Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Detail Study of
Indian Food Processing Industry
Submitted By:
Avaneet Dwivedi (Roll No. 09)
Preface
India is the world's 2nd largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of being the
biggest with the food and agricultural sector. With India's food production likely to double in the next
decade, there is an opportunity for large investments in food and food processing technologies, skills
and equipment, especially in areas of Canning, Dairy and Food Processing, Specialty Processing,
Packaging, Frozen Food/Refrigeration and Thermo Processing. Fruits & Vegetables, Fisheries, Milk
& Milk Products, Meat & Poultry, Packaged/Convenience Foods, Alcoholic Beverages & Soft Drinks
and Grains are important sub-sectors of the food processing industry. Health food and health food
supplements are other rapidly rising segments of this industry.
India is the 2nd largest vegetable and 3rd largest fruit producer in the world
India will register the highest increase in rice production in the world over the next 10 years, as per
the US Department of Agriculture. India's annual rice production would increase by 16.3 million
tonnes (mt) by 2016, from 91 mt now.
India ranks second only to Japan in inland sector fish production. India produces about 6.57 million
metric tonne fish every year.
Spices exports will cross US$ 1 billion in the current financial year and touch US$ 10 billion by
2017, according to V J Kurien, chairman, Spices Board. Of the world's total annual spice trade of
850,000 tonnes, India accounts for 44 per cent in quantity and 36 per cent in value
India aims at doubling marine exports including that of tuna fish to US$ 4 billion by 2012; 53 per
cent of the marine exports comprise of shrimps.
Food Processing
The growth of food processing sector has nearly doubled to 13.7 per cent during the last four years,
according to the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Subodh Kant Sahai, who added that
India has set a target of growing at 20 per cent by 2015.
A dominant segment of the food industry, food processing is estimated to be worth US$ 70 billion
with a 32 per cent share. It comprises agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandries, and plantation.
Experts estimate the industry GDP at 6-8 per cent with value addition of food products to increase
from 8 per cent to 35 per cent by the end of 2025.
According to the 'India Food Report 2008', investments to the tune of US$ 23.5 billion are in the
pipeline to be made in the food processing industry over the next three years. The opportunity for
growth is huge when seen against the fact that while a mere 1.3 per cent of food is processed in India,
nearly 80 per cent of food is processed in the developed world.
Significantly, processed food exports have increased from US$ 6.98 billion in 2002-03 to US$ 20.51
billion in 2006-07, recording a whopping 193.83 per cent growth rate. To realise India's potential in
this industry, the Government has set an investment target of US$ 25.07 billion by 2015 to double
India's share in global food trade from 1.6 per cent to 3 per cent, increase processing of perishable
food from 6 per cent to 20 per cent and value addition from 20 per cent to 35 per cent.
Acknowledgement
It is pleasure to acknowledge those who have contributed to this project directly or indirectly, though
it will be still an inadequate appreciation of their contribution, we here by acknowledge the names of
the people to whom we shall always remain grateful.
we would sincerely like to express our gratitude to Dr Mahendra sharma who gave us the grand
opportunity to have Report Project.
we are also very thankful to Prof. Maurvi pandya who performed as a guide for this project. We are
thankful for her constant guidance, support and inspiration.
We would also like to sincerely express our gratitude to our all the faculty members who have been
time & again directly or indirectly helped us in relation to the Grand Project. Without the theoretical
knowledge imparted by them during 3th Semester of M.B.A. course it was not possible to have it
applied in practical life.
Every successful work is completed not without the help and support of the people around us.
Avaneet Dwivedi
Shivang Vyas
Divin Patel
Anil Chauhan
Executive Summary
The Food Processing Industry sector in India is one of the largest in terms of production,
consumption, export and growth prospects. The government has accorded it a high priority, with a
number of fiscal reliefs and incentives, to encourage commercialisation and value addition to
agricultural produce; for minimising pre/post harvest wastage, generating employment and export
growth.
Important sub sectors in food processing industries are:- Fruit & Vegetable Processing, Fish-
processing, Milk Processing, Meat & Poultry Processing, Packaged/Convenience Foods, Alcoholic
beverages & Soft drinks and Grain Processing etc.
As a result of several POLICY INITIATIVES undertaken since liberalisation in August 1991, the
industry has witnessed fast growth in most of the segments. As per a recent study on the food
processing sector, the turnover of the total food market is approximately Rs.250,000 crores (US $
69.4 billion) out of which value-added food products comprise Rs.80,000 crores (US $ 22.2 billion)
Since liberalisation in Aug'91 and up-till Feb 2000 proposals for projects of over Rs.53,800 crores
(US.13.4 billion) have been proposed in various segments of the food and agro-processing industry.
Besides this, Govt. has also approved proposals for joint ventures, foreign collaboration, industrial
licenses and 100%export oriented units envisaging an investment of Rs.19,100 crores (US $ 4.80
billion) during the same period. Out of this, foreign investment is over Rs. 9100 crores (US $ 18.2
billion).
Processed food exports were at over Rs.13,500 crores (US $ 3.2 billion ) in 1998-99. Out of these
exports, rice accounted for 46%, whereas marine products accounted for over 34%.
Primary food processing is a major industry with lakhs of rice-mills/hullers, flour mills, pulse mills
and oil-seed mills. There are several thousands of bakeries, traditional food units and fruit/veg./spice
processing units in unorganised sector.
In the organised sector, there are over 820 flour mills, 418 fish processing units, 5198 fruit/veg
processing units, 171 meat processing units.
India is the world's second largest producer of fruits & vegetables, but hardly 2% of the produce is
processed. India is the land of spices producing all varieties worth over Rs. 3500 crores (US $
900million) amounting to 25-30% of world production, which is processed for value-addition and
export. It grows 22 million tonnes of oilseeds covering most of the varieties. Other important
plantation products include tea, coffee, cocoa and cashew.
It has large marine product and processing potential with varied fish resources along the 8041 km.
long coastline, 28000 km. of rivers and millions of hectares of reservoirs & brackish water. India's
livestock population is largest in the world with 50% of world's buffaloes and 20% of cattles, but only
about 1% of total meat production is converted to value added products.
India is the largest milk producer in the world and about 15% of the total milk production is
processed through the organised sector.
Size of the semi-processed and ready to eat packaged food industry is over Rs. 4000 crores (US $ 1
billion) and is growing at over 20%.
Introduction Of Food Processing Industry
India is the world's second largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of being the
biggest with the food and agricultural sector. The total food production in India is likely to double in
the next ten years and there is an opportunity for large investments in food and food processing
technologies, skills and equipment, especially in areas of Canning, Dairy and Food Processing,
Specialty Processing, Packaging, Frozen Food/Refrigeration and Thermo Processing. Fruits &
Vegetables, Fisheries, Milk & Milk Products, Meat & Poultry, Packaged/Convenience Foods,
Alcoholic Beverages & Soft Drinks and Grains are important sub-sectors of the food processing
industry. A health food and health food supplement is another rapidly rising segment of this industry
which is gaining vast popularity amongst the health conscious.
India is one of the world’s major food producers but accounts for less than 1.5 per cent of
international food trade. This indicates vast scope for both investors and exporters. Food exports in
1998 stood at US $5.8 billion whereas the world total was US $438 billion. The Indian food
industries sales turnover is Rs 140,000 crore (1 crore = 10 million) annually as at the start of year
2000. The industry has the highest number of plants approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)outside the USA
India's food processing sector covers fruit and vegetables; meat and poultry; milk and milk products,
alcoholic beverages, fisheries, plantation, grain processing and other consumer product groups like
confectionery, chocolates and cocoa products, Soya-based products, mineral water, high protein foods
etc. We cover an exhaustive database of an array of suppliers, manufacturers, exporters and importers
widely dealing in sectors like the -Food Industry, Dairy processing, Indian beverage industry etc. We
also cover sectors like dairy plants, canning, bottling plants, packaging industries, process machinery
etc.
The most promising sub-sectors includes -Soft-drink bottling, Confectionery manufacture, Fishing,
aquaculture, Grain-milling and grain-based products, Meat and poultry processing, Alcoholic
beverages, Milk processing, Tomato paste, Fast-food, Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, Food additives,
flavors etc.
This section analyses the performance of the Indian food processing industry. Currently, processed
food accounts for merely 2% of total food production in India, which is very low as compared to the
western countries. Taking market forces such as rising income level and changing consumer behavior
due to rapid economic growth into consideration, it is expected to reach a growth rate of 10% in 2010
& 25% in 2020. In food processing sector, dairy products (includes milk, Ethnic sweets etc) and
packed food provides immense opportunities for investment.
Currently, the Indian food processing industry is basically export oriented. Although
domestic consumption of processed food is low but it is fast picking up with rising income levels
& changing consumer behavior due to economic growth.
Indian processed food industry provides competitive advantages over other countries due
to cheap workforce, government initiatives (tax holidays) & availability of raw materials.
Existence of untapped large consumer base with rising income levels.
Indian food processing level as compared to countries like USA, France & Malaysia continues to
remain very low. However, with the emerging positive market forces, it is all set to boom.
During the period 2006-07, the Indian food processing industry witnessed growth from 7% to 13.1%.
As a result it is hailed as the ‘sunshine industry’ in India. The food processing industry has emerged
as one of the major driver of economic growth and is expected to continue in future. Growing
economy, surplus food and a shift in the consumption pattern, from cereals to more varied and
nutritious diet of fruit and vegetables, milk, fish, meat and poultry products has been the key factors
behind the growth of the sector. At present, the industry is seeking for investments to create necessary
infrastructure, state-of-the-art-technology and expand production facilities to match the international
quality and standards. Additionally, Indian Government’s proactive measures like de-licensing of the
sector, several duty and tax relief, financial assistance for infrastructure building and setting up of
food processing units is expected to benefit the sector.
Overview of Global Food Processing Industry
Food industry is not a formally defined term; however, it is usually used in a broadly inclusive way to
cover all aspects of food production and sale. The Food Standards Agency, a government body in the
UK, describes it thus:
"...the whole food industry – from farming and food production, packaging and distribution, to retail
and catering."
The Economic Research Service of the USDA uses the term food system to describe the same thing:
"The world food system is a complex network of farmers and the industries that link to them. Those
links include makers of farm equipment and chemicals as well as firms that provide services to
agribusinesses, such as providers of transportation and financial services. The system also includes
the food marketing industries that link farms to consumers, and which include food and fiber
processors, wholesalers, retailers, and foodservice establishments." As shown in figure
Supply chains and value chains in the food and drink processing sector
World Food processing Industry size
Processed food sales worldwide are approximately US$3.2 trillion (2007).
