The Ministry of Food Processing Industries will take up the food industry’s concerns regarding Goods and Services Tax (GST) with the GST Council, according to Union Minister Chirag Paswan. Speaking at a CEO roundtable, Paswan emphasized that the event was organized to allow industry representatives to directly present their challenges and suggestions to government officials.
During the meeting, food industry leaders and government officials engaged in open discussions on key issues, including taxation, ease of doing business, and misleading advertisements. Paswan emphasized the importance of promoting the food processing sector at the state level to position India as a global food product hub.
“There are concerns related to GST rates that we will bring to the GST Council’s attention. The final decision will, of course, rest with the council,” Paswan stated.
The roundtable also saw participation from Minister of State for Food Processing, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Andhra Pradesh’s Industries Minister T G Bharath, and Gujarat’s Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel, along with senior officials from various state and central government departments.
Key issues discussed included the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for chemicals, challenges under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, and concerns over the export of ‘maida’ (refined flour), as wheat exports remain banned. Some industry players also called for addressing the inverted-duty structure and aligning PLI schemes with global market realities.