The 14th edition of CII Foodpro, India’s biennial exhibition on food processing, packaging, and technology, organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), was held successfully from August 5-7, 2022, at Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai. 

Shri Thiru R Sakkarapani, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Government of Tamil Nadu, stated at the inaugural session that Tamil Nadu’s food processing policy aims to make the state a leader in the country’s food processing sector. Mentioning that the Government is in the process of establishing 14 rice mills with private sector participation, he pointed out that Tamil Nadu contributes about 7 percent of the country’s food processing output, producing 120 lakh metric tonne of food grains and 140 lakh metric tonne of fruits and vegetables, accounting for 3 percent of India’s food grain, 7 percent of vegetables, and 12 percent of fruits produce.

Pooja Kulkarni, MD & CEO, Guidance Foods, stated that Tamil Nadu has the fourth-most food processing units in the country, and its US$2 billion in exports can grow substantially due to investments in cold chains, food processing, and food parks, as well as the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) between India, UAE, and Australia. She further asserted, “We are simplifying a large number of regulatory compliances to ease the setting up and running of businesses.”