Agro Processing Clusters and Mega Food Parks in the country

New Delhi: Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has been implementing the Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro Processing Clusters (APC) under the Umbrella Scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) to incentivize  setting up of agro processing clusters in the country. Under the Scheme, processing/preservation infrastructure like cold storage, pre-cooling chambers, ripening chambers, IQF, specialized packaging, Food testing laboratory, cleaning/ grading/sorting and packing facilities, steam generation boilers, warehouses etc. are being created as part of cluster approach for use of food processing units to be / being set up under these projects. The Scheme envisages grants-in-aid @35% of eligible project cost in general areas and @50% of eligible project cost in the North East States (including Sikkim) and difficult areas namely Himalayan States/UTs (i.e. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Uttarakhand), State notified ITDP areas, Islands and SC/ST entrepreneurs subject to max. of Rs. 10.00 crore per project. Till date Ministry has approved 56 projects under the scheme.

Further, MoFPI has been implementing a separate scheme for development of Mega Food Parks (MFPs). So far, MoFPI has sanctioned 37 MFPs and given in-principle approval for 2 MFPs in the country.

In Bihar, MoFPI has approved one project in Begusarai district of Bihar under APC scheme and one project in Khagadia district of Bihar under MFP scheme. However, no agro processing cluster or mega food park project has been approved by this Ministry in West Champaran and Aurangabad districts of Bihar.

The state wise number of agro processing cluster projects approved in various States/UTs:

This information was given by Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.