Food Processing

From agri strength to global growth

Telangana is South India’s agri-processing gateway. Its processors handle nearly 25% of the state’s agri and allied output by value, and the state is set to turn its farm strength into large-scale food businesses.

The ecosystem covers rice and grain milling, dairy, poultry and meat, fruits and vegetables, spices, beverages, edible oils, animal feed, confectionery and ready-to-cook/ready-to-eat (RTC/RTE) foods. Companies here include Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, ITC, Hatsun Agro Products, Mars Petcare, MONIN, Varun Beverages, Parle Agro, Heritage Foods, Amul and Dodla Dairy.

Strong raw-material supply, dedicated processing zones and export potential make Telangana a base for food businesses that want scale and supply-chain depth.

The Telangana Edge

Registered Units

9,160 registered food-processing units

Informal Units

80,000 informal food-processing units

Workforce

132,000 workers

Processing Zones

14 Special Food Processing Zones across 4,172 acres (readily available)

Mega Food Parks

2 Mega Food Parks

Capital Investment

$2.06 billion fixed-capital investment

Exports

50% of Telangana’s agri-export value came from processed foods in 2023–24

Raw Material

Strong raw-material advantage across key agricultural commodities

Strategic Advantages

Industry Presence

Around 9,160 registered and 80,000 informal units span rice and grain milling, dairy, poultry and meat, fruits and vegetables, spices, beverages, edible oils, animal feed, confectionery and RTC/RTE foods.

Skilling Capacity

150+ talent trained each year, supporting the food-processing talent pipeline across food technology, agriculture, dairy technology, microbiology, biotechnology, nutrition, quality assurance, packaging and food engineering.

Key academic: PJTSAU, SKLTSHU, OU, PVNRTVU, MANAGE, IIT Hyderabad, IIIT Hyderabad
Key research institutions: ICAR-IIMR, ICAR-IIRR, ICAR-IIOR, ICAR-NAARM, ICAR-CRIDA, ICAR-DPR, ICAR-NRCM, ICRISAT, NIN, CSIR-CFTRI, CSIR-IICT

An industry delegation calling on the Chief Minister

Ready Infrastructure

The SFPZs offer industrial plots with roads, power, water, drainage and supporting infrastructure.

An industrial park in Telangana, seen from the air

Sector-Specific Parks

Dedicated food-processing infrastructure is available across 14 Special Food Processing Zones with 4,172 acres of readily available industrial land, along with 2 Mega Food Parks.

An investor delegation with the Chief Minister

CoEs & Institutional Collaborations

The ecosystem includes a network of incubation and agripreneurship centres: the ICRISAT Agribusiness Incubator, a-IDEA–NAARM, Ag-Hub, T-Hub, WE-Hub, IIME-Nutrihub and PMFME Incubation Centres at PJTAU Hyderabad, RARS Warangal and RARS Jagtial.

A research and industry delegation with the Chief Minister

Why Investors Choose Telangana

Telangana is strategically positioned as the agri-processing gateway of South India, and the food processing industry processes nearly 25% of the State's agri and allied output by value
Telangana Ranks #1 in India in seeds, and #2 in Rice, sweet orange Red chilli production. The State contributes significantly to national production of lemon, grapes and soybean.
The processed foods accounted for 50% of Telangana's agri-export value in 2023–24.