Business
05 Aug, 2026
Bengal minister bats for food processing, stronger market linkages to raise farmers' income
Business To Business, New Delhi, 05 August, 2026: Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday called for strengthening food processing, post-harvest management and market linkages to increase farmers' incomes, saying West Bengal should move beyond selling raw agricultural produce.
Speaking at a summit organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) and ThinkAg, Ghosh said that value addition through processing agricultural produce could significantly improve returns for farmers.
He highlighted crops such as:
- Potatoes
- Bananas
- Tomatoes
- Pineapples
and said that processing these products would help farmers earn better prices.
Ghosh, who also serves as the
Panchayats & Rural Development Minister, stressed the need to:
- Expand storage and cold-chain infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses.
- Strengthen market linkages for agricultural produce.
- Promote mechanisation in farming.
- Encourage the use of quality inputs.
- Increase adoption of scientific farming practices and modern technologies.
According to the minister, improving processing capacity and agricultural infrastructure will help reduce wastage, create greater value from farm produce and contribute to higher and more sustainable incomes for farmers.