In the world, consumers spend approximately US$10 trillion annually for food. Over 16.5 million
people are employed in the food industry all over world. Nearly 10 percent of the world Gross
Domestic Product (GDP)
Agriculture
Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by the
cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). The practice of
agriculture is also known as "farming", while scientists, inventors and others devoted to
improving farming methods and implements are also said to be engaged in agriculture. More
people in the world are involved in agriculture as their primary economic activity than in any
other, yet it only accounts for twelve percent of the world's GDP.
Total agricultural trade consists of food and non- food commodities in both raw and processed
forms. Classification of agricultural trade is a breakdown of agricultural trade into four
components:
• bulk commodities,
• processed intermediate products,
• fresh horticultural products,
• Processed consumer goods.
Over the years the share of bulk commodities in total agricultural trade has gone down.
Decreased demand for bulk commodities has been compensated by the growth in intermediate
processed products, which are essentially processed bulk commodities.
Processed intermediate products such as vegetable oils, flour etc. have contributed significantly to
the total agriculture trade and their share in total agricultural trade is increasing.
The share of fresh horticultural products, i.e products that are consumed without further
processing, in total agricultural trade is nearly constant. Recent improvements in transportation
technology have played a role in promoting trade of fresh products.
The faster growing categories in agricultural trade are non-bulk packaged processed food
products, which are marketed under different brands. Developed countries have played an
important role in promoting trade in processed food products. Share of these countries in import
of processed food products is more than developing countries, whereas in case of bulk
commodities share of developing countries exceeds the import of developed countries.
Food processing
Food processing is the methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food for
human consumption. Food processing takes clean, harvested or slaughtered and butchered
components and uses them to produce marketable food products. Consumer expenditure on
processed food and drink 2001–07 (US$ billion),as shown in below table
The industry is composed of six key segments
Retail
With populations around the world concentrating in urban areas,[4] food buying is increasingly
removed from all aspects food production. This is a relatively recent development, taking place
mainly over the last 50 years. The supermarket is a defining retail element of the food industry,
where tens of thousands of products are gathered in one location, in continuous, year-round
supply.
Food preparation is another area where change in recent decades has been dramatic. Today, two
food industry sectors are in apparent competition for the retail food dollar. The grocery industry
sell fresh and largely raw products for consumers to use as ingredients in home cooking. The
food service industry offers prepared food, either as finished products, or as partially prepared
components for final "assembly".Top ten food retailers, by sales, 2005 as shown in table and
share market all over world
Source: ETC Group: Oligopoly, Inc. 2005, op. cit., quoted by S. Best and I. Mamic in Global agri-food chains, op. cit.
One of the key developments in global food processing industry over the past decade has been the
rise of the food retail sector. By 2007, supermarkets and hypermarkets in the world accounted for
at least 62 per cent of all food retail sales (some assessments place this even higher, at 70–80 per
cent). Wal-Mart, one of the largest global companies in any sector,operates in the United States,
Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom and several other countries, and has just
moved into the Indian market in partnership with Bharti (a leading local telecommunications
service provider).
The French retailer Carrefour operates in over 30 countries, has a strong presence in Spain and
Italy as well as France, with interests also in China and Latin America. The German company
Metro has the majority of stores in its home market, but also has some operations in China, a
strong and growing presence in Eastern Europe, and plans further expansion globally, including
in India and China. Tesco, the leading British retailer, operates 75 per cent of its stores in the
United Kingdom, 12 per cent in Eastern Europe and 9 per cent in China, and is also Other, 64%
Wal-Mart, 8% Carrefour, 3% Metro-AG 2%Ahold, 2%Tesco, 2%Kroger, 2%Costco, 2% ITM,
1% Albertsons, 1%Edeka Zentrale, 1% Top 11–30 firms, 12% expanding steadily in East Asia
and Eastern Europe.
Foods large chains are strongest in North America and Europe, the supermarket/hypermarket
format is spreading to the rest of the world, and other countries have major operators that are
becoming larger through acquisitions, one example being Ito Yakado in Japan. By 2000,
supermarkets in Latin America had on average 50–60 per cent of national food retail business,
with the highest levels of concentration in the two largest regional economies, Brazil and
Argentina. The Latin American supermarket sector is increasingly dominated by foreign-owned
companies, including Carrefour, Tesco and Wal-Mart.Although outside the range of this issues
paper, it can be noted that these companies have considerable power in non-food as well as food
products. Wal-Mart, for instance, dominates global supply chains in areas such as leisure clothing
and household utensils these supply chains operate in a way comparable to the global food
chains. China is a particularly important source for Wal-Mart stock.
Food industry technologies
Sophisticated technologies define modern food production. They include many areas.
Agricultural machinery, originally led by the tractor, has practically eliminated human labor in
many areas of production. Biotechnology is driving much change, in areas as diverse as
agrichemicals, plant breeding and food processing. Many other areas of technology are also
involved, to the point where it is hard to find an area that does not have a direct impact on the
food industry. Computer technology is also a central force, with computer networks and
specialized software providing the support infrastructure to allow global movement of the myriad
components involved.
Marketing
Marketing is all about selling and buying of goods and services in exchange for money. This is a
very narrow view. There are three major facets of marketing. First is the production-driven
approach where stress is laid on selling whatever is produced. This works during scarcity of
goods. And the producer’s key function here is to sell goods available at affordable prices. Most
small and micro enterprises follow this approach. The second is the sale-driven approach that
revolves around personal selling and advertising to convince customers to buy your product. This
approach is adopted when there is an abundance of supply in the market. The last is the
consumer-driven approaches, which focus on promoting sale by meeting the customers’
expectations in terms of quality, looks, aesthetics, prices and after sales-service. The earlier two
approaches where goods are tailor-made are producer-oriented and may not work satisfactorily as
they require a proper understanding of the consumer behaviour, preferences, tastes and needs
before undertaking production. The third being consumer-driven, lasts. This is why sales
becomes a small part of an entire system called marketing that addresses planning, pricing,
promotion and distribution of goods and services to satisfy customer needs.food processing
industry is totally consumer driven.
Therefore, you must understand that marketing is not just selling, but much
more, and includes:
i. Market Assessment
ii. Market Segmentation
iii. Market Targeting
iv. Developing Market Mix
As consumers grow increasingly removed from food production, the role of product creation,
advertising, publicity become the primary vehicles for information about food. With processed
food as the dominant category, marketers have almost infinite possibilities in product creation so
food processing industry have to focus on market assessment , market segmentation market
targeting and develop market mix.
Labour and education
Until the last 100 years, agriculture was labor intensive. Farming was a common occupation.
Food production flowed from millions of farms. Farmers, largely trained from generation to
generation, carried on the family business. That situation has changed dramatically. In North
America, over 50% of the population were farm families only a few decades ago; now, that figure
is around 1-2%, and some 80% of the population lives in cities. The food industry as a complex
whole requires an incredibly wide range of skills. Several hundred occupation types exist within
the food industry.
At the same time, processed food exports from the developed countries were accompanied in the
1990s by waves of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the food processing sectors of developed and
developing countries alike. Here again, evaluation in the literature varies widely with regard to the
impact of these investments. On the one hand, they are seen as a driving force behind the surge of
nontraditional food exports from developing countries. Other analysts would focus on the impact of
FDI on the recipient’s domestic markets for productivity, innovation and industry concentration
issues. These discussions have been complemented by recent attention to the dietary implications for
developing countries, with FDI being seen as accelerating the adoption of a food regime based on
animal protein and highly processed foods, leading to new forms of malnutrition: poverty is now
often combined with obesity in developing countries.
Transformations in the food processing sectors of developing countries, therefore, are increasingly
seen as strategic, whether analyzed from the point of view of export earnings, domestic industry
restructuring or dietary issues. In this article, we review a selection of the literature and secondary
data sources on these themes. Our analysis begins with a discussion of the main trends identifiable in
the food processing industries of the three regional blocs of the developed world (the North American
Free Trade Area, NAFTA, the European Union and Japan), since it is their combined impact that
determines the complex patterns of globalization. This is followed by a discussion of the importance
of non-traditional food processing exports by developing countries and the different interpretations to
which it has given rise. The internal transformations of the food processing sector of developing
countries under the combined impact of imports and FDI are then considered. We conclude with a
discussion of the heterogeneous dynamic of food processing in developing countries and the different
possibilities for strengthening the participation of small and medium enterprises.
SOURCE:-e-JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 184-201, 2006
To analyses the global trade in food products that are covered under the following HS Codes
• HS Code 02: Meat and edible meat offal
• HS Code 03: Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
• HS Code 04: Dairy produce; birds eggs; natural honey;
• HS Code 05: Products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified
• HS Code 06: Live trees and other plants;
• HS Code 07: Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers
• HS Code 08: Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons
• HS Code 09: Coffee, tea, mate and spices
• HS Code 10: Cereals
• HS Code 11: Products of the milling industry; malt; starches; inulin
• HS Code 12: Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits
• HS Code 13: Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts
• HS Code 14: Vegetable plaiting materials; vegetable products nes
• HS Code 15: Animal or vegetable fats and oils
• HS Code 16: Preparations of meat, of fish or of crustaceans
• HS Code 17: Sugars and sugar confectionery
• HS Code 18: Cocoa and cocoa preparations
• HS Code 19: Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; bakers' wares
• HS Code 20: Preparations of vegetables, fruit or nuts
• HS Code 21: Miscellaneous edible preparations
• HS Code 22: Beverages, spirits and vinegar
Global Import
Total Global import of food products covered under HS Code 02 – 22 is to the tune of 595.52 bn
USD (Chart 1) Top 3 items of global import are Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic
invertebrates (HS Code 03, 10.23% share), Meat and edible meat offal (HS Code 02, 9.76%
share) and Beverages, spirits and vinegar (HS Code, 9.58% share)
Chart 1: Composition of Global Import of Food Products covered under HS Code 02 – 22 Year (2007)
Source: COMTRADE
Global Export
Total Global export of food products covered under HS Code 02 – 22 is to the tune of 580.74 bn USD
(Chart 2)
Top 3 items of global export are Meat and edible meat offal (HS Code 02, 10.78% share), Beverages,
spirits and vinegar (HS Code 22, 9.89% share) and Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic
invertebrates (HS Code 03, 8.26% share)
Chart 2: Composition of Global Export of Food Products covered under HS Code 02 – 22 Year(2007)
Source: COMTRAD
India is a country of striking contrasts and enormous ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity. It has a
population of 1.1 billion, and it is comprised of 28 states and seven Union Territories (under federal
government rule). The states differ vastly in resources, culture, food habits, living standards, and
languages. Vast disparities in per-capita income levels exist between and within India’s states. About
75 percent of the country’s people live in its 550,000 villages; the rest in 200 towns and cities. There
are 27 cities with a population above one million people.
