India-UK Collaborations and Investments in Food Supply Chain: Opportunities, Concerns and the Way Forward

India is one of the largest producers of a number of agriculture products in the world. The country ranks second in the production of fruits and vegetables in the world, after China. With a growing domestic population, India is one of the largest consumer bases of agriculture produce. However the actual availability of agriculture produce to Indian consumers is low due to huge wastages in the supply chain. Food supply chain is regarded as one of the priority sectors for the country and the Indian government is actively encouraging foreign investors to invest in sectors such as storage and warehousing, cold chain, packaging, skill development and research and development in food supply chain. The United Kingdom is a crucial partner for investments and collaborations in the sector.

Against this backdrop, the report examines opportunities for collaboration and investment by foreign businesses, particularly the UK companies in food supply chain in India. Based on a primary survey in India and in-depth meetings with stakeholders in the UK, this report identifies the barriers faced by the UK businesses and other foreign businesses in India and presents go-to-market strategy for the UK businesses and other foreign companies in India.

The report list the incentives, schemes and polices of the Indian government in five areas of food supply chain namely cold chains, storage and warehouses, packaging technology, skill development and R&D. It also makes policy recommendations on how to reduce wastage in the supply chain, benefit farmers, consumers and other stakeholders through modern supply chain technologies, and facilitate more investment inflows from the UK and other countries.

Dipankar De is a Partner at D&B Tangram Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. He has worked with several central and state government organisations in India, including Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and multilateral organisations such as Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), KfW Development Bank, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). He has worked with a number of global and Indian corporate on business development and go-to-market strategies; and has also worked across various sectors, including food and agri-business, healthcare, cement, automotive, etc. He is an MPhil in Economics from the Calcutta University and an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur. Arpita Mukherjee is a Professor at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). She has several years of experience in policy-oriented research, working closely with the government in India and policymakers in the EU, US, ASEAN and in East Asian countries. She has conducted studies for international organisations and Indian industry associations. She has authored chapters in joint study group reports set up by Indian government and has led research teams contributing to India's domestic policy reforms in areas such as logistics, retail, special economic zones and mega food parks. Dr Mukherjee has a PhD in Economics from the University of Portsmouth, UK. She has published widely and presented her research in various international and national forums. Nikhil Khurana is a Senior Consultant at D&B Tangram Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. He has executed multiple assignments for various corporate clients, government ministries and institutions and multilateral organisations. He has extensive experience in the area of market entry and opportunity assessment, industry analysis and research, business planning, etc. across various sectors, including food and agri-business, IT and ITES, logistics & supply chain, BFSI. He specialises in conducting qualitative and quantitative research and analysis. He holds a Masters degree in Business Administration with specialisation in Marketing and International Business, from IMSAR, MDU University, Haryana. Tanu M. Goyal is a Consultant at ICRIER. Her research interests include trade in services, retail sector, food supply chain, international trade agreements and policy and regulatory issues. Most of her work concerns trade, openness and restructuring of the Indian economy in the global landscape. At ICRIER, Tanu has worked on several projects for the Indian government, international aid agencies such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Commission (EC) and academic institutions such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). She has published several international and national journal articles, book chapters, reports and other popular media articles on policy issues. She holds a Masters degree in Economics with specialisation in world economy, from Centre of Trade and Development (CITD), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Bhavook Bhardwaj is a Research Assistant at ICRIER. His research interests include international trade and trade in services. At ICRIER, he has worked on projects for the Indian government and international agencies such as the European Commission; and has contributed to policy reports and has also contributed to the Working Paper Series. He has a Masters degree in Economics with specialisation in environment and resource economics from TERI University, New Delhi. Rohini Sanyal was an Associate Consultant with D&B Tangram Advisory Services Pvt Ltd. She has worked on projects with GIZ, KfW Development Bank on studies involving industry research, financial & economic policies and market entry strategy. She has completed her Master's degree in Economics from the University of Warwick, UK. She is currently working as an Associate in Bain & Company.