9OCTOBER 2025GODREJ AGROVET SIGNS 960 CR MoU TO BOOST FOOD PROCESSINGINDIA SHOULD LEAD RARE EARTH OUTPUT, SAYS PRESIDENT MURMUPresident Droupadi Murmu mentioned the importance of India taking care of its needs completely in the production of rare earth elements (REEs), citing the present geopolitical scenario and the country's dream of becoming a developed nation.During her speech at the National Geoscience Awards 2024, President Murmu said that REEs self-sufficiency will not only result in a robust national security system but also empower India to take a leading position in the investment of 960 crore in establishing world-class manufacturing infrastructure and an R&D center for food processing.The announcement underscores the company's strategy to strengthen its presence and grow in India's dynamic food processing sector. It has attracted growth potential from not only MoFPI but the broader industry as the government enhances the resilience of the entire agri-food ecosystem and encourages food processing through investments.Godrej Agrovet's investment in R&D and manufacturing capabilities is a statement of intent to develop the innovation agenda and to add value within the sector.Commenting on the significance of this partnership, Rakesh Swami, Group President ­ Corporate Affairs, Godrej Industries Group, expressed that the MoU is about a shared vision with MoFPI to not only grow food processing capacity but also shift the dialogue around packaged foods. Rakesh added that the government is taking an innovation-led growth path, and it's time for the industry to step up the pace of investments.This will position Godrej Agrovet as a strategic player in India's ambition in establishing a global food processing center and to support the national objective of developing a strong agri-food ecosystem for the future. worldwide tech and energy sectors. On the one hand, she explained that rare earths are not rare, still, their detection, and obtaining is a very complicated process. To master these difficulties, she added, it will be important to have our own set of standards.She also talked about the rising demand for REEs in the context of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and clean energy technologies, giving examples of their use in smartphones, electric vehicles, and wind power generation.The President appreciated the Ministry of Mines for the zeal shown in sustainability, innovation, and in the adoption of the likes of AI, machine learning, and drones for surveys in the mining sector. She pointed out the ministry's commitment for green environmental protection through its emphasis on the extraction of recoverable minerals from mine tailings.Murmu also mentioned disasters. She was very sad about the cloudbursts and landslides that happened this year causing a lot of destruction. She feels that the geoscientific community should take the problem of floods, landslides, earthquakes, and tsunamis more seriously and develop such technologies which would send alerts to the public at the very moment these disasters are about to happen. Godrej Agrovet has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India, a significant milestone in building the food processing ecosystem in India.The MoU was signed on the sidelines of World Food India 2025 and lays the groundwork for an anticipated
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