Subodh Kant Sahai is a man known to have donned different hats. In charge of the ministry for food processing industries, he believes that the industry's growth is remarkable and real. In conversation with Justin Thomas, he speaks about how the sector would be a focus and the effects it will cast on rural India.

What are the major infrastructure initiatives of your ministry?

INDIA'S tea production has gone up, and so has its consumption in the country. However China still beats India in tea consumption. However, India can take advantage of its increase in tea output and bridge the gap as a result of lower production in Kenya which is affected by political problems. According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), minimum quality standards and improved strategies would help countries like India, Vietnam, etc which have overproduction.

recently, several food products enriched with friendly bacteria have hit markets in India. The latest entrant, Yakult Danone's probiotic drink, claims that the lactose digesting bacteria added to

Just over a decade after scientists cloned the first animal, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared that meat and milk from cloned farm animals are safe to eat. The announcement

Beware before you pick up chyawanprash from a drug store. The most popular brands of this ayurvedic tonic has artificial sweeteners, which have unconscionable side-effects. On January 11, 2008,

Two years ago, Parliament passed the food safety act. Till date the union health ministry has not notified the law in full, nor has it formulated rules under the act. Instead, the ministry has now signed an agreement with the us to draw up standards for import and export of food and medicine.