ruchi Soya will process and pack the crude oil provided by Patanjali Ayurved as per their specifications, the company said.

Ruchi Soya Industries Managing Director Dinesh Shahra said, “We have been looking at opportunities to explore optimal use of capacities for crushing, refining and packaging edible oils with various parties.“The agreement with Patanjali Ayurved is a win-win situation.

We will be able to utilise idle capacities, and work with Patanjali to enable them to

supply quality refined oils to the Indian market,”.

Ruchi Soya currently has the largest edible oil refining capacity in India of 3.3 million metric tonnes per annum across 13 facilities. Company’s COO Satendra Aggarwal said, “The agreements would cover processing and packing soya, sunflower and mustard oils at our plant in Baran, Rajasthan.”

“In near future, the processing and packing will be extended to other locations and will

include more varieties of edible oils as well.

The tie-up will help us to improve capacity utilisation and enhance productivity, efficiency and profitability,” he said.

Ruchi Soya is the country’s leading agriculture and Food FMCG company with a turnover of USD 4 billion. Its leading brands include Nutrela, Mahakosh, Sunrich, Ruchi Star and Ruchi Gold.

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FSSAI to bring new regulations for organic foods, hotels, and restaurant

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o ensure safety across the value chain through proper certification of organic products The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is going a draft regulation for organic foods. The food regulator also plans to make it mandatory for hotels and restaurants to keep one trained and certified food safety supervisor.

FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said, "There are some certification programmes for organic foods, he said, adding "We are creating umbrella regulations.

Traceability is an important factor in organic foods market and the draft would also propose setting up of a committee to suggest any change in the certification method being followed currently or need for a new certification system, he added.

For capacity building, the FSSAI tied up with the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI) to launch its programme for training of master trainers.

Aggarwal said "We are taking 360 degree approach to food safety and healthy nutrition to prevent food borne infections and disease and for complete nutrition for citizens everywhere at all times, and to achieve this the regulator has been taking various initiatives and issued new standards.

FSSAI is in final phase of national milk survey, noting that the "magnitude of problem is not as big". Agarwal elaborated on various initiatives of FSSAI for spreading the message of food safety at different places like home, schools, work places and eating places.

To ensure proper food safety management system in places of worship, he said a team from Delhi will soon visit 20 temples in Tamil Nadu.

Agarwal talked about various consumerfacing initiatives including food safety connect for an integrated complaint redressal system and a water portal for checking the quality of packaged drinking water.

FSSAI considers initiative to list nutritional info on restaurant menus

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specify estimated number of calories and other nutritional information on dishes being served, on menu cards,” he said.

n a bid to promote food safety and nutrition at hotels and restaurants, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is thinking how to get hotels and restaurants to list nutritional information such as calories, salt and sugar content in food products, on menu cards. The regulator is also working on norms for organic food. CEO of FSSAI Pawan Agarwal said, “We have been discussing this idea with the stakeholders.

In several countries, this practice is already applicable, and in some of these places, it is voluntary. To enable restaurants that want to voluntarily list nutritional information on their menu cards, we may provide for a provision in the labeling regulations, which are being finalised.”

Agarwal said the regulator will need to work with restaurant associations and State governments for this initiative. “We will need to do some field experiments to figure out the best way to do this. If

we find that it serves a purpose, we may look at making it mandatory,” he added.

Garish Oberoi, VP, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), and Managing Committee member of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI), said that the associations will run a pilot project based on these lines. “In a bid to take forward FSSAI’s Serve Safe initiative, we will be running a pilot with about 200 members in major metros.

We will work with chefs on a model to

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

FSSAI has now made it compulsory for every restaurant to have at least one trained and certified food safety supervisor. In collaboration with partners such as HRANI, it has started running training sessions for master trainers who will train these food safety supervisors. The food regulator is also working on norms for organic food in consultations with farmers and other stakeholders, and a draft regulation may be released soon. Agarwal said it aims to create an umbrella rule to ensure certification of organic food. A committee is also being formulated to look into issues such traceability and organic-food retailing practices.

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Farmers must be motivated to use micro irrigation technology

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n awareness programme will soon be launched by Chhattisgarh Government to motivate farmers in all the villages under Pairi Project Command Area to adopt crop rotation pattern besides adopting micro irrigation technology to ensure optimum use of irrigation water for proper implementation of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) in the district, officials informed.

been sanctioned and 679 check-dams had been constructed already. The excess water from the monsoons is being collected in this process. The water is being utilised for fish culture, officials informed. Notably, over 1.24 lakh water augmentation works had been sanctioned under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) during the past 18 months (2015-2016) and till June 2016.

