New Delhi, June 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday shared Union Minister Chirag Paswan’s article, which highlighted a remarkable transformation of India’s food processing sector over the past few years and also hailed the rural entrepreneurs for powering the drastic change.

PM Modi took to his social media handle on X and shared an immersive article by Union Minister for Food Processing Chirag Paswan, in which the latter gave a detailed glimpse into broad structural changes adopted by his Ministry and how this led to empowering of rural heroes, enabling them to become key pivot of economic growth.

PM Modi also urged the netizens to glance through the insightful journey.

The Union Minister penned case studies of some of the farmers, chronicling their growth from small-time enterprises to flourishing food ventures.

Sharing an example of a makhana producer from Bihar, Chirag Paswan said, “With support from the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, he (makhana producer) has built a thriving food venture that now exports to the United States and Canada.”

“His story reflects the broader vision of India’s food processing mission: To turn local strengths into global opportunities,” Chirag Paswan added.

The Union Minister said that till a few years ago, the food processing landscape was fragmented, with rampant post-harvest losses and unrealised value from agricultural produce.

“In 2014, the gross value addition of the sector stood at Rs 134 lakh crore. Today, following sustained policy and institutional drive, that figure has risen to Rs 224 lakh crore,” he informed.

Notably, the PMFME scheme was launched under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore to empower the unorganised micro food enterprises through formalisation, capacity building and access to credit.

The Union Minister further wrote, “India’s growing leadership in the global food economy finds powerful expression through World Food India – the Ministry’s flagship international platform for investment, innovation, and collaboration. Designed to showcase India’s strengths across the food processing value chain, the event has evolved into a trusted forum for global stakeholders to engage with India’s agri-food ecosystem.”

He further pointed out, “Our goal is unambiguous – to ensure that every shelf in the world carries a product that proudly bears the name of India and behind every such product stands a story of collective prosperity and national pride.”

The Union Minister shared the article on X and wrote, “Under the visionary leadership of PM Modi, India’s food processing sector has undergone a transformative journey – from farm to shelf – empowering our rural heroes.”

–IANS

mr/svn