Govt plans 50 new mega food parks in 12th Plan

The government aims to set up 50 new mega food parks across the country in the 12th Plan to minimise damage to huge amount of fruits and vegetables in the absence of wider network of food processing units.

"Considering importance of food processing units, the government is aiming to set up 50 new mega food parks across the country in the 12th five year plan (2012-17)," Minister of State for Food Processing and Agriculture Harish Rawat told PTI Bhasa.

The minister lamented that in the absence of wider network of food processing units, the country is facing damage to fruits and vegetables worth nearly Rs 40,000 crore every year.

Rawat said the government had set a target to set up 30 mega food parks in the 11th five year plan (2007-12), out of which 15 parks have been sanctioned. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in his 2011 Budget speech had said that approval is being given to 15 more mega food parks.

The mega food parks provide the necessary infrastructure to farmers to process food. The primary objective of the parks is to provide adequate/excellent infrastructure facilities for food processing along the value chain from the farm to market.

It includes creation of infrastructure near the farm, transportation, logistics and centralised processing centres.

The minister lamented that only 2-3 states have separate food processing ministry.

"This creates problem in coordination between the centre and the state in the field of food processing," Rawat added.

In reply to a question regarding efforts being made to attract FDI in food processing sector, the minister said the ministry is thinking of organising roadshows in different countries.