In view of the increasing demand for plastic products across the globe, the Uttar Pradesh government is going to develop plastic processing parks, one of which will be set up in the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) area.

“The YEIDA Board has approved the proposal and the Planning department is working on the outline of the park. After the approval, work on the project will start and the process of setting up industries will accelerate,” a government spokesman said here on Thursday.

The Yogi Adityanath government has a plan to set up a plastic park on the lines of medical device park, toy park, textile park, leather park, and electronic park in UP.

“Units for processing, manufacturing and other related technology of plastic products will be set up in the plastic park, which will meet the plastic needs of not only Uttar Pradesh but also the country and the world,” an official said.

He said hundreds of plastic units would be set up in an area of 100 acres.

The All India Plastic Industries Association has already presented a proposal in this regard. The plan has also been approved by the YEIDA Board. More than 20 investors have proposed to invest in the plastic processing park to be set up in the YEIDA area.

Deepak Balani of the Plastic Industry Association said: “Data of the Government of India reflects that more than 10,000 plastic companies are registered in UP. The per capita plastic consumption in India and the globe is about 15 kg and 36 kg respectively. In that sense, we are not even 50 per cent of that. India being a consumption country, there is a lot of potential for plastic growth with UP being a big consumption state.”

Balani further said that with the development of a plastic park, the state would not only be able to meet the demand for its consumption but would also be able to export it to neighboring states and abroad.

“Everyone has seen the contribution of plastic during the COVID-19 period. Plastic is used in many products, including areas like healthcare, pharma, food packaging, protective equipment, PPE kits, among others. In a way, plastic has saved millions of lives. Apart from this, plastic is also widely used in packaging, infrastructure, and pipes used in buildings,” he said.

The officials said that several upcoming dedicated industrial parks in the YEIDA area near Jewar International Airport witnessed a boom in the progress of industries. Apart from benefiting the state in terms of revenue, such parks would also generate large-scale employment opportunities for local youth.

More than 1,942 investors are setting up their units in the YEIDA area with an investment of Rs 17,272.74 crore, which will provide employment to about 2,65,718 people.