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R. Balaji

CHENNAI, April 26

THE State Government will shortly forward a proposal for setting up an export zone for horticulture in Theni district to the Commerce Ministry's Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority. This will be the second agri export zone for which the Tamil Nadu Government will enter into an MoU with APEDA, after the Hosur export zone for cut flowers and horticulture products, sources said.

According to reliable sources, a Rs 30-crore processing unit for fruits and vegetables will be set up at Theni with private sector participation. The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation is likely to take a stake in the project. Industry sources say that a US-based entrepreneur has evinced interest in the project.

The export zone, with specific focus on mangoes, will also promote export of other varieties of fresh and value-added fruits and vegetables. Apart from Theni, the southern districts, namely Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram and Madurai, which are contiguous areas, had good potential in horticulture and would come under the purview of the Theni export zone, sources said.

A wide variety of fruits and vegetables are grown in this belt. For instance, Oddanchatram market in Dindigul district is among the largest centres of vegetable marketing in the South. Theni and surrounding areas are major grape production and export centres.

Farmers in the region will be able to use the facilities available with the processing unit to add value to their produce.

The centralised processing unit, which will source raw materials from the region through outlying collection centres, will be equipped with facilities for producing processed fruit products, cleaning, packaging and grading of fresh fruits in line with international standards and for freeze-drying vegetables, sources said.

The Tamil Nadu Government proposes to set up eight agri export zones to exploit the potential for agro-based businesses with private sector involvement.

TIDCO has been appointed the State-level nodal agency for establishment of the export zones, while the Department of Agri-business and Marketing will be the nodal department.

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