Need for establishment of a Mega Food Park or an Integrated Food Processing Park in Anakapalli district, Andhra Pradesh.-laid

Need for establishment of a Mega Food Park or an Integrated Food Processing Park in Anakapalli district, Andhra Pradesh.-laid DR. C. M. RAMESH (ANAKAPALLE): I would like to raise a matter of urgent public importance regarding the need for establishing a Food Processing Park in Anakapalli district. It is a predominantly agrarian district with extensive cultivation of sugarcane, paddy, fruits and vegetables yet it does not have a dedicated Mega Food Park. However, in the absence of adequate processing, storage and value-addition facilities, farmers are compelled to sell their produce at low prices, often facing distress sales during peak seasons. Establishment of a modern Food Processing Park in Anakapalli would facilitate scientific storage, grading, packaging, cold chain infrastructure and agro-processing units for sugar, rice bran products, fruit pulping, dehydration, ethanol production and other value-added products. It would also complement the objectives of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana and promote agro-based industrialization in North Coastal Andhra region. The proposed park can leverage the district?s strategic proximity to Visakhapatnam Port and national highways, thereby improving export potential and supply chain efficiency. I, therefore, urge the Union Government to sanction a Mega Food Park or an Integrated Food Processing Park for Anakapalli district at the earliest, with adequate central assistance.