Entrepreneurs educated on prospects

Anantapur: Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) and Sri Krishnadevaraya University (SKU) have launched an Entrepreneurship Development Programme in food processing business at the Skill Development Centre in SKU campus on Monday.

Resource person from Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Society Jyothi created an awareness on prospects in food processing industry for the start-up entrepreneurs, who participated in the workshop. She explained to the participants on the schemes supported by the government in the form of extending subsidies, grants and other tax concessions.

She also gave a talk on technology upgradation, setting up of processing units, cold chain units, modernisation of Abattoirs, reefer vehicles, waste processing units, testing labs and cold chain units for the establishment of shrimp and fish processing units. The participants were educated on the tax concessions extended by the government including power consumption charges, NALA tax, stamp duty and VAT/GST reimbursement.

District Collector Veera Pandian, who visited the AIC training centre promised all support to the start-ups. He also assured them of sorting out the delay in APIIC handing over allotted land to the beneficiaries in the local industrial estate, when an entrepreneur by name Faisal represented to the Collector that he was kept waiting by APIIC for the last 8 months which delayed the establishment of his tamarind processing unit. He promised all prospective entrepreneurs of extending cooperation, provided they set up employment generation units.

The participants, who are start-up entrepreneurs evinced interest, in setting up of groundnut, millets, spices, fruits and vegetables, fruits export, fruits ripening and dairy processing products. SKU Prof Nagabushanam told The Hans India that the food processing sector has thrown up multiple prospects in producing value added products relating to horticulture produce including mango, banana, papaya, guava, lime, coconut, cashew, pomegranate and tamarind.

In the vegetable sector, tomato, onion, carrot, tapioca, chillies, turmeric and in agriculture produce, rice, sugarcane and maize and groundnut apart from dairy and poultry products. In Aqua, shrimp and fish value added products can be made both for domestic and export requirements. The entrepreneurship and development programme which commenced on Monday will continue up to June 2. The second phase of the programme will resume on July 16 and continue up to July 19.