The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Centre for perishable cargo planned at RGIA

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Sunday, Aug 17, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Centre for perishable cargo planned at RGIA

Special Correspondent

Projected investment for phase I of the project will be Rs. 40 crores
Rs. 10 crores to be invested in the second phase

HYDERABAD: The GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) has decided to set up a world-class centre for perishable cargo at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA).

The cargo centre is expected to become hub for places within Indian and also South East Asia; Middle East; Europe and USA.

Chief Commercial Officer of GHIAL Viswanath Attaluri said here on Saturday that the Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) at Hyderabad would boost horticulture activity of Andhra Pradesh and South India and benefit farmers. It would be designed to handle 13,000 tonnes a year of perishable cargo under Phase I (up to 2011) and the capacity increased to 25,000 tonnes under Phase II (2013-2014).

The projected investment for phase I of the project would be Rs. 40 crores with a subsidy component of Rs. 20 crores from APEDA (The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority). The GHIAL would invest another Rs. 10 crore in the second phase, said Mr. Viswanath. The CPC would also handle smaller containers for frozen items, especially chemicals used for research purposes, in three categories of temperatures (in degrees Celsius): -2 to -8; -5 to -20; and -50 to -76.

The State produces an estimated volume of 10.50 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables every year and the GHIAL assessed the export potential at 5,000 tonnes in the near future. The retail industry, which imports fruits and vegetables, can also make use of the CPC.

The export/import potential of pharmaceutical and biological products is estimated at 3,000 tonnes a year. There is also considerable movement of one-day old chicks, hatching eggs, and livestock products from Hyderabad up to 1,000 tonnes. “The Air Cargo Complex at the RGIA currently has a capacity to handle one lakh tonnes a year,” he disclosed.

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