Centre conducts meeting to discuss issues in the food industry
At the World Food India showcase on 19 September in Delhi, the centre convened with more than a hundred senior executives from major food companies to understand the problems they face. The discussions especially focused on the ease of conducting business, GST rates, imports, and dealing with the misconceptions that surround processed food items.
20 Sep 2024 | By Anhata Rooprai
Piyush Goyal and Chirag Paswan chaired a meeting with food companies to understand the issues in the industry
The meeting was co-chaired by Chirag Paswan (Minister of Food Processing Industries) and Piyush Goyal (Minister of Commerce and Industry). This roundtable was organised as a part of the World Food India showcase in Delhi. Senior officials from various ministries were in attendance. Representatives from companies such as ITC, PepsiCo India, Kellanova, Haldiram’s, Nestle India, and Tata Consumer Products were present too.
Reportedly, Paswan stressed the importance of promoting the food processing industry at the state level, which will enable India to become a global hub for food products. Concerns about the GST rates will be forwarded to the GST Council, who will take the final decision. One of the suggestions proffered at this roundtable was to amend production-linked incentives (PLIs) to be cognisant of global realities. Attendees also discussed issues related to the maximum residue limit (MRL).
According to leading business portals, another issue raised by the attendees was the export of maida (all-purpose flour). Several traders are exporting maida despite the export of wheat being banned in the country.