Union Minister for Food Processing Industry Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated a Rs136 crore, first of its kind mega international food park in Punjab, asking for establishment of more food processing units to reduce the Rs45,000 crore food wastage in the country.
Inaugurating the food park, which is the fourth such park in the country, along with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Union Minister said, “this is just the beginning. My Ministry has succeeded in promoting an international food park here by extending a subsidy of Rs50 crore. In the near future you will see many more parks and food processing units coming up in the State”.Harsimrat said ITC was coming up with a Rs1,000 crore food park in Kapurthala. “We are also promoting establishment of a cold chain for which we are giving a subsidy of Rs10 crore besides creation of modern processing centres for milk, fruits and vegetables”, she added.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said diversification would become a reality with creation of more food parks including the one coming up in Kapurthala. Badal lauded the food park promoters for providing more than 700 jobs to local youth and said more youngsters would be employed in the park once other companies also establish their units in the 55 acre facility.