Bharat Kumar’s Successful Food Processing

Bharat Kumar, a resident of Rath village in Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh, is doing new experiments in the field of food processing. His work includes cutting meat, separating it from bones, freezing and preserving fish and meat by smoking, extracting and filtering oil, canning food, preservation through food irradiation, candling of eggs, and homogenization and pasteurization of milk. Bharat Kumar’s aim is not only to improve the quality of his products but also to increase employment opportunities in rural areas.

Initiation and inspiration of food processing

Bharat says, “There is an abundance of agricultural products in our area, but due to lack of proper processing, farmers get low prices. I stepped into food processing so that the people of our area can get the right price for their products and they can reach the market directly.” Bharat believes that these steps related to food processing will help the local community to become self-reliant.

Technical know-how of food processing

Bharat Kumar has used innovative techniques in his food processing operations. He says, “We use freezing and smoking techniques to preserve meat and fish. This ensures that the freshness and quality of the product is maintained for a longer period.” Apart from this, they do candling of eggs, which helps in checking the quality of eggs and provides freshness to the consumers. They are using natural techniques in the process of extracting and filtering the oil, which maintains the nutritional value of the oil.

Market access and future plans

For Bharat Kumar, his biggest challenge is to reach his products to the larger market. He says, “In our area, there is a lack of proper network for storing and marketing the products after processing. I want to develop such a network in the future, through which the products from rural areas can reach the city market directly.” Along with this, he also aims to prepare the products as per international standards using modern machinery and techniques.

Benefits of Govt Schemes and Growth Prospects

There are many growth opportunities in the food processing sector for entrepreneurs like Bharat Kumar. Currently, Bharat has not availed any government scheme, but he hopes to benefit from the schemes available in this sector in the near future. Programs like the Pradhan Mantri Micro Food Processing Scheme (PMFME) launched by the government are specifically designed to support small and medium entrepreneurs. The scheme aims to provide resources and guidance to farmers, micro entrepreneurs, and self-help groups so that they can process and market their products in a better way.

Under this scheme, entrepreneurs are given benefits such as capital subsidy, interest rebate, and technical assistance, which can help in the growth of their business. If Bharat Kumar avails this scheme, he can take his processing work to a more commercial level. He can improve the quality of his products and ensure long-term storage of his products by using modern technologies.

Other schemes

Other government schemes such as Mudra Yojana and Food Processing Entrepreneurship Scheme (PMKSY) are also being implemented with the aim of promoting investment in this sector and providing employment opportunities to the youth. With these schemes, Bharat Kumar can equip his processing centre with high quality machinery and improve the distribution system, thereby expanding the reach of his business.

Looking at the growth prospects, Bharat Kumar understands that by taking advantage of these schemes with the right information and guidance, he can be able to reach his products to a wider market. Under various incentives by the government, the availability of advanced means of marketing, packaging, and storage for the food processing sector is being increased, so that small entrepreneurs can get better opportunities. In such a situation, if the local administration and institutions like Krishi Vichar Kendra provide them training and assistance in this direction, then for farmers like Bharat Kumar, this can prove to be a strong step towards self-reliance in the field of food processing.

Contribution to rural development

Bharat Kumar believes that innovation in food processing can create employment opportunities in rural areas. According to him, “Working in the field of food processing not only increases the income of our farmers but also creates new employment opportunities.” His aim is to connect the youth of rural areas with this work and train them, so that they can create a stable future for themselves in this industry.

These efforts of Bharat Kumar have proved that success can be achieved despite limited resources by working in the right direction. His example is an inspiration for all those farmers and entrepreneurs who want to enter the field of food processing.