In an exclusive interaction with AgroSpectrum, Abhishek Das, Head of Business Grains, Bühler India maintains that with annual food grain production exceeding 350 million metric tonne, there is rising demand for scalable, high-performance, and digitally enabled processing infrastructure. While opportunities in exports, particularly in rice and ethnic foods, are expanding, to tap into this potential, the industry must prioritise efficiency, quality, and traceability.

How is Bühler solving the complex issues across the grains and food processing supply chains from process optimisation to hardware support, installation, maintenance, upgrades, and training programmes?

We have a holistic approach to addressing challenges in the grains and food processing value chain. Our solutions span the entire lifecycle of customer operations – from hardware and commissioning to process optimisation, digital upgrades, and long-term services.

In India, our network includes over 200 mobile service engineers and a 24/7 Customer Operations Center (COPC), ensuring prompt assistance across more than 7,000 customer sites. We help maximise uptime through predictive maintenance, remote diagnostics, parts availability, and tailored service programmes.

Beyond equipment, our Research and Training Centre in Bengaluru enables customers to trial raw materials, fine-tune recipes, and upskill their teams with hands-on learning. We also offer structured training modules across areas such as plant automation, food safety, and digital services, empowering processors to achieve long-term efficiency and resilience.

We further drive impact through sustainable solutions, digital platforms such as Bühler Insights, and localised innovations, ensuring efficiency, traceability, and reduced environmental footprint across every stage of the value chain.  

How do you envisage the future of the grain processing industry in India?

India’s grain processing sector is poised for strong growth, driven by record food grain production, urbanisation, evolving consumption patterns, and favourable government programmes such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme and Mega Food Parks.

With annual food grain production exceeding 350 million metric tonne, there is rising demand for scalable, high-performance, and digitally enabled processing infrastructure. Opportunities in exports, particularly in rice and ethnic foods, are expanding, but to tap into this potential, the industry must prioritise efficiency, quality, and traceability. We foresee a transformation towards data-driven, energy-efficient operations that meet both domestic and global benchmarks.

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