Anantapur ideal for establishing fruit processing units: Gandham Chandrudu

Anantapur: District Collector Gandham Chandrudu has observed that the district being a fruit bowl of the state, is ideal for setting up fruit processing industries as well as industries of general nature.

Addressing a zoom conference with several industrialists on the prospects of setting up MSME companies along with MP Talari Rangaiah, the collector said the district has geographically ideal conditions for establishing industries, particularly horticulture based ones as the district is known to be the fruit bowl of state.

The soil is also conducive for horticulture crops, he said and added tomato, banana, pomegranate and papayya fruits are of high quality in the district. These fruits have high vitamin value and are of higher quality when compared to other districts, he pointed out.

Also, the district has the highest acreage of groundnut crop when compared to other districts in the country, he asserted and added even the place was conducive for setting up of agro-based industries. Fruit and agro-processing units can be set up in the district, the collector stated.

He revealed that the government was formulating a new industrial policy and more incentives were likely to be announced under the new policy.

MP Talari Rangaiah, speaking on the occasion, stated that all the people's representatives were working together for industrialisation of the district.

He said that more than 90 per cent of horticulture produce was exported to metro cities including Delhi, Rajasthan and other metros while only 6 per cent of the produce is being utilised locally.

He urged industrialists to visit the district and explore possibilities for setting up industrial units. He said the district has the advantage of reaching Benguluru international airport in two hours from the district headquarters.

Government whip Kapu Ramachandra Reddy, Puttaparthi MLA Sridhar Reddy and others also spoke. Chamber of Commerce president Seshanjaneyulu was also present.