Navratan Chutney
Navratan Chutney
A flavourful blend of raw mangoes, dried fruits and traditional Indian spices, offering a delicious balance of sweet, tangy and spicy flavours. Prepared in small batches for an authentic, homestyle chutney experience.
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The Forgotten Ingredient: Why Food Quality Begins Long Before Processing
FOOD QUALITY & AGRICULTURE · 6 MIN READ Food quality is often evaluated at the point where a product is processed, packaged or tested. However, the foundation of that quality is established much earlier. Seed selection, soil conditions, cultivation practices, harvesting, post-harvest handling and storage all influence the characteristics of agricultural produce before it reaches a processing facility. As food systems become more sophisticated, quality management is increasingly moving upstream—from testing the finished product to understanding and controlling the conditions that shape the raw material itself. BEFORE THE FACTORY The raw material sets the foundation Processing can improve consistency, extend shelf life and make agricultural products suitable for consumption at scale. It cannot, however, completely compensate for poor-quality raw material. A grain affected by improper storage, a pulse exposed to excessive moisture, an oilseed handled poorly after harvest or a spice contaminated during transportation carries those risks into subsequent stages of the value chain. This makes agricultural sourcing an important component of food-quality management. Quality is not simply a characteristic created inside a factory; it is the cumulative outcome of decisions made throughout the journey from farm to processing. This makes agricultural sourcing an important component of food-quality management. Quality is not simply a characteristic created inside a factory; it is the cumulative outcome of decisions made throughout the journey from farm to processing. THE HIDDEN LIFE OF A GRAIN Harvest is not the end of quality management Once a crop is harvested, it remains biologically active. Moisture content, temperature, humidity, exposure to pests and the conditions under which the crop is stored can all influence its quality. For grains and pulses, inadequate drying or storage can create conditions favourable to microbial growth and deterioration. In oilseeds, poor handling can affect both the raw material and the quality of the oil produced from it. This is why post-harvest management is not merely a logistical function. It is a critical part of food-quality preservation. The period between harvest and processing can determine whether the value created on the farm is preserved—or gradually lost. PROCESSING IS NOT THE ENEMY The real question is how food is processed Food processing is frequently discussed as though processing itself determines whether a product is good or bad. In reality, the more relevant questions concern what is being processed, how it is processed, and why a particular process is used. Different foods require different levels of intervention. Cleaning, grading, milling, drying, extraction, filtration and packaging can all serve legitimate technological purposes. The objective of responsible food processing is to achieve the required safety, stability and consistency while maintaining the inherent characteristics of the raw material wherever possible. For consumers, this distinction is important. “Processed” is not synonymous with “poor quality,” just as “natural” does not automatically mean “safe or superior.” THE QUALITY CHAIN Every stage leaves a mark Food quality can be viewed as a chain rather than a single checkpoint. It begins with the agricultural input and continues through cultivation, harvesting, aggregation, transportation, storage, processing, packaging and distribution. A weakness at any stage can influence the final product. This is why modern food-quality systems increasingly focus on preventive controls rather than relying exclusively on final-product inspection. Testing the finished product remains essential. But testing alone cannot replace good agricultural practices, hygienic handling, controlled storage and documented sourcing. A stronger system combines all of these layers. WHEN TRACEABILITY BECOMES IMPORTANT Can the food be traced back to where it began? Traceability provides visibility across the supply chain. When agricultural products move through multiple intermediaries, collection points and processing facilities, maintaining a clear record of their origin becomes more complex. For quality teams, traceability can help identify where a problem occurred and enable faster investigation when an issue is detected. Digital records, batch identification, laboratory testing and supply-chain documentation are increasingly becoming part of this process. The objective is not simply to know where a product was sold. It is to establish a clearer connection between the raw material, its source and the stages through which it moved. TECHNOLOGY MEETS TRADITION The future of food quality is not necessarily about choosing one over the other Modern food systems increasingly combine scientific testing with traditional agricultural knowledge. Technologies such as laboratory analysis, digital traceability, remote monitoring and data-based quality management can provide information that was previously difficult to obtain. At the same time, traditional crop varieties, local processing practices and farmer knowledge continue to hold value within agricultural systems. The opportunity lies in integrating these strengths rather than treating them as opposing approaches. Technology can provide measurement and visibility. Traditional knowledge can provide context developed through generations of agricultural experience. Together, they can contribute to a more resilient food system. THE TESTING LAYER