Food processing park to come up in Aurangabad: Maha CM

A food processing industry park and a skill development complex will be set up in Aurangabad in central Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Thursday.

Three new MIDC areas will also be established in the Marathwada region, it was announced.

Thackeray was speaking after inaugurating seventh Advantage Maharashtra Expo, 2020, organised by the Marathwada Association of Small Scale Industries and Agriculture (MASSIA) here.

"A food processing park will be established in DMIC (Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor at Bidkin) over 500 acres, of which 100 acres will be reserved for women entrepreneurs," the chief minister said.

"To create skilled manpower which will fulfil the need of local companies, a skill development complex will also be set up," he added.

His government wanted industry and agriculture sector to work together, Thackeray said.

"The government will act as a catalyst between these two sectors," he added.

Industry Minister Subhash Desai informed that three Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) areas (industrial colonies) will be established in Marathwada, and 1,018 hectares of land will be acquired for this.

The new MIDC areas will come up in Shendra, Nanded and Osmanabad, he said.

"Sixteen companies have decided to invest Rs 8,360 crore in Marathwada," Desai added.

Sunik Kirdak, convener of the exhibition, said the government should help the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprizes (MSME) sector by cutting red tep.

"We don't want red carpet treatment but don't spread thorns in the path of MSMEs. We request you to provide space for the factories which are currently operating from rented premises," Kirdak said.

President of MASSIA Dyandeo Rajale demanded that the Aurangabad-Pune highway should be expanded.