India has the largest number of poor, with 35 percent of the population surviving on less than $1 per
day, and 80 percent of the population surviving on less than $2 per day1. Nearly 51 percent of
Indians’ consumption expenditures go for food (54 percent in rural area and 42 in urban areas)2;
mostly for basic items like grains, vegetable oils, and sugar; very little goes for value added food
items. In recent years, however, there has been an increased shift towards vegetables, eggs, fruits,
meat, and beverages. Religion has a major influence on eating habits and, along with low purchasing
power, supports a predominantly vegetarian diet.
Some observers of India’s economic scene are, however, highly optimistic about consumption growth
potential, and believe that rising income levels, increasing urbanization, a changing age profile (more
young people), increasing consumerism, a significant rise in the number of single men and women
professionals, and the availability of cheap credit will push India onto a new growth trajectory. These
segments of the population are aware of quality differences, insist on world standards, and are willing
to pay a premium for quality. Nonetheless, a major share of Indian consumers has to sacrifice quality
for affordable prices. Potential US exporters should also bear in mind that India’s diverse agro-
industrial base already offers many items at competitive prices. Results of the “Market Information
Survey of Households,” conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research, show
that the share of households in the upper middle/high income group (annual household income > Rs.
90,000, or $11,200 on purchasing power parity basis) has grown from 14% in 1989-90 to 28% in
2001-02, and is projected at 48 percent in 2009-10. Correspondingly, there has been a decline in the
low-income group.
Sixty-five million people are expected to enter the 20-34 year age group from 2001 to 2010. By 2025,
40 percent of Indians are expected to be urban dwellers. Structural reforms and stabilization programs
during the 1990s have contributed to India’s sustained economic growth, which has been relatively
strong over the past two decades, averaging 6 percent annually. Since 1996, the Indian government
has gradually lifted import-licensing restrictions, which had effectively prohibited imports. On April
1, 2001, all remaining quantitative restrictions were removed, putting India in compliance with its
WTO commitment. Nonetheless, the government continues to discourage imports, particularly
agricultural products, with the use of high tariffs and non-tariff barriers. Import tariffs on most
consumer products, although declining, are still high, ranging from 30.6 to 52.2 percent. Some
sensitive items, such as alcoholic beverages, poultry meat, raisins, vegetable oils, wheat, rice, etc.,
attract much higher duties. Nontariff barriers include unwarranted sanitary and phytosanitary
restrictions and onerous labeling requirements for pre-packaged foods. Other factors adversely
affecting imports include a poorly developed infrastructure (transportation and cold chain), a
predominantly unorganized retail sector, and outdated food laws. However, some positive factors are:
• Rising disposable income levels
• Increasing urbanization and exposure to Western culture
• Growing health consciousness among the middle class
• Growing consumerism
• Changing age profile
• Increasing availability of cheap consumer credit
Sources: All India Food Processors Association http://www.aifpa.com/
Table 2.1 Status of Food Processing Industry in India
During the period 2006-07, the Indian food processing industry witnessed growth from 7% to 13.1%.
As a result it is hailed as the ‘sunshine industry’ in India. The food processing industry has emerged
as one of the major driver of economic growth and is expected to continue in future. Growing
economy, surplus food and a shift in the consumption pattern, from cereals to more varied and
nutritious diet of fruit and vegetables, milk, fish, meat and poultry products has been the key factors
behind the growth of the sector. At present, the industry is seeking for investments to create necessary
infrastructure, state-of-the-art-technology and expand production facilities to match the international
quality and standards. Additionally, Indian Government’s proactive measures like de-licensing of the
sector, several duty and tax relief, financial assistance for infrastructure building and setting up of
food processing units is expected to benefit the sector. India’s food processing sector primarily covers
fruit and vegetables; meat and poultry; dairy products, alcoholic beverages, fisheries, plantation, grain
processing and other consumer product groups like confectionery, chocolates and cocoa products,
Soya-based products, mineral water, high protein foods etc.
Indian Food Industry Performance
Market Definition
The market for food processing industry is the complex in nature, it is global collective of diverse
businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the population. Only
subsistence farmers, those who survive on what they grow, can be considered outside of the scope of
the modern food processing industry.
Around 45 per cent of the population in India is below 20 years of age in year 2007 and the young
population is set to rise further. Aspiration levels in this age group have been fuelled by greater media
exposure, unleashing a latent demand with more money and a new mindset.
So there are good chances of acceptance of processed food by new generation in India
Decreasing prices of processed foods, making them more affordable thereby accessing a
much larger market
Rapid growth in organized processed food retail (> 20% p.a.) with a variety of retail formats
being developed
Food processing is a large sector that covers activities such as agriculture, horticulture, plantation,
animal husbandry and fisheries. It also includes other industries that use
agriculture inputs for manufacturing of edible products. The Ministry of Food Processing,
Government of India has defined the following segments within the Food Processing
industry:
• Dairy, fruits & vegetable processing
• Grain processing
• Meat & poultry processing
• Fisheries
• Consumer foods including packaged foods, beverages and packaged drinking water.
While the industry is large in terms of size, it is still at a nascent stage in terms of development. Out
of the country’s total agriculture and food produce, only 2 per cent is processed. The highest share of
processed food is in the Dairy sector, where 37 per cent of the total
produce is processed, of which 15 per cent is processed by the organised sector.Primary food
processing (packaged fruit and vegetables, milk, milled flour and rice, tea, spices, etc.) constitutes
around
India’s food-processing sector, though still developing, contributes 14 percent to the manufacturing
GDP (5.5 percent of aggregate GDP), produces goods worth rs. 2.8 trillion ($64 billion), and employs
13 million people1. Much of India’s food-processing industry is small-scale and involves very little
value addition, although in recent years several multinational food-processing companies have started
operations in India. A plethora of internal restrictions, including (a) prohibition on foreign direct
investment in retail, (b) prohibitions on contract farming, (c) barriers to interstate commerce based on
revenue and food security concerns, (d) some of the highest taxes on processed foods in the world,
and (e) inefficient in infrastructure and marketing networks seriously constrain growth of the sector.
1
Food-processing Policy 2005, Ministry of Food-processing Industries, GOI; http://mofpi.nic.in/fpipolicy.htm
The almost year-round availability of fresh products across the country, combined with the
consumers’ preference for fresh products and freshly cooked foods has dampened demand for
processed food products. The level of processing varies across segments – ranging from less than 2
percent of the production in the case of fruits and vegetables to over 90 percent in non-perishable
products such as cereals and pulses. In the latter, however, processing involves very little value
addition, and is mostly confined to grading, cleaning, milling, and packing; with negligible use of
additives, preservatives, and flavors.
At present, most inputs for the food-processing industry are sourced domestically, with the exception
of some bulk commodities that are in short supply, such as pulses and vegetable oils, dried fruits and
nuts, and small but increasing quantities of food additives and ingredients such as soy proteins, whey,
and flavors and essence. India annually imports vegetable oils valued at over $2.6 billion and pulses
valued at $560 million. Imports of food ingredients were valued at $170 million in 2006/07, and
include mostly spices and condiments, dairy products, cocoa products, fish and fish products, fruit
juices, and other ingredients (yeasts, sauces, soft drink concentrates, flavoring materials, soy protein
concentrates and isolates, etc.).
Unorganized, small players account for more than 70 percent of the industry’s output in volume and
50 percent in value terms. Most of them operate locally, add little if any value to products, and use
outdated technologies. The government’s policy of reserving the food-processing sector for small-
scale units, effective until 1991, discouraged large-scale domestic and foreign direct investment in the
food-processing sector. However, following economic liberalization in 1991, the food-processing
industry was opened, resulting in increased investment in this sector, both domestic and foreign.
Over the last few years, several large companies, both Indian and foreign, have invested in the food-
processing business in India, resulting in significant growth in this sector. Some of the major players
in India’s food-processing industry are listed in this report. There are hundreds of medium-sized
regional companies, some of them aspiring to emerge as national players with their own established
brands, who pose some competition to large firms
The domestic organized processed-food market is expected to triple in the next 10 years from about
$100 billion in FINACIAL YEAR 2004 to $310 billion in FINACIAL YEAR 2015. India aims to
increase its share of world trade in this sector from 1.7% currently ($7.5 billion) to
3% by 2015 ($20 billion)
So here we have estimated that production of processed food is increasing linearly with respect to
FMCG Market size till 2015 E ,its shows that very good potential of proceeds food in coming future.
India’s Import & Export Scenario
India’s Import of Food Products
Total import of food products of India covered under HS Code 02 – 22 is to the tune of 4.62 bn USD
(Chart 3 and Table 3)
Top 3 items of import are Animal or vegetable fats and oils (HS Code 15, 49.85% share), Edible fruit
and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons (HS Code 08, 17.11% share) and Edible vegetables and certain
roots and tubers (HS Code 07, 13.68% share)
Chart 3 : Composition of Total Import of Food Products by India in 2007 (covered under HS Code 02 – 22)
Sources:- www.apeda.com(Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA))
India’s Export of Food Products
Total export of food products (covered under HS Code 02 – 22) by India in 2005 is to the tune of 8.36 bn
USD (Chart 3 and Table 4)
Top 3 items of Indian export are Cereals (HS Code 10, 19.56% share), Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and
other aquatic invertebrates (HS Code 03, 17.01% share) and Coffee, tea, mate and spices (HS Code 09,
10.84% share)
Sources:- www.apeda.com(Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA))
To analyses the global trade in food products that are covered under the following HS Codes
• HS Code 02: Meat and edible meat offal
• HS Code 03: Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
• HS Code 04: Dairy produce; birds eggs; natural honey;
• HS Code 05: Products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified
• HS Code 06: Live trees and other plants;
• HS Code 07: Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers
• HS Code 08: Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons
• HS Code 09: Coffee, tea, mate and spices
• HS Code 10: Cereals
• HS Code 11: Products of the milling industry; malt; starches; inulin
• HS Code 12: Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits
• HS Code 13: Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts
• HS Code 14: Vegetable plaiting materials; vegetable products nes
• HS Code 15: Animal or vegetable fats and oils
• HS Code 16: Preparations of meat, of fish or of crustaceans
• HS Code 17: Sugars and sugar confectionery
• HS Code 18: Cocoa and cocoa preparations
• HS Code 19: Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; bakers' wares
• HS Code 20: Preparations of vegetables, fruit or nuts
• HS Code 21: Miscellaneous edible preparations
• HS Code 22: Beverages, spirits and vinegar
India produces the widest range of fruits and vegetables in the world. It is the second largest
vegetable and third largest fruit producer accounting for 8.4 per cent of the world’s food and
vegetable production. The share of organised sector in fruit processing is estimated to be nearly 48
per cent. Fruit production in India registered a growth of 3.9 per cent during the period 2003-2007
whereas the fruit processing sector grew several times faster at 20 per cent over the same period.
