Paithan Mega Food Park (PMFP) - which is slated to be inaugurated in Dhangaon, Paithan, at 10:30am on November 15, 2018 by Harsimrat Kaur Badal, minister of food processing industries, Government of India - is ready to become the largest food park to offer state-of-the-art integrated infrastructure that conforms to international standards.

Spread across 110 acre of land, it is a scheme launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India, with an objective to draw fresh investments to the food processing industry by providing adequate infrastructure, increased realisations to farmers as well as creating employment opportunities to people.

PMFP is promoted by Nath Biogenes (I) Ltd, an associate company of the Nath Group, and has interests in agri-research and biotechnology, hybrid seeds and seedlings and paper pulp and paper. It has proximity to major markets, including Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, Surat and Hyderabad, and is well connected by road, land and air to access other markets in India and abroad. Apart from this, Paithan is the emerging industrial city in Maharashtra with increased government focus in this region.

The area boasts of 11 catchment districts that provide abundant horticultural and agricultural produce - 5.7 million metric tonne (MT) cereals, 0.9 million MT pulses, 0.75 million MT oilseeds, 5.4 million MT vegetable and 6.2 million MT fruits.

In the food park there is a plot covering an area of 2,000 to 20,000sq m and ready sheds for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), a milk chilling, sorting and grading line, an individual quick freezing (IQF) facility,fruit and vegetable ripening chambers, a food testing lab, reefer vans, AN aseptic pulping line for mango and other fruits with aseptic filling, steam generation, a food testing lab, a pre-cooling warehouse and silos.

The Paithan Mega Food Park will have an efficient supply chain, which will include collection centres, primary processing centres and cold chain infrastructure and a central processing unit. The hub has the potential to substantially reduce post-harvest losses, add value to agricultural produce, create substantial investment and rejuvenate the rural economy. It would be best suited for importers, exporters and domestic business enterprises.

The hub is now open for businessmen to set up their units and avail of the excellent facilities provided, both at the Centre and also from the government. Businessmen could choose from various sized and levelled plots as per requirement or plots on a 99-year lease plots with five years free maintenance. They would get water, power, effluent treatment plants, fire-fighting line at their doorsteps. Common facilities like quality control (QC) laboratory, industrial exhibition hall, product display centres and seminar and meeting halls are ready for use.

With regard to incentives, business units would get 100 per cent income tax exemption for first five years of commencement and another 50 per cent exemption for the next five years. They can also avail financial assistance from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) at an effective interest rate of 4.5 per cent per annum, capital subsidy schemes from the Government of Maharashtra and other government agencies, exemptions on value-added tax (VAT) and stamp duty on lease and purchase of land as well as micro-,small and medium enterprises (MSME) subsidies.

The function would be presided over by Subhash Desai, minister for industries and mining. Former agriculture and food processing minister Sharad Pawar would be the chief guest.

Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, minister of state for food processing industries, and Haribhau Bagde, speaker, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, would be the guests of honour.

Members of Parliament Raosaheb Danve and Chandrakant Khaire, and Sandipan Bhumare, Member of Legislative Assembly, would also be present.