Hoshangabad food parks attract 50 units

Small businessmen, 50 in number, have lined up to set up units in food parks of Piparia and Babai in Hoshangabad. The Bhopal Audyogik Kendra Vikas Nigam(AKVN) has registered 12 food parks (total 52 acres, 36 in Piparia and 16 in Babai) and started allotting land.

Food park is a central government scheme to attract small food-processing units in identified locations. The state has identified six locations, of which the Piparia food park facilities including a warehouse and a cold storage facility are ready for operation, while an icing plant is yet to be constructed by the AKVN for Tawa fish farmers.

"Of the 50 proposals approximately, we have allotted land areas to six units, who were ready to start the construction of their units in the Piparia food Park. The said units would process poha (rice flakes), potato chips and would grind, grade and pack spices. The total proposals would touch Rs 2 crore," M S Khan, managing director, Bhopal AKVN told Business Standard, adding, "We had to add few more facilities at the Piaparia food park, while the Babai food park already possessed the necessary infrastructure."

The Centre had contributed Rs 4 crore and "the state was ready to invest a similar amount in both the parks."

According to Khan, the proposals received for the Babai proposals were not expected to exceed Rs 50 lakh, though both parks would employ 300 people directly.

"The Piparia food park had fetched us more prices than those offered to other food parks of the state. We had leased out our cold storage plant of the Piparia food park at Rs 16 lakh per year," Khan said.

However, the local businessmen willing to set up small units said that power was the main problem. "We would arrange power for the Piparia food park within 10 days from now, by setting up a separate power sub-station with arrangements from the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board," Khan added.

The state government had also received a proposal for a mid-way entertainment facility near the food park. "An Itarsi-based firm had sought a land area of 4 acres near the Piparia food park to open the facility. The firm had planned an investment of Rs 5 crore," Khan said.

Piparia is recognised for its lentil (toor dal), while Babai is famous for its guava farms. The food parks, however, have not yet received any proposals for both the products.

The reporter was recently in Piparia and Babai