The total area under fruit cultivation is estimated at 4.18 million hectares. The total area under
vegetable cultivation is estimated at7.59 million hectares.However less than 2 per cent of the total
vegetables produced in the country are commercially processed, as compared to nearly 70 per cent in
Brazil and 65 per cent in USA.
India’s installed capacity for fruits and vegetable processing nearly increase by 5 fold during the
1990s, from 1.1 million tones in 1993 to 5.33 million tones in 2007. About 20 per cent of processed
fruits and vegetables are exported. Major products exported include fruit pulps, pickles, chutneys,
canned foods, concentrated pulps and juices and vegetables.
Fruit exports have registered a growth of 16 per cent in volume and 25 per cent in value terms in
2006-07. Mango and mango based products alone constitute 50 per cent of the exports.
The growth trend from 2003 to 2007 remained upward, being 21.8% in the first year, 25.2% in the
second and 11.76% in the third. During 2005–2006, this sector showed a negative trend of 4.2% over
the preceding year and 2006–2007 registered a positive growth of 3.3%. Though the detailed reason
for this trend could be ascertained by ground-level research, the factor responsible for negative
growth in 2005–2006 was excise duty of 8% on processed (Fruit and Vegetables) F&V products, as
against no duty in the preceding years.
Sources: - Web: www.ibef.org
Out of the 5198 F&VP enterprises in 2007, 2002 (38%) were home-scale (household) units, 1083
(21%) cottage, 834 (16%) small-scale, 598 (12%) large-scale and the remaining 681 (13%) were only
relabellers
The utilization of fruits and vegetables for processing in the organized & unorganized sectors is
estimated to be around 2% of the total production. Over the last few years, there has been a positive
growth in ready to serve beverages, fruit juices and pulps, dehydrated and frozen fruits and vegetable
products, tomato products, pickles, convenience veg-spice pastes, processed mushrooms and curried
vegetables.
The domestic consumption of value added fruits and vegetable products is also low compared to the
primary processed food in general and fresh fruits and vegetables in particular, which is attributed to
higher incidence of tax and duties including that on packaging material, lower capacity utilization
non-adoption of cost effective technology, high cost of finance, infrastructural constraints, inadequate
farmers-processors linkage leading to dependence upon intermediaries.
The smallness of units and their inability for market promotion is also another main reason for
inadequate expansion of the domestic market. In order to give fresh impetus to processing of Fruit
and Vegetables Government has allowed under I.T.Act 100% deduction of profit for first five year
and 25% deduction for another five years for new upcoming F & VP units.
Less than 2 percent of all fruits and vegetables produced in India are processed. The main products,
the industry size, and major players are shown in the following table:
Export and Import of Fruits and Vegetables in Different Countries
• Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers
Top three Suppliers are Myanmar, Canada and Pakistan with 39.64%, 23.87% and 10.66% share
respectively.
Share of Focus Countries in Indian imports
• Australia 5.03%
• Netherlands 0.004%
• France 1.12%
• Italy 0.02%
• Germany 0.01%
• United Kingdom 0.01%
• UAE 0.01%
• USA 2.31%
• Belgium 0.01%
• Japan 0.01%
• Thailand 0.10%
India stands first in the world in terms of milk production .The output is expected to be about 108
million tonnes (estimate for 2008), growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 4 per cent.
Consumption of milk has registered a growth of nearly 8.4 per cent (in urban areas) and is currently
valued at US$ 16 billion. The dairy sector ranks first in terms of processed foods with 37 per cent of
the produce being processed. The organised sector processes an estimated 15 per cent of the total milk
output in India. There are 676 dairy plants registered with Government of India, which come under
the organised sector.
Milk and milk products contribute to a significant 17 per cent of the country’s total expenditure on
food. Traditional dairy products account for about 50 per cent of the total
milk produced.The market for dairy products is expected to grow at 15-20 per cent over the next three
years.
• Ghee is the most widely marketed and branded product with a nation-wide penetration of 24.1 per
cent. It is estimated to be growing at a rate of 8 per cent per annum
• The dairy whitener market comprises of sweetened milk powders, condensed milk and creamers. Its
market size is estimated at US$ 450 million for 2006-07
• The cheese market is estimated at US$ 2.49 million for 2006-07 (54000 tonnes in volume terms),
growing at a rate of nearly 10 per cent per annum. The organized cheese market is dominated by
processed cheese which accounts for 74 per cent market share
• The ice-cream market in India is estimated at US$ 226 million in 2006-07, with the organised
market at US$ 158.2 billion This is currently growing at 20 per cent Organized dairy industry
accounts for less than 15% of the milk produced in India. The rest of the milk is either consumed at
farm level, or is sold as fresh, non-pasteurized milk through unorganised channel.
The share of organised industry is expected to rise rapidly especially in the urban regions. India, with
its status as the largest milk producer in the world, is on the verge of assuming an important position
in the global dairy industry. Many international dairy companies are viewing India with an eye to
tapping its vast growing market for dairy products. Total milk production in the country is around 91
million tones. Per capita of milk consumption is 75 Kgs. (NDDB).19 units have been sanctioned
financial assistance under the plan scheme of the Ministry during the year 2006-07.
About 37 percent of India’s milk production of 91 million tons is processed, 15 percent in the
organized sector and 22 percent in the unorganized sector. A major share of the milk processed in the
organized sector (mostly by dairy cooperatives) is in the form of packaged liquid milk. Other
processed items include ethnic sweets, milk powder, ghee (melted, clarified butter), butter, cheese,
and ice cream. In the unorganized sector, a major share is processed into milk-based sweets, and a
smaller share for making yogurt, butter, and ghee. The main products, the industry size, and major
players are shown in the following table:
Going by FAO estimates, while world milk production fell by 2% in the last three years, the Indian
production galloped by 4%. While consumption of liquid milk accounts for 46% of the total
production, the rest is converted into milk products. Of this, the share of the organised sector is less
than 10%. The products manufactured by the organised sector are ghee, butter, cheese, ice creams,
milk powders, malted milk food, condensed milk, infant foods, etc. The products also include casein,
lactose and dairy whiteners.
Sources: Market Trends & Potentials of dairy sector in India, FAO Study
Sources:-Web http://mofpi.nic.in/industryspecificinformation/index.htm
Production of meat & meat products is gradually increasing from the year 1995 onwards. Meat &
Meat products are considered to be highly perishable commodities and can transmit diseases from
animals to human-beings. Production of meat is governed under local by-laws as slaughtering is a
state subject and Slaughterhouses are controlled by local health authorities. Processing of meat food
products is licensed under Meat Food Products Order, (MFPO), 1973 which was hitherto being
implemented by the Directorate of Marketing & Inspection (DMI) has since been transferred to the
Ministry of Food Processing Industries w.e.f 19.03.2004. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries
during the year 2004-05 assisted eight units including 100% E.O.U. for manufacturing of lamb/
chicken/meat products.
Consumption per head of both fresh and processed meat is very low at 1.5 kg compared with world
average of 35.5 kg. Indian poultry meat market was approximately US$ 2.03 billion in 2006. Indian
broiler industry has seen a rapid growth in the last few years - CAGR of more than 10 per cent a year
since 1998.
At present, only a small percentage of the meat produced is converted into value added products and
most meat is purchased by consumers in the fresh/frozen form for conversion into products at home,
restaurants, etc. Maximum conversion takes place in pork products.
With growing urbanisation and increasing quality consciousness, the market for scientifically
produced meat products is expected to grow rapidly. Demand is growing for ready-to-eat and semi-
processed meat products because of changing life styles and increase in exports to neighbouring
countries, especially the Middle East. India exports meat products worth Rs.8,000 million mainly to
countries in the Middle East and South East Asia.
Meat processing is the new thrust sector for Indian industry with many processing centres being set
up with advanced technology. Animals render extremely useful service in out transport system and
agriculture. India needs technical cooperation to build up organised facilities for rearing meat
producing animals, proper storage and refrigerated transport system. This sector has attracted an
investment of Rs.9000 million, including foreign investment of Rs.5000 million, in the last six years
since the initiation of the liberalization process.
Indian consumers prefer mostly fresh meat from the wet markets. Only a very small share of
production is further processed into value added products, mostly for export. Major players include
VH Group, Godrej, Sugunas, and Arambagh in the poultry processing sector, and Allana's, Hind
Agro, Al Kabeer in the buffalo meat (“beefalo”) processing sector. Cow slaughter is prohibited in
most states due to religious sentiments.
Sources:- Meat Food Products Order, (MFPO), web http://mofpi.ic.in/food&health/food%20law.htm.
FISH PROCESSING
India is the third largest fish producer in the world and second in in-land fish production, India boasts
of the seventh largest marine landing base in the world with an extensive 8,000 km coastline and an
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.2 million sq km, largely untapped, and a 29,000 km stretch of
rivers and canals, 145 million hectares of reservoirs and 0.75 million hectares of tanks and ponds..
The Fisheries sector in India has been classified into
• Marine,
• Inland
• Aquaculture.
The fisheries sector contributes 1.1 per cent to the country’s GDP. This segment also provides
employment to 11 million people engaged fully, partially or in subsidiary activities pertaining to the
sector.
India’s fish production stood at a level of 6.4 million tons in 2006-07. Of this, about 60 per cent (3.9
million tons) came from marine resources. Currently fish processing is mostly targeted for export
markets. There are over 369 freezing units with a daily processing capacity of 10,266 tonnes and 499
frozen storage units with a capacity of 134,767 tonnes.
