KRIBHCO to invest Rs 325 crore in UP food processing plant

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Jan 12, 2021

Fertiliser major Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) is planning to invest Rs 325 crore in a food processing plant in Uttar Pradesh.

The proposed facility will span nearly 45 acres in Shahjahanpur district, where KRIBHCO operates a captive fertiliser production unit. While the state government has given in principle approval to the project, the food processing facility is likely to be commissioned in 12 months and provide employment to 2,000 people.

KRIBHCO, which owns 100 acres of land in Shahjahanpur, will set up a greenfield food processing unit for horticultural crops, including mango, tomato, potato etc. It will procure these agricultural produce from local farmers.

Registered under Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002, KRIBHCO is a national level cooperative society engaged in fertiliser production and distribution. It was founded in April 1980 to produce and distribute high-quality agricultural inputs, mainly chemical fertilisers, through cooperatives and institutional agencies.

It operates production facilities at Hazira, Gujarat and Shahjahanpur, UP. It also has an offshore joint venture unit in Oman. In addition, it is also engaged in trading and distribution of bulk fertilisers.

The Yogi Adityanath government is actively promoting the food processing industry in UP to augment the farm income and to minimise wastage in the agro and horticultural segments.

During the lockdown period, the state garnered investment proposals worth nearly Rs 7,000 crore from foreign companies and investors. The proposals emanated from USA, Germany, Canada, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, South Korea etc and pertained to different sectors viz. integrated food processing, intermediate food products, granaries, electronic manufacturing, ethanol, software development, IT infra etc.