K.H. Muniappa, Union Minister of State for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, on Saturday announced that the Central government would set up a Flavour and Fragrance Development Centre (FFDC) in Puducherry at a cost of Rs.40 crore.
Participating in a function held at Kalapet near here to lay stone for MSME technology centre, he said that the Pududcherry government had agreed to allot land for the project. Steps would be expedited to finalise land and other requirements . The FFDC was aimed at serving as an interface between essential oil, fragrance and flavour industry and the research and development institutions both in the field of agro technology and chemical technology. The main objective of the centre was to serve, sustain and upgrade the status of farmers and industry engaged in aromatic cultivation and processing to make them both in local and global market.
On the MSME technology centre to be established in Puducherry, Mr. Muniappa said that to have a strong manufacturing base, availability of quality tooling and skilled manpower was indispensable. Hence, it had taken initiative to implement Technology Centre Systems Programme (TCSP) to establish 15 new technology centres with the support of World Bank to the tune of Rs.2,200 crore in different parts of the country.
The Puducherry centre was one among them.
Puducherry had 45 large-scale and 80 medium-scale industries besides 8,700 small-scale industries. The region had a tremendous potential to emerge as a manufacturing hub owing to the presence of various clusters such as general engineering, plastic, packing, corrugated box, terracotta, wood and steel. The technology centre would support the growth of manufacturing sector in the region for design and manufacturing of tools, components and products. It would also provide skilled man power to the industry.
Lt. Governor Virendra Kataria, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Minister for State in Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayanasamy, Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner, MSME, New Delhi, Amarendra Singh, and president of Confederation of Indian Industry, Puducherry, K. Amarnath, spoke.
