Investigating the barriers to growth in the Indian food processing sector

The Indian food processing sector (IFPS) has a tremendous capability for growth that can improve the socio-economic conditions of the rural masses. The performance of this sector is lagging behind substantially when compared to other developing nations. This study aims to identify growth barriers at different supply chain (SC) stages in the IFPS. Delphi analysis is performed to find out the barriers in the IFPS. Eighteen growth barriers have been found through expert opinion and extensive literature review spanning across three supply chain tiers: farm level, distribution level, and the consumer level. Further, to prioritize and identify the relative importance of various barriers, the analytic hierarchy process is employed. The results show that the top growth barriers in IFPS are—the lack of standardization and quality in the processed food, rain-dependent farming, and the high cost of cold chain facilities. The novel contribution of this study lies in capturing the intricacies of growth barriers in IFPS in an integrated manner across different SC tiers. Interactions between the identified drivers are important to both practitioners and researchers in understanding and driving process, quality, and technology improvements. Finally, the results also throw light on prioritized areas of concern that can be a game-changer for policymakers in India and other developing nations.