Last Updated on September 26, 2025 12:28 am by BIZNAMA NEWS
ADITYA RAJ DAS New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated World Food India 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, describing it as a unique platform that unites farmers, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, and consumers to explore opportunities in the global food ecosystem.
In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s “triple strength of diversity, demand, and scale,” positioning the country as one of the most attractive destinations for food sector investments. He noted that India’s vast culinary diversity, strong domestic demand, and a rapidly growing neo-middle class are shaping new global food trends.
PM Modi underlined that 25 crore people have risen out of poverty in the last decade, joining the aspirational middle class. He praised India’s start-up ecosystem — the world’s third largest — for driving innovation in agriculture, supply chains, and food processing through AI, drones, and digital platforms.
The Prime Minister detailed key policy measures, including 100% FDI in food processing, the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, mega food parks, and the world’s largest storage infrastructure programme, which have boosted processing capacity 20-fold and more than doubled exports of processed food.
Emphasizing the role of small and marginal farmers, who make up over 85% of India’s agrarian base, Modi pointed to the success of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and micro food processing units, with more than 1,100 FPOs now achieving turnovers above ₹1 crore. He also credited cooperatives for transforming the dairy sector and rural economy, backed by reforms in taxation, transparency, and the creation of a dedicated ministry.
On fisheries, Modi highlighted government support for deep-sea fishing, cold chains, smart harbours, and processing plants, noting the sector now provides livelihoods to nearly three crore people.
Recent GST reforms, he said, have reduced taxes on essentials like butter, ghee, bio-pesticides, and biodegradable packaging, placing over 90% of processed food items under zero or 5% tax slabs, thereby improving affordability and producer margins. He urged industry to focus on sustainable, eco-friendly packaging solutions.
Concluding his remarks, the Prime Minister called India “open and ready” for global partnerships across the food value chain, telling stakeholders, “This is the right time to invest and expand in India.”
The event was attended by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, Union Ministers Chirag Paswan, Ravneet Singh, and Prataprao Jadhav, along with senior officials, global CEOs, and international delegates.
World Food India 2025, running from September 25–28, will feature CEO roundtables, B2B and G2G meetings, 14 thematic pavilions, participation from 21 countries and 150 international delegates, and is expected to attract nearly 100,000 visitors.
