Govt gives nod to packaging cos to operate

The government has given a green chit to packaging material makers to operate during the lockdown. The relaxation given to packaging industry is a blessing for food companies. As Gurnam Arora, joint MD at Kohinoor Foods, which was left with 5-10 days stock, said, “This will enable us to ramp up production from 40% to 50%.”

However, labour availability remains an issue for the packaging industry as migrant labour and trucks for transportation remain in short supply. It believes that it would take time to resume supply. Vimal Kedia, chairman and managing director of packaging major Manjushree Technopack, which caters to FCMG companies operating in home care, personal care and the healthcare segments, said, “We expect it will take three weeks to streamline processes back to capacity”. He also pointed out that supplementary packaging material such as pigments, pumps, closures and caps and corrugated boxes which are sourced from small scale industries continue to be impacted.