The mithai and namkeen industry, which has been recording a healthy double-digit growth annually, has achieved the milestone of one lakh crore in turnover, according to Virender Jain, President, Federation of Sweets & Namkeen Manufacturers (FSNM).

The association, in collaboration with Almond House, will host the third World Mithai Namkeen Convention at Hitex, Madhapur, in the city on January 9 and 10.

According to Firoz H Naqvi, Director of FSNM, but for issues related to different slabs of GST, food safety and other compliances, the industry could have performed much better.

The time to modernise and prepare for future challenges had arrived for the mithai and namkeen industry, which was one of the oldest businesses in the country.

"Today namkeen can be found in every nook and corner, from a small village to every mandir, dargah or gurudwara,'' said Naqvi, and added that the industry had more than a lakh manufacturers across the country doing homogenous business, even though a majority of them were not counted in the total turnover of the organised business category, he said in a statement.

The industry employs more than one crore people directly and many more indirectly. It is the biggest buyer of raw materials such as flour, besan, sugar, ghee, oils and spices.

A modern sweet arcade was structurally similar to a big jewellery shop; indicating the growth of the industry in the premium league. Almond House, Bikanerwala, Asha Sweets, Haldirams, A2B and many other brands had invested hugely in showrooms to give customers a world-class experience.

Companies such as Haldirams, Balaji, Bikano, Bikaji, Yellow Diamond and Cornitos had extended their footprint overseas also.

Chaitanya Muppala, Director, Almond House; Dora Raju, proprietor, Olive Mithai; Harish Ramani, Director, Karachi Bakery; and Chetan Agwarwal, Director, Bikaneerwala, who participated in a curtain raiser event in the city, said about 500 types of mithai, namkeen and savories were sold in the country. The branded segment was growing at 25 per cent per annum, and the market as a whole at 10-12 per cent, he said.

Namkeen consumption was high in the western and northern states, while the southern states had also picked up.

More than 3,000 manufacturers were expected to attend the two-day convention and exhibition, which would have approximately 150 stalls displaying different kinds of technologies, packaging materials, raw materials and ingredients. Participants from 10 countries, including Nepal and Bangladesh, were expected to attend the event.

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