THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Kerala is set to get a milestone facility in its SME food-processing industry this weekend with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurating the KINFRA Spices Park near Thodupuzha in Idukki district on Saturday, taking a stride in the processing and value addition of spices and allied products.
Raised on a 15.29-acre plot at Muttom village by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) functioning with the state Department of Industries and Commerce, the Spices Park built at a cost of Rs 20 crore also marks the realisation of an ambitious endeavour under the MSME Cluster Development Programme of the Union government. The 1993-founded KINFRA is an industrial facilitator agency headquartered in the state capital.
The October 14 inaugural function at 11.30 a.m. will be chaired by Minister for Industries, Coir and Law P. Rajeeve. Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine will be the Guest of Honour. Prominent speakers will include Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose and Thodupuzha MLA P.J. Joseph (Chief Guests) and Subhash Chandra Lal Das, Secretary, MSME, Government of India (Special Guest). Kerala’s Principal Secretary (Industries and Norka) Suman Billa will welcome the gathering, while KINFRA Managing Director Santhosh Koshy Thomas will propose thanks.
The facility marks KINFRA’s completion of the first phase of developing the 20-plot Spices Parkat Thudanganad in Muttom, 200 km north of Thiruvananthapuram. The Spices Park chiefly features industrial plots with roads, water and power. The basic infrastructure also includes a dedicated feeder from KSEB substation, drains, rainwater harvesting and a security post, besides an effluent treatment plant, administrative block, amenities building and ATM kiosk. The common facilities include telecommunication/cyber/documentation centres, a raw-material storehouse, marketing outlets and a cafeteria besides a conference room.
The October 14 function will feature the presentation of an allotment report by KINFRA General Manager (Projects) Dr T. Unnikrishnan. Felicitation speeches will be delivered by Idukki District Panchayat President K.T. Binu, District Collector Sheeba George, MSME Development Institute (Thrissur) Joint Director G.S. Prakash. Also present will be Thodupuzha Block Panchayat President Suni Babu, Muttom Panchayat President Sherly Augustine, Idukki District Panchayat Member Sunitha C.V. and Muttom Panchayat Member Kuttiyamma Michael.
The development work, which got the Centre’s approval in mid-February 2018, was completed on August 25 this year. KINFRA has already initiated development of the remaining land as a second phase of the Spices Park, where 10 acres of developed land will be allotted to industrial units.
KINFRA also proposes to use seven acres of land in the Spices Park for spice cultivation and value addition of spices produce, jointly with the Spices Board’s Park at Puttady near Kumily in Idukki district.
Kerala opened the country’s first mega food park three years ago, when KINFRA’s Rs 119-crore facility on 80 acres of land was inaugurated at Palakkad in October 2020.
