Boosting 'TOP' will turn India into 'world food factory', says Harsimrat Kaur

Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal hailed the government's economic package to leverage unorganised micro food processing firms, saying it would help position India as a 'world food factory'. Badal also welcomed the extension of the existing Tomato Onion Potato (TOP) scheme to cover all fruits and vegetables for the next six months.

New Delhi: Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday hailed the government's economic package to leverage unorganised micro food processing firms, saying it would help position India as a "world food factory".

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced some major reforms to strengthen India's agriculture and allied activities sector. She announced that 'Operation Greens' will now be extended from TOP (Tomatoes, Onions and Potatoes) to all fruits and vegetables. The 500 crores ‘TOP to TOTAL’ scheme aims to repair broken chain supplies in India.

In a press conference held on Friday Sitharaman said, ”The government has introduced TOP to TOTAL scheme to repair broken supply chains. This scheme will have 50% subsidy on transportation from surplus to deficient markets; 50% subsidy on storage, including cold storages.

Agriculture provides employment to nearly 60% of India’s population and earlier in his nationwide address, PM Modi had said that Rs 20 lakh crore package will also focus on India’s farmers who work during every circumstance.

The FM’s relief measures follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier announcement that the government is working on a Rs 20 lakh crore package to help various sections of the society tide over the coronavirus crisis.

Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday hailed the government's economic package to leverage unorganised micro food processing firms, saying it would help position India as a "world food factory". In a statement, she said the new scheme for micro food processing enterprises, with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore shall leverage the collective strength of farmer producers organisation (FPOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), Cooperatives and existing food processing enterprises in the unorganized sector.

This will "position India as a world food factory," she said. The minister said that micro food processing enterprises constitute almost 98 per cent of the sector and 66 per cent amongst them are based in rural areas.

Badal also welcomed the extension of the existing Tomato Onion Potato (TOP) scheme to cover all fruits and vegetables for the next six months.

"It shall facilitate storage and movement of perishables and result in price stabilization. Much-needed support for farmers in the COVID-19 times," she added.

The 'Operations Green' was announced in Union Budget speech by then Union minister Arun Jaitley on the line of 'Operation Flood' with an outlay of Rs 500 crore to promote Farmers producers Organisations.