What consumers cannot see, laboratories can measure Food quality cannot always be evaluated through appearance, aroma or taste. Laboratory testing can examine parameters that are not visible to consumers, including moisture, contaminants, residues, microbial safety and other quality indicators relevant to specific food products. This analytical layer provides an important verification mechanism within the food system. However, testing should function as part of a broader quality-assurance framework. A laboratory report represents a particular sample at a particular point in time. Consistent quality therefore requires the systems surrounding that sample to be equally robust. THE FARMER-LEVEL FOUNDATION Quality begins with the people who grow the food Farmers are the first participants in the food-quality chain. Seed selection, cultivation practices, harvesting methods and post-harvest handling directly influence the quality of agricultural commodities. Yet farmers often operate within complex markets where they have limited visibility into what happens to their produce after aggregation. Farmer Producer Organisations can help strengthen this connection by enabling farmers to participate more collectively in aggregation, grading, storage and market access. For food companies, stronger relationships with organised farmer groups can also improve sourcing visibility and create greater continuity in the supply chain. WHY SHORTER CHAINS CAN MATTER Fewer unknown steps can mean greater visibility A shorter supply chain does not automatically guarantee higher quality. But fewer unexplained hand-offs can make a supply chain easier to understand, document and monitor. Direct relationships with farmer collectives can provide greater visibility into sourcing practices while allowing quality requirements to be communicated more clearly at the origin. For consumers, this creates something increasingly valuable: a clearer agricultural story behind the product they purchase. THE BMS NATURALS CONNECTION Keeping the agricultural story visible At BMS Naturals, the Farm-to-Fork approach places greater emphasis on the connection between agricultural communities, sourcing and the final food product. The organisation works with Farmer Producer Organisations and farmer collectives across Uttar Pradesh, creating a more direct link between agricultural production and food businesses. Its sourcing approach includes products such as grains, pulses, honey and oilseeds. The same principle extends to processing. For example, mustard and groundnut oils are pressed in-house rather than being sourced as pre-blended stock from unknown mills. This creates an additional layer of visibility between the raw material and the finished product. The larger objective is not simply to shorten the supply chain. It is to make the journey of food more visible—from the people who cultivate it to the processes through which it reaches consumers. “Food quality is not created at the end of the supply chain. It is protected at every stage that comes before it.” THE ROAD AHEAD From checking food to building better food systems The future of food quality will depend increasingly on how effectively different parts of the food system work together. Agricultural practices, post-harvest management, scientific testing, processing technology, traceability and responsible sourcing cannot operate as isolated functions. They form an interconnected system in which every stage contributes to the final outcome. For consumers, this means that food quality may increasingly become less about a single label or certificate and more about the transparency of the system behind the product. For the food industry, the direction is clear: quality must move upstream. The most reliable food systems will not simply test what reaches the factory. They will understand where it came from, how it was handled, how it was processed and how every stage contributed to the product ultimately reaching the consumer.
India’s Edible Oil Challenge: Why Oilseed Self-Reliance Matters for the Future of Food
AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY · 6 MIN READ India’s edible oil story is no longer just about what goes into our kitchens. It is about farmers, imports, food prices, agricultural resilience and the future of India’s food system. As demand continues to grow, strengthening domestic oilseed production has become increasingly important. THE BIG PICTURE Why edible oil matters more than we realise Every Indian kitchen depends on edible oil, but much of the country’s requirement is still connected to global markets. This means that changes in international prices, weather conditions, shipping costs and geopolitical disruptions can eventually affect something as ordinary as cooking oil. India already has a strong foundation of oilseed cultivation. Mustard, groundnut, soybean, sunflower, sesame and other oilseeds are grown across different agricultural regions. The challenge is not simply to grow more—it is to create a stronger system around these crops, from better seeds and farm practices to aggregation, processing and market access. Building domestic oilseed capacity can therefore strengthen both farmers and consumers while making the food supply chain more resilient. THE NUMBERS The scale of India’s oilseed challenge India’s oilseed production has been increasing, but domestic production still needs to expand significantly to meet the country’s growing requirement. 39 million tonnesPrimary oilseed production recorded in 2022–23, forming the baseline for India’s national self-reliance target. 69.7 million tonnesThe production target set for 2030–31 under the National Mission on Edible Oils–Oilseeds. 