Malda to have its first pulp processing factory

MALDA, 22 OCT: The Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has approved the feasibility study for establishing a pulp processing as well as aseptic pulp packaging plant at the Malda Food Park.

The deputy director of Agriculture (Fruits) under the department of state food processing industries and horticulture (FPI&H) has finally agreed to begin the feasibility study following the approval from the TIFAC for setting up of the plant here with the financial support from the Department of Science and Technology.

The state officials of the FPI&H will have to complete the feasibility study within four months following the guidelines framed by the Central authorities.

The TIFAC had indentified Malda Food Processing Cluster as one of the identified clusters under TIFAC’s Micro Small and Medium scale Enterprise (MSME) programme and commissioned study on “Technology Gap Analysis” for food processing cluster of Malda with Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulutre (CISH) in Lucknow as the “knowledge partner”.

The findings and recommendations of the report were presented in the third reconstituted MSME apex committee meeting held on 10 August 2009 under the chairmanship of Dr T Ramasami, secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

Dr Debabrata Majumder, principal scientific officer, and co-ordinator of the MSME, said: “The state will have to provide land at Food Park in Malda for setting up of the pulp processing and aseptic pulp packaging plant. The state would have to bear its recurring expenditure and others to run the plant. The TIFAC will provide capital support for the plant and machineries”.

According to the Central government officials, experts of CISH, assigned for studying “Technology Gap Analysis” for Malda, have proposed that TIFAC should sponsor the University of Gour Banga to open a department of food processing so that students can study BTech and MTech from here.

The objective is to build man power in the vicinity to run food processing industries here based on mango and other fruits. ;SNS