Krishnagiri, Aug 5 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government plans to develop Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts as the state’s mango industrial corridor, with five integrated mango processing parks proposed as part of its Vetri Tamizhagam Vision document.
The initiative, aimed at strengthening the agricultural and food-processing economy of western Tamil Nadu, envisages an integrated ecosystem for mango cultivation, processing, value addition, storage and exports in the two major mango-producing districts.
According to the Vision document, the five processing parks will be equipped with cold storage facilities and mango pulp manufacturing units. Infrastructure will also be developed to facilitate direct exports, potentially providing growers and processors better access to domestic and international markets. A dedicated mango value-addition centre is also proposed.
Cargo transportation facilities will be strengthened to enable mangoes produced in Krishnagiri to be transported directly to airports in Chennai and Bengaluru for export.
Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri together have around 51,000 hectares under mango cultivation. Krishnagiri alone has 24 mango pulp processing industries, making the region one of Tamil Nadu’s important centres for mango production and processing.
Mango Farmers’ Federation president K.M. Soundararajan welcomed the proposals and said their effective implementation could provide a major boost to farmers.
He said growers had earlier sought one mango pulp processing unit in every block, but the proposal for five integrated parks across the two districts was nevertheless encouraging.
Soundararajan said mango farmers in Krishnagiri had faced severe difficulties over the past five years, with adverse climatic conditions affecting yields. He also urged Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s government to address alleged corruption in the agriculture sector.
Krishnagiri Mango Pulp Processors’ Federation general secretary E. Madhavan gave a more cautious response, saying the industry was only partially satisfied with the proposals.
He urged the government to take steps to increase domestic consumption of mango pulp so that both growers and processors could benefit.
Madhavan said pulp manufacturers had struggled to clear stocks over the past two years.
Production this year was estimated at around 1.5 lakh to two lakh tonnes, compared with nearly three lakh tonnes last year. He suggested introducing mango juice in the mid-day meal programme to create sustained demand for locally produced mango pulp.
Horticulture department officials said they had submitted inputs to the government for the Vision document but were yet to receive detailed information about the proposed mango processing parks.
–IANS
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