GUWAHATI: Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), a constituent laboratory under the aegis of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to start a liaison office of CSIR-CFTRI here to provide technical support to food industries in the North East.
The MoU was signed on Sunday between Sunita Rai, assistant general manager, APEDA on behalf of APEDA chairman, Paban Kumar Borthakur and Dr Ng. Iboyaima Singh, head, Traditional Food and Sensory Science, CSIR-CFTRI on behalf of the director, CSIR-CFTRI.
CSIR−CFTRI has taken the initiative to start its liaison office here for the benefit of farmers, producers, entrepreneurs and exporters of the region. APEDA had agreed for a space to start the centre to start the liaison office on its premises at Housefed Complex.
The move is expected to strengthen the food processing sector in the Northeast and will have multiplying effect on the export of traditional and processed food products from the region.
“APEDA has taken many promotional activities to bring the Northeast states in the export map. In 2019, five international buyer-seller meets were held in Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to showcase the potential of agriculture/ horticulture and processed food products including organic produce to open the export window from the Northeastern states,” a statement issued here on Monday, said.
Capacity building is another such area where APEDA is keenly focusing to hand-hold the new exporters from the region.
“Recently, an exposure visit to Maharashtra, considered as one of the major export hubs, was organised to acquaint the exporters and state officials from Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland on export oriented farming, pack house, modern food processing units etc, besides, organising specific outreach programme and training on export process,” it said.