Processing and packaging of selected value added fruit products and their promotion through capacity building programme

Abstract

Food security is a situation that exists when all people, at all times have physical social and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life FAO 2001 Food security is necessary to meet up the growing food demands and it can be attained by meeting the four main elements of availability stability utilization and access Availability of food can be increased by increasing the rural income which in turn raises newlinenewlinethe standard of living of the farmers The food crops and plants have to be stabilized by biotechnological solutions such as genetic modifications and plant tissue culture to make sure that good quality products of high yield are cultivated and also to ensure that the effects of global climate is lessened The food industries play the role of utilizing the products from the farm and making it accessible This can be done by modern processing preservation value addition techniques and effective packaging The export market is growing largely due to increased consumption demand and the development of technology to facilitate trade in fresh fruits The value of US fresh fruit exports in 2003 was over dollar 2 point 2 billion amounting nearly three million metric tonnes newlinenewlineMT These exports amount to more than 20 per cent of the global export market value newlinenewlineThe primary export products from the US are grapes oranges and apples According to Kipe 2010 Mexico is the fourth largest fresh fruit exporter by value with over dollar 900 million in 2003 In quantity Mexico is the worlds seventh largest fresh fruit exporter exporting 1 point 5 million metric tonnes in 2003 Indias economy is predominantly agrarian Agriculture constitutes 33 percent of GDP supports 64 percent of workforce and earns 19 percent of the export Though India produce more raw newlinenewlinematerials for food and reach self sufficiency temporarily India cannot ignore the newlineprojected population growth of 1500 million by 2030 AD and challenges in the areas