352 Women Employed in Jammu Kashmir Food-processing MSMEs | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has 352 women directly employed in food-processing MSMEs, while 5,573 women-owned enterprises in the sector have been registered from the Union Territory since July 2020, according to data placed in the Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

The figures were shared in response to an unstarred question by KR Suresh Reddy, with Minister of State Ravneet Singh stating that the government is supporting women entrepreneurs in food processing through schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana, the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry and the PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises scheme.

At the national level, the data show significant variation across states in women’s employment in food-processing industries. Tamil Nadu recorded one of the highest figures with 48,941 women directly employed, while Andhra Pradesh reported 50,454, Kerala 38,727 and Karnataka 21,213. In contrast, the number of women employed in the sector in Jammu and Kashmir stands at 352. Among Union Territories, Ladakh reported nine women employed while Lakshadweep reported none.

In terms of women-owned MSMEs engaged in manufacturing food products, Maharashtra leads nationally with 2,74,789 enterprises registered on the Udyam portal between July 2020 and February 2026. It is followed by Tamil Nadu with 1,79,169 units, Andhra Pradesh with 86,626 and Uttar Pradesh with 76,523. Jammu and Kashmir reported 5,573 women-owned MSMEs in the food-manufacturing sector during the same period.

The government informed Parliament that under the PMFME scheme, women entrepreneurs and members of Self-Help Groups are eligible for seed capital grants of up to Rs 40,000 per member and credit-linked grants of 35 per cent of project cost with a ceiling of Rs 10 lakh for setting up food-processing enterprises. Training, incubation and technical support are also provided through institutions such as the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management at Kundli, Haryana, and its campus at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.