By IANS,
New Delhi: Karnataka will become the first state in India to have a separate policy for the food processing industries, according to state Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries Murugesh Nirani.
“We had success in IT (information technology) and BT (biotechnology). Now, we are focusing on FT or food technology,” Nirani told the media here Friday after a meeting with Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Subodh Kant Sahay.
“We are creating a new department for food technology and have appointed a senior IAS officer for this department,” he added.
The minister said that the state would frame a new industrial policy for the food processing sector before June this year, when the state would host a global investors’ meet.
“We are trying to put in place an attractive food processing policy before the global investors meet June 3-4,” Nirani said.
“This will be apart from a new policy for the wine industry that we already have in the first of its kind in India,” he stated.
On his part, Sahay said that the two south Indian states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were aggressively promoting the food processing sector.
“The food processing policy that Karnataka is planning is a very bright one,” he said, adding that several features of the state policy could be worth looking at when the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) finalised a central policy for the food processing sector.
“Since Karnataka has a long coastline, we have also suggested setting up of marine (food) parks in the state,” Sahay said.
“Besides, we have also urged them to introduce food technology courses in universities and colleges in the state.”
Earlier, during the course of the meeting between the Karnataka delegation and MoFPI, Nirani submitted a memorandum to Sahay seeking release of balance grants-in-aid for four food parks in the state that had been approved in the 10th Five-Year Plan.
These parks – located at Malur, Bagalkot, Hiriyur and Jewargi – are in an advanced stage of implementation, according to the memorandum.