HPMC To Set Up Apple Juice Concentrate Plants In Growing Areas -Bragta

Shimla: Government own fruit processing company HPMC plans to set up small juice concentrate plants in the growing areas and in a bid to revive its businesses has procured an order for supply of 600 metric tons of apple juice concentrate from Parle group.

Horticulture minister Narinder Bragta, who is the chairman of HPMC said, to revive the businesses of the public sector undertaking, the company had entered into a supply order agreement with Parle group. The 600 MT order is worth about Rs 6 crore, he said.

Talking about the functioning of the public sector company he said that HPMC did had made an operational profit of Rs 2 crore in 2003 but was again in the red and had a load of Rs 37 crores as accumulated losses. The annual turnover of HPMC too had come down to Rs 22 crore, he added.

However, he said, the government would make efforts to revive the public sector undertaking. “At a board meeting on Monday, it was decided to set up three juice extraction and concentrate plants with the apple growing areas,” said Bragta, who is the chairman of HPMC.

The three plants would be set up in Jarol, Gumma and Rohru. This would not only help us to save on transporting raw materials to the Parwanoo but would also minimize damages suffered from delayed crushing of the fruit, he said.

As part of a administrative restructuring, he disclosed that the regional office of HPMC would be shifted from Shimla to Gumma for better coordination with operations where the main businesses of the company are located.

In response to another question about Champagne Indage not having begun making wines from local fruits at Pragati Nagar winery in Kothkai, he said that the terms of the agreement with company from being a joint venture with growers, HPMC and the government as partners, it had been changed to sole proprietorship of the company by the previous government.

Against the terms agreed to of crushing 27000 metric tons of apples, the company was only using the winery for rebottling of grape wines that were being brought in from Mahrashtra, he said.

To another question, the minister said that the state had so far marketed 1.80 crore boxes of apples and expected the production to touch a target of 2.25 crore boxes for the season.

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10 Comments

  1. says: Vinay Tevatia

    Dear Sir,
    It is a very good idea to shift HPMC to Gumma and start botteling in Rohru.
    The HP govt would do well to provide cheaper cartons and trays, timely transport and repair of damaged roads on more than war footing for the next apple season. This year was a disaster so far as marketing was concerned. I, being from Chhajpur can tell all that the roads were terrible, the trucks were not available and by the time Chhajpur apple reached the mandis, Kashmir and Kinnour apple did the damage. It was mainly due to lack of transport that the grower suffered. And HP govt was caught unaware. No one was prepared to face the rains. As a government one cant blame the nature. There was no advance planing. The price of cartons went up, the trucks were absent, the delay inmarketing the crop cost the grower a lot.
    The HP govt should provide an internet enabled computer to the Horticulture Officers as there is plenty of infiormation available on the net which can be disseminated to the growere as and when they visit the Officer..
    As a social service to the apple growers I have hosted a site http://www.tevatia.com. All are requested to visit the site and help the grower with their knowledge and experience.
    Thankyou.

    1. says: kamal verma

      hey this is kamal from Delhi..
      i saw your post…and wanted to confirm that are u interested in opening a juice kiosk or the juice packaging unit…
      whatever you want you can contact me and i can assist you with that.
      more preferred kiosk in delhi and ncr.
      thank you.
      9899521814

  2. says: sushil kumar

    my name is sushil kumar from himachal and i am doing MSc (h) ,biotechnology from lovely professional university ,phagwara, jallandhar.TO FULFILL MY DEGREE , a 4 MONTHS training is needed, so please tell me a training criteria………thank you .

  3. says: sumeet parkash kaundal

    MYself sumeet parkash kaundal from himachal and i am doing MSc (h) ,biotechnology from lovely professional university ,phagwara, jallandhar.TO FULFILL MY DEGREE , a 4 MONTHS training is needed, so please tell me a training criteria………thank you .

  4. says: rajni thakur

    MYself rajni thakur from himachal and i am doing MSc ,biotechnology from lovely professional university ,phagwara, jallandhar.TO FULFILL MY DEGREE , a 4 MONTHS training is needed, so please tell me a training criteria………thank you

  5. says: Aamir Mushtaq

    Hi this is Aamir from Kashmir and I want to setup an apple juice plant in Kashmir and i want assitenc if anybody.

  6. says: Uma

    Hello am uma from himachal pardesh am pursuing mba from LR institute of solan. I needed 45days industrial training so please tell me training criteria….
    Thank you

  7. says: SHAIKH SADDAM

    i want to open hpmc APPLE juice SHOPE at LATUR (MHARASHTRA) How can i do this?
    Pls call me-9527551228

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