Patanjali seeks location for new food park in Uttar Pradesh

The 50-100 acre project will provide direct employment for 500 staff, and sundry employment for thousands more, according to the chief executive of Patanjali Food & Herbal Park.

Ravindra Kumar Chaudhary said the food park would mainly take regional fresh produce for processing in a bid to spark economic growth in an area that has suffered successive droughts. The arid land is seen as being favourable for the production of medicinal and aromatic plants, which require less water than conventional crops.

India has been amid something of a food park frenzy in recent years, after the cabinet food processing minister, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, promised to develop scores of these through a mixture of private and public funds. Their opening is seen as a key part of her government’s signature “Make in India​” policy.

Badal’s deputy, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, has applauded Patanjali for its plans and called on other manufacturers to launch their own food parks. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, has been urging Jyoti’s department to award at least four food parks to India’s most populous state.

He said that the prosperity of farmers would remain a “distant dream​” unless traditional farming were supplemented with modern technology. 

Patanjali, which was founded by controversial yoga guru Baba Ramdev, has had its eye on Bundelhkand land investment for some time in a bid to vertically integrate its agriculture and manufacturing processes.

Meanwhile, Badal has given a strong hint that the government is willing to extend foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail to non-food items. 

Last year, it permitted 100% FDI in the domestic trade of food products in a policy that the food processing minister has since branded a success.

"Figures prove that ever since this reform last year, it can transform lives of both consumers and farmers. From June onwards there has been a 40% increase in FDI over last year​," she said.

She also cited online grocery retailers including Amazon that have committed US$540m in Indian investments over the coming years.

“They are also talking of diverting to the bricks-and-mortar part of the retail segment​,” she added. 

More from South Asia…​

India readies for new packaged food labelling requirements​

All packaged food items will be required to mention the percentage of recommended daily nutrients a single serving contains as part of an expected overhaul of labelling in India.​

The FSSAI, the country’s food regulator, is “in the process​” of outlining guidelines for the new regulation, according to its chief executive.

Pawan Agarwal said that a draft, drawn up by an expert panel, will soon be sent to the health ministry for approval.

“New labelling methods will help a consumer in knowing the exact percentage of the recommended dietary allowance of, say, sugar, fat, salt or other micronutrients that’s met by consuming a serving of that product​,” he said. 

Under current requirements, these are already broadly broken down in terms of total quantities, though not in relation to recommended intake, and are “quite convoluted for a common man to understand​,” said Agarwal.

“[The current system] hardly says anything about how much of a healthy person’s daily needs are met after consuming a serving and how much of it is left​,” he added. 

The panel charged with the labelling guidelines has also worked on India’s food fortification framework, and is currently investigating an official definition of “junk food​”.

“We broadly term high-fat, high-sugar items as junk that lead to obesity and other complications, but this panel is getting into the details and coming up with a standard definition​,” said Agarwal. 

It is not known if and when the guidelines will be signed into law as “the process requires several layers of consultations and approval​,” the FSSAI chief said, though he added that the body is “trying our best to be as fast as possible​”.

Agrana opens Pune fruit plant following Indian acquisition​

Fruit preparations major Agrana Fruit now has a third manufacturing site in Asia after acquiring a fruit processing plant from Indian company Saikrupa in Maharashtra. ​

Located some 50km south of Pune, the factory is close to areas growing mangos, strawberries, pomegranates and guavas, which it has been processing into pulp, purees, concentrates and juices. 

Agrana will now extend the range of products manufactured at the site with premium fruit solutions, including preparations, sauces, toppings, fillings and smoothie bases. The Austrian fruit major has also opened a headquarters and research laboratory in Pune.

The acquisition has given Agrana a foothold in the Indian market with its rising purchasing power and changing consumer behaviour patterns, said chief executive Johannes Kleppers.

“Our target is to introduce Agrana Fruit’s world-class quality standards and innovation capabilities to service our customers with our global product portfolio, as well as to develop niche products adapted to the local taste and markets​,” he added.

Last year Agrana, which claims leadership of the global fruit solutions category, announced plans to redouble its charge into Asia, where it has a significant presence in China and South Korea.

Aside from launching its Indian subsidiary, it also opened a Bangkok office in November as a “stepping stone​” to support customers alongside a strategic collaboration with regional distribution specialist Jebsen & Jebsen. 

Under the terms of the agreement, JJ will open up new markets in Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines for Agrana’s products, which are found in every third yoghurt cup worldwide.

“The enhancement of our Asian footprint is of high importance, as this emerging market offers above-average growth rates of dairy consumption​,” Kleppers said at the time.