Notably, Chhattisgarh Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Brijmohan Agrawal on April 4 last year had stated that micro irrigation projects have been fulfilling irrigation needs of far-flung areas of the State.He had urged the Centre to provide funds for big, medium and micro irrigation projects.

Notably, the State Government has ensured usage of nearly 73 per cent of the extended irrigation capacity which is far better than many other States of the country, officials stated.

Agrawal was present at the four-day long India water week at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.He said that over 1.5 lakh hectares of land could get irrigation facility through micro irrigation projects in Chhattisgarh and demanded Rs 800 crore from the Centre for development of micro irrigation projects. He further said that budget in Chhattisgarh has been increased from 23 per cent to 34.76 per cent for ensuring development of water resources in the State.

Notably, the Chhattisgarh Government decided to follow the Gujarat model of 'Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation' practices in the State in 2015-16. Many villages in Gujarat have adopted 100 per cent Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation systems to water crops. In June 2009, more than 93,000 farmers in Gujarat have adopted Drip Irrigation for their total 1.51 lakh hectare land.Drip Irrigation system and inter-linking of 21 rivers of Gujarat for conservation of water has made it possible for record Sugarcane cultivation in that State.

The Chhattisgarh State Seed and Agriculture Development Corporation will distribute Drip and Sprinklers to the State's farmers under the Minor Irrigation Project. Chhattisgarh has set an ambitious target of raising its irrigation potential to 3.2 million hectares by 2028, officials informed.

About 2,600 new check dams had also

The actual irrigation capacity for Kharif season has doubled whereas the irrigation capacity for Rabi season has increased by 10 times.Irrigation of Kharif crops on 769-hectare area is proposed from this irrigation scheme.This irrigation scheme will provide irrigation facility for Kharif crops in 160 hectares’ area.

and flowers in the past thirteen years.

The horticulture crops include fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, medicinal and scented plants. The acreage under horticulture is about seven lakh 92 thousand 943 hectares in 2015-2016.

Earlier, in the year 2004-2005 the acreage under Horticulture crops had been about 2.55 lakh hectares of land.

Vegetables are grown in all the 27 districts of the State. Cauliflower, cabbage, brinjal, tomatoes, ladyfinger, potatoes, green peas, karela, loki, torai, munga, kochai (arwi) carrot, parwal, onion and several other kinds of vegetables.

Jashpur, Surguja, Balrampur and Surajpur districts are famous for the potatoes.

The flat land on the hills is suitable for growing potatoes. Tomatoes are grown in all the 27 districts in the State. Modern amenities are provided to the horticulture sector to preserve and increase production of various plants. Infrastructure had been developed to help the sector

State Horticulture Department has achieved 25 per cent target so far, for the State sponsored irrigation scheme for promoting drip irrigation in Kanker district.A target of irrigating 100 hectares of land using drip irrigation had been set in centrally sponsored scheme and 80 hectares under State sponsored scheme.

A master-plan to develop horticulture has been prepared by the State Government based on geographical distinction. There is four-times increase in acreage of horticulture and five times increase in the production of fruits, vegetables,

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GE Mustard assessed over period of 10 years for safety

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he government said Genetically Engineered (GE) Mustard has been assessed over a period of ten years for safety to environment and human health under the oversight of 3-tier statutory regulatory committees with external experts. “Under the rules for manufacturing, use/import/export and storage of hazardous microorganisms/ genetically modified engineered organisms or cells (Rules 1989) of Environment Protection Act 1986, all genetically engineered products have to undergo a step-by-step food and environmental safety assessment in accordance with technical guidelines published from time to time.

“Following this process, the GE Mustard has been assessed over a period of ten years for safety to environment and human health under the oversight of three-tier statutory regulatory committees with external experts from laboratory to confined biosafety research field trials,”

Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

He said his ministry on its website has published a detailed assessment of food and environmental safety document on GE Mustard for written public comments.

“This document explains in detail the basis for ecological safety of GE mustard based on molecular characterisation and evaluation of weediness potential, crossability and gene flow studies, studies on soil microbial community and pest disease and beneficial organisms.”

