Government to set up 3 food parks in next six months

NEW DELHI: The government will set up three mega food parks in the country during the next six months with each project attracting an investment of Rs 400 crore to Rs 500 crore, a top official said today. 

The Food Processing Ministry has approved 30 mega food park to provide remunerative price to farmers, reduce wastage of agricultural produce, build capacity of producers and processors and create efficient supply chain from farm to market. 

Each project is expected to generate employment for about 30,000 persons and maximum grant admissible from government for a mega food park is Rs 50 crore. 

"The three food parks will come up in Punjab, Kolkata and Bangalore in the next 6 months. Already two food parks are in operation in Patanjali in Uttarakhand and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh," Food Processing Secretary Siraj Hussain told reporters. 

He was speaking on the sidelines of the 'National Food Safety and Quality Summit', organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry ( CII). 

Hussain added that each park will have 25-30 units with an expected investment of Rs 400 crore to Rs 500 crore. 

"The food processing sector has registered growth of 8.6 per cent in last ten years, at a much higher rate as compare to agriculture and manufacturing," he said. 

He also said that parks get bit delayed as there were difficulties in getting land for the project and some approvals from the state government. 

Speaking at the function, he also highlighted the need for creating awareness about regulations and standards for food formulated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) among people and professionals. 

Hussain also stressed that it is important for the public sector organisation to start obtaining approvals and complying with the food safety regulations. 

In his keynote address, Adviser FSSAI and Chairperson Codex Alimentarius Commission Sanjay Dave said: "Consumers are rapidly moving towards safe foods, standards and regulations have to be made effective." 

Speaking at the same function Executive Director PepsiCo India Holdings Vivek Bharti said, "Indian industry needs to be globally competitive and assured that the industry is united towards one goal 'food safety for consumers'."