NEW DELHI:
Government has prepared a five- year road map for increasing agri-exports by over Rs 2000 crore and in the process cleared five more agri-export zones entailing a total investment of Rs 239.37 crore.

"Five agri-export zones have been cleared in addition to the 10 which got the nod earlier, each having state, centre and private sector share of investment and annual target of exports up to five years," official sources said.

They said Apples zone in Srinagar-Baramulla belt of Kashmir involves a Rs 85.35 crore investment, Alphonso mangoes Ratnagiri belt zone in Maharashtra (Rs 35.12 crore), Onion, garlic and potatoes in Madhya Pradesh (Rs 49.45 crore), Mango Pulp and vegetables in Chittoor (Rs 28.14 crore and Rs 25.54 crore) and pineapples (Agartala, Rs 15.67 crore).

Each zone has an annual export target for 5-7 years as a result of this investment in the zone, they added.

The Kashmir apple zone will begin with export of 400 tonnes in November this year and annual exports will cross 50,000 tonnes by the fifth year.

Centre's investment in the zone is Rs 27.65 crore and the remaining by private enterprises. A Rs 44 crore apple processing plant will be set up for which National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development will give a soft loan of Rs 22 crore.

In the onion, garlic and potatoes zone in Madhya Pradesh too there will be no state government contribution as it is already making market interventions. Centre's investment will be of Rs 25.72 crore and the remaining will come from the private sector.

The exports from the zone are likely to be 3000 tonnes (Onions), 2000 tonnes (Potatoes) and 2200 tonnes (Garlic) in February-March 2003 which will increase to 25,000 tonnes each and 18,500 tonnes respectively by the fifth year for the three commodities.

The Mango pulp Chitoor zone includes investment of Rs 11.29 crore and Rs 6.41 crore from the Centre and state government beginning with exports of 4350 tonnes in 2002-03 season worth Rs 10 crore which will increase to Rs 45 crore annually by 2007-8.

The vegetables zone in the same region will have a Rs 7.6 crore and Rs 3.11 crore Centre-state investment respectively targeting an export of 8000 tonnes from October this year for Rs 15 crore to rise to Rs 27 crore in 2007-08.

In Alphonso mango zone of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra government's investment at Rs 16.17 crore is more than the Centre's 9.94 crore on account of the proposed setting up of a X-Ray imaging facility.

It will begin with exports of 2000 tonnes in the coming season and annual shipments will rise to 12,300 tonnes in the fifth and 20,000 tonnes in the seventh year.

Pineapples zone in Agartala has a Centre-state investment of Rs 7.6 crore and Rs 1.17 crore from where exports of 100 tonnes are scheduled apart from 350 tonnes of canned juice from mid 2002-03.

Processed pineapple exports alone would be of Rs 10.12 crore from this zone in the fifth year.

Government also plans to clear five more agri-export zones next month as part of the five year road map, they added.