Tech

Tirupati to host incubation centre to foster entrepreneurship among farmers

To fulfil the aim of the Central and Andhra Pradesh Government to help farmers become entrepreneurs and help them add value to their produce, the AP State Processing Society and Indian Institute of Technology-Tirupati have collaborated to start a state-of-the-art incubation centre.

A grant of Rs.2.60 crore has been allocated under the Central Government’s Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises scheme and the centre will commence work from October in Tirupati as the building to house the incubation centre is ready and equipment has been installed.

The incubation centre which is expected to provide a big boost to the food processing sector in the State will focus on nurturing the food processing entrepreneurs. For this it will provide customised training and guidance based on specific processing lines and product offerings while also allowing round-the-clock access to them to the centre’s infrastructure and equipment.

To provide mentorship and technical guidance, well known experts and specialists in their respective fields will be available. The centre will get entrepreneurs connected with retailers, distributors and potential buyers. It will provide an array of services including facility management, procurement and logistics.

The centre besides helping the farming sector is expected to help in innovation in the food processing industry. It will support three product and process lines which will be concerned with tomatoes, mangoes and lemons — three horticulture crops that are extensively cultivated in Rayalaseema and south Andhra region.

The tomato process line segment will have tomato crush, rasam and bhath powder. The first will provide puree which is a basic ingredient for different dishes. The last two are spice mixes which are used in traditional South Indian dishes.

In case of mango processing there are four sub lines. The first is a fortified mango bar – a blend of mango pulp and seeds, nuts and other ingredients – to manufacture nutrient-packed snack bars. Dried mango slice is the second one which will enable making of dehydrated mango slices, a favourite snack among consumers. The beverage line in this segment will allow production of mango-based beverages, including mango juice, nectar and fruit drinks while the carbonated mango beverages line is crafted to produce mango-flavoured drinks.

The lemon process line includes two sub-lines. The first will help in producing dehydrated lime slices, again a favourite snack and used in various other dishes and the second is carbonated lime beverages line in which beverages with lime flavour will be manufactured.

S.Ravi

S. Ravi writes on science, evolution and wildlife besides trends in culture, history, art, and stories of human interest.

Recent Posts

India-UK FTA will propel bilateral trade, strengthen supply chains: Jaishankar during meeting with UK Foreign Secretary

Noting that the recent conclusion of the India-UK FTA and the Double Contribution Convention is…

5 hours ago

“Strengthening early warning systems, coordination is crucial”, says PM Modi addressing ICDRI

Highlighting the significance of strengthening early warning systems to mitigate risks from disasters, Prime Minister…

6 hours ago

Centre raises financial threshold for procurement of scientific equipment, consumables

The Central government has raised financial limits under the General Financial Rules (GFRs) for procurement…

7 hours ago

Would be my pleasure to welcome PM Modi for G7: Former Canada MP Chandra Arya calls India “indispensable partner”

Former Member of Parliament of Canada, Chandra Arya, has said it would be his pleasure…

9 hours ago

UK Foreign Secretary Lammy to meet PM Modi; to discuss bilateral economic and migration partnership

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his second…

9 hours ago

“We can control any situation”: Gujarat Health Minister calls Omicron ‘not serious’, says all arrangements in place

Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Saturday noted that the state is fully prepared for…

10 hours ago