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Pravin pickles add extra zing to meal
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Saturday, 20 May, 2006, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Bosky Christopher, Mumbai
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(May 19-29), Pradeep Chordia, Managing Director, Chordia Food Products Ltd and Chairman of the Pune chapter of the All-India Food Processors Association, in an interview with Bosky Christopher of Food & Beverage News speaks about his pickle paradise and his ambitious Chordia Food Park project. With plans to enter the frozen food market, he hails the focus on food processing at the Central level. Excerpts:
CHORDIA Food Products Ltd is synonymous with 'Pravin' brand of pickles. What is your product range?
Chordia offers a range of mouth-watering pickles. No Indian meal would be complete without them. Pickles prepared here are as authentic as they can get. Hand picked vegetables and fruits are cut and mixed in a specially prepared spice mix and oil. Each ingredient that goes into the making of these pickles is of the purest variety. So whenever you would like to have culinary adventures try Chordia's palate ticklers. The product range, available in different pack sizes, comprises mango pickle, mixed pickle, sweet lime pickle, lime pickle (hot), chilli pickle, lime-chilli pickle, mango thokku, mango avakai, tomato pickle, Punjabi mix pickle, Kolhapuri thecha.
Other than pickles we are into ketchups, spice pastes, sauces, instant mixes, chutneys, chunda and murabba.
What is the growth recipe of Chordia Food Products Ltd?
Chordia Food Products Ltd, which had its humble beginnings in 1960, went on to become a generic name for pickles in Maharashtra and the neighbouring states. It is also a leading manufacturer of tomato ketchups. Chordia retails under the brand names: "Pravin", "Navin" and "Toofan". Strict quality control procedures are implemented at various stages of processing to ensure that the best quality products leave the factories.
The current range apart from pickles and ketchups include spice pastes, sauces, milk shakes, and custards and syrups. We have state-of-the-art manufacturing units at Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The ambitious new project Chordia Food Park saw the light of day in the year 2002. It will soon be entering the frozen food market with a big bang.
What is the significance of the priority status accorded to the Indian food processing in the Union Budget 2006-07?
I appreciate the significance the food processing industry has received in the last budget in terms of various policies. Hardly, one or two per cent of the government's budget goes to this industry. The industry needs more incentives and recognition. The government can give the industry some package as given to the hosiery industry. The project subsidy of Rs 50 lakh is currently available at an upper ceiling of Rs 2 crore which should be extended to Rs 10 crore.
Last year a tax holiday of 5 years for new food processing units was announced. I appeal that the incentive should be extended to 10 years as well as to existing processing units given the gestation period it takes. The industry has also given suggestions for SEZs but they haven't moved beyond the Planning Commission level. Also, a new policy of National Horticulture Mission was announced, which I recommend should take Food Processing Industry in its ambit as well. Female workers must be allowed to work in second shifts in this industry. I also congratulate the government for tax reforms like
VAT, government needs to earn revenues too and it will be wonderful if the new policies continue.
What is the reason behind setting up Chordia Food Park and what are the amenities provided?
About 60-70 per cent of all fruits and vegetables are processed world wide, but only 2 per cent of Indian production is processed. The fast changing food consumption pattern in India and the arrival of several multinationals on the scene has emboldened us to take a step ahead in the food processing industry. Chordia Food Park facilitates setting up of food processing business in the Chordia Food Park sprawling over a vast expanse by offering infrastructure, incubation and the right marketing strategies.
The Food Park is set up in Shirwal, about 55 km from Pune, where we have provided the best of infrastructure and support. Product testing in well-equipped laboratories and hi-tech quality control facilities are also available. Assistance in assessing the viability of the project, procurement of machinery and raw materials, setting up assembly line, packaging, distribution and marketing will be provided to the commercial viability of the product for national and export markets will be executed. In short, the Park will provide the entire back end and front end support under one roof.
How many food parks are already in operation in India?
Currently, about 30 food parks have been identified of which about five of them are already in the commercial phase. The rest are in implementation stage such as the wine park to be set up in Maharashtra and the seafood processing park to be set up in Kerala. Rest of these food parks would be in their commercial phase within a couple of years.
What is the future of food parks?
According to the five-year plan that has been drawn, the Ministry of Food Processing is looking at contribution from this segment to touch 10 per cent by 2010 from the present 2 per cent. Viable propositions like the setting up of food parks where the common infrastructure can be utilised have to be speeded up.
Give an overview of the FP industry in India and its potential?
Currently it is about Rs 600 crore, which includes both the organised and unorganised and the potential for this is atleast 10 times higher. It can touch up to Rs 6000 crore if proper infrastructure and facilities are provided. This is from the units in and around Pune. We also have to take into stock the amount of wastage that is seen, close to Rs 50,000 crore.
There is a bright future for processed food, fruits and vegetables in the country. Currently, the processed fruits and vegetable production is less than one million tonnes as compared to the availability of 136 million tonnes.
What are the company's future plans?
Our plan is to develop a successful food park and my dream is to make Pune 'A Corporate Food Giant'. We would like to share a two-decade food industry experience with the new entrepreneurs to make a successful food industry. We have already initiated the process of backward integration by handling a new project of farmers information and collection centre. Also my vision of conserving the Eco System, being a technocrat, has not dimmed, in utilising the natural resources available like the Wind Mill project used for energy conservation and generation which is of immense importance today.
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