This story is from December 1, 2018

3,000 to get work in Khagaria food park’

3,000 to get work in Khagaria food park’
Bihar’s first mega food park is set to become operational in Khagaria soon. “It will generate employment opportunities for 2,500-3,000 skilled and semi-skilled people and about 80% of the workforce will be hired locally,” Amit Kumar, director of the Pristine Logistics and Infraprojects Pvt Ltd, tells TOI’s Anuja Shanker. Excerpts:
Q1. What is a food park?
A food park is a cluster-based food-processing industrial infrastructure project.
It is implemented by a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) which develops the infrastructure and offers it to prospective processing units on user-charge basis. The park will essentially become operational through third-party food processing investor units who will come and populate it.
Q2. What prompted you to open a food park in a remote corner of Bihar?
We, the promoters, are bureaucrats-turned-entrepreneurs belonging to Bihar. The food processing sector in the state has tremendous potential, but has been suffering for decades due to lack of adequate modern infrastructure. Being sons of the soil, we were aware of the complexities and challenges of working in Bihar. However, we were not deterred because we did not intend to do this project in our home state for money.

Q3. What sort of challenges did you face? Didn’t the Centre and the state government help?
The first challenge was land. The Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority had acquired this land at Mansi in Khagaria 30 years ago, but it could not take possession. There was no approach road either. We were allotted this land in 2013 on the condition that we would acquire the approach road land on our own, which we did. We had to struggle through all kinds of legal and law and order problems before we could take possession. Convincing a bank for a debt was almost impossible as the banks were shy to invest in a project in a remote place. When we look back, we wonder how we did it all. We thank the Centre and the state government for all the help in this regard.
Q4. What’s the volume of investment? Will the food park give employment to locals?
The food park is estimated to be developed with a capex of about Rs 130 crore. While the Centre’s grant is Rs 50 crore, our investment is Rs 80 crore. We expect about 30 units to be established over a period of next two years with an aggregate investment of Rs 2,000-2,500 crore.
Once fully populated and operational, the food park shall provide employment opportunities to about 2,500-3,000 skilled and semi-skilled people. We expect the local populace shall account for about 80% of the workforce and only specialized technical and management resources may be brought from outside
Q5. When will the food park become fully functional?
Several components have been completed. The commissioning of cold storage and canning line is pending on account of power supply from NBPDCL and an NOC for the boiler attached with it. We have completed the formalities and expect that the power supply and NOC will be shortly made available to us. While the project infrastructure shall be fully ready in next 3-4 months, the setting up of units will happen gradually and the employment opportunities will also be generated proportionally as the park gets populated. In next three years or so, this mega food park will be the country’s one of the most vibrant food-based industrial parks.
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