Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas on Friday said Andhra Pradesh offered the best scope for food processing business as mere 3% of the crops get value added to them before hitting the market. Due to poor or no processing, farmers are at a great disadvantage when it comes to marketing their produce.
“The A.P. government will extend all possible support to them and to entrepreneurs coming forward to set up the much-needed processing units,” he asserted.
Speaking at Food Biz, a seminar on food processing sector organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, Mr. Srinivas said while extending a helping hand to the sector, the A.P. government took up the irrigation projects in a mission mode. It achieved tremendous success on that front by supplying water to 13 lakh acres in the Krishna eastern and western deltas through the Pattiseema project by June itself, which never happened in about a decade and a half.
Polavaram project
Upon completion, Polavaram would create an ayacut of over 12 lakh acres and provide drinking water to Visakhapatnam and eventually meet the requirements of Rayalaseema which reels under drought year after year.
In addition to the coastal districts, the prospects of horticulture were so bright in Rayalaseema that farmers could earn a profit of ₹1 lakh to ₹1.25 lakh per acre but they need water, he said, adding A.P. was the best State to take up horticulture.
CII A.P. Lead Convener (Primary Sector) Suresh Rayudu Chitturi and CII A.P. Chairman J.S.R.K. Prasad stated that the industries were upbeat about the potential in food processing sector and looked forward to government support.
Horticulture Commissioner Chiranjiv Choudhary said the focus on food processing was yielding the desired results. The recent export of locally grown mangoes from Vizianagaram district to South Korea and upcoming sale of green chillies, okra and drumsticks in European countries gave an impetus to the sector, he said, adding that the export potential of other food products was being tapped.
