Chandigarh, April 7: Haryana’s Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi presided over a meeting of the Infrastructure Secretaries Committee on Monday. The focus was on establishing a Kinnow juice processing plant in Sirsa under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
This meeting emphasized the government’s commitment to transforming the state’s fruit economy and increasing the income of Kinnow farmers.
The proposed state-of-the-art plant, announced in the state budget, will be set up at the VITA Milk Plant complex in Sirsa, with an investment of ₹26.39 crores.
It was highlighted that this project, developed under a 33-year concession period in the PPP mode, is designed to benefit all stakeholders.
Haryana will provide approximately three acres of land for the dairy juice plant, while the private partner will install the necessary plant and machinery, along with civil infrastructure, and will operate the plant.
The project will primarily focus on establishing a fruit and vegetable processing industry, with a key emphasis on Kinnow juice processing. If needed, viability gap funding assistance will also be provided.
An official statement indicated that initially, the organization will set up a fruit and vegetable processing industry, and in later phases, it may explore opportunities in agriculture-based processing industries.
Rohit Yadav, Managing Director of the Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation, stated that the state produces approximately 4.40 lakh metric tons of Kinnow annually, with Sirsa contributing about 55 percent of the total production. This new facility will process around 9,000 metric tons of Kinnow and 12,600 metric tons of other fruits each year, resulting in premium packaged juice.
Notably, about 25 percent of Kinnow production, primarily B-grade fruits that previously fetched lower prices, will now be utilized for value-added processing, directly increasing farmers’ income.
A key feature of this initiative is its farmer-centric approach, where raw materials will be sourced exclusively from Haryana farmers.
Chief Secretary Rastogi emphasized that this project exemplifies excellent coordination between government infrastructure, cooperatives, and private enterprises, aimed at creating sustainable income opportunities in rural areas.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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