Introduction to the Mega Food Park Scheme

The Mega Food Park Scheme represents a significant step towards strengthening India's food processing and agricultural sectors. As discussed in an interview with the Food Processing Industries (FPI) minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on May 4, 2019, the initiative aims to create a robust infrastructure for linking agricultural production to the market, thereby ensuring value addition, minimizing wastage, and enhancing farmers' income.

Government Initiatives and Accomplishments

According to the minister's report, there were already 2 mega food parks operational before the interview, and 15 more had been set up in the preceding four years. With additional plans for 4 more parks to be inaugurated soon, the government aimed to have a total of 40 mega food parks in operation by 2020. These parks play a crucial role in processing, packaging, and logistics.

Cold Chain Infrastructure

To support the mega food parks and ensure the smooth flow of agricultural products from production to consumption, the government has taken substantial steps. As of the interview, there were 30 pre-existing cold chain facilities, with 50 completed in the previous four years. Additionally, 101 more cold chain facilities had been sanctioned, and another 30 would be sanctioned in the near future, making a total of 206 cold chain facilities, of which 60 had already been completed.

Supporting Small Farmers

The Gram Samridhhi Yojana was introduced to allocate Rs 3000 Crores in the coming year to support small farmers in the unorganized food processing sector. The government also established FPI funds worth Rs 2000 Crores to benefit small farmers. An Nationalized Bank Finance Corporation (NBFC) would be established to provide financing ranging from Rs 2000 to 20000 Crores to small farmer groups over the next 3 to 4 years. Furthermore, Operation Greens TOP project received Rs 500 million to stabilize tomato, onion, and potato prices by matching demand and supply. About Rs 1-10 lakhs were also made available via World Bank (WB) loans for small farmers.

The Present Status in 2019

The Mega Food Park Scheme made notable progress in 2019. Among the 42 planned mega food parks, 8 were already functional. These functional parks include notable establishments such as Patanjali Food and Herbal Park in Haridwar, Srini Food Park Chittoor, North East Mega Food Park in Nalbari, Fazilka Integrated Food Park, Tumkur Jharkhand Mega Food Park Ranchi, and Indus Mega Food Park in Khargoan and Jangipur in Bengal, Murshidabad.

Conclusion

The Mega Food Park Scheme underscored the government's commitment to fostering agricultural value addition and boosting employment opportunities, particularly in the rural sector. The combination of improved cold chain facilities and strategic investments in mega food parks positioned India to become a significant player in the global food processing industry.

References

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) - Cold Chain and Food Processing (wiki)