The Food Processing Industries Minister inaugurated 9th edition of Indusfood 2026

Shri Chirag Paswan, Hon’ble Minister of Food Processing Industries, Government of India inaugurated Indusfood 2026 at Expo Mart, Greater Noida, on 8th January 2026. Indusfood is Asia’s premier food and beverage tradeshow. This is the biggest edition of the show yet covering a total area of 120,000 square meters. Shri Abhishek Dev, Chairman APEDA, Mr. Mohit Singla, Chairman, Trade Promotion Council of India, Mr. Jens Wolfgang Michel, CEO, Abu Dhabi Food Hub (KEZAD), Mr. Ashish Kumar Agrawal, Managing Director of Bhikharam Chandmal, etc. were present on the occasion besides industry leaders, buyers, exhibitors, and members of the global F&B ecosystem.

Delivering his inaugural address, Shri Paswan said, “I am here to support and motivate you all. The mere fact that Government of India has a separate Ministry for the food processing sector underlines the importance accorded to the sector. We are trying to be bridge between the government and industry.” Minister congratulated TPCI for organizing the 9th successful edition of Indusfood and providing big platform to the industry.

Food Processing Minister further appealed that, “Now that we are food surplus, we all need to convert this volume into value. We all know the strength of the sector and the untapped potential of India to be the global food basket; the need is to now channelize the resources.” He said that his ministry is supporting more and more entrepreneurs to enter this field. Schemes like PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME), Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, etc. are helping both farmers and the industry. He also said that National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management scope will be extended to cover more states.

He said that, “Government is behind the food processing industry with unwavering support and will do anything for a supportive policy matter, such as ease of doing business.” The Minister informed that he took high GST rate on the food processing sector which got

addressed through GST reforms and GST were reduced to lowest slab either to 5% or 0, which apparently helped create greater market access for the sector.

Minister during his address appealed to all brands to open their R&D centers in India. India has huge diversity and has immense potential to introduce new variety on the global food platter.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has launched an initiative to support agri-food and agri-tech startups, aimed at promoting innovation and creating new export opportunities for young entrepreneurs.

APEDA Chairman Shri Abhishek Dev said the initiative - BHARATI, which stands for Bharat's Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement, has been designed to empower agri sector startups.

Speaking at the inauguration Shri Mohit Singla, Chairman, Trade Promotion Council of India said, “The remarkable scale of Indusfood 2026 demonstrates ambition. We bring together more than 2,200 exhibitors from 30+ countries across 125,000 square metres of exhibition space. We are privileged to host over 15,000+ buyers and trade visitors from more than 120 countries. And we integrate the entire F&B value chain—trade, technology, and talent— within a single vibrant ecosystem.”

Indusfood 2026 also marks the introduction of two new pavilions – Pet Food & Animal Nutrition and Cookware & Kitchenware. Their inclusion recognises emerging export opportunities driven by global lifestyle shifts, premiumization, wellness, and sustainability. By welcoming these sectors, we continue to expand the Indusfood canvas in line with evolving world demand, he added.

Further Chairman TPCI said, “In partnership with IFCA, we are proud to host the World Culinary Heritage Conference 2026, positioning cuisine as cultural capital and as a powerful export enabler. Alongside this, more than 40 exclusive knowledge events will unfold over the next three days featuring 150+ Speakers—spanning state-led investment summits, retail procurement dialogues, focus market briefings, sector-specific export strategies, regulatory compliance and biosecurity sessions, the growing role of AI and automation in intelligent food ecosystems and more.”

Mr. Jens Wolfgang Michel, CEO, Abu Dhabi Food Hub (KEZAD) congratulated participants of the show and underlined huge opportunity of synergy between Indian food exporters and UAE buyers. He also pitched for fully transparent and sustainable practices in food trade. India–UAE Food corridor to be launched. TPCI has signed an MoU with Abu Dhabi Food Hub.

F&B Exports in 2024-25: US$ 47.3 billion and YoY growth was 8.2%, having 5-year CAGR: 8.4%. The processed food exports registered US$ 7.9 bn with the 5-year CAGR: 9.1%. Fastest growing processed food categories (YoY) basis was Cocoa and preparations.