Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the food park in Tumkur on September 24, the local response to the project has been mixed. While a section of people see it as a project that will generate jobs and boost the local economy, the farming community is sceptical.
The food park is established on 110 acres of land at Vasanthanarasapura Industrial Area, near Tumkur, at an estimated cost of Rs. 145 crore under public-private partnership model. A Mumbai-based private company, Future Group (of Big Baazar fame), has got the tender for the project. A special purpose vehicle, Integrated Food Park Pvt. Ltd., has been set up in Bangalore to implement the project. Storage units will be opened at Kolar, Chickballapur, Doddaballapur, Chamarajanagar, Shimoga and Chikmagalur to collect fruits and vegetables from farmers. According to chairman of the Abhivruddi Revolution Forum Kundaranahalli Ramesh, the project is being implemented under the ‘Mega Food Park’ scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries to support food processing sector and farmers.
The former MP G.S. Basavaraj told The Hindu that more than 6,000 people in the district would get employment and more than 40,000 families of farmers would be indirectly benefitted from it.
However, according to State secretary of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha B.S. Devaraj, the project will help corporate companies rather than benefit farmers. He alleged that gullible farmers, unaware of the terms of trading, might be exploited by corporate companies.