India’s food supply chain needs faster logistics, better data, artificial intelligence and biotechnology to reduce post-harvest losses and withstand growing climate and supply pressures, industry experts said at Anuga FoodTec 2026.
Industry experts discussed the topic at a panel titled Reimagining India’s Food Supply Chain, moderated by Bhushan Namdeorao Yengade, founder of Binder Technology Consultancy. The panel featured Vijay Nagaria, head of supply chain at Drums Food International; Shankar Kausley of TCS Research; and Parama Bhadra of BASF.
The discussion highlighted a fundamental challenge: India is among the world’s largest food producers, yet its supply chain remains highly fragmented, particularly for perishables.
“The food supply chain is fragmented,” Nagaria said, summing up the challenge.
Speed is critical for perishables
For premium dairy companies, the challenge is particularly acute because product quality deteriorates rapidly.
Nagaria said Drums Food International, which operates the Epigamia brand, manufactures at a single plant and supplies 104 cities. Its products typically have a 30-day shelf life, but only about nine days are commercially usable.
“Supply chain isn’t just back-end support. It is the core differentiator of what the brand stands for,” he said.
The company has built a rapid distribution network that can move products from its manufacturing facility to Mumbai in 36 hours, Bengaluru in 24 hours, Chennai in 32 hours, Kolkata in 48 hours and Siliguri in 72 hours.
Its production-to-retail cycle is designed around seven days, with manufacturing, dispatch, warehousing and retail delivery tightly coordinated.
But logistics alone cannot solve the problem. Nagaria said the next priority is improving demand forecasting.
The company has accumulated around 10 years of sales data covering approximately 25,000 outlets. The data is used to generate weekly forecasts, which are then adjusted by supply-chain teams based on current market conditions.
Nagaria said forecasting accuracy is currently around 80%-90%, helping reduce waste in a highly perishable category.
AI needs better data
Kausley cautioned against treating AI as a quick fix.
“AI is still very nascent when it comes to applications in food,” he said, adding that reliable data must come first.
He said food companies need to move beyond basic forecasting toward digital models capable of predicting how products behave throughout the supply chain.
Fruits and vegetables, he noted, are living systems, with temperature, humidity and storage conditions continuously affecting their quality.
Kausley cited potatoes as an example. Potatoes destined for chips require specific quality parameters, including controlled sugar levels, while the same crop may have different requirements for other applications.
Digital models could help companies predict these changes and determine whether produce should be stored longer, redirected to another application or moved to a different market.
The objective, he said, is simple: “Measure, predict and intervene.”
Biotechnology can buffer supply shocks
Bhadra said biotechnology could provide another layer of resilience by complementing agricultural production.
Fermentation technology can produce naturally occurring molecules without relying entirely on agricultural harvests that are vulnerable to climate and supply disruptions, she said.
She cited valencene, a citrus-derived flavor molecule, as an example of the pressure placed on agricultural resources. Producing one kilogram can require a very large quantity of oranges, making supply vulnerable to fluctuations in citrus production.
“Fermentation is to complement agriculture, the raw material supply chain, and improve the resilience of the overall supply chain,” Bhadra said.
The approach could become increasingly important as climate change puts pressure on crops and critical food ingredients, she added.
Consumer trust becomes a supply-chain issue
The panel also identified changing consumer expectations as a major force reshaping food supply chains.
Consumers are increasingly demanding information on ingredients, production methods, sustainability, pesticide residues and ethical sourcing.
Bhadra said traceability and sustainability had moved beyond marketing considerations and were increasingly becoming requirements from buyers.
This is putting pressure on companies to provide greater transparency across the value chain, from farm-level production through processing and retail.
“Consumer is the king,” she said, arguing that scientists, farmers, research institutions and policymakers must work together to build systems around consumer trust.
The panel concluded that increasing agricultural production alone will not address India’s food-loss problem. The industry will also need better post-harvest infrastructure, faster logistics, more accurate demand forecasting, precision agriculture, digital monitoring and alternative technologies for critical ingredients.
For Kausley, the opportunity lies in connecting these technologies across the supply chain rather than applying them at individual points.
For Bhadra, biotechnology can strengthen natural agricultural systems rather than replace them.
For Nagaria, the immediate priority remains execution: moving perishable products quickly and reliably from production to consumers across a fragmented market.
India’s next food-supply-chain advantage, the panel suggested, will come not simply from producing more, but from measuring better, predicting earlier, and intervening faster.
