India’s food industry stands at a decisive inflection point. Evolving consumer expectations, post-pandemic structural resets, and the mounting pressure to scale with speed, precision, and global relevance are reshaping the sector. In this environment, automation has moved beyond the margins. It now sits at the core of competitive strategy, transforming packaging, processing, and manufacturing operations into engines of efficiency, consistency, and resilience.
This in-depth conversation examines how automation is actively redefining the industry’s growth trajectory. It traces the shift in entrepreneurial mindset toward technology-led decision-making and unpacks the structural forces accelerating adoption across the value chain. The discussion further underscores the catalytic role of industry associations in building awareness, strengthening skills, and aligning policy frameworks. It also evaluates India’s rising potential as a global exporter of automation machinery. Taken together, these insights present a pragmatic yet forward-looking view of how automation will shape the future of India’s food and beverage ecosystem.
In an exclusive interaction with The Interview World at Indusfood Manufacturing 2026, Sunil Mehta, President of the Automation Industry Association, offers a comprehensive perspective on these themes. He outlines the automation-driven growth path of India’s food industry, explains how entrepreneurs are integrating advanced technologies into their operations, details the structured handholding his association provides to support this transition, and assesses the export readiness of Indian automation solutions. What follows are the key takeaways from a timely and thought-provoking conversation.
Q: How do you see the growth trajectory of the Indian food industry, particularly with respect to automation?
A: In my view, the Indian food industry is rapidly embracing automation. In the post-COVID period, the sector has undergone significant structural shifts, with packaging emerging as a primary beneficiary of large-scale automation adoption. At the same time, the food processing segment continues to expand steadily; however, it remains substantially under-automated. As a result, the industry presents a compelling opportunity for deeper integration of advanced automation technologies, including robotics, across food processing operations.
Q: How resilient are Indian entrepreneurs in adopting technology and automation within their businesses?
A: When it comes to entrepreneurship and industry adoption, large enterprises are already embracing automation at scale. Leading players in segments such as dairy, biscuits, and other packaged foods have made significant investments in automated systems. However, a vast portion of the industry consists of small and medium enterprises, where owners have historically been less prepared to adopt advanced automation. This hesitation has been driven largely by the ready availability of manpower.
That said, the situation is gradually changing. While the adoption of robotics in the food industry remains relatively limited compared to sectors such as automotive, where automation, robotics, and digitalization are deeply entrenched, the food sector is steadily closing the gap. Looking ahead, the outlook is highly promising. With expanding market opportunities, supportive government policies, and initiatives such as the PLI schemes, automation is poised to be adopted across the food industry in a far more significant and accelerated manner in the coming years.
Q: What kind of handholding does your association provide to entrepreneurs?
A: At the Automation Industry Association, we partner closely with stakeholders across the ecosystem to promote automation holistically, independent of any specific brand. In doing so, we actively engage food and beverage manufacturers, machine builders, and end users to accelerate awareness and adoption.
In parallel, the Association works with government bodies on policy formulation while also advancing strong campus-connect initiatives. Through sustained collaboration with universities and academic institutions, we focus on third- and fourth-year engineering students to build early and practical exposure to automation technologies.
Our efforts emphasize core automation components such as PLCs, HMIs, variable frequency drives, servo systems, robotics, CNC controllers, and sensors. By systematically introducing these technologies, we enable students to develop a deep and practical understanding of automation. Consequently, when they graduate with degrees in electronics, instrumentation, computer science, or related disciplines, they possess a strong grasp of both software and hardware fundamentals—the essential building blocks of modern automation systems.
Q: How do you see the export potential of Indian automation machinery in the near future?
A: At present, the food and beverage industry relies largely on imported machinery, primarily from countries such as Germany, the United States, and Japan. However, this dynamic is beginning to shift. In recent years, a gradual but clear trend has emerged in which Indian machine manufacturers have started exporting their equipment, driven by increased adoption of automation.
At the same time, machine quality has improved significantly, supported by the availability of highly skilled engineers and capable technology providers. Taken together, these factors position the industry for growth in exports. Nevertheless, while the direction is positive, the pace of this transition is expected to remain measured rather than rapid in the near term.
