Food processing industry has made a major headway in Ernakulam with the district having as many as 4,536 agriculture-based units with a total investment to the tune of ₹906 crore.
The units employ more than 40,000 people and have a total turnover of ₹6,043 crore as per data available with the Ernakulam District Industries Centre for the period up to January 31 this year. Some of the units are also involved in exporting various products and earn more than ₹700 crore from export business.
The district’s progress is notable because the trend is visible across the State. The State has a total of 69,000 food processing industrial units and they form 23% of the total industrial enterprises.
According to data from the Ernakulam District Industries Centre, there are a total of 29,344 registered units in the district. The total investment is ₹7,200 crore. The units employ 2,63,949 people and generate a business turnover of around ₹23,000 crore annually.
The State has three lakh registered industrial units with an investment to the tune of ₹17,000 crore. The units employ a total of around 13 lakh people.
The food processing industry in the district has various products including spices, fish and meat, oil and extracts, and ready-to-eat products.
Industrial clusters
Meanwhile, the district has also seen progress in development of industrial clusters. As per a report for the last financial year, the district has six industrial clusters that include Kerala Furniture Cluster; Kalady Rice Millers’ Consortium, Perumbavoor Plywood Manufacturers’ Consortium, Aluva Plastic Consortium, Cochin Footwear Consortium and Angamaly Mahila Apparels Park which comprise garments and ready-to-wear products units.
