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New Delhi: The Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras informs on 17th August during a formal tour that the efforts are on for the early completion of 19 Mega Food Parks in the country, which are under various stages of implementation.
The primary objective of this scheme is to provide modern infrastructure facilities for food processing along the value chain from farm to market. The Ministry has accorded final approval to 38 Mega Food Parks and in-principle approval to three Mega Food Parks in the country, out of which 22 Mega Food Park projects have been made operational.
The Mega Food Parks will boost the value addition in 22 perishables like Mango, Banana, Apple, Pineapple, Carrot, Cauliflower, Beans, etc identified by the Ministry to supplement the income of farmers. The government has further, announced the expansion of the scope of “Operation Greens Scheme” from Tomato, Onion & Potato (TOP) to 22 perishable products, in the budget speech for 2021-22.
Also, Shri Paras informs that there is huge scope for Mini Food Parks in North Eastern Region and in other states like the North Bihar.
Further, on the 20th of August, the union minister for Food Processing Industries will do an on-spot assessment of Mega Food Park at Mansi in Khagaria district of Bihar, which is 70 percent complete, followed by the progress assessment of the mega food park at Motipur block of Muzaffarpur district, approved by the Centre in April this year. The food park aims to help the farmers of the region growing Litchi, Makhana, Banana, Potato, and Maize in large quantities and will provide fresh employment opportunities to women and youth of the area.
Shri Paras moreover, informed that that National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2021 has been notified after its passage from Parliament in the just-concluded session. He said, with this, the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) Kundali (Haryana), and the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries have become Institutions of National Importance (INI).
