PM Modi says investors prefer India for diversity, demand & scale

The PM said that 25 crore people have overcome poverty in the last 10 years and are now part of the neo middle class — India’s most energetic and aspirational segment. “India is operating at an unprecedented and extraordinary scale,” he said.

“India is now the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem, with many start-ups working in food and agriculture,” Modi said, adding that the country’s diversity, demand, and innovation make it the most attractive destination for investment.

Highlighting the steps taken by the central government for promotion of the food processing sector, Modi said that 100% FDI is now permitted and the sector has benefited from the PLI scheme and the expansion of mega food parks. These efforts are yielding results, he said, as India’s processing capacity has expanded 20-fold over the past 10 years, and exports of processed food have more than doubled, he said.

Referring to the GST rate cut, the PM said, “India is advancing on a new path of innovation and reforms, with widespread discussion around the Next Generation GST reforms.”

The PM also met Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev at World Food India. Later in a post on X, he said, “Happy to meet Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev at the World Food India 2025. We discussed ways to strengthen our win-win cooperation in agriculture, fertilisers and food processing.”

Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan, who was present on the occasion, said, “We had just started with [an exhibition area of] 49,000 sq m. Today, we have reached 1.10 lakh sq m … The number of exhibitors has increased to over 1,700 from just 800. At that time, the number of participating countries was low, it has crossed 90 now.”

An official statement said that at World Food India, credit linked support of over Rs 770 crore will be provided to around 26,000 beneficiaries for micro-projects in food processing sector worth over Rs 2,510 crore under Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme.