The Hindu Business Line : IGNOU offers courses to train manpower for food processing sector

The domain of farming is enlarging from grain production to food processing. There is a pressing need for large pool of trained manpower, especially in the rural and semi-urban areas, besides in mushrooming retail outlets.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), along with the Ministry of Agriculture, is introducing courses targeting post-harvest management and food processing activities to dovetail growth in the food processing industry.

“The food processing sector in the country is the largest in terms of production, consumption, exports and growth prospects. The Government has formulated several schemes to enhance growth in this segment.

Availability of trained manpower is the need of the hour,” Prof M.K. Salooja, Coordinator, School of Agriculture, Indira Gandhi National Open University, told Business Line here.

The average wastage in the horticulture sector between the farm-gate and the wholesale level is around 12 per cent of the total production, which would be equal to Rs 58,000 crore.

This quantity is enough to meet the nutritional needs of 220 million living below poverty line for 350 days a year, he said.

IGNOU is now running five programmes in the area of food processing namely post-harvest management, fruits and vegetables processing, food technology, dairy technology, meat technologies and fisheries. These programmes have been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

These courses have been developed particularly to enhance the skill upgradation of workers in the food processing industry. Besides creating a workforce at the technician level, the courses have also been targeted at emerging disciplines such as food safety and standards, marketing and World Trade Organisation implications etc, Prof Salooja said.

The target group for the programme includes rural youth, farm women, skilled workers in food industries, SMEs and members of fruit and vegetable associations.

The 80-session course is being imparted in States which have agriculture universities attached to them, he said, adding that the course fee is Rs 8,800. Incidentally, the Horticulture Mission has asked the State Mission directors to sponsor candidates for the programmes to encourage more people take up the course, Prof Salooja said.

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