The Union Minister of Agriculture (Union Agriculture (Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj (Shivraj) Singh Chauhan Said that there are immense possibilities of investment in Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to have a land bank of one lakh hectare with the necessary infrastructure for investment.
He said that the country is a leader in tomatoes, peas, onions, garlic, chilli, wheat and rice production under horticulture crops. He said that the farmer does not get a lot of crop price due to abundant production of agricultural environmental production. Therefore, it is necessary that food processing should be promoted in the state. This will lead to value addition of crops. Both the farmer and the productive unit will benefit. Similarly, India can become a world leader for food processing all over the world.
He said that the Union Ministry of Agriculture is developing new varieties of seeds and plants to increase the production of crops. He said that the country’s agricultural production can get better demand abroad, for this, export duty on rice has been reduced by the Government of India. Also, import duty on oil has been increased to 27 percent. The country’s food processing units will benefit from this. He also assured all investors of full cooperation for investment in Madhya Pradesh.
Horticulture and Food Processing Minister Narayan Singh Kushwaha welcomed all the investors and experts who came to the Invented Madhya Pradesh Global Investors Summit-2025. He said that Madhya Pradesh is famous all over the world for its rich agriculture, horticulture and food provision capabilities. The horticulture products of the state have created a distinct identity in the country. Horticulture crops are being produced in 27 lakh hectare area of the state. It has been targeted to increase it to 32 lakh hectare and production from 400 lakh metric tonnes to 500 lakh tonnes in the next 5 years.
Madhya Pradesh has 40 percent participation in the country’s total organic production. The state’s Riyavan Garlic and Sundaraja hold their own identity in the common world market. Our government has implemented specific crops of 52 districts under the ‘one district-one product’ initiative implementing special investment schemes in the field of agriculture and food processing. The new investment policies made by the state government have been made friendly to investors. Along with this, suggestions of investors to determine these policies have also been invited by the state government with open mind. A single window system has been kept for investment encouragement, in which allotment of land and all types of permissions will be available in the shortest time. The state government’s resolve is the increase in income, employment, investment and export of farmers.
Agriculture Production Commissioner Mohammad Suleman said that there is a need to discuss the crop from the farm to the market and to provide a fair price to it. He highlighted the importance of agriculture, animal husbandry and horticulture in Madhya Pradesh and their export prospects. In the program, wide discussions were made on new opportunities for the state’s agriculture, food provision and investment in dairy areas. In this program, various experts threw light on the importance of innovation, technological progress and government policies for farmers, entrepreneurs and investors.
Principal Secretary Horticulture and Food Pro-Sanskrit Anupam Rajan said that a better investment environment is being created in the state. Under the state’s strong infrastructure, 8 food parks, 2 mega food parks, 5 agricultural process clusters and a logistics park are providing excellent opportunities to investors. Along with this, land allocation and all types of permissions are being provided soon through single window system. Many steps from mini schemes to advanced frozen logistic infrastructure are being taken, which will ensure an increase in income, employment and exports of farmers.
Special crop -based clusters have been selected in collaboration with the Government of India to increase the overall development of horticulture and globally. Such as chillies in Nimar, coriander in Guna-Rajgarh, ginger in Bundelkhand, turmeric in Baghelkhand, banana in Burhanpur, peas, peas, jabalpur, dewas and potato clusters have been selected in Indore. For this, a provision of 500 crores has been made by the Central Government, in which the state government will invest proportional amount. He informed that units worth Rs 930 crore are being set up by small entrepreneurs under the Prime Minister Micro Food Upgradation Scheme.
Union Secretary Agriculture Subrata Gupta said that food processing is an integral part of Indian culture. Food processing is constantly used in our homes. The demand for ready-to-food and ready-to-eat food is continuously increasing in the changing environment. With this, India can achieve an important place in the world. A provision of Rs 1000 crore has been made by the Central Government to encourage food processing. New entrepreneurs can avail this scheme.
Commissioner Horticulture and Food Processing Smt. Preeti Maithil presented a presentation on the resources available in relation to horticulture and food provision in Madhya Pradesh. He said that all the necessary resources are available in Madhya Pradesh, which are required for the establishment of new food processing unit. He informed that Madhya Pradesh is ranked first in the country, second in fruit production and third in milk production in the production of masala crops.
There are 11 Agro Climatic Zones in the state. There are 700 railway stations, 60 flights and 9 inland ports for transportation. There is a strong series of agricultural produce markets for agricultural marketing in Madhya Pradesh. One lakh crore metric tonnes of agricultural production is sold every year. Currently, 4 thousand food processing units are working in the state.
In the first panel “From Farm-to-Market” S. Ganesh Kumar (Agri Business ITC Limited) discussed the importance of agriculture, dairy and horticulture as well as food processing opportunities to increase the price chain. He laid special emphasis on measures to make it facilitated by farmers by the process of making the product reaching the market, challenges related to transport and technical assistance.
In the second panel “Technological Intervention and Post-Horvest Management”, the founder of Prateek Sharma (Green and Grains) highlighted the reforms that occur in the management after the harvesting and technological innovations like cold chains. He also discussed the role of technical intervention to reduce yield loss and increase efficiency.
The third panel “Market Trade and Consumer Preferences” underlined the importance of changes in consumer priorities in the food provision industry such as the rise and stability of the products such as biological, gluten-free and plant-based products. It was also told in this session that new possibilities are arising in the market due to innovation and product diversification.
In the fourth panel “From Farm-to-Velness”, Mohit Malhotra (Dabur India Limited) discussed the growing demand in the field of medicinal and neutraceutical crops, market and environmental effects of herbal supplements and functional foods. He explained how remarkable opportunities are arising in this field due to price enhancement and product development.
In the fifth panel “Food Processing Opportunities in Back Water and Forward Linkage”, favorable Joshi (Agro-Papsico India Holding Private Limited) suggested ways to ensure transparency, quality and strengthen the link by digital platforms.
Anil Sinha (IFC and Global Impact Investment Network) in the sixth panel “Improving Farmers: The Future of Agri-Finance” insisted on making farmers financially empowered through low interest rate, microfinance, credit cards and digital banking. He also underlined the importance of various government schemes and financial literacy.
The last panel “Dr. Meenash Shah (NDDB) held a detailed discussion on opportunities to increase investment and profitability through technological innovation, automation and digital supply chains in the dairy sector. He attracted special attention to the role of organic dairy, lactose-free option and durable practices.
The program conveyed a message to take a significant contribution in the economic progress of the state by opening new dimensions of investment for the development of agriculture, food provision and dairy sectors in Madhya Pradesh.
