Anil Mega Food Park (AMFP), Gujarat

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The processing centre of the park will provide infrastructure for processing and distribution. Credit: Anil group. Anil Mega Food Park (AMFP) is an integrated food processing facility scheduled to be developed in Savli Taluka (Vadodara district), in the Indian state of Gujarat. Spread across 100 acres of land, it will be the first mega food park to be set up in Gujarat. Anil Group is developing the project by setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV). Anil Limited, a unit of Anil Group, will hold a major stake in the project. The SPV consortium will consist of various food processing, distribution and infrastructure companies. The construction work on the project is expected to start in February 2013. The project is expected to be completed in 2014. Estimated investment in the project is INR200 crores ($37.7m). The new food park will bring economic benefits for the farmers in the state and also support rural development. The project supports the government’s vision to promote the food processing industry by constructing the necessary processing infrastructure. Inadequate infrastructure for harvesting and processing of cultivated food leads to nearly 20 to 25% food loss in India. Anil Group recognised the potential for investment in food processing which can reduce this loss and promote agriculture. The vision of the mega food park is to create ‘farm to fork’ infrastructure that will connect the food processing industry and farmers. The concept integrates different stages of food processing and agriculture by providing the necessary infrastructure and technology. It will help in reducing wastage and enhancing the supply chain. The mega food park will solve several issues plaguing the agriculture and food processing industries in India, such as insufficient infrastructure and quality control labs. The project will provide green field sites for food processing plants and distribution centres away from other infrastructure. Anil Group received approval from the Ministry of Food Processing of the Indian Government in March 2011, to construct the AMFP. The project will be developed in phases. It is expected to attract about INR1,000 crores ($18.8m) of investment into the state. Gujarat was chosen to develop the project as it is one of the leading states in India in the production of fruits, vegetables, milk and cereals. The state also features abundant natural resources, skilled labour and a strong distribution network. The project site is also located in close proximity to several transportation modes enabling easy transportation of processed food. The National Expressway Highway is just 20km from the site, Vadodara Airport is 30km away and the Ahmedabad Airport is at a distance of 120km. Vadodara railway station is also located 35km away and the Dahej port is located at a distance of 60km. The key components of the food park include collection centres, which will provide infrastructure for farmers; primary processing centres (PPCs) which will provide infrastructure for grading, sorting, packing and storage; and a central processing centre (CPC) which will provide infrastructure for processing and distribution facilities. The collection centres of the food park will provide the necessary infrastucture required for procuring produce from farmers. The PPCs will provide infrastructure facilities for value addition of produce. These facilities will consist of pre coolers, cold store, sorting, grading and weighing lines, crate bank and ripening chambers. The CPC will provide the infrastructure needed for further processing and distribution of the produce. It will include freeze store, warehouses, multichambered cold store, labs for quality checking, packaging facilities, material handling infrastructure, asceptic pulping facilities and a research and development centre. The CPC will also include non core infrastructure, such as a shopping complex, offices, security complex, trade and training centres for farmers, ATMs, first aid centres, banks, canteens, fire stations and other facilities. The food park project also includes the construction of enabling infrastructure such as roads, electricity, water and gas supply, collection and treatment system, storm water drainage, logistics centre, parking and weighing bridge. The state of Kerala in India is planning to build a coconut-based food processing plant at the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation’s (KSIDC) Industrial Growth Centre in Kinalur, in the district of Kozhikode. Indian-based food company Himalaya International’s food processing plant ‘Himalaya Fresh’ is located at Vadnagar, in the Mehsana district of Gujarat, India.

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