Overview
The National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEMs) are specialised higher education Institutes of National Importance (INI) in India dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and skilled manpower development in the field of food processing, technology, and allied sectors. These institutes operate under the administrative control of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) by the government of India. There are currently two operational NIFTEMs, the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM-K) located in Kundli, Haryana and the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management, Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T) located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. Both institutions were established to strengthen India’s food processing sector by integrating education, research, entrepreneurship, and industry linkages.
Though criticisms of the establishment of the NIFTEM's were made by the Parliamentary committee on agriculture in 2016 due to the increase in costs to facilitate the institutes and their time overrun on producing outputs. The committee argued that the Institute of Crop Processing Technology already accomplished the aims of the new institutions.
Institute of National Importance status
On 1 October 2021, the National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Act, 2021 came into effect, granting INI status to both of the existing NIFTEMs. This designation, conferred by an Act of Parliament, recognises their critical role in developing highly skilled professionals, offering greater academic and administrative autonomy, and enabling direct central government funding. In India, an Institute of National Importance is a premier public higher education institution acknowledged for its strategic role in national development within a specific sector or discipline.
Role and expansion plans
NIFTEM-K and NIFTEM-T focus on producing industry-ready graduates and postgraduates for the food processing and allied industries. In 2022, it was proposed by the union food processing minister Pashupati Kumar Paras that the Indian government should establish a third National Food Technology Institute in Bihar, to be named NIFTEM-Bihar. As part of its 2025 budget proposals, the Indian government officially announced plans to create the new institute, which is expected to further boost research and training capacity in the eastern region of the country. Bihar was chosen due to its high quality food production such as lychee and honey foodstuffs, but the area also lacks food quality testing labs, which the NIFTEM would fill the role for. An evaluation of the region by MoFPI officials began in April 2025 to determine the right location to establish the institute.