The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI) is a federal ministry of the Government of India responsible for the formulation and administration of the rules, regulations, and laws related to food processing in India.
The ministry was established in 1988 with the objectives of developing a flourishing food processing industry, bolstering employment in the rural regions, and enabling farmers with modern technology.
Better utilization and value addition of agricultural produce for enhancement of income of farmers.
Minimizing wastage at all stages in the food processing chain by the development of infrastructure for storage, transportation and processing of agro-food produce.
Induction of modern technology into the food processing industries from both domestic and external sources.
Maximum utilization of agricultural residues and by-products of the primary agricultural produce as also of the processed industry.
To encourage R&D in food processing for product and process development and improved packaging.
To provide policy support, promotional initiatives and physical facilities to promote value added exports
Roles of MOFPI
The strategic role and functions of the Ministry fall under three categories:
Policy support developmental & promotional
Technical & advisory
Regulatory.
It is concerned with the formulation & implementation of policies and plans for all the industries under its domain within the overall national priorities and objectives. Its main focus areas include—development of infrastructure, technological up gradation, development of backward linkages, enforcement of quality standards and expanding domestic as well as export markets for processed food products.
The Ministry acts as a catalyst and facilitator for attracting domestic & foreign investments towards developing large integrated processing capacities, by creating conducive policy environment, including rationalization of taxes & duties. It processes applications for foreign collaborations, Export Oriented Units (EOUs) etc. and assists/guides prospective entrepreneur in his endeavour.
Post liberalization, it has approved a large no. of joint ventures, foreign collaborations, industrial licenses and 100% EOU proposals in different food processing areas and has taken major policy initiatives to facilitate an accelerated growth of the industry. The functions of the Ministry can be broadly classified as follows:
Regulatory
Earlier the regulatory responsibilities of MoFPI were to implement Fruit Products Order (FPO), However, by the enactment of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, these regulatory responsibilities are transferred to Food Safety Authority of India, New Delhi which is under control of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.[2]
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