The Ministry of Food Processing Industries is the nodal agency of the Government of India for processed foods and is responsible for developing a strong and vibrant food processing sector with emphasis on the following:

• Stimulating demand for appropriate processed foods.
• Achieving maximum value addition and by-product utilization.
• Creating increased job opportunities particularly in rural areas.
• Enabling farmers to reap the benefits of modern technology.
• Creating surpluses for exports.

In the era of economic liberalization where the private, public and co-operative sectors are to play their rightful role in development of food processing sector, the Ministry acts as a catalyst for bringing in greater investment into this sector, guiding and helping the industry in a proper direction, encouraging exports and creating a conducive environment for the healthy growth of the food processing industry. Within this overall objective, the Ministry aims at:

• 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.