Lok Sabha Question No. 3443 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-16
Subject: Agro-Processing Cluster
Ministry: FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
Asked by: Sanjay Jaiswal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3443 ANSWERED ON 16 TH  MARCH, 2021

## AGRO-PROCESSING CLUSTER

## 3443.  DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

Will the Minister of FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of various initiatives of agro-processing clusters undertaken and the ongoing projects of such clusters, State-wise, including the State of Bihar;
- (b) the number of mega food parks developed under the said scheme;
- (c) whether the Government has conducted any study in the context of developing agoprocessing clusters and mega food parks in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether some modern infrastructure has been provided for food processing units and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the details of ongoing and upcoming projects and initiatives taken by the Government in Bihar, especially in districts of West Champaran and Aurangabad?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

(a) to (e): 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. The state wise number of agro processing cluster projects approved in various States/UTs (including Bihar) is at Table-A .

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.

Table A

| Sl. No.   | State/UTs              |   No. of Projects approved |
|-----------|------------------------|----------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh         |                          2 |
| 2         | Assam                  |                          3 |
| 3         | Bihar                  |                          1 |
| 4         | Chhattisgarh           |                          2 |
| 5         | Goa                    |                          0 |
| 6         | Gujarat                |                          5 |
| 7         | Haryana                |                          2 |
| 8         | Himachal Pradesh       |                          1 |
| 9         | Jammu &Kashmir         |                          1 |
| 10        | Jharkhand              |                          0 |
| 11        | Karnataka              |                          4 |
| 12        | Kerala                 |                          2 |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh         |                          4 |
| 14        | Maharashtra            |                          9 |
| 15        | Orissa                 |                          0 |
| 16        | Punjab                 |                          3 |
| 17        | Rajasthan              |                          0 |
| 18        | Tamil Nadu             |                         10 |
| 19        | Telangana              |                          1 |
| 20        | Uttar Pradesh          |                          3 |
| 21        | Uttarakhand            |                          1 |
| 22        | West Bengal            |                          0 |
| 23        | Arunachal Pradesh      |                          0 |
| 24        | Manipur                |                          0 |
| 25        | Meghalaya              |                          1 |
| 26        | Mizoram                |                          0 |
| 27        | Nagaland               |                          0 |
| 28        | Tripura                |                          0 |
| 29        | Sikkim                 |                          0 |
| 30        | A &NIslands            |                          0 |
| 31        | Chandigarh             |                          0 |
| 32        | D &NHaveli &Daman &Diu |                          1 |
| 33        | Delhi                  |                          0 |
| 34        | Lakshadweep            |                          0 |
| 35        | Pondicherry            |                          0 |
| 36        | Ladakh                 |                          0 |
|           | Total                  |                         56 |

*****