Baba Ramdev now turns entrepreneur

After teaching yoga, Baba Ramdev is now all set to show his entrepreneurship tomorrow at Haridwar where the country’s first mega food park would be inaugurated.

And to make the show pompous, the yoga guru has roped in scores of chief ministers, Union ministers and top industrialists for the inaugural ceremony. An investment of Rs 500 crore is expected in the food park, which is considered to be the biggest in India.

At least two-dozen factories related to organic, herbal and other agriculture products would be set up in the food park.

The food park has been built on 100 acres of land in Padartha area of Haridwar district. Nearly five companies had already invested Rs 200-300 crores. The capacity of the food park would be 1,000 million tonnes per day.

“Through this endeavour, we will be procuring agriculture produce directly from farmers giving them all their dues in Uttarakhand and other areas,” said Acharya Balkrishan, the managing director of Patanjali Food and Herbal Park, the special purpose vehicle for the food park. Balkrishan also claimed that the food park would provide employment to nearly 50,000 families.

The Uttarakhand government is also providing all logistic support to the food park. The government has already launched a campaign, telling farmers to sell their produce to Baba Ramdev only. “We are ready to provide all support to Baba Ramdev,” asserted Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.

The centre has proposed to set up 10 mega food parks under the 11th 5-year Plan. Each food park is expected to have 20-30 units.

Already, several herbal products made at Patanjali Yogpeeth are big hit in the market. In the proposed food park at Padartha, Baba Ramdev would also make various juices from different vegetables and fruits like carrot and papaya. One factory on bio-diesel from jetropha is also proposed in the food park. A sum of Rs 35,000 crores has been assured for the 10 mega food parks which are being built in different parts of the country.