Though India’s fish potential from the EEZ has been estimated at 3.9 million tonnes, the harvest is
only of 2.87 million tonnes. This can be increased to 3.37 million tonnes by intense tapping in
offshore and deep-sea grounds using modern technology. There is also a good scope to improve fish
harvest from inland waters which, at present is 2.7 million tonnes. Besides, the fish potential in
aquaculture and shrimp farming has also largely remained untapped. Though, traditionally, only local
fishermen have tapped the vast marine and inland water resources to meet domestic demand, the
organised corporate sector has become involved in preservation and export of coastal fish since the
last decade
Marine fish found in India include prawns, shrimps, tuna, cuttlefish, squids, octopus, red snappers,
ribbon fish, mackerel, lobsters, cat fish and countless other varieties. Domestic per capita
consumption of fish is only 5 kg per annum against the world average of 12 kg. India’s per capita
consumption is much lower than the Asian maritime countries (e.g. Japan–86 kg). India’s 60% fish
production is from marine sources. However, coastal fishing i.e. from the continental shelf constitutes
the bulk of the marine catch. It is estimated that only 10% of the marine catch is accounted by deep-
sea resources. Processing of produce into canned and frozen form is done almost exclusively for the
export market. Totally, there are 396 freezing units with a capacity of 2,170 tonnes, 23 canning units
of 84.5 tonnes capacity, 131 ice-making units of 1820 tonnes, 24 fish meal units with a capacity of
419 tonnes and 297 cold storage units with a capacity of 2,03,448 tonnes. This sector has attracted
domestic and foreign investment to the tune of Rs.30,000 million in the last six years, of which the
foreign component is around Rs.7,000 million.
Considerable infrastructure facilities for processing of marine products have been developed
over a period of 50 years. At present, there are over 369 freezing unit with a daily
processing capacity of 10266 tons and 499 frozen storage with a capacity of 134767 tons.
Apart from the above there are 12 surimi units, 471 pre processing and dry fish storages.
72 numbers of the freezing units mentioned above are having cooking facilities and 125
have IQF machinery. Ministry Food Processing Industries during the year 2006-07 (upto
31.12.04) assisted 18 processing units. The quantum of marine products processed and
exported and revenue thereof during the last 5 years is as follows:
Sources:- APEDA. 2006-2007. Export Statistics and Annual Report, MPI.
Processed fish product exports include conventional block frozen products, individual quick frozen
products and minced fish products like fish sausage, cakes, cutlets,
pastes etc. Export of marine fish products touched of US$ 1.48 billion during 2004-05. Exports
showed an increase of 11.97 per cent in volume and 11.1 per cent in value
realisation. Frozen shrimp is the largest item in terms of value contributing to 63.5 per cent of the
total exports, and frozen fish is the largest in terms of volume contributing to 34.62 per cent
Performance of Indian seafood exports in 2004-05 was not on the expected lines. There
was a declining trend in exports due to the adverse market situation prevailing in the major
markets like USA, Japan and European Union. The anti dumping procedure initiated by the
US Government has affected the Indian shrimp exports to USA. Added to this production of
fish from capture sources is likely to be down due to tsunami factor
As in the case of meat, most fish consumed comes from the wet markets. Processing is
mostly for export, and includes conventional block-frozen and individual quick frozen
products, minced fish items like sausage, cutlets, pastes, texturized foodstuffs, and dried
fish. The frozen products usually undergo primary processing such as cleaning, deveining,
descaling, peeling, etc.
The grain processing industries include milling of rice, wheat and pulses and oilseeds.
Financial assistance is provided for setting up/modernization/expansion of the units before
their commissioning. The question of providing financial assistance under the Plan Scheme
for setting up/modernization in the grain/rice/ pulses/flour milling sector has been reviewed.
It was felt that priority should be given to processing and enhancing shelf life of perishable
items so as to reduce wastage and encourage value addition in that sector. Considering that
rice/pulses/flour are consumed in the processed form only and primary processing in these
sectors adds little to shelf life, wastage control and value addition, it has been decided to not
to accept fresh proposal for these sectors viz, Rice, Flour & Pulse Milling from the financial
year 2004-05. However complete and viable cases relating to rice mill, flour mills and
Pulses received by SNA till 31.03.2004 subject to prescribed conditions are being
considered on merit for assistance. During this year upto 31st December, 2004, the Ministry
has extended financial assistance for 27 rice milling, 13 flour milling, 21 edible oil milling and
8 in pulse milling sector.
India produced nearly 209.32 million tonnes of grains in 2006-07. India’s production covers
all major grains – rice, wheat, maize, barley and millets like jowar, bajra and ragi. It ranks
third in the production of grains in the world. With a share of 40 per cent, grain processing is
the biggest component of food sector. Primary processing constitutes 96 per cent with the
remaining accounted for by the secondary and tertiary sectors. Total rice milling capacity in
the country is 186 million tonnes. There are about 516 large flour mills in the country, as well
as about 10,000 pulse mills.
The country’s current foodgrain production (including rice, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, wheat, barley,
gram and pulses) has been put at 225 million tonnes a year. Food processing industries play a crucial
role in reducing post-harvest losses. Since most operations of this industry are rural based, it has the
potential to generate high employment at low investment. Promotion of food processing also helps in
energy conservation by reducing energy wastages in home cooking.
Grain processing, with a share of 40%, is the biggest component of the food sector. Its basic feature is
pre-dominance of the primary processing sector, sharing 96% of the total value, with the secondary
and tertiary sectors adding about 4%. This area needs to be viewed as a high growth potential area.
Indian Basmati rice commands a premium in the international market. The export of Basmati and
non-Basmati rice has been steadily increasing. From Rs.3538.3 million in 1988–1989, the exports
increased to Rs.62,000 million in 1998–1999. The country has a total paddy milling capacity of 186
million tonnes, of which 85 m tonnes is of traditional mills and 101 of modern mills.
75 percent of India’s wheat production is milled into wheat flour (atta) to make rotis or chapattis
(unleavened flat bread), mostly in small chakkis (small wheat grinding mills) in the unorganized
sector. Branded atta is a relatively new segment, developed to provide consumers a more hygienic
quality, as compared to chakki atta. Annual production of branded atta is about 1 million tons, and is
growing at 7 to 9 percent annually. Major players are ITC, Pillsbury, HLL, Agro Tech Foods, and
Shakti Bhog Foods. Bakery products constitute the largest segment of grain-based processed foods.
Small and medium unorganized local players, and a limited number of organized units dominate the
industry. Major players are Britannia, HLL, ITC, Parle, Priya Gold, and Cremica. The grain-based
snack market, comprising extruded snacks and savories, is estimated at around rs. 29 billion ($667
million). Of this, the organized segment contributes only 15 percent of sales. Major players are Pepsi,
Haldiram, SM Dyechem, Bikanerwala, etc. Breakfast cereal production in the organized sector is very
small, and is mainly confined to corn flakes. Major producers are Kellogg’s and Mohan Meakins.
Pepsi is reportedly interested in investing in the breakfast segment over the next five years.
Beverage Industry
The beverages market primarily consists of non-alcoholic beverages which can be broadly classified
into carbonated drinks, non-carbonated drinks and hot beverages. This segment is estimated at US$
155 million out of which fruit juices and fruit-based drinks account for US$ 60 million. The market
size of organised carbonated drinks is estimated at US$ 119 million. In the past decade the carbonated
drinks market registered a healthy growth rate of 20 per cent, driven by the positive changes in
India’s consumer profile. Hot beverages include health drinks such as white beverages (‘Horlicks’
etc) and brown beverages such as tea/coffee as well as branded drinks (Eg: ‘Boost’). The total size of
this market is estimated at US$ 333 million by value and 85,000 tonnes by volume. White beverages
account for 65 per cent of the market and brown beverages constitute the remaining 35 per cent India
is the largest producer of tea in the world accounting for 28 per cent of the total global production, at
857 million kgs.
Tea production in India has been growing at 1.2 per cent per annum and India is the fourth largest
exporter of tea in the world with estimated exports of US$ 5 million in 2002-03. India is also the fifth
largest producer of coffee accounting for 4 per cent of the total production in the world. Nearly 75 per
cent of India’s production is exported and coffee exports stood at US$ 5.2 million in 2005-06.
Alcoholic beverage
India is the third largest market for alcoholic beverages in the world. The demand for
spirits and beer is estimated to be around 373 million cases. There are 12 joint venture
companies having a licensed capacity of 33919 Kilo-litres per annum for production of grain based
alcoholic beverages. 56 units are manufacturing beer under licence from the
Government of India The wine industry in India provides considerable opportunities for value
addition and employment generation in the agroprocessing sector.
Liquor made in India is categorised as beer, country liquor and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL).
Country liquor is made from a variety of raw materials and has different names in different parts of
the country. IMFL production comprises wine, vodka, whisky, gin, rum, brandy, etc. Pre-mixed
drinks like gin and lime, rum and cola are being introduced in India
now. Draught beer is another recent introduction and has done well where introduced. Canned beer is
also a recent introduction. Current production is over 300 million litres. In all, Rs. 11,000 million
including Rs. 7,000 million of foreign investment, has been made in this sector in the last six years.
The Indian beer market, currently at Rs.7,000 million a year, has been growing
by 15% and now all world famous brands of liquor are available in India.
The country has 212 distilleries with a yearly installed capacity of 1,933 million
litres. However, there are only 24 units producing IMFL and 31 making
country liquor. Alcohol produced by the rest is either sold as industrial alcohol
or in bulk as potable alcohol to other distilleries for bottling or for making bottled
alcohol (estimated 927.82 million litres). Raw material like Molasses, barley, maize, potatoes, grapes,
yeast and hops for beer and alcoholic products’ industry are abundantly available in India
Whisky, mostly low-priced, accounts for about 55 percent of the Indian spirit consumption, followed
by rum, brandy, and vodka. Key players are UB, Shaw Wallace, Jagatjit Industries, Mohan Meakins,
and International Distilleries. With the recent take-over of Shaw Wallace’s liquor business by the UB
Group, the latter has emerged as the world’s second largest liquor producer. Major multinationals
operating in India include Diageo, Seagram, and Baccardi Martini. UB, SABMiller, and Mohan
Meakins are the major beer-producing companies. The wine market in India is nascent, having
emerged as a distinct segment about a decade ago. Chateau Indage is the largest domestic player in
wines, followed by Grover Wines and Sula Wines. Key international players who have a presence in
India through distribution alliances include E&J Gallo, Hardy’s, Canandaigua, and Fetzer
Non-alcoholic beverages
India is the world’s largest tea-producing country with an annual production of around 860,000 tons
and is also one of the world’s largest tea exporters. Tea processing includes withering, rolling,
fermenting, drying, blending, packing, and branding. Instant tea production is limited. Major players
are Tata Tea, HLL, Manjushree Plantations, Jay Shree, Goodricke, Harrison Malayalam, Eveready,
and Warren.
