India's Minister of Food Processing Subodh Kant Sahai has said that the government will constitute an advisory panel to examine the problems confronting the food processing industry and the retail chains, and suggest remedies.

He also said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will decide on which ministry will control the Food Regulatory Authority that would be formed to tackle issued like investment hurdles in the law, licensing of contract farming and the food retail business.

Speaking to the media after a CEOs' Round Table on Food Retail organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Sahai said the authority would come into existence once the Bill on the Integrated Food Law gets clearance from Parliament when it meets for the monsoon session.

The Bill seeks to integrate into a common law the 13 food laws currently being enforced by nine different ministries.

P. I. Suvrathan, Secretary, Food Processing, said the food processing sector would ensure higher farm sector growth essential for the desired 8% growth for the economy. The food processing sector is growing at 7.1% annually, the secretary said; the food retail sector has recorded an impressive 20% upward mobility.

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