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Feature HRD can develop food processing faster
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Monday, 23 January, 2012, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Hasan Mulani
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Food and beverage products chuck over 30 per cent off the consumer wallet and two-third of it is spent on primary and secondary processed products.
Also, an increase in the throwaway incomes of Indians and their changing attitudes towards processed foods has catalysed the food processing growth speedily. As per a recent FICCI-Ernst & Young study, while the per-capita disposable income is up by 8 per cent in the last five years, it has led to an increase of 20 per cent in per-capita food consumption expenditure.
“Another booster for food processing is rise in the number of working women. This shows hectic lifestyle and the need for convenience, the Indian consumers are adapting to processed food consumption,” the report said.
The processed food industry also provides vital linkages and synergies between food industry and agriculture. At present, the value addition sector in India is one of the largest in terms of production, consumption, export and growth prospects. The government has accorded it a high priority, with a number of fiscal reliefs and incentives, for encouraging commercialisation and value addition to agricultural produce, for minimising pre-/post-harvest wastage, generating employment and ensuring export growth.
Widening scope
Over the years – with emerging new markets and technologies, the sector has widened its scope. It has started producing many new items like ready-to-eat & ready-to-cook food & beverages, processed and frozen fruits and vegetable products, and marine and meat products.
It also includes establishment of post-harvest infrastructure for processing of various food items like cold storage facilities, food parks, packaging centres, value-added centres, irradiation facilities and modernised abattoir.
“Today, being a food scientist or a food technologist is about a quick career growth. A fresher/trainee can earn a salary ranging from Rs 15,000-20,000 per-month. However, someone with a master’s degree can earn anything between Rs 25,000 and 50,000 per-month, depending on one’s personal skills,” an officer associated with Ministry for Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) said.
The officer also informed that MoFPI has plans to invest Rs 1 trillion (about $20 billion) in the sector by 2015 to create nearly 10 million new jobs and also develop human resource systematically. “Food production, procurement, processing, distribution networks and retailing are attracting large integrated players to the field. There is a plethora of opportunities for food technologists, mainly in processing industries, hotels, food industries, quality control, hospitals, packaging industries, distilleries, bakery industries, soft drink factories, product design, pharmaceutical industry, biochemical engineering, spice, cereals and rice mills among others,” he added.
Existing HRD in food processing
The Indian agriculture and food processing industry is primarily alienated into two: organised – large-, medium- and small-scale producers/manufacturers and unorganised. The latter has unusual segments like – medium, low and extreme low. Many unorganised processed food players also perform daily processing and selling. They also often switch their produce depending on the market demand and rate of raw materials.
Following are few colleges, institutes and universities which offer range of courses, degrees for the food processing industry today:
NIFTEM
National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), an autonomous institution under MoFPI, is located at Kundli district of Haryana. This newly- launched institute caters to the needs of entrepreneurs, industry, exporters, policy-makers, the government and existing institutions in the area of food science & technology and food processing only.
Every now and then NIFTEM organises number of short-term training programmes in pursuit of its strategic goals of capacity building and human resource development in the FP sector. Recently, the institute has organised training programmes on “Emerging Drying Technologies in Food Processing,” and “Cold Chain Management in Food Processing Sector.” The institute is still under process of admissions and recruitments.
CFTRI
Central Food Technology Research Institute – CFTRI is one of the largest and most diversified technology research institutes in the country. Its multi-disciplinary spread across 16+ R&D departments carries of research work and conducts awareness programme on food safety at various locations.
At present, the institute has biochemistry and nutrition department, fermentation technologies and bioengineering department, flour milling, baking & confectionery department, food engineering department, food microbiology department, food packaging technology department, food protectants and infestation control department, food safety & analytical quality control laboratories department, fruit & vegetable technology department, grain science & technology department, human resource department, lipid science & traditional foods department, meat, fish & poultry technology, plant cell biotechnology department, plantation products, spices & flavour technology department, sensory science department and protein chemistry & technology department.
IFTTC
The International Food Technology Training Centre (IFTTC) was opened in CFTRI. The scientists in the research & development departments of CFTRI participate as a faculty in the various academic programmes conducted at CFTRI. The state-of-the-art R&D labs, pilot plant and food engineering centre of CFTRI are used for giving an excellent training to the participants of the various training programmes conducted at CFTRI.
DFRL
Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) organises seminars like International Food Convention, Life Sciences Scientific Conference, Food Science & Technology, Agri Foods Industry and many more at regular intervals. These events aim at enhancing awareness and knowledge in the f&b industry. The DFRL also offers post-graduate course in Food Analysis & Quality Assurance.
IGNOU
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), one of the largest universities in the country, jointly with ministry of health & family welfare has launched number of professional upgrade and career upgrade online programmes in the area of food safety and quality that would integrate education and training and addresses the needs of training the workforce or developing human power in this sector.
Currently IGNOU runs three online programmes: Introduction to Food Safety, Hazards to Food Safety and Food Safety & Quality Assurance. The university also offers Master’s Degree Course in Dietetics and Food Service Management (MSc DFSM).
ICAR
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) acts as a repository of information and provides consultancy on agriculture, horticulture, resource management, animal science, home science and agriculture communication. It has the mandates to co-ordinate agricultural research and development programmes and also develops linkages at national and international levels with related organisations to enhance the quality of life of the farming community.
Further, there are many UGC-approved universities in India which run array of courses for food processing human resource development.
The skilled human resources critical food safety requirement in the food processed industry is required at all
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