In addition to giving major policy relaxations for the food processing sector, like exempting new units from Non-Agricultural Land Assessment (NALA) charges and allotting land on lease basis instead of outright sale, the State government is contemplating to set up Banana and Mango Boards, the latter with the help of the Central government.
This was stated by Y.S. Prasad, Chief Executive Officer of Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Society (APFPS), in a State-level seminar on food processing industry organised here on Wednesday by the Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry Federation (ACCIF).
He said the State stood first in mango production in the country but when it comes to yield per acre, it was ranked fifth due to supply chain constraints, failure to adopt advanced farming technologies and poor quality of seeds. Banana crop also faced similar issues that affected its true potential.
The proposed Banana and Mango Boards would address these concerns and see that A.P reached the top in productivity of the respective crops. The modalities were being worked out and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has promised to take them up with the Central government in right earnest.
Mr. Prasad said the average post-harvest loss was 20 to 25 per cent and there was a lot of mismatch in the quality of crops produced by farmers and the ones that industries looked for. The APFPS, Agriculture and the Horticulture Departments were trying to bridge this divide so that the food processing sector could progress to the next level.
Mega Food Parks
Efforts were on to promote two Mega Food Parks in the State. They were Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park at Bhimavaram in West Godavari district and the one that was entrusted to Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation at Agiripalli in Krishna district. These were in addition to the Srini Food Park in Chittoor district which was one of the few such successful mega food parks in the country.
Mr. Prasad said there was a dire need for establishment of food quality testing laboratories of global standards in the State. There was not even a single NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories)-recognised laboratory in the State. The controversy over Maggi noodles would not have arisen had food safety standards been adhered to, he observed.
