All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA) was Established in 1943, with a Primary objective to lend the holistic knowledge support to the food business operators and the policy planners in the country, necessary to enable preventing the unaffordable wastage of Fresh Farm produce by suggesting the ways and means for modernizing the post harvest management and promoting its processing for long-term preservation and value addition, as this is the only way to save the poor farmer from perennial economic distress resulting from the distress sale of his perishable farm produce at grossly un-remunerative sale value.
AIFPA comprising Food Processors’ Operators along with Machinery, Manufacturer, Packing Material, Logistic, Suppliers and other related stake-holders will be completing 75 years of its dedicated services to Food Processing Industry and will be holding its Platinum Jubilee Conference from 20 to 21 December 2018 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Hon’ble President of India, Dr. Ram Nath Kovind will be inaugurating AIFPA's Platinum Jubilee 2 Days Conference at 11.00 A.M on 20th December at Vigyan Bhavan. Minister for Food Processing Industry, Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal will grace the occasion by her presence besides other dignitaries.
AIFPA has been a path finder for the Indian Food Processing Industry, recommending the cutting edge technologies, State-of-Art Processing and Packaging machines, efficient logistics and enabling marketing infrastructure etc.
The President of the AIFPA Dr Subodh Jindal in his curtain raiser Press Conference highlighted the AIFPA programmes and also told how the association met the Food Processing Minister to get solved the GST issues for the small manufacturers of the pickle, Murraba and jams. He further added "AIFPA dedicates itself to boost food processing in the country by promoting efficient technologies, innovation, new product development, entrepreneurship, rationalization of laws and taxes with a mission to improve the farm economy, save wastage of perishable materials, fully utilize and add value to our natural produce, provide nourishing food to consumers, give India a leading role in the global market and ultimately strengthen the farmer, empower women and generate employment."
Dr Jindal highlighted the achievement of AIFPA;
(a) AIFPA, immediately after independence of the country created a cohesive pool of Food Scientists & Technologists to introduce academic & research activity in the field of Food Science & Technology;
(b) AIPFA mobilized entrepreneurs to venture into the manufacture of food products by providing them all kinds of support on product identification, product development and all kinds of technical, legal, moral and material support.
(c) AIFPA has been closely interacting with the Central and State Governments, on behalf of the industry to get the Excise Duty Structure on Food Products rationalized from time to time.
(d) AIFPA has always been impressing upon the Central and State Governments to develop a conducive policy framework to facilitate Banking Credit Facilities, Working Capital Credit, Packaging/Shipment Credit, and Credit against Stocks etc. to the Food Processing Units.
He also emphasized the following;
1. AIFPA proposed the procedure of import of essential raw materials & packaging materials for export production without levy of Import Duty under the Advance Licensing Scheme which was adopted by the Central Government which helped providing a major boost to the export of processed food products.
2. AIFPA worked for the establishment of the systems of Cash Compensatory Support, Drawback, Marketing Support, Freight Subsidy and other facilities for export of processed food products.
3. AIFPA made the Central Government agree for a lower rate of VAT @ 4% as compared to the 12.5% rate as was proposed by the VAT Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers vis-a-vis the merits through Food Processing to benefit the farmer and fulfilling aspirations of the consumer.
4. AIFPA has worked with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries for providing essential industry feedback for conceptualizing & preparing the single food regulatory system replacing multiple monitoring authorities that was finally enacted by the Parliament in the year 2006, leading to the establishment of the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India.
5. AIFPA provided the Central Government with comprehensive data/calculations for levy of tax under the GST Regime for all food products at different rate levels and further helped in the development of the appropriate procedures for its implementation.6. AIFPA helped the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in organizing the flagship show of World Food India 2017 held on 3 - 5 November, 2017 at New Delhi which was the biggest show of its kind in India's Food Processing Sector.
