Jharkhand: Nourishing India And The World
A temperate climate and ambitious growth-focused government roadmap makes Jharkhand an ideal place to invest in the food and agriculture sectors.
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With a name whose meaning refers to ‘forest,’ Jharkhand’s 23 lakh hectares of tree cover often overshadow the state’s sizeable tracts of agricultural land.
More than 47 percent of Jharkhand’s almost 80 lakh hectares is cultivable. A temperate climate and ambitious growth-focused government roadmap make the state an ideal place to invest in the food and agriculture sectors.
Jharkhand contributes many staples to Indian plates - it’s the only perennial producer of cauliflower in India, and grows a surplus of tomatoes and potatoes. It’s also India’s largest producer of dietary favourites such as pulses, turmeric and mangoes, and the second largest grower of rice, wheat, cotton and sugar.
Exports of fruit and vegetables, dairy, livestock and freshwater fish to domestic and international markets are valued at more than $11 billion.
By tapping into food processing, animal feed processing, livestock, dairy production and agriculture, Jharkhand looks set to stay on course, or move beyond, a 10.5 percent gross state domestic product growth rate.
The administration has laid out an overarching plan to harness the agricultural sector’s 9.2 percent annual growth rate and has identified four pillars of its food and feed processing policy: capital investment in infrastructure, up-to-date technology, improved access to credit and financial grants and ancillary processing industries.
Food Processing
The 2015 food processing industry policy outlined financial aid of up to 5 crore for upgrade or building of new food processing centres. Similar incentives apply to establishment of cold chains or rural processing units and modernization of meat/fish shops.
Mega projects in food processing, however, such as the flagship Jharkhand Mega Food Park Private Ltd. (JMFPP) outside Ranchi, are eligible for aid of up to 12 crore per project. The JMFPP spans 56 acres and houses six primary processing centres. Other features include large facilities for dry warehousing, cold storage, dehydration, a mobile collection van and a sorting facility.
Opportunities to expand Jharkhand’s food processing industry include primary and secondary processing, canning, drying, pickling, pulping, freezing and preservation. There is also a strong need for processing units catering to milk and milk products, such as lassi, curd and paneer.
Mother Dairy, Parle and Safal are just some of the food companies with units in Jharkhand.
Animal Feed Processing
The relationship between the animal feed processing industry and dairy, livestock, fisheries and animal husbandry has led to the creation of a separate policy that encourages the development of new feed processing units.
Available incentives include financial grants for upgrading and expansion of existing feed processing centres as well as opening of new centres, plus other incentives. Efficient feed processing benefits farmers by reducing waste and boosting productivity. This in turn better serves the demand for animal feed in eastern India and around the world.
Agriculture
The agriculture and allied sector grew at an average annual rate of more than 5 percent in 2015-16, with some 25.6 crore metric tonnes of fruit and vegetables produced and $1 billion worth of exports.
As crop production contributes more than 64 percent of the value of the agricultural sector’s output, the government has made every effort to empower Jharkhand’s farmers with methods to preserve their produce so it doesn’t go to waste.
Aside from frequently consumed vegetables such as capsicum, carrots and French beans, spices and medicinal plants also provide an economic lifeline to farmers as the Jharkhand varieties are known for their quality and are in demand.
Livestock And Dairy
Amidst a huge push to ramp up production of meat products, around 40,000 livestock farmers have been trained and 190 veterinary centres are being established in Jharkhand. Rather than underestimate the commercial potential of the state’s livestock, possible investment clusers are being considered in Koderma, Bokaro and Ranchi.
The $200 million dairy industry, meanwhile, struggles with a 37 percent supply gap, despite output in 2015 of more than 1.7 million metric tonnes. Rather than sourcing milk from other eastern states, the government is pushing to make Jharkhand self-sufficient in dairy production and has created the Jharkhand State Milk Producers Federation. The administration is also prioritizing production and processing of milk and milk products.
The aim of such a holistic food and agriculture policy is to drive growth and improve the quality of life and income for farmers, as well as those who live in proximity to the forest and make their living by it. Jharkhand’s natural resources, business-friendly atmosphere and skilled labour make it the best place to invest in agricultural infrastructure and allied sectors.