Meeting on Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food Enterprises held
Dispur A meeting to review the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme was held in presence of Rameswar Teli, Union Minister of State, Food Processing Industries and Chandra Mohan Patowary, Minister of Industries and Commerce at Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara today.
Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has launched the centrally sponsored the PMFME scheme for providing financial, technical and business support for up-gradation of existing micro food processing enterprises. As a part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, PMFME scheme will assist two lakh micro food processing units spread across the country over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crores. In Assam, the Ministry has targeted to support 12,778 units with a budget allocation of Rs. 638.92 crores within a period of five years.
Addressing the stakeholders, Minister Rameswar Teli said, ‘It was the target of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries to establish ten Mini Food Parks in Assam during the tenure of five years. Six of them have already been sanctioned for Tinsukia, Morigaon, Sonitpur, Kamrup Metro, Darrang and Karbi Anglong, which are in various stages of implementation. The rest four will be sanctioned soon.’
The Minister further added, ‘The Mega Food Park at Tihu is almost complete which will benefit the enterprises in this thriving industry. The Ministry has allotted Rs. 3.39 crores to Tocklai Tea Research Institute for establishment of a state-of-the art laboratory. We are also planning to set up a sophisticated lab in GTAC to test the quality of tea. A branch of the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology will be established in Sonapur, Assam. The Ministry further provides 50% subsidy for transportation through train and air service from North-Eastern States to any place in India.’ Underlying the fact that 21 unique products have been identified for the One District One Product (ODOP) Scheme, Minister Teli asked for the cooperation of the Industry, Agriculture and Horticulture departments.
Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary asked the Industry Department officials to take up the food processing sector on a priority basis. He further asked FINER, FICCI and Laghu Udyog Bharati to prepare a roadmap for food processing industries as it is only this sector which can uplift the rural economy. ‘There is a huge potentiality of food processing sector in Assam and the focus is on sub-sectors like banana, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, pineapple, oranges etc. and its value-added products’, added Patowary.
For implementation of the scheme, Industries and Commerce Department is the State Nodal Department and Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) is the State Nodal Agency. The General Managers of the DICCs have been nominated as District Resource Persons (DRP) for facilitating the applicants and raising awareness drives.
Dr. KK Dwivedi, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department; Virendra Mittal, PS to the Union Minister; Adil Khan, MD, AIDC; Oinam Saran Singh, Commissioner of Industries; senior officials of Government of India, Government of Assam, industry associations, financial institutions attended and interacted during the meeting.