Food processing minister inaugurates Organic India unit in UP

Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday inaugurated Organic India Pvt Ltd's plant at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh that has been set up at a cost of Rs 55 crore.

Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday inaugurated Organic India Pvt Ltd's plant at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh that has been set up at a cost of Rs 55 crore. Inaugurating the food processing unit through video conference, she said the food processing sector is witnessing robust growth and has been identified as a champion sector by the central government. "Food processing sector is growing at 8.5 per cent annually," the minister said. Badal said the government's priority is to promote export of processed food globally.

She emphasised on the need to promote organic and aromatic medicinal plants in the domestic as well as the global markets. The Organic India's food processing unit is expected to benefit 5,000 farmers.

Badal urged the promoters of the unit to experiment and invest further into innovative products in the organic segment of food processing sector. She appreciated the promoters for setting up a manufacturing plant in Uttar Pradesh to export an array of tea products to about 30 countries. According to an official statement, Organic India's plant is likely to generate direct employment of 100 and indirect employment of 250 persons. The facility is set up with total cost of Rs 55.13 crore. Grant-in aid of Rs 4.80 crore has been provided by the ministry. A processing capacity of 3 tonnes per day has been created and the unit will process agro produce worth Rs 350 crore. Products manufactured in this unit are Tulsi green tea, sweet lemon green tea, lemon ginger green tea, pomegranate green tea, Sweet rose, Tulsi masala. The plant is spread over 3.18 acres in Agro Park Phase-II, UPSIDC Industrial Area, Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.

Minister of State for food processing Rameswar Teli congratulated the promoters of the unit for setting up the unit that would benefit farmers and provide employment to the people of the region. He further said that this project would play a vital role in the development of the surrounding areas. A robust food processing sector is essential for the development of agriculture, value addition and for promotion of exports, Teli said.