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Rajesh S Kurup
Mumbai, February 26: The Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) is planning to conduct a series of country-wide awareness seminars named `Packaged Oils for Consumer Safety', in association with the Central Organisation for Oil Industry and Trade (COOIT) and backed by other members of the packaging industry.
The institutue has identified places like Nagpur (Maharashtra), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Calcutta (West Bengal) and Rajkot (Gujarat) and is at present negotiating with state governments for possible venues.
These awareness programmes will include one-day seminars conducted through out the country between March and April 1999 and extend technological and related support to the edible oil industry, said highly-placed sources of IIP.
Speaking to The Financial Express, PV Narayanan, director of IIP, said that these programmes will assist millers and packers in selecting suitable packaging materials, form-fill-seal machines and putting in place the complete system all ofwhich are readily available in the country. These seminars would also be addressed by eminent industry experts and ministerial officials, he added.
To make these presentations more effective the seminar will be supported by display of packaging materials, technical literature, FFS machines and other ancillary equipment. This would help in educating oil millers and distributors on the cross-section of the materials, machinery and equipment available to facilitate packaging in the country.
"The aim is to promote marketing of edible oil in packaged form, without compromising consumer health, safety and hygiene and incurring additional costs. This would also improve the supply chain in Public Distribution System (PDS)," said PV Narayanan.
"Fortunately, the country has adequate capacities, capabilities and technical expertise to meet the consumer needs for plastic raw materials, packaging (flexible and rigid) and packaging machinery," he added.
In fact, the institute had conducted an awareness programmein New Delhi earlier, which was attended by a host of decision makers from the industry and ministry.
Flexible packaging in the form of pouches is available to edible oil consumers in the country for the past several years. National and international standards are available in respect of material properties and packages and shelf life assessment. The only thing needed in the country is to educate the customers, he opined.
India is one of the largest producers and consumers of edible oil in the world. In 1996-97 the country produced and processed about 24 million tonnes of oil seeds. The industry's turnover was nearly Rs 29,000 crores in the last fiscal and is spread over a wide spectrum of large, medium and small sector units. The major oils which are consumed in the country are mustard, groundnut, soybean, coconut and sunflower. Unfortunately, out of eight million tonne of the edible oil consumed in the country, almost 50 per cent (five million tonne) is at present sold in loose form. Any food productwhich is sold loose is vulnerable to adulteration and contamination besides other malpractices.
IIP is the apex body of the packaging industry in the country and is a co-operative effort of the government and industries engaged in manufacture of packaging materials and ancillaries, converters of packaging materials into packages, manufacturers of packaging machinery, users of packaging, transporters of goods.
The institute is also involved in research and development, education, training, testing, information and exhibition of packaging materials. The facilities and services offered by the institute are aimed at making existing modes of packaging perform better and develop new packaging to meet the demands of the present and potential markets.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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