The living standards of the Indian middle class have grown and so has their buying capacity and demands. They love to try on new products that come in the market. They prefer premium products, especially in the confectionery segments like chocolates, chips and a lot more. They also love to explore packaged foods in the ready to make and easy-to-eat category. Rural India provides a great opportunity for the packaged food and beverages industry. As almost 65 percent of the total Indian population lives in the rural region. They are attracted to food products of urban cities. They are more inclined towards packaged chocolates, biscuits, chips, cakes etc. having said that, the buying capacity of rural households has also increased in recent years due to benefits from investment in

infrastructure and rising wages. Food processing companies are realizing the potential of packaged food and beverage in rural India. The companies have analyzed the buying behavior of rural India and they are launching the products in smaller pack sizes and low prices to attract rural customers. The packaging too is very attractive like using vibrant colors, and celebrity endorsement to attract and capture Rural minds. Let’s look at few figures according to the Make in India campaign. These are recorded and published figures.

India offers the largest diversified production base and has a growing food industry. India is World’s largest milk producing nation, World’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices, and World’s second largest producer of food grains, fruits, and vegetables. The total geographical area of India is 328.7 mn hectares and the Gross Cropped Area is 198.4 mn hectare with a cropping intensity of 142 percent in 2014-15. As per the National Agricultural Research Project(NARP), India has been divided into 127 agro-climatic zones. Out of the total 42 Mega Food Parks sanctioned, 17 Food Parks have been operationalized as on May 2019.

There is a lot of activities going on in the Food industry. We need to keep our eyes open for the food industry players that lead our country’s taste & preferences and place it on the taste buds of overseas food enthusiasts, thereby catapulting India economy in food exports and at the same time outshine our love for food.

Taste and let us know what you think.