India Food Processing

India

Food Processing Ingredients Sector

Annual

Report Highlights:

India’s food-processing sector, although still in a nascent stage, has undergone important changes over the last six to seven years. The types, variety, quality, and presentation of products have all improved, mainly as a result of economic liberalization, which led to foreign direct investment (FDI) in this sector. Several multinational companies, including US companies like Pepsi, Coca Cola, ConAgra, Cargill, Heinz, and Kellogg’s have invested in the Indian food-processing industry. The growth in the food-processing sector has generated increased interest in quality food ingredients in order to produce higher quality foods.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Annual Report

New Delhi [IN1]

[IN]

Table of Contents

I. MARKET SUMMARY 3

II. ROAD MAP FOR MARKET ENTRY 5

A. ENTRY STRATEGY 5

B. MARKET STRUCTURE 6

C. COMPANY PROFILES 9

D. SECTOR TRENDS 12

III. COMPETITION 13

IV. BEST PRODUCT PROSPECTS 15

V. KEY CONTACTS AND FURTHER INFORMATION 16

I. MARKET SUMMARY

India’s food-processing sector, though still developing, contributes 14 percent to the manufacturing GDP (5.5 percent of aggregate GDP), produces goods worth rs. 2.8 trillion ($64 billion), and employs 13 million people . Much of India’s food-processing industry is small-scale and involves very little value addition, although in recent years several multinational food-processing companies have started operations in India (see Section II. C). A plethora of internal restrictions, including (a) prohibition on foreign direct investment in retail, (b) prohibitions on contract farming, (c) barriers to interstate commerce based on revenue and food security concerns, (d) some of the highest taxes on processed foods in the world, and (e) inefficient in infrastructure and marketing networks seriously constrain growth of the sector.

The almost year-round availability of fresh products across the country, combined with the consumers’ preference for fresh products and freshly cooked foods has dampened demand for processed food products. The level of processing varies across segments – ranging from less than 2 percent of the production in the case of fruits and vegetables to over 90 percent in non-perishable products such as cereals and pulses. In the latter, however, processing involves very little value addition, and is mostly confined to grading, cleaning, milling, and packing; with negligible use of additives, preservatives, and flavors.

LEVEL OF PROCESSING IN PERISHABLE PRODUCTS

Product Level of Processing (% of total production)

Organized

Sector Unorganized

Sector 1/ Total

Fruits & vegetables 1.2 0.5 1.7

Milk 15.0 22.0 37.0

Meat 21.0 0 21.0

Poultry 6.0 0 6.0

Marine fisheries 1.7 9.0 10.7

Shrimp 0.4 1.0 1.4

Source: Rabobank Analysis

1/ “Unorganized” in fruits and vegetables includes unbranded pickles, sauces,

and potato chips, but excludes processing by street vendors; “unorganized”

in dairy includes processing by sweet food makers; “unorganized” in marine products includes processing by small fishermen.

According to the Ministry of Food-processing Industries (MFPI), the food-processing industry over the last decade has grown at an average annual rate of 7.1 percent. This higher rate is indicative of the relatively low base, the increasing marketable surpluses of agricultural products, changing consumer life