Various farmers organisations, including that affiliated to RSS, and environmental activists have been opposing commercial cultivation of GM mustard. The country’s biotech regulator Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has recently sought public comments on the safety aspects on GM mustard variety developed by Delhi University’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants.

Following this, the Environment Ministry has received over 700 comments from various stakeholders, including farmers and researchers, on the assessment of food and environmental safety (AFES) report on environmental release of genetically engineered mustard. With anti-GM activists opposing the approval for GM mustard and upping their ante against the “unscientific” appraisal process, the Environment Ministry had said that after evaluating all the comments, the subcommittee will submit its final report to the biotech regulator GEAC.

Govt may consider imposing import duty on wheat: Food Minister

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he government may consider imposing import duty on wheat to protect farmers amidst projections of a record output this year, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said. On December 8, it had reduced the customs duty on wheat to zero from 10 per cent to boost domestic availability and check retail prices.

Paswan said there would be a bumper wheat production this year and the government has set a procurement target at 33 million tonnes for the 2017-18 marketing year, starting April.

New wheat crop will start arriving in the market from next month, further adding that the government is making adequate preparation to purchase the grain and will take all steps to ensure the minimum support price (MSP) to farmers.

Paswan also said, “The way this government has taken measures in the case of pulses and farmers are getting the MSP,

Agro & Food Processing March 2017

all possible steps will be taken for wheatgrowing farmers. If needed, raising import duty will be considered.” He said the central government had reduced the import duty on wheat in December to protect consumers interest.

“Within two months of reduction in customs duty, 30-40 lakh tonnes of wheat has been imported. More than 55 lakh tonnes of wheat has been imported during this (financial) year,” he said. The government’s experience has been that traders take advantage of the high rates while farmers are forced to sell their produce at throw-away price.

The production of wheat is estimated at record 96.64 million tonnes in 2016-17 crop year (July-June) as against 92.29 million tonnes in 2015-16 on the back of good monsoon. The previous record was 95.85 million tonnes in the 2013-14 crop year.

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During demonetisation period, sowing increased by 7 per cent

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nion Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said sowing operations during the demonetisation period increased by seven per cent as compared to the yearago period. “During November 8 to December 30, 2016, sowing operations had increased by about 7 per cent. This data was sent by the states,” Singh said while responding to a query that state governments, including West Bengal, claimed that the note-ban hit the farmers and sowing during Rabi season was affected. He said this on the sidelines of the Indian Seed Congress 2017, “Purchasing of seeds with scrapped notes was allowed during the demonetisation period,”.

At the inauguration ceremony of Indian Seed Congress, Singh said the central government was committed to providing income security of farmers to double their income in 5 years. For the post-harvest phase, the Centre has been taking steps to enable farmers to get better prices for their produce in the markets. He said, “the coverage of National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) will be expanded from the current 250 markets to 585 APMCs.” Singh said the central government has set

a target to cover 14 crore farmers under the Soil Health Card Scheme which would enables farmers to get information about nutrient level of the soil and could help to make judicious use of fertilisers.

Singh also urged the West Bengal government’s official to speed up the process of providing the soil health card as the state covered 16 lakh farmers under the scheme but it was supposed to cover 72 lakh farmers by March 2017.

West Bengal Food Processing and Horticulture Minister AbdurRazzakMolla also suggested that the Centre to formulate a vegetables’ seed certification process to clear confusion among farmers.

In reply, Singh said states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have started the process by setting up Seed Certification Authority.

Soon Iran may issue fresh permits for rice imports official delegation to Tehran. To supplement domestic production of about 2 million tonnes, Iran imports about 1 million tonnes of rice every year out of which about 7 lakh tonnes is exported from India.

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ran “may soon” issue the notification in regards to resumption of issuance of permits for import of rice, the commerce ministry said. The issue was discussed during a recent visit of Indian

Twenty-member trade delegation led by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) visited Iran from January 28-30. The main purpose of the visit was related to promotion of export of rice since Iran is

one of the largest importers of basmati rice from India, the ministry said in a statement. About 250 people participated in the sales promotion.

The delegation met various departments in the government of Iran including Food and Drug Organisation, Governmental Trading Corporation and Trade Promotion Organisation. Meetings were also held with Iran Chamber of Commerce and Rice Importers Association.

“The deliberations helped to dispel the negative publicity which appeared in some part of Iran media causing doubts about the health and safety of rice from India,” it said

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