NEW DELHI: With India’s organic food business expected to reach Rs.75,000 Crores by 2025 from a miniscule Rs 2700 crores in 2015, the government has now decided to tap into the market potential by holding food festivals across the country to strengthen the organic market.

The first such festival that will bring together 150 women entrepreneurs who are certified under National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) and 45 Self Help Groups from different states. The three day festival starts at Jawaharlal Nehru statium in Delhi on February 21.

Minister of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the ministry plans to hold similar festivals at regular intervals in different parts of the country. She shared that the participants will be exhibiting their organic products in various segments such as fruit and vegetables, ready to eat products, spices and condiments, honey, cereals, dry fruits among other products.

The festival is being held in collaboration with the ministry of women and child development. The minister further said that under the theme “Unleashing India’s Organic Market Potential”, the festival will also focus on facilitating business linkages and empowering women entrepreneurs through pre-arranged B2B and B2G meetings.

MoFPI and WCD ministry have signed an MoU to help women entrepreneurs get connected with Government financial schemes like MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency), Startup India and also meet the compliance needed for being competitive in the global market.

With 9th largest World’s Organic Agricultural land and largest number of producers India is fast growing in the organic food segment. India produced around 1.70 million MT (2017-18) of certified organic products which includes variety of food products like oil seeds, sugar cane, cereals and millets, cotton, pulses, medicinal plants, tea, fruits, spices, dry fruits, vegetables, coffee etc.

