State’s first Mega Food Park opens at Rayagada

Bhubaneswar: Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday inaugurated the state’s first Mega Food Park at Bhujabala in Konara block of Rayagada district.

“The food park set up on 50 acres of land with an investment of Rs 80.17 crore will generate an annual turnover of about Rs 500 crore, provide employment to 5,000 people and benefit 25,000 farmers. People of adjoining districts of Nabarangpur, Ganjam and Khurda can also avail of the facilities,” Kaur said. The food park has a cold storage, godown, and a laboratory.

Kaur said this is the seventh Mega Food Park operationalised in the last three years by the NDA government. She was accompanied by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.

Kaur expressed dismay over absence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik at the event. “I spoke to Naveen babu over phone before leaving Delhi yesterday and invited him to the progamme,” she said.

BJD spokesperson Sameer Dash said, “In the federal set up, the chief minister is the head of the state and the chief guest at any government event. It is regretful that his consent was not taken for inaugurating the food park in Rayagada district.”