Mumbai, June 10 -- South Asia stands at a critical moment in its development journey. The World Bank Group highlighted that transforming food systems beyond the farm can unlock significant opportunities for employment, investment, economic growth and poverty reduction. The region's agriculture sector is valued at over $700 billion annually and employs nearly 43 % of the workforce. However, despite its scale, agriculture contributes only around 16 % of the region's GDP. More than 30 % of food produced in South Asia is lost or wasted every year-enough to feed nearly 300 million people.

The next phase of agricultural transformation lies in increasing production, expanding food processing, storage, logistics, marketing and value addition. Th...