State to offer subsidy upto Rs 10L for promoting facilities for post-harvest operations

The support will be provided in fish, meat, milk, poultry, bakery, cake-pastry, spices, rice mill, oil mill, pulses, vegetables, honey, mushroom and all other businesses related with horticulture and processed food sector.

MP | 16 Sept 2022 | Kolkata: The state Food Processing Industries & Horticulture (FPI&H) department is offering a subsidy to the extent of Rs 10 lakh for promoting facilities for post-harvest operations, including setting up of food processing industries in micro sector. 

The Cabinet under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has recently approved the subsidy, which will augment the capacity of food processors working to upscale their operations through capital infusion, technology transfer, skill upgradation and handholding support, state FPI&H minister Subrata Saha said at the state Assembly. 

The support will be provided in fish, meat, milk, poultry, bakery, cake-pastry, spices, rice mill, oil mill, pulses, vegetables, honey, mushroom and all other businesses related with horticulture and processed food sector. 

The department will offer 40 per cent subsidy for purchase of machines, which may go to a maximum extent of Rs 10 lakh. 

The financial assistance will be available in two schemes. "The food processing industries were demanding some sort of subsidy from the state government. 

Now with the introduction of the same, the sector will get a big boost,"Saha said.Referring to a query from Trinamool Congress MLA Idris Ali regarding availability of flour for bread production, the minister said that a special type of wheat is needed for making the flour that can be utilised in bread production but the Central government does not provide necessary support to the state for procurement of good quality wheat from Punjab. 

"If the Centre provides necessary assistance in this regard then the problem can be sorted out easily,"he added. There was a previous subsidy scheme, where the state had a sharing with Centre. But the scheme had stopped some years back. 

The state's scheme is aimed at raising the standards of food safety and hygiene in order to meet FSSAI norms. It will also support established self help groups working in food processing sector and facilitate them to achieve SME status. 

The minister expressed his optimism that industries will come forward for setting up preservation infrastructure for tomatoes and watermelon which grow in abundance in Cooch Behar. 

But much of the produce gets wasted because of lack of preservation facilities. 

http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/state-to-offer-subsidy-upto-rs-10l-for-promoting-facilities-for-post-harvest-operations-493087