Global retail major Walmart has shown interest in entering India's food processing sector after the Government relaxed foreign investment norms, a top official said on Wednesday.
"Walmart is showing lot of interest. Now we are hoping that they will come on their own and they will add to the growth story of this country," Food Processing Secretary A K Srivastava said while briefing reporters about the investments in the sector in the last two years.
He also said that a leading Brazilian poultry company has expressed keen interest in joining hands with Kishore Biyani's Future Group to sell their products in the country.
"A Brazilian company claiming to be world's leading exporter in poultry sector met us yesterday. They want to tie up with Biyani's Future Group to use their retail outlets," he added.
However, when contacted, a Future Group spokesperson said there is no such development.
To give a boost and attract foreign investments in the sector, the Government recently permitted 100 per cent FDI in retailing of processed food produced and manufactured in India.
The US-based Walmart is present in the cash-and-carry retail format in the country. Talking about the food processing sector, Srivastava said that Government is taking lot of steps to boost the sector.
"Our projects are quite power intensive. Be it our mega food parks or cold chains. We have requested Solar Energy Corporation of India to formulate a proposal for providing solar energy in mega food parks and cold chains. We are preparing a proposal of 47. It will help in reducing consumption of power," he said.
The ministry has also floated expression of interest for six new mega food parks.
To promote foreign investment in the sector, he said "we have kept a special condition (in the EoIs). So to promote foreign investment, we have said that we will give 2 or 3 extra marks to the marking scheme if you bring in foreign equity of 26 per cent or more". PTI