Unlocking the Potential of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Through Sustainable Productive Use Technologies and Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Govt. of India, launched the first-ever scheme to upgrade and support the micro–units in the food processing sector, named Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) in June 2020, with an outlay of a thousand crore Indian Rupees (USD 1.15 billion). It seeks to support micro food processing enterprises through a package of services. The services include financial support for starting a new processing enterprise, back-end subsidy, training and capacity building as well as marketing support to individuals, self-help groups, cooperatives and farmer producer organisations along the entire commodity value chain.

A significant portion (42%) of the unorganised sector contributes to the food processing industry in India, playing a pivotal role notably accommodating numerous small-scale food processing units. It contributes 8.9% of India's GDP and 11.6% of the country's total employment. Therefore, it is critical to bridge the gap in integrating primary agricultural production with sustainable income-generating opportunities like food processing, particularly for small and marginal farmers and grassroots entrepreneurs including rural women