Netafim to set up unit in Andhra Pradesh

Vadodara-based Netafim Irrigation India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Netafim ACS, Israel, has been allocated 17 per cent of the first phase of the Rs 12,000 crore Andhra Pradesh Micro Irrigation Project (APMIP). The company plans to set up a Rs 15-crore manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh by the end of next financial year.

Zvi Feler, managing director, Netafim Irrigation India (NIIPL), said: "We plan to set up our unit in Andhra Pradesh as there have been several irrigation projects implemented by the state government. Andhra Pradesh has a huge potential for drip irrigation."

NIIPL is engaged in the manufacture of drippers and dripper lines, high precision sprinklers, computerised irrigation systems and filtration systems.

The government of Andhra Pradesh has recently initiated the Rs 12,000 crore 'Andhra Pradesh Micro Irrigation Project' across four lakh hectares in the Kuppam area. Work is expected to be completed in two phases.

"We will start our plant in Andhra Pradesh with an investment of around Rs 15 crore. The unit will be based close to Kuppam, though nothing has been finalised yet," said Feler.

With a committee headed by AP chief minister Chandrababu Naidu recommending investments of over Rs 50,000 crore for micro irrigation systems in India, NIIPL hopes to get more contracts in other states.