A formal order on environmental clearance from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board for the SIPCOT Industrial Park on a 1,077-acre site near Manapparai is expected to be issued shortly, sources said.
With the State government eyeing an annual growth rate of 15 % in manufacturing sector, as specified in the Tamil Nadu Industrial Policy 2021 and State MSME Policy, the TNPCB is understood to have expedited the process of issuing environmental clearance for the Industrial Park in which the decks are being cleared for establishment of a Food Park on a 250-acre portion.
Last month, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami laid the foundation for the SIPCOT Industrial Park in Manapparai entailing Rs. 500 crore investment. TNPCB officials subsequently conducted an inspection of the site for environemental clearance. The clearance is only for the site, and production units will have to obtain individual certification from the TNPCB, sources said.
At least 60 producers of food materials like biscuits, bakery products, dairy products, and moringa powder are expected to establish their manufacturing units at Manapparai, Chairman of Tiruchi Trade Centre N. Kanagasabapathi said.
SIPCOT had appointed Grant Thornton Bharat LLP to conduct a detailed research on potential of the proposed food parks at Manapparai in Tiruchi district and in Theni district.
Namakkal, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Karur, Pudukottai, Dindigul, Madurai and Sivaganga have been identified as the catchment areas for the food park in Manapparai.
The processing infrastructure in the food parks constitute common collection centres, primary processing centres (pre-cooling, grading, pulping, ripening chambers, sorting, waxing, packing and storage); central processing centres for pulping, aseptic packing, logistics centre; storage infrastructure including warehouses; and specialised cold storages.
