Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday laid the foundation stone of a Vegetable Processing Plant, being set up jointly by IFFCO and one of Spain’s leading companies in food processing Congelados de Navarra (CN Corp).
Laying the foundation stone near Samrala, the Chief Minister said that the project was aligned to his vision for the State’s rapid industrialization to create jobs for the youth and boost revenue for Punjab.
Pointing out that the State Government’s new industrial policy had been received extremely well, Capt Amarinder said that the revival of Mandi Gobindgarh industrial belt had seen 600 exiting units restore operations, with 40 new units also investing in the region.
“The government has, so far, inked 299 MoUs worth Rs 51,969 crore with several companies. Besides, 650 new projects, worth Rs 46,902 crore with a proposed employment of 1,67,309 have come up during the tenure of his Government,” he said.
Being set up over 52 acres of land at an estimated cost of Rs 521 crore, the plant will have a processing capacity of 80,000 metric tonnes per annum, with the eventual investment expected to touch Rs. 1000 core. The project, which will create 2500 direct and indirect jobs, will also help boost farm income as the plant will procure 150,00 metric tonnes of raw vegetables directly from the local farmers within a radius of 150 kilometers, said the Chief Minister.
The project will have facilities to process wide range of individual quick freezing (IQF) vegetables like Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrot, Green peas, Corn etc, and to process potatoes to manufacture french fries and potato snacks.
The projects, whose commercial production is likely to start in 2020, will bring Spanish know-how of the agri-sector to India and will boost overall infrastructure within the agro economic ecosystem, like research centres, seed growers, machinery producers, cold stores, transport sector etc.
The company will provide training to the farmers to educate them about the new and modern techniques of farming and will work closely with farmers to provide them information on using new techniques, seeds, pesticides, balance fertilisation, crop rotation leading to increase in farm productivity and quality of agri-produce.
Given the precarious water situation in the state, the need for conservation was high, necessitating introduction of crops that consume less water but yield higher remuneration for farmers, said the Chief Minister, adding that the plant would benefit 10,000 farmers with better remuneration and yield.
