India is gearing up to boost the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the food processing industry, aiming to enhance efficiency, bolster farmers' incomes, and minimize environmental impact, officials announced on Wednesday.

During a conference organized by the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) to explore cutting-edge technologies in the sector, senior government officials emphasized the necessity of a strategic plan to deploy AI solutions, which are still in their early stages within India's extensive food processing domain.
Anita Praveen, Secretary of Food Processing, highlighted the importance of collaboration, stating, "As an industry, we need to create a roadmap. The MEITY secretary has come on board. I am sure he is going to be a big support in this endeavour," referring to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY).

MEITY Secretary S Krishnan advocated for widespread AI adoption, noting that while some progress has been made in agriculture, the food processing sector lags behind in leveraging such technologies.

Ramesh Chand, a member of NITI Aayog, emphasized the climate-friendly aspect of efficient food processing, stressing its role in augmenting farmer incomes, meeting consumer demands, and mitigating environmental challenges posed by climate change.

Chand proposed the development of simple, portable AI devices for quality assessment of agricultural produce, describing it as a valuable national service. "Can we think of low-scale devices to check the quality of the produce? In the absence of assaying devices, we are still focusing on quantity rather than quality," he remarked.

Officials underscored the potential of AI tools to enhance overall sectoral efficiency, aligning with India's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

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