Must make farmers’ lives better: Prez
President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said that the global food trade has undergone revolutionary changes and needed to bring the benefits of these changes to every farmer of the country.
Addressing the first convocation of the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) at Sonepat, the President said that as a society, we were obligated to make the life of our farmers better and free them from the fickleness of nature and weather patterns, and from the unpredictability of demand and supply.
“This is the resolve of the government, and it has instituted policies and programmes to further this. Use of science and technology along the food chain is vital to these programmes. And this is where institutions such as NIFTEM and those who graduate from here will play a vital role,” he said.
The President said as social habits changed and as nuclear families emerged in larger numbers, more so in our cities, demand for packaged and readyto-eat food products would rise in India.
“The challenge is to maintain quality, safety and labelling standards for food and ingredients that are up to global benchmarks.
Steps should be taken to ensure that packaged foods promote both convenience and health.
And that they keep alive the nutritious grains and traditional food items that can be found in every state of India.
It is for the food industry to innovate and find easy-to-use solutions to the epidemic of lifestyle diseases in our country,” he said.
The President awarded degrees to gold medalist graduate and postgraduate students in the first convocation ceremony of NIFTEM.
Degrees were presented to 540 students who completed their graduation and post graduation.
It is for the food industry to innovate and find easytouse solutions to the epidemic of lifestyle diseases in our country
RAM NATH KOVIND, President