 "Government opens mega food park in Murshidabad")
The mega food park project at Jangipur in Murshidabad (West Bengal), which was announced in 2008 by the NDA government, was finally inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee on August 24, 2016. Built with an estimated invest of about Rs 133 crores, the park will give a boost to the food processing industry in the region.
“The mega food park to leverage an additional investment of about Rs 250 crore in food processing units in the park, generate a turnover of about Rs 500 crore annually and is expected to provide direct and indirect employment to 6000 people at central processing centre (CPC) and primary processing centres (PPCs) and benefit about 25,000-30,000 farmers in the catchment areas,” said Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing Industries.
The food park is having the facilities of fully operational industrial sheds for SMEs, developed industrial plots for lease to food processing units and facilities of 8000 metric tonne (MT) warehouse, 5000 MT multi crop cold storage, 10,000 MT potato cold storage, IQF & pulping line of 1.5 tonne per hour each, 3000 MT deep freeze and quality control lab. Six PPCs at Kandi, Sheikhpara, Barasat, Siuri, Gour Road and Katwawill provide facilities for primary processing and storage near the farms.
Badal added, “Connecting farmers with food processing infrastructure and creating markets are her primary goals so that farmers get remunerative price of their produce. Modern infrastructure at Jangipur, Murshidabad will benefit farmers and growers of North 24 Paragans, Birbhum, Malda, and Bardwan and would benefit processors and consumers and will give big boost to the growth of the food processing sector in West Bengal. Mega Food Park at Jangipur has been set up with the project cost of Rs 132.71 crore approximately and in an area of 82.11 acre with a grant of Rs 50 crore provided by my ministry.”
Ministry of Food Processing Industries is focusing on boosting the food processing industry so that agriculture sector grows exponentially and becomes a major contributor towards doubling the farmer’s income and therefore food processing is the major thrust area of Make in India initiative.
For the first time government has allowed 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail of food that is produced and manufactured in India which is going to spur growth of food processing in India. “India is a most resilient food economy as a result of which India is going to become the food factory of the world by 2022 and our government has put food processing infrastructure on an automatic seamless growth mode. Development of mega food parks in remote areas in India are our first priority,” she added.