French tech for Pailan chips unit

Kolkata-based Pailan group has tied up with France based 2-AMIS group to set up an 100 per cent export oriented multidivisional food processing unit in Dhaniakhali, Hooghly.

It will be set up as a joint venture between Ascon Agro Products Exporters & Builders Pvt. Ltd, an 100 per cent subsidiary of Pailan group and 2 AMIS group's AFT/PB Conseil of France.

The unit is expected to begin its operation in the next 12 months. Pailan has a management college and a school and has been promoted by Apurba Saha.The equity participation is expected to be finalised within a week, said Michel Knockaert, managing director of AFT.

Speaking exclusively to Business Standard, Knockaert said the plant would start off with moderate capacity to convince the local farmers of the potential and credibility of the enterprise.

This is the first JV in which AFT has invested money in India.

So long, the company had acted as consultant and supervised plant erection for several companies in India including the Karnataka Agro Industries Corporation Limited, he added.

"AFT has forwarded its consulting services to some Indian companies in setting up processing units for meat, juice, jam and chutney. Manufacturing will be solely concentrated in West Bengal after commissioning of this plant,' added Knockaert.

AFT will be providing the technical know-how and will be looking after the marketing of the products in Europe, Africa and west Asian countries, he added.

The first unit will produce potato flakes with a capacity of 3600 ton per year.

Initially, around 2000 ton capacity will be built and this section will be completed within a year, informed a company spokesperson.

A modern state of the art cold storage unit will also be set up at the factory with a capacity of 15,000 ton, said Sailen Sarkar, West Bengal's minister for food processing and horticulture. The overall project cost is likely to be around Rs 150 crore.

The JV has plans to set up five more units for goat meat processing, multi-vegetable drying and powdering unit, multipurpose extraction processing unit, a multipurpose fruit processing unit and vegetable dehydration unit.

The construction of the first unit is expected top begin within one month.

UCO Bank would be financing the project.

"The bank is prepared to be associated with the venture and would be willing to be financially associated with future projects of the JV,' said V Sridar, chairman and managing director of UCO Bank, at the foundation stone laying ceremony.