State to implement scheme to promote food units
Bhubaneswar: The state government has decided to implement the Prime Minister Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME), a new central scheme, in Odisha for the growth of micro food processing enterprises on the basis of One District-One Product (ODOP) concept.
Recently, chief minister Naveen Patnaik approved the proposal. The state micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) department has been selected as the nodal department for implementation of the scheme, said an official statement.
Under the PMFME, the Centre aims to promote formalisation in the existing unorganised individual micro-food processing enterprises as well as support the farmer producers organisations (FPO), self-help groups (SHGs) and producers cooperatives with the support of developing infrastructure, branding and marketing and imparting training. The sector has massive potential for employment generation.
The PMFME offers credit-linkage to the existing micro food processing units like capital subsidy of 35% of the eligible project cost with a maximum ceiling of Rs10 lakh per unit. There has also been provision of credit-linkage facility for FPOs and SHGs under the scheme, said official sources.
The Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) would impart training to the micro food processing entrepreneurs, FPOs and SHGs. The Centre has already released Rs 2.31 crore for Odisha as the first phase contribution under PMFME, said an official.
State MSME secretary Satyabrata Sahu recently asked all districts to take necessary steps for early utilisation of the grant received from the Centre to receive supplementary grant.
Under the One District-One Product concept, the state government has decided to promote fruit-based micro enterprises in districts like Sonepur, Sundargarh, Nabarangpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Boudh, Angul, Balangir and Kalahandi, fish-based micro enterprises in Balasore, Bhadrak and Ganjam, oilseed-based products in Bargarh and Jajpur, spices-based products in Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Koraput and Sambalpur and coconut-based enterprises in Puri and Kendrapada.
Similarly, it has also decided to promote millet-based enterprises in Malkangiri, honey-based enterprises in Mayurbhanj, mushroom-based enterprises in Khurda, tamarind-based enterprises in Rayagada and milk-based enterprises in Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur.