50 food processing plants ready for ground breaking in Jharkhand on global agriculture and food summit
Baba Ramdev led Patanjali Food Park likely to invest in Jharkhand’s multi-crore mega food park in Ranchi. Final proposal to take shape during the two-day global agriculture and food summit
Jharkhand would see ground breaking ceremonies of as many as 50 food processing plants during the state’s maiden two-day Global Agriculture and Food Summit (GAFS), scheduled to be held in Ranchi’s Khelgaon from November 29, officials said on Tuesday.
“Seeing Jharkhand’s potential in vegetable sector, around 50 private companies had expressed interest to set up food processing plants in the state. After completing all required formalities, the companies will go for ground breaking ceremony on November 29,” said industry secretary K Ravi Kumar.
He, however, did not reveal the total investment on these projects and names of the companies. “We would release its details in a day or two,” Kumar added.
Jharkhand is a vegetable surplus state, which produces around 40 lakh metric tonnes vegetables annually against the requirement of 30 lakh metric tonnes. The state supplies around one million tonne vegetable to other states mainly to Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal every year.
Due to surplus production and shortage of buyers, farmers dump their produces every year. The upcoming processing plants would not only help increase farmers’ income but they would also get market, officials said.
Industry department was hoping that Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Food Park (PFF) would come with an investment proposal during the event for the state’s multi-crore mega food park (MFP) at Ranchi’s Getalsud, which was declared non-performing asset (NPA) by Allahabad Bank.
“We had initial round of discussion with the PFF chief executive officer for the multi-crore mega food park. He has shown interest in the project. We hope the investment proposal to get shape during the two-day event,” industry secretary said.
A public-private-partnership (PPP) project with the ministry of food processing industries of Government of India, the MFP was established on 56 acres of land at a cost of ₹114.73 crore. Allahabad bank had given loan of ₹33.95 crore while the Centre had allotted ₹43 crore for the project.
The Jharkhand Mega Food Park Private Limited (JMFPPL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV), was executing the mega project and developed common facilities— power sub-station, cold storage, ware house, packaging unit, canteen, common effluent treatment plant.
The food park was formally inaugurated by the Union minister of food processing Harsimrat Kaur and state chief minister Raghubar Das on February 15, 2016.
However, the promoter of MFP died few months back and the project turned idle. Recently, the bank declared it an NPA.
Department of industry asked the bank to evaluate the assets so that potential investors could be attracted. The bank is preparing for auction of the assets, while the department is hoping to get investor in the food summit.