With an annual production of around 300,000 tons, India is a small but competitive
producer of coffee. Traditionally a tea-drinking country, average annual coffee
consumption in India is only ten cups per person. The instant coffee segment is entirely
branded and packaged, and caters mostly to the export market. Major players are Tata
Coffee, HLL, Nestle, Barista, Qwiky’s, Narasu, Leo, and ABCTC.
Soft drink
The aerated soft drinks industry in India comprises over 100 plants across all States.
It provides direct and indirect industry related employment to over 150,000 employees. It has
attracted one of the highest foreign direct investments in the country. It contributes over
Rs.1200 crore annually by way of excise duty, sales tax and related taxes. It has strong forward and
backward linkages with over Rs.1000 crores relating to glass, plastic, refrigeration, sugar and
transportation industry. The soft drinks constitute the 3rd largest
packaged foods regularly consumed after packed tea and packed biscuits. The production of soft
drinks have increased from 5670 million bottles in 2004-2005 to 6230 million bottles in 2006-2007
production of soft drinks has registered a gradual increase as follows:
This comprises product groups like confectionery, chocolates, cocoa products, soya-based products,
ready-to-eat foods, mineral water, high protein foods etc. This sector has attracted a whopping
investment of Rs. 1,28,000 million, including foreign investment of Rs.50,000 million, since
liberalisation. Soft drinks enjoy the biggest share in this. The Indian soft drinks’ market is worth
Rs.22,000 million a year. Statistically, this implies three bottles per Indian. Cola, orange and lemon
are some of the accepted tastes in India. It is estimated that 65% prefer non-carbonated drinks. Lemon
drinks continue to be very popular in the country.
India produces a large range of cocoa and non-cocoa based confectionery items, besides other cocoa-
based products. The production of confectioneries, except chocolates, is reserved for the small-scale
sector. However, there are several large companies with an established market presence and brands in
cocoa and non-cocoa confectionery markets.
Confectionery output grew at a compound rate of 6 to 7% in recent years. Chocolate production is
growing at the rate of 10 to 15% a year. Among the ready-to-eat products, the installed capacity in the
organised sector is 33,400 tonnes for manufacture of pasta products like noodles, macaroni,
vermicelli, etc. Besides, there are 10 units with an annual capacity of 9,340 tonnes for corn flakes, oat
flakes and pearl barley.
Consumer food industry includes pasta, breads, cakes, pastries, rusks, buns, rolls, noodles,
corn flakes, rice flakes, ready to eat and ready to cook products, cocoa products, biscuits,
soft drinks, beer, alcoholic beverages (non-molasses based), mineral and packaged
water. Bread and biscuits constitute the largest segment of consumer foods. Their
production is about 4.00 million tons per year. Manufacturing of bread is reserved for SSI
sector. Out of the total production of bread, 40% is produced in the organized sector and
the remaining 60% in the unorganised sector. Similarly, production of biscuits in the
organized sector is about 13.00 lakh tons and quantity of biscuits produced in the
unorganised sector is about 3.80 lakh tons.
Packaged food
Packaged foods segment in India registered a growth of 8 per cent in 2005-06. Noodles/Vermicelli is
the fastest growing category in this segment with a CAGR at 15 per cent. The market for branded
noodles is estimated at 230 million servings per year. The Soups market is still small and nascent in
India and is approximately US$ 14 million in value. The market for culinary products is estimated at
US$ 475,000 and estimated to grow at 18 to 20 per cent per annum. Products like Tomato Ketchup
and Jams currently have low penetration levels, but are growing rapidly. Ketchups, for example, have
a penetration of just 3 per cent in India; however this category
is estimated to be growing at 20 per cent per annum.
Packaged food products have been slow in penetrating the large potential presented by India's 250 million
strong middle class. But due to growing urbanization and changing food habits, the demand has been rising at
a good pace and there is enough latent market potential waiting to be exploited through developmental efforts.
Soya food segment is also growing due to increased health consciousness and abundant production of quality
soyabeen (3.72 million tons/year) in the country. Soya bean is grown mainly in Madhya Pradesh and measures
are being taken to extend its cultivation further
There are 215 companies, which have been granted licence for manufacturing packaged
drinking water and 3 for manufacturing packaged natural mineral water. There has been a
spurt in growth for the last 3-4 years, which can largely be attributed to a range of various
packaged sizes to suit the consumers. 80% of the packaged water sale comes from
the bulk containers (5 litres and above).
Confectionary: The size of the Indian confectionary market is estimated at rs.26.0 billion
($600 million). Sugar confectionary accounts for 61 percent of this market, with the balance
being chocolates, mints, and gums. The confectionary market has been growing at over 6
percent annually over the last five years. The gum-based confectionary segment has grown
even faster at over 10 percent. The confectionary market is highly fragmented with several
local players such as Parle’s, Nutrine, and Ravalgaon. Key foreign companies are Nestle,
Cadbury’s, Perfetti, Lotte, Wrigley, Candico, and Joyco
75 percent of India’s wheat production is milled into wheat flour (atta) to make rotis or chapattis
(unleavened flat bread), mostly in small chakkis (small wheat grinding mills) in the unorganized
sector. Branded atta is a relatively new segment, developed to provide consumers a more hygienic
quality, as compared to chakki atta. Annual production of branded atta is about 1 million tons, and is
growing at 7 to 9 percent annually. Major players are ITC, Pillsbury, HLL, Agro Tech Foods, and
Shakti Bhog Foods.
Bakery products constitute the largest segment of grain-based processed foods. Small and medium
unorganized local players, and a limited number of organized units dominate the industry. Major
players are Britannia, HLL, ITC, Parle, Priya Gold, and Cremica.
The grain-based snack market, comprising extruded snacks and savories, is estimated at around rs. 29
billion ($667 million). Of this, the organized segment contributes only 15 percent of sales. Major
players are Pepsi, Haldiram, SM Dyechem, Bikanerwala, etc. Breakfast cereal production in the
organized sector is very small, and is mainly confined to corn flakes. Major producers are Kellogg’s
and Mohan Meakins. Pepsi is reportedly interested in investing in the breakfast segment over the next
five years.
With a clear understanding of where power lies, you can take fair advantage of a situation of strength,
improve a situation of weakness, and avoid taking wrong steps. This makes it an important part of
your planning toolkit.
Conventionally, the tool is used to identify whether new products, services or businesses have the
potential to be profitable. However it can be very illuminating when used to understand the balance of
power in other situations too.
Threat of Entry(high)
The threat of new entry is quite high: if anyone looks as if they’re making a sustained profit, new
competitors can come into the industry easily, reducing profits
Profitable markets that yield high returns will draw firms. The results is many new entrants, which
will effectively decrease profitability. Unless the entry of new firms can be blocked by incumbents,
the profit rate will fall towards a competitive level (perfect competition).
• brand equity (low)
• capital requirements (low)
• government policies (high)
• Capital Requirements(low)
The capital costs of getting established in an industry can be reduce because of the government
subsidies provided to food processing sector. Financial disaster for most participants is that the initial
setup costs of new ventures were typically very low. Startup costs are so low that individual, self-
financing entrepreneurs can enter. For example, in mineral water pouch business, costs for a company
are around Rs 350,000 and reaming Rs 750,000 is subsidies by Government
Sources: - Interview of Mr. Praful Pathak (General Manager of Coca Cola India ltd district Keda, Goblage) on 2nd
November 2008
• Economies of Scale(low)
In industries that are capital or research or advertising intensive, efficiency requires large-scale
operation. The problem for new entrants is that they are faced with the choice of either entering on a
small scale and accepting high unit costs, or entering on a large scale and running the risk of
underutilized capacity while they build up sales volume.
These economies of scale have deterred entry into the industry so that the only new entrants in recent
decades have been state-supported companies the main reason or source to achieve scale economies is
new product development costs. Thus, developing and launching a new product is very costly.
Segment of the market for food processing Industry is very narrowly define so potential customer are
very few that’s why companies are not able to achieve economies of scales.
Sources: - Interview of Mr. Rohit Bhatnager (General Manager of Reliance Fresh Ahmedabad) on 3nd November
2008
• Retaliation (low)
Barriers to entry also depend on the entrants’ expectations as to possible retaliation by established
firms. Retaliation against a new entrant may take the form of aggressive price-cutting, increased
advertising, sales promotion, or litigation. The major food processing company have a long history of
retaliation against low-cost entrants. Parle and other budget food processing have alleged that
selective price cuts by MNC and other major food processing like Britannia amounted to predatory
pricing designed to prevent its entry into new routes.8 To avoid retaliation by incumbents, new
entrants may seek initial small scale entry into less visible market segments. New entered company
market and targeted the small segments partly because this segment had big opportunity and large
profit (niche marketing)
Rivalry between Established Competitors (low)
For most industries, this is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. Sometimes
rivals compete aggressively and sometimes rivals compete in non-price dimensions such as
innovation, marketing, etc.
• number of competitors(low)
• rate of industry growth (high)
• diversity of competitors (low)
• level of advertising expense (high)
For most industries, the major determinant of the overall state of competition and the general level of
profitability is competition among the firms within the industry.In some industries, firms compete
aggressively – sometimes to the extent that prices are pushed below the level of costs and industry-
wide losses are incurred. In others, price competition is muted and rivalry focuses on advertising,
innovation, and other nonprice dimensions. Six factors play an important role in determining the
nature and intensity of competition between established firms: concentration, the diversity of
competitors, product differentiation, excess capacity, exit barriers, and cost conditions.
• Concentration(high)
Seller concentration refers to the number and size distribution of firms competing within a market. It
is most commonly measured by the concentration ratio: the combined market share of the leading
producers. Where a market is dominated by a small group of leading companies (an oligopoly), price
competition may also be restrained, either by outright collusion, or more commonly through
“parallelism” of pricing decisions. Thus, in markets dominated by two companies, such as soft drinks
(Coke and Pepsi), prices tend to be similar and competition focuses on advertising, promotion, and
product development.
