Zoram Mega Food Park

Recently, the Zoram Mega Food Park was inaugurated in the state of Mizoram.

• The Zoram Mega Food Park is located at Village-Khamrang in Kolasib District, Mizoram. This is the first Mega Food Park operationalized in the State of Mizoram.
• It has been set up in 55.00 acres of land at a project cost of Rs. 75.20 crore.
• This Mega Food Park will benefit the people of Kolasib-District as well as the adjoining areas. This park will help in enhancing the income of farmers and ensuring the fair price of farm produce.
• It will provide direct and indirect employment to 5,000 persons and benefit about 25,000 farmers in the CPC (Core Processing Centre) and PPC (Primary Processing Centre) catchment areas.

Mega Food Park Scheme

• It was launched in 2008 by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
• It aims at providing a mechanism to link agricultural production to the market by bringing together farmers, processors, and retailers to ensure maximizing value addition, minimizing wastage, increasing farmers’ income, and creating employment opportunities particularly in the rural sector.
• The Scheme is based on the “Cluster” approach and envisages the creation of state of art support infrastructure in a well-defined agri / horticultural zone for setting up of modern food processing units in the industrial plots provided in the park with the well-established supply chain.
• Components of the Scheme:
  • Collection Centers (CCs) and Primary Processing Centers (PPCs): These components have facilities for cleaning, grading, sorting and packing, dry warehouses, specialized cold stores.
  • Central Processing Centers (CPCs): This Includes common facilities like Testing Laboratory, Cleaning, Grading, Sorting and Packing Facilities, Dry Warehouses, specialized storage.
  • Cold Chain Infrastructure includes Reefer Vans, Packaging Unit, Irradiation Facilities, Steam Sterilization Units, Steam Generating Units, and Food Incubation cum Development Centers, etc.
• The scheme is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which is a Body Corporate registered under the Companies Act, 2013.
  • State Government, State Government entities, and Cooperatives are not required to form a separate SPV for implementation of the Mega Food Park project.
  • Subject to fulfillment of the conditions of the Scheme Guidelines, the funds are released to the SPVs.
• Under the Scheme, the Government of India provides financial assistance up to Rs. 50.00 Crore per Mega Food Park project.
• Presently, 18 Mega Food Park Projects are under implementation in various states and 19 Mega Food Parks have already become functional in the States.
  • 6 of them are in the Northeastern region. 2 MFPs in Northeastern Region are operational at Assam and Mizoram.