With a view to promoting major agricultural produces and marine products of Odisha, the State Government is mulling to promote a single brand name, Odi-Food Products.
While several new initiatives are being worked out to promote food processing industry in the State, the Odi-Food brand for MSME food products would be a major initiative, said official sources.
As in other countries State brands of food products are sold in international markets, industry experts are of the view that Odi-Food Products are needed to be promoted and, accordingly, outlets are to be opened in prominent places.
Overseas Odi-Food branding by opening stores, selling the products in other countries like the UK, Japan, etc., especially at airports is expected to boost food processing industries in the State. Secondly, Agri Export Zones (AEZs) on the line of Special Economic Zones are needed to be developed in the State.
Odisha is needed to have AEZs at Angul and Dhenkanal for mangoes, Ganjam for kewda and cashew and Nabarangpur for maize, suggest experts.
As the State Government aims to increase the level of food processing share to the Gross State Domestic Products (GSDP) to 10 per cent by 2017 and to 25 per cent by 2025, these steps would help achieve the target.
The GSDP is now around Rs 3,50,000 crore; so this target is a big one, and to achieve it, the State Government is trying to boost the food processing sector in a big way, said a senior official in the Department of Industries.
Accordingly, various policy and sector-specific enablers are being worked out, said he. Sectoral strategies are necessary as infrastructure development in PPP mode for establishing cold chains, pre- and post-harvest networks and to encourage primary processing facilities at the central place of raw material production, which are needed to be managed by trained people.
International expert KPMG, which has been roped in to provide inputs and boost investment in the State, has outlined major policy initiatives to be taken up by the State Government, said the sources.
As in south Indian States branding of food products and making them popular are made through important food exhibitions, food style expos, Agro Protech, India Food Forum, etc., the Odisha Government is needed to participate in such exhibitions.
And the State Government would have to promote the processor-farmer linkage and encourage private participation to help farmers get access to knowledge-related quality, technology, pricing and market trends.
The KPMG has suggested that holding of food processing exhibitions in collaboration with the Union Government and industry associations in Bhubaneswar would help the farmers and processors come closer.