430.59 lakh tonnesIndia’s estimated oilseed production in 2025–26, compared with 396.69 lakh tonnes in 2023–24. The numbers point to an important reality: India has the agricultural base to strengthen its oilseed economy, but achieving long-term self-reliance will require improvements across the entire value chain. THE OILSEED OPPORTUNITY From a commodity crop to a stronger value chain Oilseeds can create value at several stages beyond cultivation. Better seed varieties can improve productivity. Scientific farm practices can help farmers manage crops more efficiently. Collective aggregation can give farmers stronger access to markets. Local processing can keep more value within rural economies. This shift matters because farmers should not have to remain disconnected from the stages that follow production. When oilseeds are aggregated, graded, processed and marketed through organised systems, farmers and FPOs can become more closely connected to the final value chain. The result is not simply more oil. It is a more integrated agricultural ecosystem. FROM SEED TO OIL What a stronger oilseed ecosystem needs BETTER SEEDS Improved seed quality and access to suitable varieties can play an important role in increasing productivity and making oilseed cultivation more reliable across different regions. BETTER FARM PRACTICES Weather information, soil management, pest surveillance and scientific crop advisory can help farmers make better decisions throughout the growing season. COLLECTIVE AGGREGATION Individual farmers often produce relatively small quantities. FPOs can aggregate produce, improve market access and create stronger links between farming communities and organised buyers. LOCAL PROCESSING Processing oilseeds closer to production centres can reduce unnecessary movement, create rural employment and allow more value to remain within agricultural communities. THE POLICY SHIFT Building domestic capacity India’s National Mission on Edible Oils–Oilseeds places greater emphasis on increasing oilseed production and strengthening the wider value chain. The mission aims to increase primary oilseed production substantially by 2030–31, while developing hundreds of value-chain clusters around oilseed-producing regions. The larger objective is not simply to increase acreage. It is to improve productivity, strengthen processing infrastructure and create better connections between farmers, markets and consumers. For Indian agriculture, that represents a shift from simply producing a crop to building a complete ecosystem around it. THE TECHNOLOGY LAYER When agricultural intelligence reaches the farmer Technology is becoming another important part of the oilseed story. Digital advisory platforms can provide farmers with information about weather, crop management, pests and cultivation practices at a time when those decisions matter most. The introduction of Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra, a multilingual, 24×7 WhatsApp-based AI advisory service, reflects how agricultural knowledge is increasingly becoming accessible through everyday digital tools. Technology cannot replace farming knowledge or experience. But when timely scientific information reaches the farmer at the right moment, it can become a powerful addition to traditional agricultural decision-making. THE ROLE OF FPOS Strengthening the link between farmer and market An oilseed does not become valuable only when it reaches a processing unit. The strength of the value chain begins much earlier—with the farmer. Farmer Producer Organizations can bring individual farmers together, helping them aggregate produce, access markets and participate more effectively in organised agricultural value chains. For oilseeds, this collective approach can be especially important. Instead of farmers operating separately, FPOs can help create a more coordinated journey from cultivation to aggregation, processing and sale. The stronger the connection between farmer and market, the greater the opportunity to build a transparent and resilient agricultural system. A SHORTER CHAIN CAN CREATE A STRONGER CONNECTION The future of edible oil security is not only about producing more oilseeds. It is about creating stronger connections between the farmer who grows them and the family that eventually consumes them. A resilient food system depends on what happens between those two points. THE BMS NATURALS CONNECTION From farmer collectives to the kitchen BMS Naturals follows a Farm-to-Fork approach that places farmers and agricultural communities closer to the consumer journey. The model focuses on working with Farmer Producer Organizations and building stronger connections between farming communities, agricultural products and households. The same principle becomes particularly relevant for oilseeds. A shorter and more transparent chain can create better visibility into where agricultural products originate, how they are processed and how they eventually reach consumers. At BMS Naturals, direct procurement from farmer collectives and in-house processing of mustard and groundnut oil are part of this approach. The objective is to reduce unnecessary hand-offs while keeping quality, traceability and farmer-market connections closer to the centre of the value chain. THE ROAD AHEAD From import dependence to agricultural resilience India’s edible oil challenge will not be solved by one crop, one technology or one policy. It will require better seeds, productive farms, stronger FPOs, efficient aggregation, modern processing, reliable market access and technology that reaches farmers in practical ways. India already has millions of farmers cultivating oilseeds across diverse agricultural regions. The opportunity now is to connect those efforts into a stronger value chain. Because the future of food security is not only about growing more. It is about building a system where farmers produce better, value stays closer to the agricultural community, and consumers can understand the journey from seed to kitchen.
