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To establish food park in Sonipat, HSIIDC files application with MoFPI
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Friday, 28 November, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
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fiogf49gjkf0d The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) has filed an application with the ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI) to establish a mega food park in Badi in Sonipat District.
The government of the northern state identified 75 acres of land for the purpose of setting up the facility, and would invite proposals from companies to set up their units there upon receiving MoFPI’s in-principle nod to the project.
Vineet Garg, managing director, HSIIDC (which has developed, and maintains, food parks at Rai in Sonipat and Saha in Ambala), termed mega food parks the need of the hour to expand the scope of food processing sector, and added the state government was ready to help the sector spread its wings.
He said that food processing was one of the thrust areas for Haryana’s industrial policy, and added that the national mission for food technology had been launched in the state. He also informed that a grant of Rs 20 crore had been released for cold chain.
“The National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) in Kundli, Sonipat, would also enable the sector’s growth in the state,” said Garg, who took charge of the state government’s nodal agency for the development of industrial infrastructure recently.
He added, “The focus on the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor would give an opportunity to set up more food parks and facilitate them through robust single-window clearance.” He invited Haryana’s food processing sector to give its feedback and recommendations.
Agri Tech 2014
At Agri Tech 2014, which was organised in Chandigarh by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and concluded recently, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, “There is an urgent need to promote the agro processing industry and set up the required logistic network and supply chain, including cold chains to reduce the burden on soil and increase the farmers’ earnings.”
“We are planning to launch Krishi cards and cold storage units across the state, so that the agro processing sector benefits. We are also promoting cooperative farming, so small farmers won’t have to resort to distress sales and get a profitable price,” he added.
Gokul Patnaik, chairman, Global AgriSystems Pvt Ltd said, “Processing can help reduce wastage.” He added that in India, only 6-7 per cent of the fruit were converted into processed foods, whereas in other countries nearly 50 per cent of the fruit were processed.
Rajesh Srivastava, co-chairman, CII Agro Tech 2014 Conferences, and chairman and managing director, Rabo Equity Advisors, said, “Cold chain is a key component which is lacking in the food processing sector. It is expected to grow at 15-20 per cent per annum, and has huge potential in India.”
Elaborating on the models of cold chain infrastructure, he added, “Power and skilled manpower are essential in strengthening the cold chain for processed products. Only integrated models are successful in the food processing sector.”
Srivastava added that within the primary food processing sector, the promising sub-sectors were dairy, basmati rice, nutraceuticals, animal feed additives and potato value chain, and there was an opportunity in the export market for buffalo meat and seafood.
Dr D V Pande, chief general manager, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), shared the institution's focus on helping farmers organise themselves into farmer producer organisations.
The organisation, which received a provision of Rs 5,000 crore from the Centre to support small-scale industries, had also been utilising its efforts to strengthen the cold storage mechanism, which would help in better storage of food products which could be processed further.
In a bid to support the expansion of the sector, NABARD offered funds to support the setting up of food parks. “While the availability of bank credit is not an issue, innovative ideas, that would sustain the growth of the sector, are required,” Pande added.
At CII Agri Tech 2014, a number of other aspects pertaining to the food processing and agri sectors, including investment opportunities in the food and agri sectors, were discussed by bankers and those representing financial institutions, including NABARD.
They spoke about various schemes and models to provide finance to the sector, in addition to building effective agri infrastructure and strong supply chain logistics, primary processing, processed foods and food service and retail.
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