Concept of food park is more or less in the same way channelized into a full fledged scheme of the Union Ministry of Food Processing with an aim of establishing a direct linkage from the agricultural field to processing and finally to a network of consumer markets. The said Mega Food Park Scheme is a component under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojna or a scheme for Agro- Marine Procesing and Development of Agro processing clusters. Not only that, therefore, the larger purpose inherent in the concept is processing of perishables more than otherwise ordinarily they are processed wherein even integrated cold chain and value addition infrastructure with efficient chain supply management is taking place. That helps growers comprehensively as the produce is lifted, processed and marketed through a well organised sale outlets.
In this connection, while almost all the states across the country have been sanctioned setting up of food parks and in most of the cases expression of interest is available from companies with the Government, some have become operational too while others are under the stage of implementation including the one at Kashmir’s Pulwama district in the UT, that of at Kud in Udhampur district is nowhere to be seen in any of the processes of implementation or necessary required moves of the UT Government. It is sad to observe that even the status of the Pulwama venture is not in respect of the one proposed to be established at Kud Udhampur.
It may be realised that even after the announcement in the Budget speech by the Union Finance Minister and incorporating in the Budget of 2021-22 itself about a Food Park at Kud in Udhampur district, appears to have not moved beyond papers even after one full year of its announcement. While funds are no problem as sufficient funds already stand released by the union Ministry of Food Processing Industries. All logistics are provided by the Ministry and the same could have been duly availed of so that activities of processing of fruits and vegetables, poultry and meat processing, fisheries, retail food, dairy and the like could have been undertaken progressively but due to a favourable and serious approach found in wanting in the Government, one year not only has fritted away but even now nothing concrete is going on towards establishing of the food park. The fact that the scheme is loaded with ample employment opportunities, too seems to have been lost sight of. What is important to be noted is that with establishing of Food Parks, unavoidable wastages of agricultural and horticultural produce by the very nature of being fragile can, to a larger extent, be minimised through increased sourcing from farmers and various facilities available due to the raising of particular modern infrastructure for the purpose in such Parks like better and conducive storage, sorting, grading and other measures.
Though routine ordinary visits by the officers of the Industries and Commerce Department have taken place of the area a few months ago yet thereafter no developments in the subject matter having taken place and due to which reasons is precisely not known. At least, some paper work regarding the project could have meant that there was really a sincere commitment of the UT Government towards availing of as many benefits as possible under centrally sponsored schemes like the one under reference so that associated problems to some extent like employment opportunities and a supply chain against a consistently increasing and assured demand levels could be well established. What we suggest, therefore, is that steps necessary required to be expeditiously taken be not delayed further due to operation of cost escalation as later increasing the funds from the central Government may again mean more time to establish a Mega Food Park at Kud in Udhampur district to be followed by other areas announced for Jammu and Kashmir by the Union Ministry like at Lar and Bandipora in Kashmir division as also at some spots in Jammu division progressively to accord a new face to food processing and marketing activities in the UT. Promising entrepreneurs of Jammu and Kashmir will be found interested to set up food processing units on cluster approach, so let the initiative be there.
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