Kerala Mulling Over Bringing Fruit Cultivation under Plantation: Minister

KOCHI:
Kerala is considering bringing fruit cultivation under the plantation sector so as to boost investment and innovation as envisioned in the state’s 2023 Industrial Policy, which will also enable food-processing units to source material for value-addition from the state, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve said today.

The government will shortly take a call on this proposal as fruit cultivation is sustainable business model with growth potential and can accelerate the development of the food-processing sector that is identified as one of the promising domains in the policy, he said after inaugurating the Regional Industry Meet for food-processing units, organized here by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC). The Industrial Policy, approved in March, had enlisted value addition provisions in plantation as one of the priority areas for bringing in investment to the State, he pointed out.

The industry meet was held in the run-up to the November 3-5 World Food India at Delhi. Kerala is a partner-state of the three-day summit being organized by the Union Ministry of Food Processing.

“The state’s first spice-processing park will be inaugurated next month at Thodupuzha (Idukki district), while the foundation stone will be laid for the pioneering carbon-neutral park in Wayanad in October,” Rajeeve said at the event, chaired by Principal Secretary (Industries and Health) A.P. M. Mohammad Haneesh.

Noting that the government was implementing an array of projects to promote food-processing, the Minister said the state saw 1,39,000 new units being registered under the sector in the past year, adding “Innovation is the key to the growth of food-processing”.

Accelerating the state’s economic development will be private industrial parks and campus industrial parks, he said. Private industrial parks starting in at least 10 acres of land are eligible for a grant of up to Rs three crore. So far, eight such projects have received official clearance, while six more are under consideration. Apart from these, authorities have received 25 applications online.

Further, Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) is starting ten small industrial parks. These facilities that meet the mandatory requirement of ten acres will be eligible for Rs 10-crore grant, Rajeeve added.

Emphasising the need to leverage new technologies, the Minister said applying nanotechnology in genomics can usher in wonder, recalling that the state had opened the country’s first genome data centre five months ago in a bid to help industry use state-of-the-art data services.

KSIDC Chairman Paul Antony delivered the keynote address.

Mohammad Hanish, in his presidential address, said the state should focus on niche products while promoting innovation and technology. “We must find stronger markets in Africa, Eastern Europe and the Americas, for which our value addition to food should be world-class,” he noted, stressing the need to penetrate markets beyond the Persian Gulf.

KSIDC Managing Director S. Harikishore, in his power-point presentation, said Kerala was planning at least 10 mini food parks (through KINFRA) with each of them owning 10 acres of land, thus earning a support of up to Rs 10 crore each for infrastructure development.

Further, a new export policy was in the pipeline in the backdrop of the state’s 2023 Industrial policy. With its focus on ‘Responsible Investments/ Responsible Industry’ the government has identified 22 priority sectors, which includes food technology. For the first time, the government has announced 18 incentives, he added.

A three-member team in all districts will facilitate investment proposals, while a Statutory Grievance Redressal mechanism (online system) is available to file grievances/ complaints, single-window committees are available to facilitate providing licenses at the state and district levels.

Minhaj Alam, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Food Processing, in his special address highlighted the salient features of the World Food India being organized in Delhi.