Chirag to entrepreneurs: Invest in Bihar, assure you best support

Time of India

19-05-2025

Patna: Union
food processing industries
dept minister
Chirag Paswan
on Monday urged the national and international entrepreneurs to
invest in Bihar
and assured them best of facilities with good air, road and rail connectivity, including a dry port at Bihta.
He urged them to explore large-scale procurement of rice, spices, makhana, and fruits from the state.
Addressing the 70 buyers representing 20 countries, including six global retail chains from Germany, Japan and the UAE, alongside 50 domestic and 20 institutional buyers at the inaugural session of the two-day
International Buyer Seller Meet
(IBSM) in Patna, Chirag said Bihar is to play an important role in PM Narendra Modi's vision of 'Viksit Bharat by 2047' and India becoming a global food basket.
Significantly, 12 companies participating in the meet announced procurement commitments for rice, pulses, spices, fruits, vegetables, and makhana from Bihar.
Chirag also highlighted the fact that Bihar benefited the most from Pradhan Mantri formalisation of micro food processing enterprises (PMFME). "In FY 2024-25, my ministry has sanctioned a record 10,270 loans worth Rs 624.42 crore under the PMFME scheme to micro food processing units in Bihar, which is the highest for any state in the country," he said.
"The recently announced NIFTEM in Bihar will carry forward our legacy to become a modern-day centre of excellence," he said.
He also launched a report titled 'Strategies to boost India's makhana exports'.
Addressing the meet, deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha said the state govt, through its agriculture map, was trying to make the state farmers not only producers, but also entrepreneurs.
State's industries minister Nitish Mishra said, "Bihar has the potential to become the growth engine of East India."
He mentioned the mega food park at Muzaffarpur and encouraged investors to leverage Bihar's industrial infrastructure as the govt is ready to provide proactive allotment of land within seven days through the single window clearance system.
Mihir Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary (state industries dept), and Minhaj Alam, additional secretary, MoFPI, also stressed upon the need to increase the level of food processing in the state.
Abhishek Dev, chairman of APEDA, emphasised that initiatives such as the launch of 'Tracenet 2.0' in 2025 for traceability of organic and GI-tagged products would further enhance credibility and export readiness of Indian produce.