Derive benefits from SAMPADA scheme, Harsimrat tells farmers

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 14

Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today asked farmers of the state to come forward to take advantage of various schemes under the Scheme for Agro-Marine Produce Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters (SAMPADA) programme, under which Rs 6,000 crore will be distributed to add value to food products in the next three years across the country.

 Harsimrat stated this while addressing farmers at the Kisan Sampada Yojna seminar.

While talking to progressive farmers and those interested in taking advantage of the SAMPADA scheme, she told farmers to either join mega food parks or create self-help groups or even groups of like-minded farmers to establish food processing units.

“You can avail subsidy for the same which goes up to Rs 5 crore,” she said.

Harsimrat said she had asked a consultant company to help farmers to make their project reports and get other technical information needed to apply for benefits under SAMPADA.

She said there was scope for vegetable processing with overseas markets also opening up for farmers. The Union Minister also briefed farmers about the World Food India Fair to be held on November 3 to 5 in Delhi.

She said the fair would also provide a good platform for the progressive farmers of the state as besides food processing, companies representing the entire food chain will be available at the fair.”

The minister said she was making a personal appeal to them to participate in the fair as the Punjab Government had not responded to the Union Food Processing Ministry’s invitation till now.

She said the fair was being attended by all food processing states and Haryana was a partner state in it.

“State governments are creating avenues for their farmers by participating in the fair. as it will bring investments into their states. I think all states should take advantage of Central schemes. On a personal level, I feel we should rise above political considerations and work for the benefit of Punjab,” she said.

Giving details of the ministry schemes and the impact they were likely to have on the nation, Harsimrat said by injecting Rs 6,000 crore in the food sector, the country was likely to attract an investment of around Rs 31,000 crore in the sector.

She said this would lead to food processing of worth Rs 1 lakh crore and further create direct and indirect jobs for around five lakh farmers, besides employing around five lakh youth. She also highlighted how the retail sector had become a six-billion dollar market and how the food sector alone constituted 70 per cent of the market. She also appealed to farmers to explore vegetable farming in a big way, saying there was a huge demand for tomato cultivation.

Former cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, Sanaur MLA Harinder Pal Chandumajra and senior leaders Vaninder Kaur Lumba and  Sukhman Sidhu and Patiala Mayor Amrinder Singh Bazaz were among those others present.