India will have to feed 1.7 bn people by 2030: Ex-director of CFTRI | Mysuru News
Mysuru: By 2030, India will need to feed 1.7 billion people, which is a staggering demand that poses a major challenge to the nation’s food supply chain, said V Prakash, former director of CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI).He was addressing a national seminar on plant proteins held at the CFTRI auditorium on Friday. Prakash noted that the daily demand includes consumption at homes, events, meetings, and weddings. “No single food production unit can meet this demand. We need thousands of factories, especially as consumer preference is rapidly shifting towards ready-to-eat food,” he said. “Food technology, research institutions, and scalable production units will be critical in addressing this need,” Prakash said. Highlighting a growing concern, HS Savitri, retired professor of biochemistry, warned about the detrimental impact of viruses on crop yields. “Viruses are reducing agricultural productivity by 10% to 30% annually, leading to losses estimated at $15 billion per year,” she stated. She emphasised the need for scientific interventions to protect key crops like bananas, paddy, and tomatoes. For instance, the banana virus alone caused a Rs 350 crore loss between 2007 and 2010, while paddy viruses result in an annual loss of around $1 billion.The event also witnessed the launch of a CFTRI-developed ‘Protein Slice’—a plant-based product. Additionally, CFTRI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Good Food Institute to foster collaboration in research and development of sustainable food technologies. CFTRI director Sridevi Annapurna Singh was also present at the event.
