Nearly a dozen projects are either under implementation or already operational in Telangana State in the food processing arena aided by the ₹ 6000 crore ‘Kisan Sampada Yojana’ (KSY) of the Union Ministry of Food Processing to give a fillip to the sector till 2020.
While Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao informed Union Minister for Food Processing, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, in a recent meeting that first of the four mega food parks allotted to the State and taken up by the TS Industrial Infrastructure Corporation will become operational within a year at Khammam, three more are in the pipeline. These are: Raaga Mayuri Agrovet Pvt. Ltd., Mahboobnagar; Smart Agro Industries Corporation Pvt. Ltd., Nizamabad and Basavashakti Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd, Medak.
Central grant
The Ministry is providing up to ₹50 crore per mega food park implemented through Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and State public sector units of which nine are operational and 33 under various stages of construction across the country. Besides, the KSY has also helped in taking up cold chain projects giving a grant of up to ₹10 crore where commercial production in the Creamline Dairy Products Ltd in Hyderabad has already commenced.
Four more in this sphere and fast nearing completion are — Dodla Dairy Ltd, Rangareddy; Prasad Seeds Pvt. Ltd. Medak; Gubba Cold Private Ltd, Rangareddy and Prima Foodtech Pvt Ltd, Medak — according to the Ministry’s joint secretary Anuradha Prasad.
Cold chains
Some 103 cold chains have come up, 135 are under construction and 50 new are to be taken up. Since quality testing labs form an important component of the KSY, food testing labs have become operational at the Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Rajendranagar and Sipra labs Pvt. Ltd. , Sanathnagar.
The meat testing lab at Cherlapalli is under implementation, she informed, stating that KSY is estimated to leverage investment of ₹ 31,400 crore in the next two years, handle of 334 lakh MT agro-produce valuing ₹ 1,04,125 crore and benefit 20 lakh farmers and generate 5.3 lakh jobs.
Growing sector
The Union Food Processing Ministry, which is hosting the first ever ‘World Food India-2017’ in November in Delhi, has calculated that food processing sector grew 6.87% in 2015-16 when compared it was just 0.76% for agriculture with total employment provided for about 70 lakh.
Exports too have touched US$ 31 billion in 2016-17 and foreign direct investment of US$ 7.5 billion plus during 2000-2017, therefore KSY was conceived to substantially fund modern infrastructure and robust supply chain in all States.