Bangkok/Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat addressed a gathering at a conclave on the scope of investment in Uttarakhand in the field of food processing held at Bangkok (Thailand) on Tuesday. The representatives from Thailand and Uttarakhand belonging to food processing sector held talks on the scope of food processing industry in Uttarakhand during the conclave.
Expressing his views, Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat said that India’s economy is growing rapidly and is one of top three investment destination in the world. He said that there are 1.32 billion consumers of branded food items in India. He said that country has world class ports besides having the supply chain of food grains with basic infrastructural facilities.
The Chief Minister, Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat said that India is second largest agriculture producing country, having 127 different agriculture climate zones in the world, which helps in being the world leader in growing crops like banana, mango, guava, papaya and lady finger.
He said that India ranks second in the production of rice, wheat, fish, fruits and vegetables, and country is world’s largest milk producer in the world. He said an average growth of 5.50 percent has been registered in the field of horticulture in the past decade. He said that despite India having huge potential in the field of agriculture, but only 10 percent food is preserved while food preservation is nearly 70-80 percent in South-East Asian countries like Thailand. Malaysia and Vietnam. He said Indian government has drafted many proposals and started many schemes to increase the share of food processing and value addition sector by nearly 20 percent by 2019.
The Chief Minister, Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat said that Uttarakhand has emerged as a leading investment hub as the state is ranked high in terms of ease of doing business, having conducive climate, social cohesion, and basic infrastructure. Uttarakhand has its’ unique identity and known for its’ investor friendly industrial policies. He said that single window system has been introduced to facilitate hassle free investment in the state. He said electricity charges for industries are lowest in Uttarakhand as compared to mother states. He further said that availability of developed land, history of ease of doing business and industrial investments and conducive law and order situation makes the state of the favored investment destination.
He said that special focus is being given to food processing sector in Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is located in the Himalayan region, which has a boon of varied agricultural climates, where organic farming is generally done. In order to provide better environment for the establishment of food processing industries in the state, various policies, schemes and facilities are being provided by the State Government. There are 02 mega food parks, 04 industrial complexes with requisite and developed infrastructure facilities, adequate manpower as well as stable political environment.
The Chief Minister said that geographical conditions and climate of Uttarakhand are favorable for cultivation of various species of medicinal and aromatic plants and its farming is being promoted in an organized manner in the state and assistance is being provided through Value Chain.
He said that there is a lot of potential in the state which can be tapped in cooperation with Thailand’s companies and producers of Uttarakhand. He said that preserving the state’s ecological position intact, besides other than small industries in the industrial areas of the state, Britannia Industries Limited, Nestle India Limited, Pepsi Co. and K.L.A. India Public Limited, have invested more than 385 million dollars in the food processing industry of the state.
He hoped that a new strong partnership would emerge following the interaction between representatives from Uttarakhand and the industrialists of Thailand, which would be beneficial for both the countries. Chief Minister Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat also visited the Industrial Estates of Bangkok, Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate, and held discussions with Nava Nakorn Public Company CEO/M.D. Nipin Arunvonjas and other entrepreneurs about investing in Uttarakhand.
In the seminar related to the possibility of investment in the field of food processing in Uttarakhand, Secretary Agriculture D. Senthil Pandian gave effective presentation on the prospects of food processing in the state.
Ambassador of India to Thailand- Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi, Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary Manisha Panwar, Secretary Dilip Jawalkar, Invest India Vice President Priya Rawat, Chief Minister’s Industrial Advisor K.S. Panwar, officers and investors from Thailand and Uttarakhand were present on the occasion.
