TPCI organises the 6th Edition of India Food Manufacturing Summit – North East
The Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI), in association with the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC), organised the 6th Edition of the India Food Manufacturing Summit – North East in Guwahati, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, technology providers, and stakeholders to explore opportunities for strengthening the region’s food processing ecosystem.
The summit, held on 29 May 2026 at Radisson Blu Hotel, Guwahati, Assam, focused on the theme “Unlocking North East India’s Food Economy: From Farm Abundance to Global Value Chains.” The event was attended by leading representatives from government, industry, academia, and agribusiness sectors committed to advancing food processing and value addition in the North Eastern region.
The summit was inaugurated by Smt. Aruna Rajoria (IAS), Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), who attended as the Chief Guest. Shri Bhaskar Barua, Managing Director, NERAMAC (Ministry of DoNER), Government of India, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. Other distinguished dignitaries included Shri Satya Brata Bose, Managing Director, NEDFL (Purabi); Dr. Radhey Shyam Dixit, Founder & Chairman, Ananda Dairy; Dr. Basanti Baroova, Former Professor & Head, Assam Agricultural University; and Ms. Bhavana Vishwanath, Country Director, Tolsma-Grisnich BV & Kiremko India, among others.
Delivering the inaugural address, Smt. Aruna Rajoria highlighted the importance of aligning agricultural production with market demand while ensuring quality enhancement, productivity improvements, and better returns for farmers. She emphasized the need to focus on high-potential products such as ginger, turmeric, chilli, makhana, litchi, pineapple, and Zoha rice to unlock greater commercial opportunities for the region.
The India Food Manufacturing Summit serves as a platform to examine the latest developments in food processing technologies and their transformative role in enhancing competitiveness, reducing wastage, and improving value realisation. The conference brought together industry experts, policymakers, technologists, and academic leaders to exchange insights, innovations, and best practices shaping the future of the food processing sector.
Commenting on the summit, Shri Mohit Singla, Chairman, TPCI, stated that the initiative aims to connect stakeholders from the North East with national and international business opportunities through platforms such as Indusfood 2027 and Indusfood Manufacturing 2027, scheduled to be held in January 2027 in Delhi-NCR. He noted that these platforms provide direct access to global buyers while showcasing the latest advancements in food processing and packaging technologies.
A key highlight of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between TPCI and NERAMAC to promote products from North East India and strengthen the region’s economic development through enhanced market access, trade facilitation, and value chain development.
North East India possesses significant natural advantages in horticulture and agriculture, with substantial production of pineapple, orange, banana, jackfruit, kiwi, passion fruit, tomato, and several indigenous crops. The region is also home to premium GI-tagged and organic products such as Lakadong turmeric, high-fibre ginger, large cardamom, black pepper, indigenous chillies, and specialty rice varieties. Despite their strong market potential, a considerable share of this produce continues to be sold in raw form, limiting value addition and export opportunities.
To address these challenges and identify growth pathways, the summit featured a series of focused discussions on key themes, including Farm to Global Markets: Scaling Value Chains for North-East Ethnic Foods, Fruits & Vegetables; Commercialising GI-Tagged and Indigenous Organic Products of North-East India; Dairy in the North East – Building a Modern Value Chain for Fresh and Value-Added Products; From Tradition to Modern Trade: Bakery & Ready-to-Eat Innovation; and Cold Chain Infrastructure: Bridging Farm-to-Market Gaps in Hilly Terrain.
The deliberations explored practical solutions across aggregation, farm-gate handling, decentralised processing, pulping, dehydration, frozen food formats, and value-added product development for domestic and export markets. Participants discussed scalable approaches to improve shelf life, reduce post-harvest losses, enhance farmer incomes, and unlock greater commercial value from the region’s agricultural produce.
The summit also facilitated networking and collaboration among industry stakeholders, encouraging partnerships that can accelerate technology adoption, investment, and innovation in the food processing sector. Discussions further highlighted emerging industry trends, sustainability considerations, energy-efficient processing solutions, and environmentally responsible packaging practices that align with evolving global consumer expectations and environmental goals.
Through this initiative, TPCI reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening India’s food processing ecosystem by creating knowledge-sharing platforms, promoting industry collaboration, and enabling market-driven growth opportunities for emerging food-producing regions such as North East India.
