Food Processing and Value Addition Management

The Department of Horticulture, Government of Uttarakhand, runs the Food Processing and Value Addition Management scheme, which is intended to expand the state's food processing sector. It encourages the setting up of new food processing units so that agricultural and horticultural produce grown in Uttarakhand gains value, and it offers financial assistance that helps entrepreneurs put money into modern processing facilities and technologies.

The scheme works towards a food processing ecosystem that can be sustained over time. Alongside financial aid, it extends support for setting up and running these units. Local value addition is central to its purpose: farmers can obtain better prices for what they grow, and jobs are generated along the supply chain.

The scheme's larger aim is for Uttarakhand to become a centre for advanced food processing, where local produce is processed, packaged and marketed efficiently both inside and outside the state. This focus contributes to rural development and to economic prosperity overall.

- Collect the application form either from a Horticulture Mobile Team Centre or by downloading it from the department's website (shm.uk.gov.in). - Assemble a full proposal together with a detailed checklist of 29 documents. These comprise the prescribed application format, a Detailed Project Report (DPR), the promoter's permanent residence certificate, the organisation's biodata, the address of the unit area, proof of project appraisal by a bank or financial institution, an NOC from the Fire Department, land records, the land conversion certificate, the company or institution's boilerage, particulars of raw material procurement, product details, contracts with farmers, the site plan, FSSAI certification, the employment generation certificate, civil works certification by an engineer, quotations for plant machinery from certified suppliers, the marketing strategy, the process flow chart, unit implementation details, a ₹100/- affidavit, funding details, project cost, and proofs of eligibility. - Staff at Horticulture Mobile Team Centres can help applicants complete their proposals. - Confirm that the project loan has been appraised by a bank or financial institution before filing the application. - File the completed application along with all supporting documents at the designated office. - Once the Mission Directorate grants approval, entrepreneurs receive an acceptance letter and are informed by telephone. - In the meantime, obtain the necessary loan approval, for which departmental officers provide assistance. - Notify the department after the loan is approved. - Set up the food processing unit with technical assistance and supervision from departmental officers. - A joint inspection by the departmental team follows completion. - After verification is found satisfactory, the subsidy due is disbursed directly into the entrepreneur's bank account.

Applications and detailed project proposals are first submitted to the Horticulture Mobile Team Centres, where they undergo a thorough review for completeness and conformity with the guidelines. Proposals found in order are then passed on to the Mission Directorate, which evaluates each project's feasibility, its potential for value addition, and how far it aligns with the scheme's objectives. An acceptance letter is issued to the entrepreneur once this evaluation is cleared.

A joint inspection by a departmental team follows the establishment of the unit. This inspection verifies that the unit has been implemented and is operating successfully, and only after it is completed is the final subsidy disbursed.