Parbhani, June 28, 2026: Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Shri Chirag Paswan, inaugurated the state-of-the-art Common Incubation Centre (CIC) at the College of Food Technology, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Parbhani, under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India. The centre has been established with financial assistance from MoFPI in collaboration with VNMKV and the State Nodal Agency, Department of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra.
The inaugural programme was attended by Smt. Meghna Sakore-Bordikar, Minister of State and Guardian Minister of Parbhani; Members of Parliament Dr. Ramrao Wadkute and Shri Sanjay Jadhav; Director of Agricultural Processing Planning Shri Vinaykumar Awate; senior government officials; and university dignitaries led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Indra Mani.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Chirag Paswan emphasized that food processing is the key to enhancing farmers' income through value addition, reducing post-harvest losses, and promoting rural entrepreneurship. He highlighted the Government of India's commitment to strengthening the food processing sector under the vision of Viksit Bharat, encouraging quality production, organic farming, and export-oriented value-added agricultural products. He urged students and entrepreneurs to maintain uncompromising quality standards and become job creators rather than job seekers.
In his welcome address, Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Indra Mani stated that only three Common Incubation Centres have been sanctioned in Maharashtra under the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, and VNMKV is proud to host one of them. He noted that the centre is dedicated to promoting rural entrepreneurship and will provide training, technology support, product development, quality testing, business planning, and market linkage to farmers, women, youth, startups, FPOs, and small entrepreneurs.
The newly inaugurated CIC houses three advanced processing lines for jaggery and liquid jaggery production, sugarcane juice and beverage processing, and spice processing, along with a modern Food Testing Laboratory for nutritional, safety, and shelf-life analysis. More than 1,000 beneficiaries have already received training and demonstrations through the centre, which is expected to significantly boost agro-based entrepreneurship and employment in the Marathwada region.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Rajesh Kshirsagar, Associate Dean, College of Food Technology, in the presence of university officials, scientists, farmers, students, alumni, entrepreneurs, and PMFME beneficiaries.