Economists measure rivalry by indicators of industry concentration. The Concentration Ratio (CR) is
one such measure. The Bureau of Census periodically reports the CR for major Standard Industrial
Classifications (SIC's). The CR indicates the percent of market share held by the four largest firms
(CR's for the largest 8, 25, and 50 firms in an industry also are available). A high concentration ratio
indicates that a high concentration of market share is held by the largest firms - the industry is
concentrated. With only a few firms holding a large market share, the competitive landscape is less
competitive (closer to a monopoly). A low concentration ratio indicates that the industry is
characterized by many rivals, none of which has a significant market share. These fragmented
markets are said to be competitive. The concentration ratio is not the only available measure; the
trend is to define industries in terms that convey more information than distribution of market share.
In food processing industry concentration ratio is high that indicate high concentration of market
share is held by the largest firms like ITC (tobacco), Cadbury (chocolates) etc.
As the number of firms supplying a market increases, coordination of prices becomes more difficult,
and the likelihood that one firm will initiate price-cutting increases. However, despite the common
observation that the elimination of a competitor typically reduces price competition, while the entry
of a new competitor typically stimulates it, systematic evidence of the impact of seller concentration
on profitability is surprisingly weak. Richard Schmalensee concluded that: “The relation, if any,
between seller concentration and profitability is weak statistically and the estimated effect is usually
small.”
In pursuing an advantage over its rivals, a firm can choose from several competitive moves:
• Changing prices - raising or lowering prices to gain a temporary advantage.
• Improving product differentiation - improving features, implementing innovations in the
manufacturing process and in the product itself.
The greater the importance of an item as a proportion of total cost, the more sensitive buyers
will be about the price they pay. Beverage manufacturers are highly sensitive to the costs of
metal cans because this is one of their largest single cost items. Conversely, most companies
are not sensitive to the fees charged by their auditors, since auditing costs are such a small
proportion of overall company expenses.
The less differentiated the products of the supplying industry, the more willing the buyer is to
switch suppliers on the basis of price.
The more intense the competition among buyers, the greater their eagerness for price
reductions from their sellers. As competition in the world food processing industry has
intensified, so component suppliers are subject to greater pressures for lower prices, higher
quality, and faster delivery.
The greater the importance of the industry’s product to the quality of the buyer’s product or
service, the less sensitive are buyers to the prices they are charged. The buying power of
necessary processed food product like suger salt etc. is limited by the critical importance of
these components to the functionality of their product.
Relative Bargaining Power (high)
Bargaining power rests, ultimately, on refusal to deal with the other party. The balance of power
between the two parties to a transaction depends on the credibility and effectiveness with which each
makes this threat. The key issue is the relative cost that each party sustains as a result of the
transaction not being consummated. A second issue is each party’s expertise in leveraging its position
through gamesmanship. Several factors influence the bargaining power of buyers relative to that of
sellers:
Size and concentration of buyers relative to suppliers. The smaller the number of buyers and
the bigger their purchases, the greater the cost of losing one.
Buyers’ information. The better informed buyers are about suppliers and their prices and
costs, the better they are able to bargain.. Keeping customers ignorant of relative prices is an
effective constraint on their buying power. But knowing prices is of little value if the quality
of the product is unknown.it always work in food processing industry because people are not
having full information about the product like k special of Kellogg which reduce the
cholesterol of the consumer.
Ability to integrate vertically. In refusing to deal with the other party, the alternative to
finding another supplier or buyer is to do it yourself. Large food processing companies such
as Heinz and Campbell Soup have reduced their dependence on the manufacturers of metal
cans by manufacturing their own. The leading retail chains have increasingly displaced their
suppliers’ brands with their own-brand products. Backward integration need not necessarily
occur – a credible threat may suffice.
Buyers are concentrated - there are a few buyers with significant market share
Buyers possess a credible backward integration threat - can threaten to buy producing firm
or rival
Producers threaten forward integration - producer can take over own distribution/retailing
Significant buyer switching costs - products not standardized and buyer cannot easily
switch to another product
Buyers are fragmented (many, different) - no buyer has any particular influence on product
or price
Analysis of the determinants of relative power between the producers in an industry and their
suppliers is precisely analogous to analysis of the relationship between producers and their buyers.
The only difference is that it is now the firms in the industry that are the buyers and the producers of
inputs that are the suppliers. The key issues are the ease with which the firms in the industry can
switch between different input suppliers and the relative bargaining power of each party. Because raw
materials, semi-finished products, and components are often commodities supplied by small
companies to large manufacturing companies, their suppliers usually lack bargaining power. Hence,
commodity suppliers often seek to boost their bargaining power through cartelization (e.g., OPEC,
the International Coffee Organization, and farmers’ marketing cooperatives). The supplier power of
Intel in microprocessors,. Forward integration by suppliers into a customer industry increases their
supplier power and depresses profitability in the customer industry. Labor unions are important
sources of supplier power. Where an food processing industry has a high percentage of its employees
unionized – as in steel, airlines and automobiles
Empirical evidence points to the tendency for buyer concentration to depress prices and profits in
supplying industries. PIMS data show that the larger the average size of customers’ purchases and the
larger the proportion of customers’ total purchases the item represents, the lower the profitability of
supplying firms.
Customers Powerful
Concentrated purchasers
Customers Weak
In Porter's model, substitute products refer to products in other industries. To the economist, a threat
of substitutes exists when a product's demand is affected by the price change of a substitute product.
A product's price elasticity is affected by substitute products - as more substitutes become available,
the demand becomes more elastic since customers have more alternatives. A close substitute product
constrains the ability of firms in an industry to raise prices.
The competition engendered by a Threat of Substitute comes from products outside the industry. The
price of aluminum beverage cans is constrained by the price of glass bottles, steel cans, and plastic
containers. These containers are substitutes, yet they are not rivals in the aluminum can industry.
The existence of close substitute products increases the propensity of customers to switch to
alternatives in response to price increases (high elasticity of demand).
• buyer propensity to substitute (low)
• relative price performance of substitutes(low)
• buyer switching costs (high)
Also the threat of substitution may take four different forms, each of which we shall now discuss
with reference to above factors.
Substitution of need
We take switching from one product (e.g. natural drink of Dabur) to another (freash juice from
local vendor or prepared at home). In this case, the buyers might be looking out for freashness and
might not mind the nominal switching costs
Food processing Industry will definitely remain, in one form or the other, as long as the
manufacturers manufacture and consumers consume. Food processing industry does not seem to
become extinct even in the future. The issue that remains to be addressed is just - what forms it
keeps evolving into.
Here the Substitutes of food processing industry are freash fruits and vegitables and food as araw
material , but they are yet very well developed in India, so their threat are comparatively very
high but food processing industry break the boundaries of food product availability in certain
season and area that is why food industry will sustain for longer term.While the treat of substitutes
typically impacts an industry through price competition, there can be other concerns in assessing the threat
of substitutes.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
• Large and growing middle class Divergent food habits
• Move towards a new “Food Safety and Standards” legislation by the government
Weaknesses
• Difficulties in accessing vast untapped rural markets
• Poor infrastructure or Inadequate infrastructure facilities, like cold storage and roads
• High tariffs and increasing non- tariff barriers , dated food laws, and unscientific sanitary and
phytosanitary restrictions
• India is given by a strong income growth, change in lifestylenucler family and both parent
working culture and favorable demographic pattern for food processing industry.
• It is the seventh largest country, with extensive administrative structure and independent
judiciary, a sound financial & infrastructural network and above all a stable and thriving
democracy.
• Due to its diverse agro-climatic conditions, it has a wide-ranging and large raw material base
suitable for food processing industries. Presently a very small percentage of these are
processed into value added products.
• It is one of the biggest emerging markets, with over 900 million population and a 250 million
strong middle class.
• Rapid urbanisation, increased literacy and rising per capita income , have all caused rapid
growth and changes in demand patterns, leading to tremendous new opportunities for
exploiting the large latent market. An average Indian spends about 50% of household
expenditure on food items.
• India's comparatively cheaper workforce can be effectively utilized to setup large low cost
production bases for domestic and export markets.
• Liberalized overall policy regimes, with specific incentives for high priority food processing
sector, provide a very conducive environment for investments and exports in the sector.
• Very good investment opportunities exist in many areas of food processing industries, the
important ones being : fruit & vegetable processing, meat, fish & poultry processing,
packaged, convenience food and drinks, milk products etc.
• The facilities that are given by the non branded local retailers will reduce the market
share of our store.
• Continuous improvement in the supply chain is required, if it is not done then it will
become difficult to survive in such a tough competition.
• Consumer buying behavior and the whole format of purchasing is altering frequently.
• Regional-Religion-caste-culture conflicts
Mass market basi c foods – Fruits & Vegetab les , Pou ltr y, Meat and Fis heries Fruits and
Vegetables Segment
Several factors make the fruits and vegetables sector in India attractive from a market size and
growth perspective. As mentioned, India is a significant producer of fruits in the world, contributing to
10 per cent of global production. The fruits and vegetables sector is growing rapidly at a healthy rate
of 20 per cent per annum. It is however nascent, with penetration level of about 10 per cent. These
factors indicate the high growth potential in the sector. This is also highly unorganized at present,
with the unorganised sector at 48 per cent share, indicating the scope for organised players to make
an impact Several policy measures have been undertaken by the Government to create the right
stimulus for growth in this sector. Some of the key initiatives include:
• Foreign equity participation up to 51 per cent allowed. Initiatives like post-harvest management,
logistics given
priority in attracting FDI
• Complete exemption from excise duty
• Income tax rebate of nearly 100 per cent of profits for new industries in fruits and vegetables sector
• Many fruits and vegetables processing industries eligible for automatic approval of technology
upgradation
India has the largest irrigated land in the world. It is also world’s largest producer of milk, tea and
pulses. India has large marine product and processing potential with varied fish resources along the
8,041 km coastline, 28,000 km of rivers and millions of hectares of reservoirs and brackish
water. India also possesses the largest livestock population in the world with 50 per cent of world’s
buffaloes and 20 per cent of cattle.
