Industries Minister N. Amaranatha Reddy inaugurated Linde India’s first food laboratory and training centre at Mangalagiri in Guntur district on Tuesday. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Reddy said latest food processing technologies were important for Andhra Pradesh as it looked to tap the full potential of the agricultural and horticultural produce.
Priority area
Food processing, he stated, would make a substantial contribution to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), and it was given due priority by the government to curb the huge losses being incurred by the farmers because of the huge wastage of their crops before they hit the markets.
Linde Gases South Asia Head Moloy Banerjee said the lab would help the Indian food processing industry in capitalising on its food preservation technologies that facilitate earning of higher returns by the farmers. The reason for setting up the facility at Mangalagiri was its advantageous location, both geographical and in terms of the presence of a large number of firms involved in the food processing sector.
Mr. Banerjee said Linde was a global leader in cryogenic freezing and chilling technologies for the food industry, and that the lab would demonstrate Linde’s Cryoline range of freezers and offer related solutions to the local farmers and exporters.
