© 2014. Tanu M Goyal & Arpita Mukherjee. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
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Global Journal of Management and Business Research: B
Economics and Commerce
Volume 14 Issue 8 Version 1.0 Year 2014
Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal
Publisher: Global Journals Inc. (USA)
Online ISSN: 2249-4588 & Print ISSN: 0975-5853
A Road-Map for Setting-up Food Business in India
By Tanu M Goyal & Arpita Mukherjee
Introduction- India, with a large and growing population and a diverse raw material base, plays a pivotal
role in global demand and supply of food products (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 2012). India
is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China, producing around 180
million tons per year. Despite these advantages, the food processing sector faces several supply-side
constraints and regulatory barriers. Only 7 per cent of the total Indian perishable produce is processed,
which is extremely low compared to countries such as the United States (US, 65 per cent), Philippines (78
per cent) and China (23 per cent). Official estimates show that about 25-30 per cent of this produce goes
waste between harvest and consumption (Chari and Raghavan 2012) due to lack of proper cold storage
facilities (Parfitt et. al. 2010). India is not the only country where there is a large wastage. According to an
estimate by the FAO roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted in the
supply chain globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year (FAO 2011). Considering that by
2050 global population of around nine billion people has to be fed, it is important to minimize food
wastages particularly in large food producing nations like India. Existing studies show that investment and
technology spillovers in the entire food supply chain (from farm to fork) from foreign firms can help to
improve the efficiency and reduce wastage of agriculture commodities (Chari and Raghavan 2012,
Mukherjee et. al. 2014). This paper looks at present state of India’s food supply chain, applicable
regulations in the food sector, the barriers that exist and the scope for foreign investments in the food
supply chain with the view of improving it. The barriers, opportunities and the go-to-market strategy
highlighted in this paper are based on evidence collected during in-depth interviews with industry and
policymakers in the sector.
GJMBR - B Classification : JEL Code: M20
ARoad-MapforSetting-upFoodBusinessinIndia
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