AP Targets ₹30,000-Crore Investment in Food Processing: Bharath

Andhra Pradesh is emerging as a major hub for the food processing sector, with the government targeting ₹30,000 crore in investments and the creation of over three lakh jobs, Industries, Commerce and Food Processing Minister T.G. Bharath said on Thursday.

Addressing Food World India 2026, organised by FICCI in New Delhi, the minister said food processing is driven not only by production but also by technology and innovation.

He said the global food processing industry is valued at $8.1 trillion, with India's contribution estimated at $543 billion and Andhra Pradesh's at $49 billion. The state also ranks first in the country in the number of registered food processing industries.

Bharath said Andhra Pradesh leads India in the production of fish, shrimp, chillies, lemons, cocoa, oil palm, papaya and eggs, and is among the leading producers of paddy, mango, banana, spices and marine products.

The minister said the state has nine food parks with plug-and-play facilities, cold storage capacity of 17.20 lakh metric tonnes and warehousing capacity of 33.52 lakh metric tonnes. It has also developed fruit processing centres, shrimp and cashew clusters, spice clusters and integrated logistics corridors connecting ports with industries.

He added that the government has approved 29 major food processing projects worth ₹11,800 crore during the past two years.