India ranks second in terms of availability of arable land with 127 diverse agro-climatic zones, having a share of 11.2% of the total arable land in the world. In addition, the resource-rich country has the sixth largest food and grocery market and fifth largest retail market globally. Thus, India can provide a perfect blend of traditional and hygienic food, processed and packaged according to modern technology.
The Food processing industry in India is indigenous because simple home-based techniques such as fermentation have resulted in the creation of worldwide acknowledgment of Indian pickles, papads, chutneys and murabba. The Gross Cropped Area accounting for around 60.3% of the total geographical area stands at 198.4 mn ha, as per the land use statistics (2014-15). In a similar period, the net sown period is 140.1 mn ha, with a cropping intensity of 141.6%.