Kazakhstan: a plant will be built in Kyzylorda region
According to Kazakh press, Kyzylorda region in the next three years will have a diversified economy, a high level of production and a large export potential. 265 projects totaling 270 billion tenge (USD 631 million) are planned to be implemented.
Local government recently revealed that it “signed a contract with two large investors within (at the end of the year). The first project covers medick sowing and processing. The second is aimed at the production of tomato paste. A plant with a capacity of 10,000-15,000 tonnes per year will be built,” said governor Abdykalikova.
Pakistan: SMEDA plans agro-processing facility to promote export
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has planned to establish an agro-food processing facility in Baluchistan to minimize post-harvest losses to farmers and promote value-addition in horticulture produce. SMEDA intends to set up a pulping and concentrate production facility for main horticulture produce of Baluchistan, such as apple, peach, plum, apricot, tomato, grapes and carrot.
The proposed facility will be a common centre to be utilized for introducing value-addition in the agro-food sector of Baluchistan. The planned study would also analyze export potential of fresh and processed fruit, concentrate and pulp, and identify top three potential export markets along with certification and compliance requirements.
According to a UNIDO report on Horticulture Sector in Pakistan, there is a need to upgrade standards to export successfully.
India, Andhra Pradesh: Govt. focuses on food processing: INR 10,000 cr. being spent on augmenting infrastructure in the sector
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the government is spending about INR 10,000 crore (USD 136 million, Euro 112 million) on augmenting the infrastructure in the food processing sector covering the entire supply chain. He insisted that a concerted effort should be made to facilitate remunerative price to farmers.
Emphasis should be laid on solving the problems faced by plantain, sugarcane, chili, tomato, mango and turmeric farmers and means to add value to those crops be explored.
A separate wing in the government should work on processing and packing aspects, the Chief Minister said, agreeing with the suggestion by officials that a mega food processing plant would give a fillip to the sector. Officials told the Chief Minister that it would be good to have a food processing plant in each Parliamentary constituency, with which the latter concurred and called for an action plan.
Sources: kazakh-tv.kz, thenews.com.pk, thehindu.com