PAU fair dwells on innovations in food processing

Ludhiana, October 29

Food Industry and Craft Fair commenced at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) here today.

Food industry experts as well as business trainees, experts and successful entrepreneurs of the field are participating in the fair being held virtually. Many farmers, farm women and rural youth, besides businessmen from small and medium food enterprises, attended the event.

Manjit Singh Brar, Managing Director of Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Limited, joined the opening session.

He said the area of food industry was favourite among farmers attached with both small and big processing enterprises, yet it was required to be planned according to the demand of consumers.

Brar said the uphill task in the area was marketing of its products. He briefed about price hike and processing works of Punjab agro and said consumers would accept only good quality and pure products.

He stressed upon the need to tap the increasing demand of organic products in the present times. Amarinder Singh, president of the PAU Kisan Club and founder of Upaj Farm Products, Lakhowal, was the special guest during the opening session.

He said with the efforts of the PAU, many farmers were adopting processing and post-harvest business techniques.

PAU’s Additional Director, Research, Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, talked about the university’s fresh innovations in the food industry and processing field.

He said: “It is important to have a balanced nutrition in food products as per demand of consumers.”

Later, four sessions of discussion were held. In the first session, processed food and skill development was the topic. In second, lifestyle diseases were discussed. Methods to adopt art and craft as business was also discussed in the third session while in fourth, detailed discussion about food industry and training was done. — TNS