Food processing sector gets going in UP

With initiatives that include 35 per cent subsidy on loans to encourage smaller businessmen, a number of food processing units costing up to Rs 10 lakh, are being set up in Uttar Pradesh.

Several proposals seeking to modernize small scale industries in the villages and increase the capacity of food processing have been received by the Horticulture Department and are likely to be approved soon.

The Yogi Adityanath government has set a target of promoting 9,301 micro food processing enterprises in the current financial year that will employ 20,000 people.

The State government has taken several steps under the central government's Pradhan Mantri Micro Food Industries Upgradation Scheme, which will see setting up of a large number of food processing units in UP's countryside as well as in small towns in the coming years.

The steps are aimed at helping the farmers get the best price for their produce in their neighbourhood, and at the same time, encouraging entrepreneurship and benefiting smaller businessmen.

The scheme is part of the Yogi Government's ongoing drive to accelerate development of the State through agriculture and agro-based industries.

Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the country, yet less than 10 per cent of the fruits and vegetables produced in the State were being processed previously due to lack of a visionary leadership.

Large quantities of perishable food items were wasted almost every year, denying a fair price to the farmers for their crops.

According to the government spokesman, Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of this and soon after taking over as Chief Minister of UP, he implemented several key decisions to overcome problems faced by farmers.

The Chief Minister not only waived off the loans of farmers and ensured provision of fair price to those cultivating sugarcane, paddy and wheat by buying the crops from them, but also prepared and implemented the Food Processing Policy 2017 to encourage investment in the sector.

The Food Processing Policy 2017 features several concessions for an entrepreneur setting up a food processing unit. This has resulted in growing interest among people in establishing a food processing unit, which is reflected through the number of applications submitted for the same.