47 MoUs are ready for rollout: Maurya

LUCKNOW: Deputy chief minister Keshav Maurya has sought an action plan for setting up mega food parks and processing clusters in various parts of the state to give a fillip to agro-based food processing business and farmers.

Maurya, who was presiding a meeting here on Monday with the food department officials, said the state government had received 637 proposals worth ₹24515 crore for setting up food processing units/parks during the UP Investors’ Summit 2018 in February. “Out of this, 47 investors have completed necessary formalities for setting up food units and several other applications were being received online on the department’s portal,” he said.

“According to the Annual Survey of Industries 2013-14, the food processing industry has the largest number of factories and engages largest number of employees as compared to other industries,” the minister pointed out. Moreover, the total number of persons engaged in registered food processing sector is 1.7 million which constitutes 11.7 per cent of employment generated in all registered factory sector. By 2024, the food processing sector is expected to employ 9 million people in the country, he said.

“UP is one of the major producers of horticultural crops and food grains in India, which serves as a lucrative base for the food processing industry,” he said adding agriculture and allied activities contributed 23 per cent to the state’s GSDP in 2014-15. Besides, UP was also the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in India and acquired the top slot in production of food grains, milk, sugarcane, potato, peas, mango, gooseberry and watermelon etc.

Maurya asked the officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan for setting up food processing units and mega food parks in the state. “Two Centres of Excellence for potato growers should also be established to encourage potato farmers to get a better price for their produce,” Maurya said.

He said farmers should get a fair price for their crops and to ensure this the government had set-up a panel of four ministers headed by him to provide facilities and fix purchase price for potato farmers.

Besides, he said, the potato board would provide information related to potato seeds, storage facilities etc to farmers.