Food is a critical component and the bedrock of any country's cultural and economic growth and sustainability. And, for a country like India, which is heavily influenced by its complex cuisine culture, the work of food consultants entails major economic responsibility for enhancing the food industry's performance and contributing to the nation's welfare.
Food processing and agriculture are inextricably linked, as they both entail the transformation of agricultural products into consumable food. The procedure employs a variety of processing techniques, including grinding, cooking, and industrial technologies, to create convenience foods that are either ready to eat or require minimal preparation.
Food Consultants and the Indian Economy
The Indian food processing industry is ranks fifth among the leading industries when it comes to production, consumption, export, and estimated growth in the near future. The industry recently contributed 14% to the nation’s GDP, and is expected to cross the US$258 million mark in the next couple of years. As per the leading food processing consultants, India harvests a significant variety of food products that are further processed for export and consumption within the country.
The chief reason for this exponential growth is the vastly-varying dietary patterns across the country that is driven by the health and environmental factors that vary significantly between several regions.
Elite food consultants report that the Indian food industry is the sixth largest in the world, and contributes over 32% of the nation’s total food market. The industry accounts for about 8.80% and 8.39% of Gross Value Added in the manufacturing and agricultural domain respectively. Nearly 13% of India’s export is from the food industry alone, and the market currently stands at US$1.3 billion, growing at a CAGR of 20%.
Topnotch food industry consultants report that India is the world’s second biggest food producer, having the potential to become the number one, globally. This fact is supported by the variety of food and food products like milk & milk products, vegetables & fruits, plantation, poultry & meat products, fishery, grain processing, confectionery, and other types of food products the nation produces.
India’s global sugar production in 2022 is estimated to touch 15% that can cross the 32-million mark.
The Dynamic Indian Food Culture
The diversity of the Indian culture and the changing needs and preferences of Indian citizens makes way for more complexity in the food production and distribution. The nation’s food consultants have a lot at stake to study the dynamic changes that are shaping the Indian food industry, giving way for more disruptions in business models, triggering companies to transform their operations and post-sales activities.
The Indian food industry consultants bring forth these changes and future requirements that also influence the way they interact with customers and shapes their responsiveness that eventually contribute to the country’s economic growth, making way for a global contribution.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries is also contributing handsomely, encouraging more investments in the food industry. This move is witnessed in elevating the manufacturing and supply chain landscape via advanced technologies like IoT, Blockchain, and predictive analysis that boost food production and encourage a radical shift in economic growth and overall development.
The Indian food industry and its ecosystem is all set to evolve from being a linear model to a dynamic process involving a complex chain of multiple links empowered and driven by the latest technological interventions.
The MoFPI has also sanctioned joint venture proposals with foreign collaborations to offer industrial licenses for setting up export-oriented units. Food processing consultants show that currently the Indian food processing industry amounts to nearly 32% of the country’s aggregate food market with 6% of aggregate industrial investment.
The Online Food Industry in India
Food consultants also give a closer perspective of the online food ordering business that is gaining an exponential growth via brands like Zomato, Swiggy, FoodPanda, Amazon Foods, etc. These renowned brands are creating a niche for themselves in the nation, building partnerships that make way for enhanced potential and a promising future in India’s food industry. In fact, food industry consultants report that the country’s online food delivery industry grew at over 150% every year, successfully touching the estimated gross value of US$300 million since 2016.
According to the Department of Industrial Policies and Promotion, the Indian food processing unit has received around US$7.54 billion worth of FDI from April 2000 to March 2017. This figure is estimated to realize its potential to attract over US$33 billion of FDI over the next 10 years, that also generate employment opportunities for over nine million individuals a day.
Major Investments as Per Food Processing Consultants
The global e-Commerce giant, Amazon is planning to join the Indian food retailing industry via investments worth US$515 million in the next five years
Parle Agro is transforming its business by launching Frooti Fizz that is estimated to enhance sales by across 1.2 million outlets. The company also aimed to increase its annual revenue from INR 2,800 crore to INR 5,000 crore by 2018, making way for exponential growth in revenue by 2025
The US-based food company Cargill Inc is making efforts to establish its brand in India, by enhancing its retail reach to over 800,000 outlets while increasing market share to become the nation’s leading name in the sunflower oil category
Mad Over Donuts is launching campaigns to expand its operations in India by opening several new stores across the leading metros
Uber Technologies Inc has launched UberEATS to boost investments across several regions in the food delivery sector
Foreign Direct Investments in the Indian Food Industry
Food consultants throw light on the amount of FDI the Indian food industry receives to boost its production and distribution, eventually contributing to the exponential growth of the economy.
Year | FDI (in INR Crore) |
2017-18 | 5835.62 |
2018-19 | 4430.44 |
2019-20 | 6414.67 |
2020-21 | 2934.12 |
SolutionBuggy – A Snippet
The Indian food industry is handsomely and comprehensively supported by a brand that takes a detailed journey by offering dynamic food manufacturing business ideas. SolutionBuggy is the leader among the few Food processing consultants that offer a complete package with several customizable options to start a food production and distribution process in India.
It is the enormous experience of Food consultants like these that give a detailed picture of the economy, the areas of progress like the food production and distribution industry, and sectors that demand improvement. they offer strategic solutions to meet and exceed consumer needs and boost economic development that propel global production by making ends meet in an organized and flexible manner.