The Chhattisgarh Government on Friday signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with three companies for establishing food processing and security related equipment units at a total investment of `200 crore .The MoU on food processing is now set to provide a major fillip to sale of horticulture crops in the State, officials stated.The new units when established, will open employment opportunities for nearly 2,000 youth, they stated.
Chief Minister Raman Singh presided over the meeting of State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) in which the three MoUs were signed at his official residence here.
Commerce and Industry Minister Amar Agrawal, Chhattisgarh State Power Holding Company ltd Chairman Shivraj Singh, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand , Additional Chief Secretary N. Baijendra Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary Ajay Singh and a number of senior officers were present at the meeting.
The Chief Minister after signing of the MoUs stated that there is tremendous scope for growth of industries based on Horticulture crops.
The acreage under Horticulture crops and production had increased manifold during the past decade after the formation of Chhattisgarh State, he said.
There is a bright future for industries based on Horticulture crops. Farmers will be benefitted in the process. The State Government will provide all facilities for the establishment of industrial units, he said.
Commerce and Industry Minister Amar Agrawal said that there had been an increase in the production of paddy, fruits , flowers and vegetables in Chhattisgarh during the past several years. There is a need for industries based on Horticulture crops.The Horticulture and Industry Department officers said that there is a strong foundation for the Horticulture crops in State. The key fruits and vegetables grown in the are Papaya, Tomatoes,Guava, Brinjals besides other vegetable varieties.
Papaya is the largest produced fruit in Chhattisgarh and its production share is 6 per cent of the entire country. The share of Tomato production in the State is four per cent of the total production in the entire country.The State has produced about 22 lakh metric tonnes fruits, 57 lakh metric tonnes vegetables, 6.5 lakh metric tonnes of condimentsa , 48 quintal flowers and 55 quintal medicinal plants in 2014-2015.The MoUs were signed between the Secretary Commerce & Industry Subodh Singh and officials of Crystal logistics Cool Chain limited, Agrizone Biotechnologies and ACSG Corp.The Crystal logistics Cool Chain limited was established about five decades back and is the largest chain in the country, company officials stated.
The company has 150 air-conditioned vans. It will open its collection centres in Rajnandgaon ,Durg , Bilaspur, Bhatapara, Raipur and Raigarh.About `115 crore will be invested for collection, grading, pre-cooling facility and packaging houses, officials stated.Early this month, the Chhattisgarh government signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three companies mainly- BMD Starch Pvt ltd., Kakkad Udyog ltd and Indian Agro and Food Industries.The aforesaid companies would establish their units in Bastar, Dhamtari and Rajnandgaon districts. The units would also establish their captive power units.
The total quantum of investment by the three companies is expected around Rs 670 crore which is expected to provide direct employment to 5,000 people and indirect employment to nearly35,000 people.The proposed units would consume around four lakh metric tonnes of Maize annually. The move is expected to ensure a favourable pricefor the Maize output to the State’s farmers.
The Tamarind and Maize of Bastar division is in high demand overseas as proved by exports which was to the tune of more than `100 crore during the previous Kharif season of 2014, officials stated.Maize cultivated by farmers in Bastar is already being exported to USA, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Vietnam while tamarind is being exported to Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Dubai.
In the Kharif season period more than six lakh quintals of maize worth `85 crore was exported from Bastar. Similarly 50,000 quintals of Tamarind worth `20 crore was exported last year.A few years ago, paddy and mustard were the key crops of Bastar region but the trend has changed during the past five years. The farmers go for Maize in Rabi and Kharif crops and getting higher returns in comparison to paddy.
The State Government had also been providing forest land holders free hybrid seeds for Maize cultivation. The State Government also provides free of cost certified seeds of paddy to the land patta-holders in theforest areas.Under the special scheme, seeds were provided for about 2.77 lakh acreage during the past two years.Agriculture Minister Brijmohan Agrawal said that there is a provision to distribute thirty kilograms certified paddy seeds and eight kilogram hybrid seeds for Maize to forest land-patta holders in the forest region.