Setting a 30-month deadline to augment critical infrastructure facilities and offering a fast-track clearance mechanism, Union Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday announced two mega food parks for Alappuzha and Palakkad as part of the 17 new projects in different parts of the country.
Addressing a video press conference from New Delhi on Tuesday, Ms. Badal said the food park at Pallipuram in Cherthala would be set up by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) and the one in Palakkad by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra).
The KSIDC park, to be set up on 65 acres of land, is estimated to cost Rs.125 crore. It is expected to cater mainly to the marine food processing industry. The KSIDC is expecting a Central grant of Rs.50 crore. The State government had allocated funds for it in the 2015-16 budget.
The estimated project cost of the Kinfra park is Rs.121.92 crore. The project is expecting a Central assistance of Rs.50 crore.
The park would have a central processing facility at Elappully and another unit at Pudussery. Five primary processing centres have been proposed in Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, and Ernakulam from where the raw materials would be sourced.