India should be a global food basket: Chirag Paswan bats for food processing

India must move beyond bulk agricultural production and position itself as a global food basket, with Indian products reaching dining tables worldwide, Union Minister Chirag Paswan said at India Today Group's Bharat Agriculture Conference 2026.

In Short

• Chirag Paswan calls for shift from bulk farming to food processing
• Highlights lack of storage facilities causing food wastage
• Calls for industry collaboration to build processing units near farms

Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan on Wednesday called for a stronger focus on food processing, saying India must move beyond bulk agricultural production and focus on adding value to farm produce.

Speaking at the India Today Group's Kisan Tak Bharat Agriculture Conference 2026, during a special session titled 'The New Key to Agricultural Progress', Paswan said food processing had not received the attention it deserved despite its potential to improve farmers' earnings, reduce food wastage and generate employment.

"Every dining table in the world should have one Indian food item," he said, laying out his vision of taking Indian agricultural products to global households.

For years, India's agricultural growth has largely been measured by the volume of produce, but the next big challenge is to ensure that this production translates into better value for farmers.

Paswan pointed to the absence of adequate storage facilities as one of the reasons large quantities of agricultural produce, particularly perishable items, go to waste.

"We can all see food items going to waste because our farmers don't have godowns to store them," he said, stressing the need to increase the country's crop storage capacity.

"We probably didn't do as much work as previous governments should have," Paswan added.

The minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also identified food processing as an important priority, adding that India needed to build an ecosystem that could preserve agricultural produce, extend its shelf life and improve its market value.

However, the responsibility cannot rest with the government alone, he said, calling for greater participation from the industry leaders.

He pointed out that while the government can frame policies, industry leaders must help build the infrastructure and logistics needed to take food processing closer to farming communities.

Paswan urged industry players to establish processing units in villages and work closely with Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and organised farming groups.

Locating facilities closer to farms, he said, would help reduce wastage and ensure that farmers get better returns for their produce.

The minister also underlined the importance of strengthening warehouses and storage facilities, saying farmers' real strength lies in their ability to convert agricultural produce into products or store it until market conditions are favourable.

A longer shelf life would not only prevent produce from going waste but also allow Indian food products to reach markets beyond the country.

The sector, he said, could become an important source of employment while improving the economic condition of farming communities.

The Union Minister also expressed optimism that discussions at the two-day conference would help shape the future of the food processing sector.

"We will see far-reaching, very positive outcomes from these two days of discussion and dialogue," he said.

- Ends