The Cold Chain Nobody Sees — Why Refrigeration Can Change India’s Food System
FOOD TECHNOLOGY & AGRICULTURE · 6 MIN READ A food product’s journey does not end when it leaves the farm. For fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat and many other perishable foods, what happens after harvest can determine whether the product reaches consumers fresh, safe and usable—or becomes waste before it ever reaches the market. This is where the cold chain becomes important. It is the network of cooling, storage, transportation and temperature management that protects food between production and consumption. While consumers may only see the final product, an effective cold chain works quietly in the background, preserving its quality throughout the journey. THE INVISIBLE JOURNEY Food begins changing the moment it is harvested Harvesting marks the beginning of a new stage in a food product’s life. Fruits and vegetables continue to respire after they are picked, while milk, fish, meat and other perishables remain highly sensitive to temperature. If these products are exposed to unsuitable conditions for extended periods, their quality can deteriorate quickly. In many cases, refrigeration is therefore not simply about making food cold. It is about slowing biological and chemical processes that reduce freshness and shelf life. This makes temperature control an important part of the food system long before a product reaches a supermarket or household refrigerator. WHY THE FIRST FEW HOURS MATTER Cooling begins before storage Fresh produce often carries significant field heat immediately after harvest. Removing that heat quickly through pre-cooling can help slow deterioration before the product enters storage or transportation. This is particularly important for products that travel long distances between agricultural regions and consumption centres. A cold room cannot completely compensate for poor temperature management during the earlier stages of the journey. The strongest cold chains therefore begin as close to the farm as practical. Harvesting, sorting, grading, packing and pre-cooling can become connected processes rather than isolated activities. THE COLD CHAIN IS A SYSTEM Refrigeration works only when the links work together A cold chain is not simply a warehouse filled with refrigerators. It is a sequence of connected operations that may include farm-level cooling, cold storage, refrigerated transportation, processing, distribution and retail. Each stage has a specific role. Pre-cooling removes field heat. Cold storage maintains appropriate conditions. Refrigerated vehicles protect products while they are transported. Processing facilities may chill, freeze or otherwise preserve products depending on their characteristics. The objective is continuity. If food is maintained at the correct temperature in storage but exposed to unsuitable conditions during transportation, the integrity of the chain can be compromised. INDIA’S COLD-CHAIN OPPORTUNITY Building infrastructure around perishables India has been expanding its cold-chain infrastructure as part of efforts to strengthen post-harvest management and food processing. Government-supported integrated cold-chain projects cover activities ranging from farm-level handling and pre-cooling to cold storage, processing and refrigerated transportation. The objective is to create a more connected journey from the farm gate to the consumer rather than treating storage as an isolated requirement. This is particularly relevant for a country with diverse agricultural production and large distances between production centres and major consumer markets. The challenge is not simply to create more cold-storage capacity. It is to create the right infrastructure in the right locations and connect it effectively to farmers, processors and markets. WHEN STORAGE CREATES TIME Time can become an agricultural resource For farmers dealing with perishable products, timing can be critical. When there is no suitable storage or cooling infrastructure nearby, harvested produce may need to be sold quickly. That can leave little flexibility between harvest and market. Appropriate cold-chain infrastructure can create additional time. Time to aggregate produce. Time to grade and sort it. Time to arrange transportation. Time to connect with an appropriate buyer. Time to process the product. In this sense, refrigeration is not simply preserving food. It can help preserve commercial options within the agricultural value chain. THE ROLE OF FPOS Connecting farmers with infrastructure Cold-chain infrastructure can become more useful when it is connected to organised farmer networks. Farmer Producer Organizations can aggregate produce from multiple farmers, making it easier to coordinate collection, transportation, storage and market access. Instead of each farmer trying to manage the post-harvest journey independently, collective systems can create greater scale. For perishable products, this can be particularly valuable because aggregation and temperature management often need to happen quickly. The FPO can therefore become an important bridge between the farm and the infrastructure required to move agricultural products safely and efficiently toward the market. NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS THE SAME TEMPERATURE Cold-chain science is about precision One of the biggest misconceptions about refrigeration is that all food simply needs to be kept as cold as possible. In reality, different products require different conditions. Fresh fruits and vegetables may require carefully controlled temperature and humidity. Dairy products require appropriate