New Delhi: The Odisha government received investment proposals worth Rs 43,437 crore with the potential to create 43,316 employment opportunities on the first day of its two-day roadshow in New Delhi on Friday.
The proposals were secured at ‘Odisha Food Pro 2026’, the state’s first sector-focused investment roadshow with a two-day investment outreach programme in the national capital.
Led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the event was attended by Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain, Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) Hemant Sharma, and senior officials. Representatives of ASSOCHAM, and over 300 industry leaders, food processing associations, entrepreneurs, investors and business delegates from across the country were present at the event.
Officials said the roadshow saw the signing of 27 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) involving a proposed investment of Rs 41,748 crore, with the potential to generate 35,252 employment opportunities, reaffirming growing industry confidence in Odisha’s food processing ecosystem. In addition, the Government of Odisha received 12 Investment Intent Forms (IIFs) involving a proposed investment of Rs 1,689 crore, with the potential to generate 8,064 employment opportunities.
Cumulatively, on the first day of the roadshow, the state government secured total investment proposals worth Rs 43,437 crore, with the potential to create 43,316 employment opportunities, reflecting strong investor confidence in the state’s rapidly emerging food processing ecosystem.
Addressing the industry leaders, the Chief Minister said Odisha is no longer looking at food processing only as an industrial sector but as a route to economic transformation that directly benefits farmers, fishermen, women entrepreneurs, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations and rural enterprises.
The aim is to ensure that every major agricultural and marine product produced in Odisha is increasingly processed within the state, creating higher incomes for producers while generating sustainable employment for youth, he said.
“Food processing is not merely another industry. It is the bridge between our farmers’ prosperity, rural transformation and Odisha’s industrial future. Every investment in this sector creates value at the farm, generates employment in villages, strengthens exports and builds a stronger economy. Odisha is ready to become India’s preferred destination for food processing, and I invite industry to partner with us in this journey,” Majhi said.
Projecting Odisha’s inherent strengths, the Chief Minister said the state offers investors a unique combination of abundant raw materials, ten agro-climatic zones, a 575-kilometre coastline, thriving fisheries, expanding port infrastructure, improving logistics connectivity and one of India’s most investor-friendly policy environments. He emphasised that these natural and institutional advantages provide industries with a complete ecosystem from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing, exports and global market access.
The Chief Minister also unveiled a long-term roadmap centred on five strategic pillars: creation of specialised food processing clusters, expansion of integrated cold-chain and warehousing infrastructure, strengthening food quality and certification systems, deeper integration of FPOs, MSMEs and women Self-Help Groups with organised industry, and development of a globally competitive skilled workforce. These interventions would enable Odisha to emerge as a major hub for value-added food manufacturing in the coming decade, he said.