2 mega food parks each for Punjab, Haryana; among 17 approved

Updated At : 08:28 PM Mar 24, 2015 IST

For want of processing or organised marketing, kinnow fruit is often sold at throwaway prices by growers in Punjab. Tribune file photo

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 24

Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today sanctioned 17 new Mega Food Parks in 11 states, including Punjab and Haryana, taking the total number of such projects across the country to 42.

The minister said the new parks were likely to attract investment of around Rs 2,000 crore in modern infrastructure, besides additional collective investment of around Rs 4,000 crore in 500 food processing units in the parks and an annual turnover of Rs 8,000 crore.

The parks, when fully functional, would create employment for about 80,000 persons and benefit 5 lakh farmers directly or indirectly, she added.

Haryana’s sanctioned projects include a state-owned Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited facility costing Rs 164.33 crore at Panipat and a private venture—Continental Warehousing Corporation (NhavaSeva) Limited—at a cost of Rs 157.46 crore at Panipat.

The projects sanctioned for Punjab are one of state-owned Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Ltd in Ludhiana at the cost of Rs 136 crore, and a private venture, Sukjhit Starch & Chemical Limited, costing Rs 128.28 crore at Kapurthala.

Punjab already has one operational food park at Fazilka.

According to the minister, food parks are essential part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ plan.

“They will go a long way in boosting agrarian economy of the region and generating job opportunities. This step of the government will create huge modern infrastructure for food processing sector and provide impetus to the growth of the sector.

“The aim is to give a major boost to the food processing sector by adding value and reducing food wastage and loss at each stage of the supply chain with particular focus on perishables. These will also help in stabilising prices of food products and contain inflation in the country,” she said.

The ministry has been implementing a Mega Food Parks Scheme in the country since 2008.

Financial assistance up to Rs 50 crore is provided for setting up ‘mega food parks’ for the creation of modern infrastructure facilities for food processing along value chain from the farm to market.

A mega food park developed on a minimum of 50 acres works on a cluster-based hub-and-spokes model.

Infrastructure is created for primary processing and storage near the farm in the form of primary processing centres and collection centres located in production areas. Common facilities and enabling infrastructure are provided at a central processing centre, such as modern warehousing, cold storage, IQF, sorting, grading, packaging, pulping, ripening chambers and tetra packaging units, besides roads, electricity, and water.

“This helps in reducing the cost of individual units significantly and makes them more viable. Induction of latest technology, quality assurance of processed food products through better process control and meeting of environmental and safety standards are other major benefits of mega food parks,” Harsimrat Kaur said.

A total of 42 mega food parks have been sanctioned across the country by the government. Currently, 25 projects are under implementation. Expression of interest for the new projects was invited from across the India on February 2, 2014.

The ministry received 72 proposals. After scrutiny, 17 proposals from 11 states were approved for implementation.

2 mega food parks each for Punjab, Haryana; among 17 approved

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