Aim of National Policy

• Inclusive growth in partnership with the States with the overarching goal of providing remunerative return to farmers.
• The model Policy focuses on development of clusters based on production strength of different regions to enable a targeted and coordinated approach for developing the food processing industry and bringing down wastages.
• As a step in this direction, the Ministry has proposed to undertake mapping of areas of fruits &vegetables and other perishable production in different States with the target to set up agro processing clusters.

Revamped Mission

• The revamped mission will be called SAMPADA — or the Scheme for Agro-Marine Produce Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters.
• It will complete the on-going Mega Food Parks and take up more cold chain projects.
• The mission will also involve launch of three new schemes – Creation/Expansion of Food Processing and Preservation Capacities, New Agro-Processing Clusters and Backward and Forward Linkages.
• The ‘SAMPADA’ mission will have an outlay of Rs 6,000 crore, and it will integrate current and new schemes.
• It will be implemented by 2019-20 fiscal.

Challenges and Steps taken for post Harvest losses

• Post-harvest losses which currently are Rs.92,000 crores annually,
• The facilities set up by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries like 42 Mega Food Parks and 234 Cold Chain Projects gets a new  boost from SAMAPDA
• Created for preserving and processing capacity of 139 lakh Metric Tonnes of Agro Produce with a value of Rs.35,000 crores
• Apart from reducing wastage, the projects will generate employment for 3.5 lakh persons and benefit 15 lakh farmers, it said.

Source : The Hindu

GS-III : Food processing and related industries in India