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Goa plans to set up mega food-processing park

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

While Goa created a history years back by driving out the pollutant nylon 6.6 project, the same location is now being promoted for what has been termed as the Zero Waste Goa Food Park.

Global tenders have already been floated for a prestigious joint venture project worth Rs 250 million, to be located in a 150-acre of land in Ponda. The land would be leased out to private ventures in the food processing industry for merely Rs 100 per square metres.

"Being a tourist state, Goa is ideal for food -processing industry since it is located in the agro-climatic zone suited for cultivation of vegetables that form the basic raw material for the industry," claims Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro.

The 250-page project report prepared by the Confederation of Indian Food Trade and Industry focuses on a climate for entrepreneurial activities in the sector besides ensuring a healthy competition. The 26 per cent state equity is only limited to the land.

The Food Park will make it possible for even the small entrepreneur to grow without investing large amounts on infrastructure. Services such as effluent treatment, food quality labs, marketing, storage, packaging, supply purchasing and warehousing can be shared by various units in the Food Park.

The joint venture offers the investor complete managerial freedom since the role of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation would be limited to offering equity by way of land. The investor is even allowed to sub-let various plots developed by him to entrepreneurs willing to establish food-processing units in the Goa Food Park.

Its another highlight, points out Faleiro, is the Food Technology and Management Centre, providing services like quality certification, technical consultancy and training in food-processing and related fields, concept analysis and development, laboratory and pilot plant as well as product development.

Things like prototype design and demonstration, interim processing and product packaging, regulatory requirements and labelling assistance, product packaging, quality control specifications, sensory evaluation, test kitchen facility to simulate consumer demands, food services and institutional food preparation methods are also part of the FTMC.

These services and support structures however will have to be in consonance with the standards established by organisations, says Faleiro, such as the Bureau of Indian Standard, Codes on Hygiene and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Basis. It will be the centre's responsibility to also meet all the other national and international requirements related with the industry.

According to the chief minister, the tourist state has already started receiving enquiries from multinationals like Nestle, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Indian embassies situated in various western developed countries. "We have so far received over 100 letters", he says.

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