Chirag Paswan calls food processors to PMFME Conclave 2026 in Delhi
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
India's micro food processing sector gets its biggest annual gathering next week — and Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan wants every producer, entrepreneur, and industry player in the room. On Friday, 21 August 2026, the minister announced the PMFME Conclave 2026, a two-day knowledge-and-networking summit scheduled for 24–25 August 2026 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
Posting in Hindi, Paswan described the event as 'ज्ञान, नवाचार और नए अवसरों का संगम' — 'a confluence of knowledge, innovation, and new opportunities' — in the food processing sector. The conclave will feature expert-led sessions, industry networking, and the PMFME Bazaar, a dedicated marketplace connecting attendees with local products from across the country.
What the PMFME scheme is, and why this conclave matters
The Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme was launched in 2020 as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat package. Its core mandate: pull India's vast, largely unorganised micro food processing sector into the formal economy by offering credit linkages, technical training, and marketing support to small units and farmer producer organisations.
The sector's challenge is structural. Post-harvest losses remain a persistent drag on agricultural income, and most value addition happens outside any formal framework — meaning producers miss out on credit, quality certification, and larger markets. PMFME was designed to close that gap, and conclaves like this one serve as the scheme's on-ground engine: a space where policy updates meet market connections and technology access.
PMFME Bazaar: local products, national stage
The PMFME Bazaar component of the conclave is particularly significant for small producers. By bringing local food products under one roof in the capital, the bazaar offers micro-enterprises a rare direct line to buyers, distributors, and policymakers — the kind of visibility that is otherwise difficult to build from a district-level unit. Paswan's post specifically called on participants to 'learn, connect, and move forward towards new possibilities in the food processing sector.'
Watch for state-level participation figures and any credit-linkage announcements that emerge from the two-day programme — those numbers will signal how far the scheme's formalisation push has actually reached ground level.