Minister Chirag Paswan confers degrees to NIFTEM UG, PG students

TIRUCHY: Food processing is not about increasing production but it is about minimising waste, enhancing nutritional value and ensuring affordability for all, said Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Thursday.

Distributing degrees to graduates from the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Thanjavur, Paswan said, with 65 per cent of the population in the country under the age of 35, India has become the world’s youngest major economy in which the NIFTEM graduates are entering into.

“Food processing bridges the gap between agriculture and industry ensuring that the bounty of India’s farmlands reaches every household in the best possible form,” he said.

Pointing out Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of India that should not only feed its people but also feed the world, the minister asked the graduates to ensure every dining table around the world has at least one product made in India.

“It is not an aspiration but a mission that you must carry forward,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the minister said that despite being a global leader in food production, India still processes only a fraction of its agricultural output.

“The existing gap presents an immense opportunity. Food processing is not just about increasing production but about minimising waste, enhancing nutritional value and ensuring affordability for all,” the minister said.

The minister further stressed that the food processing sector is expanding at an unprecedented pace and the government is fully committed to meeting its evolving demands, he added.

The minister also distributed degrees to 60 undergraduates and 28 postgraduates and two PhD degrees. Earlier NIFTEM-T Director V Palanimuthu welcomed the gathering.