Lynda Lowry, general manager and chief operating officer, Food Development Centre, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, mooted a food development centre in north India that will provide the agri-food industry the facilities and expertise to successfully develop and commercialise food products. This, she said, would result in increased use of Indian ingredients for food, functional food and natural health products and a positive economic impact for producers and Indian communities.
Speaking at a session on food processing industry in Manitoba, organised by CII northern region at Chandigarh, she reasoned that the young Indian population with a growing entrepreneurial spirit and rural India gradually stepping into the mainstream economy together present tremendous opportunities for business collaboration. She said for the food processing sector to be the navigator for the Indian economy, it is necessary to ameliorate equipment requirements, product and process development, food safety protocols and consultative support to food parks, which Manitoba can provide.
Cajoling industrialists at the session, Wayne Rempel, president and CEO, Kroeker Farms Limited, said, ?At present, the food processing sector is growing at the rate of 15% per annum, but its future growth depends on adherence to safety and quality standards, infrastructure facility, capacity building and skilled manpower.?