Despite having such a large raw material base in the country, the international trade of India is only 1.3% which is very low as compared to the neighbouring countries. Hence, the Ministry of Food processing Industries, Govt. of India, has taken various initiatives for the growth of processed food sector and accordingly, Ministry of Food Processing Industries has also implemented its National Food Processing Mission. As on date, only 2% of fruits and vegetables and 15% of fresh milk are processed. As a result, the average growth of processed food sector is only 7%.
Inaugurating the Academic Block and Food Packaging Laboratory, Dr. E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, Hon’ble Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India said, “Govt. of India has made a target to increase the growth of the processed food sector from 7% to 20% by 2020. Since packaging and food processing industries are complementary to each other, it had become necessary to set up a laboratory which would support the testing of the same. It is quite interesting to note that there is no exclusive laboratory for the testing of packaged foods.”
The Indian Institute of Packaging, being an autonomous body in the field of Packaging Technology and working under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India, has therefore taken an initiative to expand the infrastructural facilities of its Delhi Centre which is located at Patparganj by way of setting up an exclusive Food Package Testing Laboratory under the current 12th Five Year Plan.
Prof N C Saha, Director IIP said, “the growth of Packaging Industry has also created a great demand for qualified Packaging Professionals. The Institute has also started a Two Year Post Graduate Diploma in Packaging at Delhi in the year 2000 with the intake of 15 students, which we will now increase to 100. This has also created requirement of infrastructural facilities and thus the Institute has also constructed an exclusive Academic Block to accommodate more number of PG students.”
Prof Saha also added that IIP will now modernise the Vaishnodevi prasad packaging process. Pilot experiments had been done in 2004; but the setting up of an exclusive Food Package Testing Laboratory under the current 12th Five Year Plan will now revive the project.
About Indian Institute of Packaging
The Indian Institute of Packaging is an apex body of the packaging industries in India. IIP is ceaselessly working since 1966 with the active support of packaging and allied industries and Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. The Institute is dedicated to serve the nation and the industry to achieve excellence in packaging.
The Institute began its activities in a very humble manner with an Office at Mumbai and now has expanded across the country. The Institute opened its first branch office in Chennai in 1971 followed by Kolkata in 1976. In 1986, the Northern Regional Center of the Institute was set up in Delhi and in 2006, the fourth branch was opened at Hyderabad. The Institute made history in 2013, when the Govt. of Karnataka allotted a land of four acres, to set up a branch at Bangalore. The foundation stone was laid by the Hon’ble Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India Shri Anand Sharma on 15th March, 2013. IIP has already started the construction at Bangalore. An institute has also been proposed for Guwahati.
Recently, a foundation stone laying ceremony for a New Educational Complex & International Packaging Centre for B.Tech at IIP Mumbai was done at the hands of Dr. E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, Hon’ble Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Government of India; further to the Ministry of Commerce giving “in principle” approval to the Institute for obtaining the recognition as Deemed University
The facilities & services offered by the Institute are aimed at making existing modes of packaging perform better and developing new packaging to meet the demands of presents and new markets. The diversified activities of Institute encompass the entire spectrum of the packaging including Research, Development, Education, Training, Testing, Information, Exhibition, Design, Publication, Library and Data Base services.
The Institute is closely linked with International Organizations such as World Packaging Organization (WPO) and Asian Packaging Federation (APF). The services are recognized by the UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), ITC (International Trade Center), The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) and the European Economic Community (EEC). IIP laboratories at Mumbai are NABL Accredited and recognized by Bureau of Indian Standards.
