Innova Agri Bio Park exports 1.2 tonnes fruits to US

The Dollar Business Bureau

Innova Agri Bio Park has exported 1.2 tonnes of mangoes and pomegranates to the US on Thursday. This is the first shipment from the park which is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) enterprise supported by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and Food Karnataka Ltd (FKL), a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Government of Karnataka.

After flagging off the shipment, Karnataka Health Minister K R Ramesh Kumar said, this project is a testimony of the state government and the best management practices of the industry to offer better agro-environmental sustenance, farm prosperity and productivity. There were 250 boxes containing mangoes and 50 boxes having pomegranates in the shipment. These fruits are sent with the brand name - FarmRus.

Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Innova Agri Bio Park said, this shipment to US is the result of the commitment and support from partners of the company as well as the state government in validating the model of Innova Agri Bio Park. This will further encourage the agriculture sector and also the concept of Agri Bio Park in the country.

According to him, Innova Agri Bio Park is the only Gamma irradiation facility in the country which can increase the shelf life of horticultural produce. This US-certified facility had been established with an investment of Rs.35 crore. It has been integrated with a pack house that has all the post-harvest management facilities such as automatic hot water treatment, sorting, grading and packing.

Innova Agri Bio Park helps the farmers and exporters from South India in exporting mangoes to foreign countries, particularly the US. The Food Park located at Malur, Karnataka, is logistically attractive as it is just 45 km away from Bangalore and supports easy access to domestic and export markets, the company said in a statement.