Agro processing industries: Potential, constraints and task ahead

Abstract

An agro- industry is an enterprise that processes bio- mass. i.e agriculture raw materials. Which include ground and tree crops as well as livestock and fisheries to create edible or usable forms. Improve storage and shelf life. Create easily transportable forms, enhance nutritive value and extract chemicals for other uses. As the products of agro industries are both edible and non-edible, the agro- industries can be classified as agro- food industries ( or merely food processing industries) and agro- non- food industries. The agro- industry provides the crucial farm- industry linkage which helps accelerate agricultural development by creating backward linkage ( supply of credit, inputs and other production enhancement services) and forward linkage ( processing and marketing), adding value to the farmer a produce, generating employment opportunities, and increasing the farmers net income. This in turn motivates the farmer for better productivity and further opens up possibilities of industrial development.