A lot of things need to be developed across different agricultural pockets from north to south of Bengal: Bengal Food Processing Minister
agricultural pockets from north to south Bengal, West Bengal Food Processing Industries and Horticulture minister Arup Roy said at a conclave organized by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The West Bengal government has undertaken different activities to support its agricultural sector.
“There are a lot of things that need to be developed across different agricultural pockets from north to south of Bengal. Malda is famous for its mangoes and lychee while the demand for oranges from Darjeeling moves upwards.
There is another healthy product called Makhana that has gained popularity globally. The food processing units leverage technological innovations and help reshape the scenario.”
Emphasizing on the health hazards experienced by people due to the consumption of improper food products, OSD & state Commissioner of Food Safety under Health & Family Welfare Department Tapan Kanti Rudra said, “The industry is ever flourishing and our role is regulatory. We stand as facilitators to the sector.
We look after creating logistics, human resource development, and sharing knowledge and information.”
Rudra mentioned that the alarming rise of non-communicable disease is a concern. “Food borne diseases affect 60 crore people worldwide while 200 types of water borne disease spread across worldwide,” Rudra said, adding “Large scale prevalence of anaemia has also surfaced. A survey conducted between 2014-15 indicated that 54 percent of children in the age group of 0-5 years suffer from anaemia.
This indicates that our cereals are lacking micronutrients.”
“The FSSAI has notified food standards mentioning the standards of food. Food fortification has been undertaken to cure anaemia. Moreover, 2023 has been declared as the International
