K'taka should strive to become leader in Food Technology: Sahay

Bangalore, July 1 (UNI) Karnataka, which excelled in various fields, should make efforts to emerge a leader in Food Technology (FT), Union Minister of State for Food Processing Subodh Kanth Sahay said today.

Addressing the 29th Annual General Meeting of the Bangalore Chambers of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) here, he said the state excelled in the fields of IT and BT, besides horticulture, in the country. Similarly it should also promote FT as vegetables and fruits worth Rs 50,000 crore, were going a waste in the country every year due to lack of modern food processing units.

He said ''I urge you to set up food parks in Karnataka to give a boost to the food processing industry which has great export potential.'' Mr Sahay called upon states to provide maximum tax concessions to FT industries as the coming years would be the era of food processing and manufacturing industry.

He said the states should bring amend the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Act to give a boost to lucrative contract farming sector. Farmers should adopt multi-crop pattern to achieve economic stability, he suggested.

Speaking on the occasion, BCIC President Anant R Koppar expressed concern over the state's infrastructure and said unless this issue was addressed achieving a GDP growth of eight per cent would be difficult.

Mr Venkat Kedlaya, MD of Convergent Communications Pvt Ltd, was elected as the new President of the BCIC, while John Mathew Panikar, MD of Praxair India Pvt Ltd, the Vice President.

UNI RS RG GM1711