Telangana seed, poultry, vaccine capital of India: KTR at Food Conclave 2023

HYDERABAD: Telangana state government has added more than Rs 7,000 crore in a fixed capital base in food processing facilities during the last five years, said IT Minister KT Rama Rao on Saturday.

The minister inaugurated the first edition of Food Conclave 2023 at HICC on Saturday, stating the conclave was not only about exploring trade opportunities, but also about making the country a one-stop destination for food production and processing, and meeting the food needs of the rest of the world.

The IT minister said that the Food Conclave would become a go-to destination for all food sector industries. Companies have pledged to create 50,000 jobs, he added.

The minister said, when discussing the importance of food processing in Telangana, that "the state identifies food processing as a core thrust area. We are proud to host some of the industry's biggest names in our state. The list includes ITC, Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Mars, and Hatsun. We're developing Special Food Processing Zones, which will cover more than 10,000 acres with new food processing facilities, to aid the state's food processing sector further.

"We are also working on supply chain linkages where we will connect the industry to the farmers of the state by effectively deploying the wonderful agriculture extension system that we have built in the state," KTR explained Telangana government's efforts on supply chain linkages.

"Telangana's Self Help Groups also represent a massive untapped potential in mobilising farm produce in collaboration with industry. We are establishing farmer producer organisations (FPOs) to provide ready-to-use supply chains for the food processing industry," he added.

"Telangana is the seed bowl of India, the poultry capital of India in today's scenario, and it was also a nutraceuticals hub in the past and will regain that position soon," KTR said.

KTR said that Telangana ranked first in the country for inland fisheries and that the state has more than doubled its animal population, particularly sheep and goats.The Minister said that dedicated agricultural, horticultural, veterinary, and forest institutions would be established soon.

KTR emphasised the state's initiative to strengthen the food processing sector, saying that Telangana was not only introducing revolutions in terms of output, but an ecosystem for building a talent pool is also being built for the benefit of enterprises.

The minister emphasised that TS-IPASS was one of the best strategies in the country, saying, "Already, 10,000 acres have been acquired. We are prepared to introduce it to sectors with packaged and customised incentives.

"If the management is willing to share with the government about the offers made by other State governments, Telangana will meet or beat the best offer you got," KTR informed entrepreneurs during the conclave.

"The state government will facilitate local sourcing through 25,000 farmers'produce organisations to ensure backward integration," the minister remarked.

"We are also committed to empowering small entrepreneurs in the state," KTR stated, "and we are currently nurturing over 2500 micro and small enterprises hand held by state departments and supported by several welfare schemes such as the Dalit Bandhu Scheme."

KTR slammed the BJP government at the Centre, saying that mere sloganeering about doubling farmers' income was not sufficient. It must be backed with policies and economic support. That is what Telangana does," he said.

"Paddy production in the state increased from 68 lakh metric tonnes to 2.68 crore tonnes," said the minister. Similarly, Telangana's cotton was rated the best in the industry. In fact, Vijaya Dairy, the government dairy unit, was in losses when this government came into office. Vijaya Dairy paid a dividend of Rs. 30 crore in the last few years back to the government. This is the story of Telangana.

"Our government actively extends facilitation to not only setup but also operate the industry in the most competitive manner," added the minister.

"With industry-friendly policies, a robust and rapidly expanding raw material base, world-class industrial infrastructure, and active facilitation extended by our government", KTR said, adding that Telangana was the best place to invest.