Punjab plans Mega Food Park to promote agro-products

Chandigarh, June 19 (UNI) A Common Marketing Management in the form of 'Mega Food Park' in the cooperative sector was must for effective marketing of processed foods, fruits and vegetables and also other high value crops, Punjab Cooperation Minister Kanwaljit Singh said here today.

His remarks came while presiding over a high-level meeting of the Cooperation Department convened here to review the presentation made by the representatives of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (ILFS), New Delhi regarding setting up of a Mega Food Park under the scheme of Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

Such management would ensure a proper platform for marketing produce and provide remunerative prices to the farmers thus revitalising the stagnated agri-sector,'' Capt. Singh said.

Capt. Singh asked the representatives of ILFS Ltd. to coordinate with the state federations specially Markfed, Milkfed and Sugarfed and work out the modalities in detail.

The Cooperation Minister also announced to set up a five-member task force with Additional Registrar Cooperative Societies, Managing Directors of Markfed, Milkfed and Sugarfed and Additional M.D.

(Plants) to prepare an action plan with concrete proposal for reshaping, revitalisation and strengthening of Cooperative Sector.

Besides, it would make a case to be sent to the Centre for getting one agri cluster in the form of Mega Food Park for which the Centre was likely to give subsidy to the extent of Rs 50 crore.

Deputy Secretary, Union Food Processing Industries Ministry, S S Chahal who was present in the meeting, informed that the Centre was setting up 5 such clusters in the country and Punjab was welcome to bid for that.

Capt Singh said at present the state's agriculture sector was facing lot of challenges due to various economic stresses faced by the farmers and there was a need to evolve a dual system under which a major share of the crops was processed and remaining marketed through retail outlets.

Most of the farmers in the state were small and marginal and the State Government planned to provide quality infrastructure in order to motivate them for diversifying towards high-value crops including fruits and vegetables and other fields like commercial dairying, food, vegetable and fruit production, he said.

UNI