Thousands of registered food and beverage processing units, leading brands of food products, major producer of several agricultural products – these factors have all made Erode a destination for food processing sector.
Be it dairy products, masala powders, pastry, or traditional snacks, Erode district has hundreds of units, from small-scale ones to well-known brands, that manufacture these products.
According to Rasumani, general manager of the District Industries Centre, Erode, there are 10,720 registered micro, small and medium scale enterprises in the food processing sector in the district. There are about 100 large scale units too and several unregistered units.
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“Erode is among the leading suppliers of food products not only within the State, but also to other States. Almost 50 per cent of the milk supplied to Bengaluru is from Erode,” says, P. Thirumurthy, secretary of Erode District Small Scale Industries (EDDISIA).
Growth
He says, “There is a 25 per cent growth in food industries in Erode over the recent years. The abundance of agricultural products such as coconut, lemon, turmeric, sugarcane and milk, surplus availability of workers, and sufficient water supply attract industrialists to set up processing units in Erode.”
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Agro-park
Since the district has these strengths, the association has appealed to the Union Government to establish an agro-park as a special economic zone in the district. This will give a boost to export of processed food products.
One of the well-known food products from Erode is Aavin’s palgova. “Aavin was established in 1979 in Erode to cater to the milk needs of Chennai. Subsequently, processed milk was transported through road and rail tankers. Currently, Aavin has expanded its market and supplies to local consumers of Erode too,” says an official of Aavin. Aavin - Erode currently produces butter, ghee, and flavoured milk powders apart from milk, he adds. Erode stands third in the State in procurement of milk next to undivided Salem (Salem and Namakkal) and North Arcot districts (Vellore and Tiruvannamalai).
“Erode is an ideal location for business. We never had to import any raw material. We get everything here,” says Raja, who started Milka Wonder Cake in 1989 in Erode. Now the company has its manufacturing units in Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Salem, and Chennai.
“Initially, we baked only bread here. Gradually we started to sell cakes, rusks and biscuits. We sell across the south Indian States and export to the UAE too,” he says.
P. Thirumurthy, managing director of Sakthi Fruits, says, “With industrial experience gained from working for other industries, we began Sakthi Fruits in 1994 as a family venture. Since then, we have grown considerably, offering jams, sauces, tutti frutties and papaya cube candies. Since Erode has surplus production of papaya, the company plans to expand its product portfolio, especially items made out of papaya,” he says.
(with inputs from Dharsini Kathirvel)