India’s comparatively cheaper workforce can be effectively utilised to set up large low cost
productionbases for domestic and export markets. Cost of production in India is lower by about 40
per cent over a comparable location in EU and 10-15 per cent over a location in UK. Along with these
factor conditions, India has access to significant investments to facilitate food processing
industry. There have been increasing investments not only by domestic firms and Indian government,
but also foreign direct investment
Government Regulations and Support The Government of India has taken several iniatives
to develop the food processing industry in India. One indication of the importance that the sector
receives is the hiking of the present outlay for the sector from US$ 19.5 million in 2006-07 to US$
41.35 million the next year, more than twice the earlier amount. The government has been developing
agri-zones and the concept of mega food parks to promote food processing industry in India. It is
considering investing US$ 22.97 million in at least 10 mega food parks in the country besides
working towards offering 100 per cent foreign direct investment and income tax benefits in the
sector.
In order to promote investment in the food processing sector, several policy initiatives have been
taken during recent years. The national policy aims to increase the level of food processing from 2 per
cent to 10 per cent in 2010 and to 25 per cent in 2025. Some of the initiatives include:
• The level of institutional credit to be provided by banks and FIs has been increased from US$ 17.41
billion during 2005-06 to about US$ 23.76 billion in 2006-07
• Allowing full repatriation of profits and capital
• Automatic approvals for foreign investment up to 100 per cent, except in few cases, and also
technology transfer
• Zero duty import of capital goods and raw material for 100 per cent export-oriented units. Customs
duty on packaging machines reduced. Central excise duty on meat, poultry and fish reduced to 8 per
cent
• Income tax rebate allowed (100 per cent of profits for 5 years and 25 per cent of profits for the next
5 years) for new industries in fruits and vegetables besides institutional and credit support
• Allowing sales up to 50 per cent in domestic tariff area for agro-based, 100 per cent export oriented
units
• Government grants given for setting up common facilities in Agro Food Park.
• Full duty exemption on all imports for units in export processing zones. The liberalised overall
policy regime, with specific incentives for high priority food processing sector, provides a very
conducive environment for investments and exports in the sector.
While India ranks second in production of fruits & vegetables, nearly 20 to 25 per cent of this
production is lost in spoilage in various stages of harvesting. The key issues are poor quality of seeds,
planting material and lack of technology in improving yield. Ensuring good quality produce entails
investments in technology and ability to sustain a long gestation period for the harvest. Good quality
production also results in better quality of processed fruits. Hence there is a need to establish
backward linkages with the farmers with the help of arrangements such as contract farming to
improve the quality of the produce. Scale is a key factor in the processing industry. Nearly 90
per cent of the food processing units are small in scale and hence are unable to exploit the advantages
of economies of scale. This is also true with land holdings. The country has only 3600
slaughterhouses, 9 modern abattoirs and 171 meat processing units, and a limited number of pork-
processing units. This is one of the reasons penetration of processed meat is extremely poor at
1 per cent in India. These figures indicate both the need for scale, and the potential for growth offered
by the sector.
Processing Technology
Most of the processing in India is currently manual. There is limited use of technology like pre
cooling facilities for vegetables, controlled atmospheric storage and irradiation facilities. This
technology is important for extended storage of fruits and vegetables in making them conducive for
further processing. In the case of meat processing, despite the presence of over 3600 licensed
slaughter-houses in India, the level of technology used in most of them is limited, resulting in low
exploitation of animal population. Bringing in modern technology is an area that existing as well as
new investors in the sector can focus on, this will make a clear difference in both process efficiencies
as well as quality of the end product.
Most of the processing units are export oriented and hence their penetration levels in the domestic
market are low. For example,
• Penetration of processed fruits and vegetables overall is at 10 per cent
• The relative share of branded milk products especially ghee is still low at 2 per cent
• Penetration of culinary products is still 13.3 per cent and is largely tilted towards metros
• Consumption of packaged biscuits for Indian consumers is still low at 0.48 per cent while that for
Americans is 4 per cent However, there is increasing acceptance of these products amongst the urban
population. India has a large untapped customer base and even a small footprint in the domestic
market would enable the player to gain significant volumes. Acceptance in the domestic market and
hence higher penetration is driven by the following factors:
• Competitive Pricing
Consumers of processed foods are extremely price sensitive even a small change in pricing can have
significant impact on consumption. For instance, the launch of PET bottles, new price points and
package sizes in non-carbonated drinks (such as Coca Cola) has increased in-home consumption from
30 per cent in 2006 to 80 per cent in 2007. Competitive pricing also enables penetration in the rural
markets.
• Brand Competitiveness
Share of branded products in purchases of Indian consumers has increased by 25 per cent to 35 per
cent. This is especially true for urban consumers. Branded products like Basmati rice and KFC’s
chicken have been very successful implying that there is a good demand for hygienic branded
products at reasonable prices.
• Product Innovation
Certain processed food categories such as snack foods are impulse purchase products where
consumers look for novelty and new flavors and hence these categories lack brand loyalties. Visibility
through attractive packaging boosts consumption. Increasing time constraints amongst the working
middle class has boosted consumption of products like instant soups, noodles and ready-to-make
products. Innovation in packaging and product usage is an important success factor for processed
foods
Production:
• The food-processing industry in India has undergone big changes over the last six to seven years, in
terms of types, variety, quality, and presentation of products, which is mainly a result of the
liberalization that led to foreign direct investment (FDI) in the processed food sectors.
• Most food-processing sectors have been brought under the liberal, transparent, and investor-friendly
FDI policy, which allows 100 percent FDI.
• However, the small-scale farming system in India, marketing problems, lack of grading and
standards, poor distribution channels, and onerous government policies continue to pose problems for
the processing industry to source the right type of raw materials and to discourage more investment in
the sector.
• Nevertheless, the proportion of FDI in the food-processing sector to total FDI into India is low,
constituting about 4 percent of total FDI inflow from 1991 to 2004.
• Several multinational companies, including US-based companies like Pepsi, Coca Cola, ConAgra,
Cargill, Heinz, Kellogg’s, IFF, and Mars (pet food only) have entered the Indian food-processing
industry with significant investments.
• Indian food and beverage companies are expanding their operations to neighboring countries like
Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Commonwealth of Independent States countries, and the Middle East.
• Takeovers and mergers are beginning to occur in the Indian food-processing sector, leading to
consolidation.
• The food-processing industry is beginning to focus on, and invest in, advertising and awareness
campaigns about products and brands.
• Companies have added extras to their existing brands, including stylish packaging.
• The growth in the food-processing sector has generated increased interest in high quality food
ingredients in order to produce high quality foods.
• The ready-to-eat food sector is growing at a high rate due to the changing lifestyles of the middle-
class consumers (both partners working, etc.).
• Some previously unknown regional brands are gaining national acceptance because of consistent
quality and product safety, thereby providing some competition to established companies.
• The GOI is in the process of enacting a Food Safety and Standards Bill, which if properly done and
implemented, would provide increased transparency, better food safety management systems, and
science-based standards.
Consumption:
The following factors influence the type and quality of inputs in processed foods:
• A large and an exceedingly wealthier middle class is creating growing demand for a wider variety of
high quality processed foods.
• The changing age profile (sixty-five million people expected to enter 20-34 year age group by 2010)
and increasing exposure to western-type products and lifestyles.
• The market entry of several multinational food-processing companies and ingredient suppliers.
• The recent trend toward a healthier lifestyle has generated a niche market for diet, healthy, low
calorie, and non-fat food products.
Competition
India’s domestic industry is the primary competitor for FVG food-processing and ingredients
suppliers in India. India, with diverse agro-climatic conditions, has a production advantage in many
agricultural goods, with the potential to cultivate a large range of agricultural raw materials required
by the food-processing industry. India is a major producer of spices, spice oils, essential oils,
condiments, and fruit pulps. Significant variations in food habits and culinary traditions across the
country translate into a competitive advantage for small and medium local players, who are familiar
with local food habits and markets.
Some Indian food-processing companies have increased market share by decreasing product prices.
High import duties on processed food and food ingredients make imports relatively costly. Existing
domestic food laws restrict the use of several ingredients, flavors, colors, and additives, thus posing
an additional challenge to FVG exporters interested in the Indian market. Foreign competition to the
FVG is mostly from countries in closer geographic proximity to India, such as Australia and New
Zealand. European suppliers are major competitors in the food ingredient sector. Several foreign
firms, including some from the United States, have started operations in India.
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• Relevance to Developing Countries, Ahmedabad, Entrepreneurship
• Development Institute of India, 1987.
• 25. Patel, V.G., Innovations in Banking: The Gujarat Experiments, Bombay,
• Industrial Development Bank of India, Oct. 1981, pp.2–10.
• 26. Porter, M.E., (1990), The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Free Press,
• New York.
• 27. Porter, Michael E., (1980), Competitive Strategy, New York, The Free
• Press.
Websites
• www.Foodministry.com
• www.ibef.com
• Food Corporation of India http://fciweb.nic.in/
• All India Food Processors Association http://www.aifpa.com/
• http://www.indianembassy.org/policy/ipr/ipr_2000.htm
• http://mofpi.nic.in/visdoc/visndoc.htm
• APEDA. 1999-2000. Export Statistics and Annual Report, MPI.
http://mofpi.nic.in/industryspecificinformation/index.htm.
• The Banyan Tree: A Textbook for Holistic Practioners. Appropriate Nutrition: It’s Role in Health.
http://healthlilbrary.com/readig/banyan2/6adultra.htm.
• Gupta, M.S. Processed Food Industry. Comparison of International Food Legislation and Practices.
http://www.pfionline.com/regulations/regulations.html.
• Media Division - FICCI. 2002. FICCI Critical of EU’s New Food Safety Law.
• http://www.bisnetindia.com/bishtml/060012502441.htm
• USDA. GAIN Report #IN0050. 2000. India Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards
Country Report. New Delhi.
• Whitman, Deborah. 2000. Cambridge Scientific Abstract: Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or
Helpful? http://www.csa.com/hottopics/gmfood/oview.html
Newspaper
(1) Times Of India 2nd may 2008
(2) Economics Times 7th may 2008
(3) Business Standard 11th may 2008
Magazine
Food processing : 22nd June 2008
Annexure
Appendix1: Profile of Key Players
Major suppliers of selected product categories
Question
I am conducting an I-Search paper on Marketing Managers and need a credible source to ask a few questions
for my personal interview. I would appreciate your time and help.
1. How did your education and experience prepare you for your position?
4. What personal qualities does one need to succeed in the food processing field?
5. What skills are most valuable for someone just beginning in the food processing field?
7. What suggestions do you have for some companies wanting to enter in food processing industry?
8. What is the entry-level challenges and benefits face by companies entering in food processing industry
10. What needs to be included for a strong position company so that it maintain it’s position?
Feel free to answer any or all questions. Thank you for your time