Food manufacturing to hit Rs 40-lakh-crore : Dr R S Sodhi

India’s organised food-manufacturing segment is poised for a dramatic rise, expected to reach ₹ 40-lakh-crore in the near future as the nation’s broader food economy is projected to nearly triple by 2033, according to RS Sodhi, President of Indian Dairy Association and former MD of Amul.

Speaking at the Global Manufacturing Conclave 2025, Sodhi said that shifting demographics, rising incomes, and increasing consumption are driving a structural transformation of India’s food system. He forecast that the total food economy will expand to roughly ₹ 170-lakh-crore over the coming years — underlining the long-term potential of India’s agro-processing and dairy sectors.

Sodhi singled out dairy as a key growth engine: he expects the dairy sub-sector alone to contribute around ₹ 14-lakh-crore to the future food-economy total. Achieving this will require substantial investments — approximately ₹ 60,000 crore in processing infrastructure, along with a similar amount in logistics, storage, supply-chain and testing capabilities, he said.

He also attributed India’s dairy success to the cooperative movement and home-grown innovation — particularly noting India’s ability to process buffalo milk, given its high fat content, which global systems historically struggled with.

With such growth projections, India’s food-processing industry — currently accounting for a fraction of overall output — may soon become one of the largest segments of the economy, reshaping employment, rural incomes, consumption patterns, and export potential.

Source : Dairynews7x7 Dec 5th 2025 ET manufacturing