a day ago
Saudi Arabia, South Africa look at India's food tech to boost production
Saudi Arabia and South Africa with high production of dates and agriculture produce respectively are seen banking on Indian innovation in food tech to achieve food security in their nations and boost production.
'Africa's food and beverage industry, valued at $313 billion, is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, offering immense opportunities for jobs, prosperity, and integration into the global economy,' Labane Gideon, Consul General of South Africa in Mumbai.
'With agriculture still accounting for over 60% of Africa's value chain, compared to 22% globally, investments in value-added processing and branded products are critical to unlock this potential,' he said while speaking at Anuga FoodTec India and Anuga Select India 2025 expo organised by Koelnmesse India in Mumbai.
'South Africa, with a strong food processing industry and key exports including wine, fruit juices, and food additives, recognises India as a vital partner' he said adding 'We are more interested as Africa and especially South Africa in the technological aspect of agriculture as far as India is concerned because we are still slightly lagging behind when it comes to that.'
Majed Al-Otaibi, Charge d'Affaires, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia said Saudi Arabia is a long- standing partner of India and The Kingdom as the home to more than 37.1 million palm trees, producing around 1.1 million tons of dates annually is seeking partnership to bringing the dates to every corner of the globe.
'Nations, businesses and investors are invited to join this journey,' he said adding ' We are exploring all kinds of opportunities between our two countries and we are exchanging all the experiences and also we are exploring more and more opportunities.'
Meanwhile, India's food processing & ingredients sector growing at 8.8% CAGR, is projected to double by 2030, while food-tech outpaces global benchmarks at 14% CAGR, according to experts.
Rising demand for clean-label, functional, and health-conscious foods is driving AI, IoT, and digital traceability adoption across the F&B value chain, they said.
With India's food processing sector projected to be among the fastest-growing industries in the coming years, the government has permitted 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the F&B segment.
Reflecting on the opportunities in India's food processing and ingredients sector Nilesh Amritkar, Managing Director, Envirocare Labs said, 'India's food processing and ingredients sector is expanding at a healthy 8.8% CAGR and is set to double by 2030, establishing our country as the food factory of the world, from farm gate to global plate.'
'At the same time, India's food-tech ecosystem in areas like hardware, software, AI, cold chain, and precision processing is expected to outpace global benchmarks at over 14% CAGR by 2030. This shows how innovation is no longer important; India is now exporting food technology to the world,' he said.
'Even with challenges such as tariffs, sanctions, and 50% export loading restrictions, our industry has demonstrated 100% resilience by rerouting supply chains and diversifying markets. Strong policy support including PLI-like schemes, Make in India, Mega Food Parks, NIFTEM institutes, and MoFPI programs like PM-FME is creating the right ecosystem for growth, entrepreneurship, and R&D-led innovation,' he added.
Speaking at the event Seetharaman Raghupathi, Executive Director, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) said the White Revolution 2.0 initiative aimed at establishing 75,000 new cooperatives by 2028–29, would further boost the growth of India's dairy sector ensuring food security.
Milind Dixit, Managing Director – India & SAARC, Koelnmesse Pvt. Ltd., said, 'With the global food processing market projected to surpass $4 trillion by 2030 and India expected to emerge among the top three markets worldwide, these shows [Anuga FoodTec India and Anuga Select India 2025] provide an invaluable platform to access next-gen technologies, embrace sustainable solutions, and build long-term collaborations.'
