Telangana government’s food processing policy aims to create 10,000 acres of special food processing zones across nine districts till 2024-25 with special buffer zones to support an additional 53 lakh acres to be brought under irrigation.
It is also seeking to attract ₹25,000 crore of capital investment, on setting up of food processing enterprises, and generate direct employment for around 70,000 people, Industries Secretary Jayesh Ranjan told the CII TS-Foodbiz 2021, a two-day international conference and exposition that got underway on Friday. CII Telangana in association with Telangana government is organising the event on a virtual mode.
Mr. Ranjan urged the industry to take a closer look at the policy since it has several unique features, especially State taking responsibility for aggregating at farmer levels and connecting with the supply chains. The policy will also support warehousing, cold storages and allied value chains, he said.
CII-TS in a release said that secretary to Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries Pushpa Subrahmanyam, addressing the inaugural session, congratulated Telangana government for a positive policy framework for food processing industry (FPI) owing to huge investment in irrigation sector.
She said under the National Food Processing Policy, the Centre aims to invest ₹30,000 crore in next five years. As per a survey, 99% of FPI is managed at micro level and hence the government is looking to support such enterprises by way of enhancing access to capital and addressing issues of compliance and safety.
