WB is aiming at becoming self-sufficient in onion production: Minister

Kolkata, Oct 27(UNI): Bharat Chamber of Commerce organised a Special
Session on ‘Food Processing in West Bengal: New Opportunities for
Growth’ addressed by Subrata Saha, Minister of State (Independent
Charge), Department of Food Processing Industries and Horticulture and
Dr. Subrata Gupta, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Food
Processing Industries and Horticulture, Government of West Bengal.
They interacted with food processors of West Bengal on the future
roadmap of food value-addition in the State.
Subrata Saha, in his address informed that the State Government in the
next three years is aiming at becoming self-sufficient in the production of onions. He pointed out that West Bengal is self-sufficient in many crops, however, there is a lack of processing
units in the place of production of the raw materials.
Mr. Saha assured members that the Government is working on strategies
to support the industry in addressing the issues of the sector in a
time-bound manner. He also proposed that the senior officials of his
Department will interact with the stakeholders in this sector on a
quarterly basis to discuss the future roadmap of the sector. In this
regard, he added that the Department of Food Processing Industries and
Horticulture under the vision of the Chief Minister of the State, is
working towards expanding the horizons of the food processing sector
in West Bengal.
Mr Saha added that the primary objective of the Department is to
leverage the food sector by promoting healthy and hygienic food from
Bengal in the global platform, as well as formulation of strategies for employment generation both in agriculture and food processing sectors. In order to capture global markets, and also emphasised on
the importance of packing and presenting aesthetically traditional food products from Bengal like ‘Gurer Moya’ and ‘Narkel Nadu’.
Speaking on the scope of the growth of this sector, Dr. Subrata Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary stated, “With a fast change in the
lifestyle of people, the food processing sector is poised for a dynamic transition. In this backdrop, with the concerted efforts of
both the Government of West Bengal and the Industry, the 2.8 per cent of total fruits and vegetables which is produced at present, can be
substantially increased.
Dr. Gupta in his deliberations also informed that the Government of
West Bengal through knowledge dissemination and interaction has been
encouraging farmers to modernise their farming techniques to curb
wastage of water in crop cultivation. In this direction, the State
Government has also launched innovative approaches like ‘Protected
Crop Cultivation’ and ‘Matir Shrishti’, added Dr. Gupta. Besides he also added that the Government has undertaken experimental cultivation of exotic fruits like walnuts and saffron, after the successful
cultivation of dragon fruits and avacados.
Ramesh Kumar Saraogi, President of the Chamber pointed out that there
is an urgent need to further strengthen the infrastructural framework for storage of harvested crops. Responding to this, Dr. Gupta urged
the private sector to invest in backward integration of food supply, particularly in cold storages, pack houses and NABL accredited
laboratories.