CDFPF urges Centre additional 25 PC subsidy for modernisation

Tirupati, Jun 24 (UNI) The Chittoor District Fruit Processors' Federation (CDFPF) has urged the Central Government to grant additional 25 per cent subsidy as a special package for modernisation of fruit-processor clusters in the district.

In his memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Y S Rajashekara Reddy during his two-day visit to the temple town, CDFPF President K Balarishna Reddy said the Chittoor Mango cluster, consisting of nearly 50 mango pulp processing pulp industries, including 10 large scale and 40 small scale units, has been exporting mango pulp in huge quantities to abroad in various packing during May to July mango season.

In the small scale units, which have very old conventional type of mango pulp processing equipments, it was getting very difficult to achieve productivity and hygienic quality products as desired by the foreign buyers and these units were presently surviving by doing job work of processing for merchant exporters and aseptic packaging exporters, he said.

All the Mango cluster units, who are not able to invest huge amounts on infrastructure development and modernisation of technology, will be soon closed if the Centre would not enhance subsidy to 50 per cent from 25 per unit for modernisation of the units as a special package under AEZ cluster development, he cautioned.

The units are trapped as seasonal industries due to famine conditions in the district and depanding on mangoes only and struggling for existence. The industries were directly supporting the mango farming community by buying and giving good competitive market prices and secondly, the cluster units were providing huge employment for thousands of skill and unskilled labourers during mango seasons, Mr Reddy added.

UNI KNR GL RAI2151