Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State, MoFPI, visited NIFTEM Institute

Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Food Processing of India, said that it is heard every day that farmers' produce or their crops get spoiled. This was not always a natural calamity but the lack of a proper storage system for post-harvest production. Farmers make good crop production with their hard work, but they have to bear a lot of loss in storage. To overcome this problem of the farmers, the Central Government has started a cold chain project.

Shri Patel visited the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTM) located in Kundli on 22 December 2021. He said that mega food parks are being constructed to increase the farmers' income and avoid crop damage. The crops in these food parks get their favorable environment so that they do not get spoiled for many days and can be exported outside, farmers get good prices. He exhorted to develop technological solutions for future challenges in the food processing sector. MP Ramesh Kaushik also accompanied the union minister during the tour.

During the visit, the Union Minister of State also met with the Heads of Departments of NIFTEM. He directed them to collect the institutions' data researching the cold chain project and food items and organize seminars to help such places and people. He further said, "Invite us to seminars so that we can learn something new from them too. After this, prepare the report of the seminar and send it to the ministry so that the ministry can also get suggestions in this area and work can be done to do something new."

NIFTEM Institute runs the village adoption program. Under which they adopt villages in different states of the country and conduct researches. They visit those villages to study the challenges faced by the farmers on food items and other aspects and work towards overcoming those challenges. "Apart from this, farmers should also be made aware by going to the villages to increase their income," the minister suggested.

During this, the Union Minister of State, Shri Patel met the teachers and students of the institute and learned about the institute's achievements. He took stock of different labs, library, gym, and classrooms. He inaugurated NIFTEM Sensory Lab and Pilot Plant and planted saplings in the Institute campus during the visit.

He further added that the Food Processing Institute (NIFTEM) is the backbone for both ministry and the Industry. Speaking of NIFTEM, he mentioned, "There has been an increase in interest in Indian food around the world, but at the same time it is expected that discoveries or research will continue. NIFTEM is working to improve the shelf life and quality of fruits, vegetables, or grain that gets spoiled quickly. We need professionals to make superior quality end products, and NIFTEM is trained to build skilled manpower that can address the needs of the food processing industry. The institute has the facility for testing every food item of the state."

He urged, "There is a need to integrate the traditional food processing methods with today's modern processing techniques."

During this, the Vice-Chancellor of the Institute, Dr. Chindi Vasudevappa, Kuldeep Nandal, Municipal Councilor Puneet Rai, Manindra Sunny, and the Head of the Institute and Professors were also present.