The Mega Food Park Scheme is an initiative by India’s Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY), launched in 2008–09. Its goal is to build a robust farm‑to‑market “hub‑and‑spoke” supply chain that brings together farmers, processors, and retailers to

:

• Maximize value‑addition

• Minimize perishable wastage

• Boost farmer incomes

• Create rural employment (drishtiias.com, manoramayearbook.in)

🏗️ Scheme Highlights & Structure

• Cluster Model: Comprises a Central Processing Centre (CPC), multiple Primary Processing Centres (PPCs) and collection centres, plus cold chains and about 25–35 industrial plots for processors (ibef.org).

• Funding: MoFPI offers capital grants up to ₹50 crore or 50% of project cost (75% in hilly/difficult regions) (ibef.org).

• SPV Implementation: Each park is run by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which can include state bodies, cooperatives, processor groups, farmer-orgs, etc. (ibef.org).

📊 Progress & Impact

• Sanctions & Operational Parks:

  • ~41 projects sanctioned

  • ~24 now operational (as of mid‑2024) (agriculturepost.com).

• Scale of Benefits (per park):

  • Directly engages ~6,000 farmers, indirectly up to 25,000–30,000 (megafoodparks.com).

  • Supports ~30–35 food processing units, drawing ₹250 crore private investment on average (ibef.org).

  • Creates turnover of ₹400–500 crore and generates about 30,000 employment opportunities (megafoodparks.com).

• Driving Trends:

  • Catalyst for major agribusiness growth (e.g., Patanjali Mega Food Park, Cremica, Gujarat Agro, Himalayan MFP) (agriculturepost.com).

  • Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Punjab lead with 3 parks each under PMKSY (theprint.in).

🔚 Current Status & Future Outlook

• Scheme was officially discontinued as of 1 April 2021, but ongoing projects continue under committed liabilities .

• PMKSY umbrella: it's integrated into PMKSY, which includes other complementary schemes like cold-chains, agro-processing clusters, food safety networks (manoramayearbook.in).

• As of June 2024: approved are 41 Mega Food Parks and 399 cold-chain projects, among others (indiaeducationdiary.in).

✅ Key Benefits

1. Enhanced Infrastructure: State-of-the-art processing, storage, and logistics.

2. Reduced Wastage: Efficient handling of perishable produce.

3. Farmer Gains: Better market linkages, improved farm returns.

4. Employment & Investment: Drives rural jobs and attracts private investment.

5. Export Growth: Supports India’s aim to raise processing share from 6% to 20% and global trade share to 3% (midc.megindustry.gov.in, manoramayearbook.in, ibef.org, drishtiias.com).

🛤️ Challenges & Way Forward

• Despite progress, many parks faced implementation delays, especially in remote areas (North Eastern states, hilly regions).

• Critical Success Factors:

  • Strong SPVs with effective coordination.

  • Improved private-sector uptake.

  • Better connectivity and enabling infrastructure.

• Continuation via PMKSY-linked initiatives is vital to sustain momentum.

📌 In Summary

The Mega Food Park Scheme takes a comprehensive, integrated approach to transform India’s agro‑processing sector. With significant investments, boosted farmer incomes, and enhanced rural employment, it plays a crucial role in realizing the government’s vision under “Make in India” and “Atma Nirbhar Bharat.” Continued support and infrastructure enhancement remain essential for long-term sustainability.

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