A district-level awareness program focusing on the Prime Minister Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme took place today in the conference hall of the Tourism & Civil Aviation department. Organized by the Commerce & Industries department, the program aimed to reach out to local entrepreneurs, self-help groups (SHGs), cooperative societies, and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to inspire them to venture into the food-processing sector and avail the benefits offered by the PMFME scheme under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
Approximately 80 individuals, including local entrepreneurs, SHG members from SRLM and NULM, FPOs, and cooperative society members, attended the program, as stated in a press release.
During the event, the Deputy Secretary of MSME emphasized the significance of agriculture and value addition through food processing. He encouraged locals to take advantage of various government schemes available to them. The State Lead Project Manager for PMFME provided a detailed presentation on the scheme and its associated benefits.
Under the PMFME scheme, individual food processing entrepreneurs, SHGs, FPOs, and cooperative societies can access a 35% subsidy-linked loan. The scheme also offers a 50% grant for branding and marketing and full funding for training. SHG members engaged in food processing businesses are eligible for a seed capital of Rs. 40,000.
The Deputy Secretary of MSME also highlighted the importance of various registrations for food businesses, such as UDYAM registration and FSSAI licensing.
In order to motivate the participants to take up food processing businesses and utilize the benefits provided by the scheme, success stories of PMFME beneficiaries were shared through videos. The Managing Director of Singtam GFPF encouraged women entrepreneurs to step forward and seize the opportunities offered by the PMFME scheme.
The Director of MSME delivered an extensive presentation on potential food processing businesses in Sikkim and urged the participants to explore new products, attractive packaging, branding, and marketing through both offline and online channels.
The Commerce & Industries department provides marketing and branding support to local entrepreneurs, as mentioned in the press release.