chilling. Fish and meat may require chilled or frozen environments depending on the product and stage of processing. Frozen foods require continuous low-temperature conditions throughout transportation and storage. Modern cold-chain management therefore involves much more than refrigeration. It can include pre-cooling, controlled-atmosphere storage, freezing, blast freezing, temperature monitoring and specialised transportation. The goal is not maximum cold. The goal is the right condition for the right product. THE TECHNOLOGY INSIDE THE COLD CHAIN From refrigeration to real-time monitoring The modern cold chain is becoming increasingly data-driven. Temperature sensors can continuously monitor storage and transportation conditions. Digital systems can record temperature fluctuations and create alerts when conditions move outside defined limits. Tracking technologies can provide visibility into where a shipment is and how it has been handled. This creates a shift from simply storing food in a cold environment to actively managing the conditions around it. For food businesses, such monitoring can provide valuable information about where quality problems occur. For consumers, it can eventually contribute to greater transparency around how perishable products reach the market. THE ENERGY CHALLENGE Keeping food cold also requires responsible cooling Cold-chain expansion comes with another challenge: energy consumption. Refrigeration systems require reliable power, and large-scale cold storage can consume significant amounts of energy. As India's temperature-controlled infrastructure expands, efficiency will therefore become increasingly important. Better insulation, efficient refrigeration equipment, thermal storage and renewable-energy solutions can help reduce the energy burden associated with cooling. For rural and remote areas, decentralised cold-storage systems powered partly by renewable energy could also create new possibilities for post-harvest management. The future of cold chains will therefore be about two things at once: preserving more food and using energy more intelligently. WHEN FOOD LOSS BECOMES A RESOURCE LOSS What is wasted after harvest has already consumed resources Food loss is not only the loss of the final product. When food is wasted, the land, water, labour, energy and agricultural inputs used to produce that food have also been used without delivering their intended value. This makes post-harvest preservation part of the larger sustainability conversation. Reducing food loss does not necessarily require producing more food. In some cases, it means protecting more effectively what has already been produced. A better cold chain can therefore contribute to a more efficient food system by helping a larger share of agricultural production reach consumers in usable condition. FROM COLD STORAGE TO FOOD-SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE The future is about connection The most useful cold-chain infrastructure is not necessarily the largest facility. Its value comes from how well it connects different parts of the food system. A farmer needs access to collection. The collection point needs appropriate handling. The product needs timely cooling. The cold store needs reliable energy. The transporter needs temperature control. The processor needs consistent raw material. The market needs dependable supply. When these elements work together, refrigeration becomes more than a storage technology. It becomes infrastructure connecting farmers, food businesses and consumers. THE BMS NATURALS CONNECTION Protecting the journey from farm to fork The Farm-to-Fork approach is ultimately about understanding the complete journey of food—from where it is grown to where it is consumed. For perishable agricultural products, that journey includes much more than sourcing. It also includes handling, storage, transportation, processing and quality preservation. A stronger cold chain can help protect the value created at the farm level by ensuring that products do not lose their quality simply because the post-harvest system is unable to maintain appropriate conditions. For organisations working with farmer collectives, this connection becomes particularly important. Better post-harvest infrastructure can help bridge the gap between agricultural production and consumer markets while supporting a more organised and traceable food journey. THE BIGGER PICTURE We often think food waste begins when someone throws food away. In reality, some food may already be on its way to becoming waste long before it reaches the kitchen. A delayed truck, inadequate cooling, poor storage or a broken temperature chain can gradually reduce the value of food without consumers ever seeing what happened. That is why cold-chain infrastructure matters. It operates largely out of sight, but its impact can be visible on farms, in markets and eventually on household plates. THE ROAD AHEAD From preserving food to protecting its value India's cold-chain challenge is not simply a refrigeration challenge. It is a coordination challenge across agriculture, infrastructure, technology, logistics and food processing. The next generation of cold chains will need to move closer to farms, become more energy-efficient, use real-time monitoring and connect more effectively with FPOs and organised markets. The objective is not merely to keep food cold. It is to protect the work that has already gone into producing it. Because the journey from farm to fork does not end at harvest. Sometimes, the difference between food that reaches the table and food that becomes waste is the temperature maintained along the way.
