Chennai:
Development work at Indian Food Park, Virudhunagar,
the countrys first private sector food park, is progressing
at a good pace. The 150-acre food park coming up in the
food-processing belt of Tamil Nadu is promoted by the Rs
5-billion V P S Ayyemperumal Nadar and Sons group. The group
consists of around 30 companies having interests in spinning,
cold chain, edible oils, spices, oleoresins and other agro
products.
The park will be developed in two phases. The first phase
involves development of 68 acres to accommodate 42 units,
says project consultant M Kaja Hussian of the Madurai-based
City Freezers. The first phase involves construction of
a cold storage, warehouses and other basic infrastructure
like roads and lighting.
The Rs 12-crore project outlay will be met by a promoter
contribution of Rs 4 crore and an equal amount from the
Central government as a grant. Financial institutions will
provide the remaining Rs 4 crore as a loan, says Indian
Food Park director A V S Dilipan.
Promotion of food processing parks and agro export zones
are the two concepts advocated by the Union ministry of
food processing industries. The ministry also gives Rs 4
crore as grant for approved food parks.
Detailing about the facilities provided by Indian Food Park
for investors, Hussian says: The park will have its own
accredited food-testing laboratory so that food companies
need not got to CFTRI, Mysore, for testing their products.
In addition, there will be a common effluent treatment plant,
a cold storage and weighing facilities. There will be a
single-window facility for licence procurement.
As the power tariff works out to Rs 5.50 per unit, a 2-mw
captive power plant fired by agro waste is also planned
here. For units that are season-based, we can supply labour
in times of need. Individual units need not employ large
labour force for a whole year, he says.
As the park is also expected to attract packaging units,
small food-processing units need not have a separate packaging
line. They can subcontract the work to a full-fledged packaging
unit, Hussian says. Currently, several pickle-makers in
the Virudhunagar belt are transporting
their bulk product to Chennai for retail packing.
Hussain says food-processing units located in south Kerala
are keen on shifting their operations to Indian Food Park
to take advantage of a low labour cost and a peaceful working
atmosphere. Cashew, dates and gherkin processing involves
high labour force and hence Kerala units are showing keen
interest, says Hussian. We have sold space for seven units
and we expect to attract at least 20 units to start functioning
from next year.
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