Step to develop secondary food processing units welcomed

Andhra Pradesh’s 2020-25 Food Processing Directive calls for the development of operational plug and play secondary food processing units in each constituency of parliament, and the proposed 42 product-specific units would create continued demand for farmers’ products at a good retail price and adequate raw material for the industry, said L. Sridhar Reddy, chief executive officer of the AP Food Processing Society, on Friday.

At an awareness session on “Food Processing Opportunities in Andhra Pradesh: Establishing Secondary Food Processing Units” organized in virtual mode by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) country chapter, Sridhar Reddy said that setting up these units would help build the required backwards – and forward integration and ensure a reasonable price for farmers’ products.

“The secondary food processing units are identified based on the availability of local raw materials,” he explained.

Win-win situation

Bharath Thota, COO of the Society, said the move would create an ecosystem for the added value of various foods. It would create a win-win for industry and government to accelerate growth in the food sector.

Convener, Primary Sector Panel, CII-Andhra Pradesh, Fr. Venkat Ram Reddy, highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s strength for potential investors.

Seventy food industry delegates attended and asked for clarification on various technical aspects of the operation of the secondary food processing units. The chairman of the CII-Vijayawada Zone, S. Narendra Kumar, attended the meeting.

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