Bengal has recently exported vegetables and fruits worth Rs 5,700 crore and Rs 5,500 crore respectively, said Subrata Gupta, additional chief secretary, food processing industries and horticulture.
He was addressing the MCCI Food Processing and Horticulture Conclave recently held in the city.
Mr Gupta said India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables after China. In 2021-22, India produced about 205 million MT of vegetables and 107 million MT of fruits. Bengal ranks first or second in the production of vegetables and seventh or ninth in fruits, said Mr Gupta.
He said there is huge potential to invest in harvesting, storage, transport and processing in recent years. He regretted that one sixth of production is wasted due to no use of appropriate technology.
He said problems faced by the entrepreneurs in the food processing sector are poor CIBIL score, lack of balance sheet and lack of experience. He said only 25 per cent of the cultivated land is used to grow food and 75 per cent is used for animal husbandry.
Mr Partha Mandal, general manager NABARD said if FPOs in Bengal come up with micro food production units, such as households then it can create winters.
Mr Mandal said of 900 FPOs in the state, 400 are under NABARD, which has organized over 5 lakh farmers under FPOs in Bengal. Mr Mandal spoke about Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), which helps the small producers to onboard their products in e-commerce.