MoFPI Initiatives for Sustainable and Technology-Driven Growth in Food Processing Sector under PMKSY, PLISFPI & PMFME

The food processing sector in India faces challenges such as gaps in supply chain and institutional infrastructure, wastage of farm produce, low levels of processing, weak linkages between agricultural production and processing and limited access to credit. In order to address these issues and promote overall development, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) supports the sector by implementing schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI), and Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) across the country.

MoFPI promotes sustainable and technology-driven growth in the food processing sector by supporting the use of renewable energy sources like solar, biomass, and wind, with financial assistance of up to ₹50 lakh per project under PMKSY. MoFPI also encourages strict compliance with environmental and sustainability norms as a prerequisite for considering the release of grants-in-aid/subsidy to approved projects under PMKSY. In this connection, this Ministry through the operational guidelines of the component schemes of PMKSY insists the project implementing agency (i) to submit a valid Consent to Establish (CTE)/Consent to Operate (CTO) of the project for ensuring adherence to prescribed standards for air and water pollution control from the concerned State Pollution Control Board and (ii) to adopt energy-efficient cooling systems that use non-ozone-depleting substances (Non-ODS) and refrigerants with low Global Warming Potential (GWP) to promote environmentally sustainable practices, reduce the sector’s carbon footprint, and ensure that food processing infrastructure (including cold chain) development aligns with national environmental protection and climate change mitigation objectives.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Shri Ravneet Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.