A STUDY TO UNDERSTAND THE ENTERPRISE CHALLENGES IN SMALL SCALE AGRO-FOOD PROCESSING FIRMS

Agro food processing sector has drawn a great attention in the recent past. One side it is helping to Increase shelf-life of agro food products and other side it is creating the space to meet the demand of current dynamic market. Changing life style, Increasing nuclear family culture and less availability of time to cook food, has emerged as a big opportunity to food processing industry in India with almost 70 % contribution to its retail sector. Increasing demand for food processing products has given a rise to the number of firms operating in the sector however; many small firms find it difficult to survive for longer term. Due to lack of expertise, exposure and resources, small firms face many challenges in their way. This study endeavours to understand the enterprise challenges specifically faced by small scale agro-food processing firms. The supported data will be collected from fruits and vegetable processing firms registered with Pune District Industries Centre (DIC). Descriptive research methodology will be used and hypothesis will be tested through collected data with the help of T-test statistical tool to draw the conclusion