Food processing and incubation centre for Punjab gets nod

Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) is all set to have a food processing-cum-business incubation centre at PAU Regional Research Station in Bathinda, with Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday approving the establishment of this first of its kind centre in Punjab.

A memorandum to this effect has been signed between Punjab Agriculture University and Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology, Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu in the presence of Badal. The centre will be a joint venture of PAU and IICPT and will cater to the modern needs of peasantry in the area of food processing, besides enabling farmers and youth to acquire necessary skill and training.

Giving details in this regard, Badal said this centre will be operational within six months and that the same model would be replicated in other areas of Punjab. She said this centre would go a long way in supporting the farmers of the region as well as educating and making them aware of modern agri- and marketing-techniques. She said the centre would also be a boon for the agriculture community as it would focus on processing of fruits and vegetables and milling of grains.

The food processing minister also informed that the ministry was contemplating to create mini food parks in different areas of Punjab to give a push to the processing of local produce and facilitate farmers for producing high yields. She said these parks would be spread over a 20-25 acres. She also added creation of primary processing centres was the focus area of her ministry under which cooperatives would be engaged to set up ultra modern processing centres for milk, fruit and vegetables.