Food park will employ Vidarbha farmers: Ramdev

NAGPUR: Yoga guru Ramdev said the employment generated by his mega food park, launched on Saturday, would bail out debt-ridden farmers in Vidarbha.

NAGPUR: Yoga guru Ramdev said the employment generated by his mega food park, launched on Saturday, would bail out debt-ridden farmers in Vidarbha.

HT Image

The announcement was made at the launch of the park in at the International Cargo Hub and Airport, Nagpur (MIHAN) in presence of the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Union minister for transport and shipping, Nitin Gadkari and a huge gathering of farmers.

The proposed food park, spread over 230-acres of land will provide direct employment to 10,000 people, said Ramdev.

“We are fighting to make our country economically independent and free it from multinational companies by promoting indigenous and natural products,” he said.

The company plans to develop a modern food park by building a Rs 1,000 crore plant, where the juice of Nagpuri oranges will be manufactured. This will be the first time that orange juice made from local fruit will be packaged as a brand, he said.

Gadkari, who has been instrumental in getting Ramdev to invest in food parks and allied business in the region, said Patanjali will be a boon for farmers and will usher in modernisation of the city.

He said tribals from Gadchiroli, Gondia and Chandrapur, who make a living collecting forest produce such as medicinal plants and herbs will benefit from this initiative.

Patanjali workers will train farmers to grow orange, aloe vera, tomato and herbs. They will be given a purchase guarantee. A team of scientists and experts are also working on the project.

Chief minister Fadnavis dismissed allegations that the government has given the plot to Patanjali at less than half of the cost that other investors have paid.

“The process involved at giving the land to Patanjali was transparent. We had floated tenders thrice and Patanjali Ayurveda was found to be the right choice in the bidding as per the central vigilance commission norms,” Fadnavis said.

The government wanted a commitment to procure raw materials to the tune of at least Rs 100 crore per annum from the farmers and members of tribal community within the surrounding area.