MoFPI fosters foreign collaborations to boost R&D in food processing

In order to boost continuous improvement in food processing sector, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is currently implementing Research and Development Scheme, which is a part of Human Resource & Institutions Scheme under the umbrella scheme of the Ministry i.e. Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY).

Under the scheme, financial assistance as Grant-in-aid is given to all Universities, Central/ State Government Institutions, Government funded Organisations including IITs, R&D laboratories and CSIR-recognized R&D units in private sector to promote and undertake demand driven R&D work in food processing sector for product & process development, design and development of equipment, improved storage, shelf-life, packaging etc.

Government Universities/ Institutions/ organizations are eligible for 100% grant-in-aid for the cost of equipment, consumables and expenditure related to Junior Research Fellow/ Senior Research Fellow/ Research Associate, while private Organizations/ Institutions/ Universities are eligible for 50% grant-in-aid for the equipment cost in general areas and 70% grant-in-aid in difficult areas for conducting such research activities. The above scheme is not state specific.

There are two Institutes namely ‘The National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM-T), Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu’ and ‘National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM-K), Kundli, Haryana’, under the administrative control of this Ministry. As informed by these Institutes, they are actively engaged in various initiatives aimed at fostering foreign collaborations to enhance R&D facilities in food processing field.

In the last three years, the above Institutes have signed MoUs with the following leading international universities/ Institutes and research Institutions as given below: 

MoU signed by National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM-K), Kundli, Haryana

• Nepal Agricultural Research Council, (NARC), Nepal (January 2022).

• The Danish Consortium for Academic Craftsmanship DCAC Denmark (September 2021).

• Kold College Denmark (September 2021).

• The University of Melbourne, Australia (April 2024). 

MoU signed by National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM-T), Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

• Taylor university, Malaysia (2022 – 23)

• Fruit Research Institute Cacak, Serbia (2019 – 20)

This information was given by the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Shri Ravneet Singh in Rajya Sabha in reply to a question on 9 August 2024.