India targets 25–30% food processing to lift value addition and exports
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries aims to raise the share of agricultural produce processed in India from 16–17% to 25–30%, supported by cold-chain, packaging and machinery investment. Officials also see an EU trade agreement as a potential catalyst for agri-food exports.
What happened
Ministry of Food Processing Industries · India aims to lift agricultural processing to 25-30% from 16-17%, backed by machinery, packaging and cold-chain
Key facts
- Food processing target: 25-30% of agricultural produce
- Current processing level: 16-17%
- Processing level a decade ago: 3-4%
- Sector value: over USD 500 billion
- Two lakh micro entrepreneurs formalised under PMFME in five years
- Estimated post-harvest losses: over Rs 1.5 lakh crore
- EU-India agri-food trade: about EUR 5 billion
- Potential EU-India agri-food trade by 2032: about EUR 10 billion
- Anuga Select India dates: September 29-October 1, 2026
Why this matters
Food and retail groups should evaluate partnerships or acquisitions in regional processing, cold storage, packaging and export-ready brands as formalisation and value addition accelerate.