World Bank-funded plant to come up near airport for fruit processing

Noida: The state govt has formed a committee to develop a financial model for a fruit-based processing unit within the Noida International Airport’s premises near the airport’s multimodal cargo hub. It will comprise officials from Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), World Bank, and Innova Food Park – a subsidiary of Bharat Biotech.
This initiative aims to facilitate the export of tinned fruits and juices, particularly benefiting farmers from Jewar and surrounding districts by providing a market for their produce, especially guavas and mangoes.
Chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh chaired a meeting on Monday regarding the establishment of an export hub at Noida International Airport. Representatives of Innova Food Park, World Bank, Air India SATS (AISATS), NIA concessionaire YIAPL, and NIAL were in attendance. The chief secretary directed all concerned parties to coordinate efforts to create a horticulture-based export hub and prepare its financial model. The report is likely to be submitted by the end of this month.
Officials said that the proposed processing unit will be integrated with a cold chain system developed by AISATS, the company building the cargo hub, ensuring product freshness and swift export to international markets. They also stated that the World Bank will provide aid of Rs 350 crore for establishing this facility. A gamma radiation facility is essential for the processing unit’s cleaning and food preservation processes but cannot be situated within the airport premises. Therefore, NIAL CEO Arun Vir Singh, who also serves as the CEO of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), has proposed allocating land in Sector 22E for this purpose.
“We have enough land available in Sector 22E, and we have offered to allot a plot as per the requirement,” the CEO said.
As per the plan, fruits will first be brought to the gamma radiation centre for cleaning, peeling, and other processes. Subsequently, they will be transferred to the processing unit and then exported through the cold chain system.
In Sept, last year, chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced that a radiation treatment plant will be established near the Noida airport. The facility, first-of-its-kind to come up in north India, will help the state meet the stringent export standards set by the United States and European countries.
The state leads in the production of various horticultural crops, including mangoes and guavas, and has been investing in developing infrastructure to support agro-based industries. This project aligns with the state’s focus on enhancing its food processing sector.
UP’s Food Processing Industry Policy 2023 offers incentives such as a 35% subsidy on expenditures for plant, machinery, and technical civil work, up to a maximum of Rs 5 crore, to promote the establishment and modernisation of food processing industries.

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