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FoodTech Kerala, the state’s premier food processing and packaging expo, is returning to its physical form this year, after a couple of shows were held online due to the Covid pandemic.
This year’s FoodTech, the show’s 12th edition, will be held at Rena Event Hub in Kochi from January 6 to 8.
According to the organisers, the three-day exposition will provide an interface for manufacturers of food processing machinery, packaging and dairy equipment, as well as suppliers of ingredients and flavours, and the thousands of small and big food processing units in the state.
Joseph Kuriakose, Director, Cruz Expos, the organisers of the expo, said more than 55 exhibitors will showcase their products and services. “It is a ‘must not miss’ event for organisations involved in the food processing and packaging sector to showcase their products and services. Various concurrent sessions are also planned along with the expo,” he said.
The event is endorsed and supported by the Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP), the Kerala Start-Up Mission, the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Norka-Roots and Kerala Agricultural University. Federal Bank is the banking partner for the event.
The key highlight of this year’s FoodTech will be the Industrial Pavilion featuring 20 SME units from the state sponsored by the Department of Industries & Commerce. The Kerala Startup Mission is also putting up a pavilion featuring eight start-ups from the sector.
Joseph also pointed out that the pandemic has given a major push to the food industry, especially to small-scale units and home bakers in Ernakulam. “The Food Processing Industry has made headway in Ernakulam district, with the district having 4,500 agro-based units with a total investment of Rs 900 crore. The units employ more than 40,000 people and have a total turnover of Rs 6,000 crore. Some of the units are also involved in exports and earn more than Rs 700 crore from export business,” he said. The food processing industry in the district has various products, including spices, fish and meat, oil and extracts, and ready-to-eat products.
Kerala has a fairly strong base of food processing industries, which play a major role in its economic development, and studies reveal that its contribution to the total output, value addition and employment generation have been increasing in recent years, he said.
The State, in general, has a total of 69,000 food processing industrial units, which form 23 per cent of the total industrial enterprises.
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