Q.) The food processing sector has long been seen as a processing route to economic transformation in Bihar, but their progress remains stunted. Discuss.

Ans– Food processing is characterized as changing Agricultural Products into food that is in a consumable structure for enhancing it. In light of the actual properties of the eventual outcome, the service of food handling ventures classifies food handling under two sub-classifications—

1. Manufacturing cycle
2. Value-added process

The food processing industry in Bihar is progressively viewed as an expected hotspot for driving the country’s economy as it achieves Synergy between the customer, industry, and Agriculture. Bihar has emerged as probably the greatest maker of foods grown from the ground and positions first in the development of Litchi and guava, third in mangoes, and 6th in banana production. Bihar has emerged as perhaps the greatest maker of products of the soil and positions first in the creation of Litchi and guava, third in mangoes, and 6th in banana production.

The food processing sector can transform the economy of Bihar–

1. Employment age gives immediate and indirect business open doors since it goes about as a scaffold among farming and service.
2. reduces hunger-handled food sources when 45 with nutrients and minerals can lessen the dietary hole in the number of inhabitants in Bihar. as indicated by NHFS-5 information among the hindered kids Bihar accounts for 42.9%.
3. Curbing relocation – Food processing being a work serious industry will give confined businesses valuable open doors and hence will decrease the movement.
4. checking food expansion handling builds the timeframe of realistic usability of food does keeping supplies in a period with the interest in this manner controlling food expansion.
5. Crop diversification- food processing will require various kinds of data sources in this way making an impetus for the farmers to develop and broaden crops. reduce food wastage– diverting extra produced to FPI, vestige could be reduced, leading to better price realization for farmers. Reasons why the growth of the food processing sector in Bihar remains stunted–
6. Major limitations remember the shortfall of sufficient organizing for the ampleness of Information and promoting linkages.
7. non-appearance of cold chain storerooms.
8. keeping up with the guidelines of value is another significant requirement and there are two viewpoints to it. In the first place, there is an unfortunate framework for putting away crude food materials in Bihar. furthermore, e there are low-quality principles and control strategies for carrying out the norm for handling and bundling handled food. high cost and low availability of credit remain a problem.
9. there is an availability of reliable handling and Transportation system.
10. the yield of farm produce is sub-standard and therefore it results in low returns.
11. in the absence of Crop Technologies To tide over the unpredictable weather, climate change can increase production uncertainty.
12. there is also no storage facility at farm levels.

Barriers associated with manufacturing sectors–

1. Processing industries face problems with higher import duties.
2. cost of raw material and its packaging is higher.
3. No availability of refrigerated containers.
4. there is a shortage of skilled manpower for food processing industries.

Initiatives from the government–

1. VISION 2022 – By the year 2022, the government of Bihar will have a plan outlay for the Food processing sector of Rs.1448 Cross, while this will bring a total investment of Rs.7241 cross. This investment will create 1200000 more jobs. the food processing industries will increase the income level of farmers by 25% by increasing the processing of raw materials by more than 30% and reducing wastage to below 5%.
2. According to Bihar economic survey 2021-22, the Total investment came in Bihar is 40% which is among the highest in FPJ nearly it is ten times the investment from the previous year.
3. according to Bihar Agricultural investment promotion policy 2020, e the government will increase the level of processing, and packaging, reduction of waste, and value addition, promote export, double the income of farmers through better returns, etc.
4. abolishment of APMC act– To facilitate easy procurement of Agricultural producers by food processing industries in the state.
5. Bihar single-window clearance Act 2006– For the approval of applications with two plated timelines for establishing the project of food processing.
6. the ministry of food processing industries, Government of India has launched “Makhana king”, Makhana based one district one product (ODOP)Brand under the initiative of “Pradhan Mantri micro food up-gradation scheme”.
7. Capacity enhancement center at Patna– for training and Tripura news from Bihar and North Eastern states interested in food processing activities.
8. Schemes for food parks in Bihar– State Government proposes setting up two food parks in Muzaffarpur in the Vaishali region and Bhagalpur in the Katihar region.

In India, just 2% of the handling is completed compared to different countries.
This itself bears a declaration to the way that issue of food handling is massive and unsettled.

The issues referred to are cold capacity, transportation, middlemen and significant expense bundling, and so on. Bihar represents more than 85% of the Makhana production of the country which came about into push region for taking up the errand and distinguishing the imperatives in the products of Makhana from the state. Be that as it may, scarcely 1% is being handled in the state. Bihar with its wonderful regular assets of fruitful soil, bountiful water, different environment, and rich culture, and authentic legacy is quite possibly the most entrancing state of India.

Thus, the Government ought to give certain impetuses to cultivate the development of the food handling industry which thusly will forestall out-migration of workers and subsequently will increment business open doors inside the actual state.