This increased milk processing capacity in turn will cause rise in demand for equipment. In fact, the total demand for equipment in this sector is likely to increase from Rs 1.5 billion to Rs 3 billion.
Large handling capacities of dairy plant will help to cut down unit cost of the products. At the same time, creating an opportunity for automation and introduction of third generation equipment like continuous cheese making machines, ultrafiltration, vacuum packaging, and portioning machines will become essential.
Milk products industry
One segment of the dairy industry which is likely to be benefited the most is the indigenous milk products industry. The same has not been popular at industrial level so far because of reasons like localised production, unhygienic producer quality, and poor shelf life.
With the recent advancement in dairy equipment, we shall witness continuous / mechanised production lines for products such as rasagolla, gulab-jamun, khoa, peda, ghee, shrikhand, sandesh and so on and packaging machinery for packing these products hygienically to increase shelf life and improve product quality - a definite edge to go global.
Today, it is heartening to mention that India has almost attained self-sufficiency in dairy equipment. Notable gains in recent years include sophisticated equipment like electronic milk tester, evaporating and drying plant, cream separator, plate heat exchanger, homogeniser, small capacity packing machine, instruments and controls, bulk vending units, rail / road milk tankers and know-how to take responsibility for integrated milk projects. Some of the items yet to be made in the country are UHT plant, reverse osmosis, ultra filtration, and packing machines for cheese and butter.
Export of machinery
The dairy machinery manufacturer needs to improve upon the overall quality of the dairy machinery, in terms of selection of the material, design of the machinery, fabrication method and surface finishes. There is a great scope for the export market to different regions like Africa, Nepal, the Middle-East, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, North Yemen, and Iran. At present, the total export of dairy machinery is approximately Rs 2,000 million which could double in next five years.
Potential dairy projects / equipment could be bulk milk cooler at farm level, milking machines – rotary type or herringbone milking parlours, adoption of bactofugation / microfiltration technique for improving the quality of milk, clarifiers for clean milk production, insulated road milk tankers, sanitary milk pumps, medium and large capacity milk storage tank and silos, tube type heat exchanger or pasteuriser instead of plate heat exchanger, triprocess cream separator with self sludge discharge, pneumatic valve and automation in the processing, UHT plant and aseptic packing machine, membrane technology equipment, continuous ice cream and frozen dessert plants, continuous cheese-making plant, continuous ghee-making machine, continuous casein plant, ultra filtration for cheese, shrikhand, yoghurt, whey drinks etc. Mechanisation or continuous production equipment for indigenous dairy products such as khoa, shrikhand, gulab-jamun, rasagolla, paneer, and lassi, automatic CIP system for cleaning of dairy plants, packing machines for cheese, butter, ice cream, milk powder and indigenous dairy products.
Drivers for packaging
Food processing and pharmaceutical industries are the biggest drivers for packaging. The organised retail market is growing and the government is also contemplating to permit FDI in multi-brand retail. The growing middle-class population, rising health-consciousness, competition from the West, are all the boosters for packaging and packaging machinery industry in the country. The current value of the market of the world packaging machinery is around $30.9 billion. Top countries producing packaging machinery are Germany (23%), Italy (16%), Japan (11%), USA (10%) and China (6%), according to VDMA estimates. As for India’s packaging machinery manufacturers market, 95% of is placed in the small and medium sector located all over India.
The imports of India’s food packaging machinery are worth $125 million and the exports are rapidly growing. Though Germany and Italy are the suppliers of packaging machinery to India the focus is now shifting on Taiwan, Korea and China. The high-end machinery is imported from Europe and the low-end ones, which is comparatively cheaper, from China.
Lack of investments
Where producing machinery is concerned, India is producing basic machinery, however, the growing population is giving rise to demand for sophisticated state-of-the-art technology and India lacks in the production of high-end sophisticated technology. One reason for India’s inability to produce advanced technology is that the investments are not taking place.
Also, the fact that the import duty on packaging machinery equipment is around 30% so it is easier to import machinery in India. Yet the imports are low due to the high cost of the machines. However, the increasing investment by both domestic and foreign companies in the Indian food processing sector, especially in beverages, dairy products, processed food, edible oil, and marine products have expanded the market for packaging machinery. With growing awareness Asia, particularly India, is accepting the idea of instant cooking and thus opened the trade gates for the packaged food industry in the country.
Packaged food segment
In India’s packaged food segment, dairy led the market with a share of around 11.2 million tonnes. It
was followed by bakery products (3.5 million tonnes), dried processed food (0.7 million tonnes) and confectionery (0.2 million tonnes). Packaged dairy industry is expected to reach 15.6 million tonnes by 2014, whereas bakery will touch 4.2 million tonnes by 2014. Likewise oils and fats will contribute 2 million tonnes and confectionery 0.4 million tonnes by 2014. Emerging processing methods for dairy and food are largely based on a concept of “minimal processing’ which aims to maintain the natural properties of the food and minimise the amount of preservatives needed, while providing safe, convenient products with the longest possible shelf life.
Consumers have come to expect their food to be safe, nutritious, tasty and convenient; and on the whole the food industry does an excellent job of delivering products which fulfil these criteria. However, the dairy and food industries are being increasingly challenged with additional demands for “fresh,’ ’natural,’ less processed products. This has stepped up development of novel processes which are less damaging to the foods.
Innovative techniques such as microwave heating and infra-red heating are establishing as new methods, but now non-thermal methods such as high pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric field processing (PEF) and the use of power ultrasound are attracting much industrial and R&D interest internationally. Irradiation is now being taken up commercially.
Emerging technologies
Many of the emerging non-thermal processing technologies seem to have even greater potential when combined with conventional thermal processes or other treatments. Well chosen combinations allow for the same reduction of pathogenic bacteria with lower doses of the individual processes applied, and hence at lower cost and with better retention of quality.
It is clear that the future is going to be an exciting one for the food industry. If the emerging minimal processing methods can be optimised, the benefits to consumers as well as processors could be phenomenal, both in terms of the quality and safety of food. The potential to develop more innovative products that are enjoyable to eat, convenient to use, and which satisfy consumers’ desire for more natural foods will become a reality.
