ITC opens Rs 1,500-cr integrated food park at Kapurthala

The facility spread across 8 lakh square feet and entailed an initial investment of Rs 1,500 crore was inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday.

ITC CEO and Executive Director Sanjiv Puri said the facility, when operational, will create direct employment of over 2,000 people, besides indirect employment throughout the value chain.

"The grains would be weighed electronically with payment on the spot without handling charges so farmers would also save about 2 per cent," Puri said.

The facility would help the farming community's transition from traditional wheat-crop cycle to more lucrative crops, the chief minister said, adding such projects would be instrumental not only in saving the state s crunched fertile land and water resources but also in boosting farm income.

The plant will manufacture ITC's popular food brands such as Aashirvaad , Bingo! , Sunfeast , YiPPee! and B Natural , among others.

Referring to the plight of potato farmers, who were forced to dump their produce on the roads because of their inability to sell it at a good price, the chief minister stressed the need to end the crisis with projects like this. The facility is part of the company's plans to open 20 such food processing units pan-India with an investment of Rs 10,000 crore. Puri said more such wheat mandis will be built at its upcoming facilities.

The company also plans to enter into milk-based beverages such as milkshakes and allied products by the middle of next fiscal year, Puri said.

The dairy plant for the same which is part of the integrated plant will be operational soon.

ITC is investing heavily in both agriculture and food segments considering huge potential in these two sectors.