Centre keen on marine products processing park in Orissa...

The Centre is keen on setting up of an exclusive park for processing of marine food products in Orissa given the state's 480-km long coastline and has reaffirmed its commitment to the mega food park in the state proposed to be set up at Khurda.

“Orissa has a 480-km long coastline and the state should have a marine food products processing park. We also want the proposed mega food park to come up in the state at Khurda. The Centre will offer all possible assistance for this project”, Union minister for food processing industries Subodhkant Sahay said here.

“The food processing industry in the country has been posting a year-on-year growth of 14 per cent and the economic meltdown has been unable to dent its growth. There is a huge demand for processed food products in the world”, he added.

The minister was speaking at the Orissa Investors' Meet on Agro and Food Processing organized jointly by the Union ministry for food processing industries, state industries department, Agriculture Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa Limited (APICOL) and Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Stressing on the need to scale up agriculture productivity, Sahay said, the agricultural productivity in India is only around 3000 tonnes per hectare as against 6000 tonnes per hectare in China.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Sinha, secretary, Union ministry of food processing industries said, “There has been a 225 per cent jump in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the food processing sector in April-January period of 2009-10 over the same period of the previous fiscal. It is essential to develop the food processing industry to avoid wastage of food crops and the time has come to take this industry to its logical conclusion.”

He said, “We expect a clear cut and data-based food policy from the Orissa government. The emphasis of the policy should be on forward and backward linkages of the agri products.”

Raghunath Mohanty, the state minister for industries, steel and mines and parliamentary affairs said, “Over 9000 MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) have been set up in the state in food and allied sectors at an investment of Rs 322 crore. These units have created employment for 66,803 persons.”

He said, “The food processing policy of the Orissa government which is going to be notified soon aims to take the level of processing in the state from 0.7 per cent to 10 per cent by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan.”

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “The Orissa government has earmarked an area of 282 acres at Malipada near Khurda for the establishment of a mega food park. We have submitted the proposal for this project to the Centre and I take this opportunity to request the Union minister to accord his king approval to the proposal immediately.”

“Investors like Britannia, Parle Agro and ITC Agro have shown keen interest in setting up their processing industries in the state. LMG International has proposed to set up a maize processing complex in Nabarangpur district”, he added.