OREANDA-NEWS. August 17, 2015. Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal today laid the foundation stone of a Mega Food Park promoted by M/s JVL Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd. in Dehri-on-sone, Rohtas, Bihar in a function organized by M/s JVL Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd. The function was attended by Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries. Hon’ble Union Minister of State for HRD and Member of Parliament, Karakat, Shri Upendra Kushwaha was the Guest of Honour on the occasion.

The Minister informed that the Ministry of Food Processing Industries is implementing the Mega Food Park Scheme in the country to give a major boost to the Food Processing Sector and to facilitate creation of modern infrastructure for food processing along the value chain from the farm to the market with strong forward and backward linkages through a cluster based approach. The Mega Food Park scheme aims at reducing wastage of agriculture produce at each stage of supply chain with particular focus on fruits and vegetables. She also said that 3 Mega Food Parks have been sanctioned for Bihar in Khagaria, Rohtas and Buxar districts.

Speaking on the occasion Smt. Badal informed that this is the first Mega Food Park in southern Bihar and will be set up with the project cost of Rs. 117.2 crore in an area of 85 acres. The Mega Food Park will have strong backward linkage and three primary processing centres will be set up at Rohtas, Muzaffarpur in Bihar and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. On completion, the park will have facilities of 2000 MT Raw Material Warehouse, 15,000 MT Grain Silos , 2000 MT Finished Goods warehouse, 2 MT/hour IQF, 500 MT Deep Fridge besides having modern testing lab and reefer vans. The Park will provide direct and indirect employment to about 6000 people and benefit about 30,000 farmers in its catchment area.

Laying the foundation stone of the second Mega Food Park in Bihar, Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that Bihar is rich in fruits and vegetables and there is a huge potential to drive the “Make in India” initiative of Hon’ble Prime Minister and export to the rest of the world.

Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that the Mega Food Park at Dehri in District Rohtas will go a long way in contributing to the development of Food Processing Sector in the region and create immense opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment in the State bestowed with huge agriculture production potential. It will benefit the farmers, growers, food processors and consumers in the State.