Context

• The centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and promote formalization of the sector, marks the completion of its one year.

Milestones achieved under the PMFME Scheme

One District One Product

• Under the One District One Product (ODOP) component of the PMFME Scheme, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries approved ODOP for 707 districts for 35 States and UTs, including 137 unique products as per the recommendations received by States/UTs.
• The GIS ODOP digital map of India has been launched to provide details of ODOP products of all the States and UTs. The digital map also has indicators for Tribal, SC, ST, and aspirational districts. It will enable stakeholders to make concerted efforts for its value chain development.

Convergence

• Under the PMFME Scheme, the Ministry signed three joint letters with the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has signed six Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC), and Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETI).
• An agreement has been signed with the Union Bank of India as the Nodal Bank of the scheme and MoUs with 11 banks as official lending partners for the PMFME Scheme.

Capacity Building and Incubation Centres

• Under the Capacity Building component of the PMFME Scheme, the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) and the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) have been performing a key role in providing training and research support to selected enterprises/groups/clusters in partnership with the State Level Technical Institutions.
• The training of 371 Master Trainers has been conducted under the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) & various food domains.
• NIFTEM & IIFPT have prepared training modules on 137 ODOPs which include 175 Presentations, 157 Videos, 166 DPRs, and 177 Course Content/Handbooks. Training of 469 District Level Trainers has been conducted in 18 States/UTs and in progress in other States. 491 District Resource Persons have been appointed across 302 districts.
• Under the scheme, 54 Common Incubation Centres have been approved in the 17 States and UTs like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, J&K, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, and Uttarakhand. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries in collaboration with the IIFPT has developed an online portal for submission of Common Incubation Centre proposals and an online common incubation centre map for the facilitation of details of incubation centres across the country.

Seed Capital

• The component under PMFME for providing seed capital to SHGs is being implemented with the support of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and its network of State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLMs) operating at the state level.
• The PMFME Scheme envisages financial support for working capital and purchase of small tools for each member of SHGs engaged in food processing activities.

Marketing and Branding

• Under the scheme, MoUs have been signed with NAFED and TRIFED to take up the marketing and branding support for 10 products each. NAFED has selected products like Pineapple, Millet based products, Coriander, Makhana, Honey, Ragi, Bakery, Isabgol, Turmeric, and Cherry for branding and marketing support. TRIFED has selected products like Honey, Tamarind, Spices, Amla, Pulses/Grains/Millets, Custard Apple, Wild Mushroom, Cashew, Black Rice, and Wild Apple under the scheme.

Institutional Mechanism

• All the 35 participating States and UTs have constituted/ identified their respective State Nodal Agencies, State Level Approval Committees, District Level Committees, and State Level Technical Institutions. Moreover, a call centre has been established at NIFTEM to address queries and guide the stakeholders of the Scheme.

Promotion and Publicity of the PMFME Scheme

• The Ministry of Food Processing Industries in collaboration with States/UTs and Agricultural Universities is conducting nationwide promotion and publicity of the PMFME Scheme to sensitize the stakeholders via radio, print media, offline workshops, webinars, regional language brochures/booklets, outdoor publicity, and over digital media via website, apps and social media platforms.
• The PMFME Scheme monthly e-newsletter is being sent to more than 5 lakh stakeholders. The PMFME Podcast series has been launched to interact with Agri-business incubators, industry experts, and start-ups.
• To commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence, under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries is conducting 75 Unique One District One Product (ODOP) webinars/offline workshops across the country in collaboration with States/UTs, NIFTEM, and IIFPT.
• A weekly series of success stories titled “Kahaani Sukshma Udyamon Ki” has been launched to bring 75 stories of existing micro food processing enterprises.

About the PMFME Scheme

• Launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme that aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and to promote formalization of the sector and provide support to Farmer Producer Organizations, Self Help Groups, and Producers Cooperatives along their entire value chain.
• With an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the scheme envisions to directly assist the 2,00,000 micro food processing units for providing financial, technical, and business support for upgradation of existing micro food processing enterprises.

Soucre; IBEF

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