NEW DELHI: Data indicates that the Central Government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Food Processing has revolutionized the market for millet-based products and farmer procurements.
Millet procurement has surged more than 15 times, and the value of millet products has increased sixfold between 2021-22 and 2024-25, as revealed by the Government’s mid-term analysis of the PLI scheme.
According to the report, millet procurement reached 17,089.16 metric tons (MT) in the scheme's first three years, a significant rise from just 1103.18 MT.
At the same time, the value of millet-based products has increased from Rs 345.73 crore to Rs 1,845.25 crore.
Details of procurement shows that millet procurement was mere 546 MT by MSME companies in 2021-22 which sharply increased to 4610 MT in 2024-25. Similarly, procurement of millet large entity also drastically increased from 556 MT to 12479 MT. Similarly, large entity has also played role in sales of millet based products.
Water efficient crops Millets include Ragi, Bajra, and Jowar, are highly nutritious, gluten-free grains. They are climate-resilient, requiring little water and no fertilizers, making them sustainable, hardy, and particularly vital for small-scale farmers.
The mid-term analysis also reveals that Gujarat topped the investment rankings, while Uttar Pradesh led in enhancing food processing capacity under the PLI Scheme.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries presentation indicates that Gujarat led in investment, contributing Rs 1,599.8 crore, followed by Maharashtra (Rs 1,368.71 crore), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 1,313.33 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 1,242.83 crore), and Bihar (Rs 660.37 crore).
In terms of the capacity added to the food processing industry, Uttar Pradesh ranked first, followed closely by Gujarat. This indicates that Gujarat focused on investing in special or niche products, while Uttar Pradesh prioritized general products that support both quantity and quality.
Uttar Pradesh added a capacity of 7.3 lakh metric tons (LMT) per annum, followed by Gujarat (5.62 LMT), Maharashtra (4.33 LMT), Andhra Pradesh (3.22 LMT), and Bihar (2.02 LMT).
The PLI Scheme for the Food Processing Industry, launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, has an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore for six years (2021-2027). So far, the incentive outgo under the scheme is only Rs 2,740 crore.
The components of the scheme include incentivizing manufacturing in four major food product segments: Ready-to-Cook/Ready-to-Eat foods, Processed Fruits & Vegetables, Marine Products, and Mozzarella Cheese. The second component focuses on the production of innovative or organic products by small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The third component supports branding and marketing abroad to encourage the emergence of strong Indian brands for in-store branding, shelf space renting, and marketing.