Lucknow: The State Transformation Commission (STC), Uttar Pradesh, held a consultation meeting with entrepreneurs and stakeholders associated with the One District One Product (ODOP) agri-food processing industry at Yojana Bhawan in Lucknow. The meeting was chaired by STC Chief Executive Officer Manoj Kumar Singh.
STC Additional CEO Akshat Verma (IAS) and representatives of the Labour and Employment Department and the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department also participated.
The consultation aimed to gather suggestions from entrepreneurs, understand challenges facing the processed food sector and identify opportunities to strengthen its contribution to Uttar Pradesh’s economic growth and the state’s one-trillion-dollar economy target.
Uttar Pradesh produces more than 1,000 lakh tonnes of grains and vegetables annually. Around 70 per cent of the state’s land is under agriculture, with approximately 86 per cent of agricultural land irrigated. The state accounts for nearly 10 per cent of India’s food processing industry. The sector has a market size of more than $45 billion in Uttar Pradesh and provides employment to over 1.5 million people.
More than 30 entrepreneurs, representatives of food processing units, producer companies, exporters and other stakeholders from districts including Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Bahraich, Ballia, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur, Siddharthnagar, Gonda, Ayodhya and Etah participated.
Participants highlighted issues related to quality seeds, infrastructure and storage, access to finance, technology and modern processing facilities, market access, branding and marketing, exports, regulatory requirements and support for small enterprises.
The STC assured participants that the suggestions and concerns raised during the consultation would be examined and, where necessary, taken up with relevant departments and stakeholders. The Commission stressed the importance of sustained engagement with industry to create a favourable environment for investment, innovation and value addition in the agri-food processing sector.
Members of the STC Sustainable Development Cell, including Programme Director Akhilesh Gautam, Mayank Tiwari, Dr Yogesh Khadke, Abhishek Dutta, Abhinav Anand, Sadiq Raza and Shweta Rawat, were also present.
