HPMC fruit juices gain popularity

Shimla, Apr 30 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC) has today become a household name not only in Himachal Pradesh but also in a number of other states with its fruit juices steadily gaining popularity over other drinks.

HPMC has taken up many significant strides in the last couple of years providing marketing, processing and creation of infrastructural network to the fruit growers within and outside the state. The Corporation has developed a vast infrastructural network in the fruit growing areas by setting-up 10 mechanical grading and packing houses with a capacity of 39,000 MT, five cold storages of 1,000 MT each out of which two cold storages at Oddi and Patlikuhl have pre-cooling facilities.

The Corporation has also developed four cold storages in terminal markets at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Parwanoo with total installed capacity of 11,750 MT. This facility is also being extended to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

To process the fruit HPMC has plants at Parwanoo (Solan) and another at Jarol (Mandi) with total installed capacity of 21,000 MT, which has further been strengthened by taking over processing plant of HIM Processors at Jabli (Solan) on lease basis having capacity of 1000 MT.

A HPMC spokesman here today said that the fruit processing plant at Parwanoo has been upgraded and now it has a hit-ech pulper line, a tetra pack filling system and a pomace dryer unit for scientific disposal of solid waste of fruits. Slim Pack filling Machine TBA-9 has also been installed which will triple the production.

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