Hans News Service Nandyal

Callingfor greater participation in rural entrepreneurship, district Collector G Raja Kumari said Nandyal district possesses enormous potential for the growth of micro food processing industries and MSMEs. Inaugurating SS Dairy Milk and Curd Processing Unit at Vishwa Nagar under Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme on Friday, she encouraged unemployed youth and women to establish value-added food processing units by making effective use of government assistance and locally available resources.

The Collector said PMFME scheme offers financial support through government subsidies and credit-linked bank loans, making it easier for entrepreneurs to establish small-scale food processing industries. The newly inaugurated dairy unit was set up with an investment of Rs 18.14 lakh, including a government subsidy of Rs 6.35 lakh, bank financing and promoter’s own contribution. Highlighting the economic benefits of such ventures, Raja Kumari said micro food processing units can create employment for five to ten people while generating sustainable income for rural families. Efficiently managed enterprises could earn monthly revenues of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, contributing significantly to local economic development. She said that against the district’s target of establishing 56 PMFME units, loans had already been sanctioned for 26 units, and directed officials and bankers to expedite the remaining projects within the next few months.

Emphasising the district administration’s vision of ‘One Family – One Entrepreneur’, the Collector urged officials from Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries departments to identify eligible beneficiaries and promote more micro enterprises based on local resources. She also called upon banks to ensure timely loan approvals, adding that the district plans to encourage entrepreneurship in millet processing, honey processing, floriculture-based value-added products, and dry and fresh fruit processing to accelerate rural industrialisation and enhance economic growth.