Six firms set to establish agro-based food processing units in Gangaikondan Mega Food Park

The Mega Food Park at Gangaikondan SIPCOT Industrial Growth Centre, which was announced in 2020, has so far attracted six firms, which have taken 15 acres of land on 99-year lease to set-up their food processing units.

The proposed activities, include coconut and coconut value-added products, curry leaf powder, lemon extract, cashew processing, pickles, traditional Tirunelveli halwa, sweets and savouries and peanut chikki and snacks. The units are presently at various stages of project implementation, and commercial production is yet to commence.

The Mega Food Park has been developed on over 50 acres at a cost of ₹77.024 crore, including the cost involved in developing common infrastructure facilities required for these manufacturing units.

The objective behind this venture is to minimise the post-harvesting losses of horticultural and other agricultural crops, ensuring better price for the growers for their produce by creating direct link with the companies coming up in the Food Park, promoting export opportunities for these products and above all, creating jobs for the skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workforce of Tirunelveli district.

Industry-friendly infrastructure like interior roads, parking spaces, compound wall, transformers for ensuring quality power, overhead tank with 2 lakh litre capacity, ground-level sump with 7 lakh litre capacity, sewage treatment plant with 250 KLD, 2 weighbridges each with 60 tonne capacity, vegetable packing space with 20 tonnes a day capacity, 7,500 tonne capacity godown, 5,000 capacity cold storage and shops for traders and farmers etc. have been created.

“With these facilities, we’re eagerly waiting to facilitate the investors to start their units here. We’ve organised online awareness meetings and visits to the site for the entrepreneurs and the members of Tirunelveli District Chamber of Commerce and Industry to popularise this venture,” District Collector Anand Mohan said.

So far, 15 acres have been allotted to six private firms at a cost of ₹50 lakh per acre, representing a land allotment value of about ₹7.50 crore.

“The actual cost of investment in these ventures by the promoters and the exact number of jobs to be created in these units are yet to be clear as these projects are in different stages of implementation. Anyway, these units are expected to generate good number of jobs for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers of Tirunelveli district,” says Mr. Anand Mohan.

On the reason behind the delay in the proposal taking-off in a big way, the Collector said the firms which have been allotted plots were in different stages of the project implementation such as detailed project report finalisation, financial tie-up, getting statutory approvals, construction, procurement and installation of machinery.

“Continuous follow-up is being undertaken with the investors and the departments concerned to facilitate early establishment and commissioning of the units. Investor meetings and awareness programmes are also being conducted to attract additional food-processing industries to the remaining available plots,” Mr. Anand Mohan added.