42 mega food parks to be set up across India: Harsimrat

At least 42 mega Food Parks worth Rs. 2,000 crore will be established in the entire country, union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said on Saturday.

Addressing a conference at Dera Bassi near here on Saturday, she said the mega food parks would not only help farmers across the country but the location of these parks would ensure that food wastage is avoided.

She said that the food parks will have all facilities like production, processing plant, cold storage, collection centre and transport.

"The aim of establishing food parks is to eliminate food wastage," said Harsimrat Badal, adding that the produce from the farmers will be utilised by the food parks in particular regions.

She said that farmers should opt for growing crops, like fruits, flowers and vegetables as the traditional crops like wheat and paddy were not beneficial for the farmers.

Crop diversification was the best option for farmers, especially in agrarian states like Punjab, she said.

The minister also urged scientists to come up with solution for the problem of farmers who burn crop residue to prepare their agricultural land quickly for the next crop.