WB govt will soon come up with a Food Processing Policy: Food Processing secretary

KOLKATA: The

West Bengal Government

will soon come up with a

Food Processing Policy

and a host of incentives for investors, said

Nandini Chakravorty

, Secretary, Food Processing and Horticulture, West Bengal. She was speaking to

CII Eastern Region Agriculture

& Food Processing Taskforce members comprising CEOs of food processing industries, feed and fertilizer industries, cold storages, head of bank, and heads of Export Promotion Councils such as MPEDA and SHEFEXIL here today.

Prominent among the industry members was Mr B Sumant, Chairman, CII Eastern Region Agriculture & Food Processing Taskforce & President – FMCG Business, ITC Ltd.

The State Government is providing subsidy for setting up pack houses and cold storage modification, she said, adding that the West Bengal Government is committed to helping small companies, especially those facing problems over land and litigation.

The state Government is also focusing on providing better safety of products by setting up of irradiation facility at Chinsurah, she said, adding that fruits and vegetables grown in West Bengal have the potential to hit markets in the US and Europe. A consignment of mangoes has recently been sent to European Union, she said. Nandini Chakravorty also said the state government is preparing a study on agri-horti-logistics infrastructure. The idea is to identify and narrow certain gaps which hinder the growth of this sector, chakravorty explained.

According to her, grapes processing can turn out to be a major opportunity for investors in West Bengal. “Already, grapes are being grown in

Bankura and Purulia

, and the quality is better than those grown in Nasik. The Government is trying to put in place backward linkage to ensure quality,” Chakravorty told the industry members. Earlier, Goutam Mukherjee, Joint Director, Agri Marketing clarified that as per the amended APMC ACT, industry can procure farm produce directly from farmers and even have their own collection centres.

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