Citizens’ Research Collective on SEZ

Hyderabad, January 4, 2008: Special Economic Zones (SEZs) need not necessarily be anti-farmer. A kisan SEZ, first of its kind in India, in the pipeline to protect and promote the interests of the farmers.

The Board of Approvals (BoA) for SEZs which met at Delhi on Thursday cleared the Indian Farmers’ Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO)’s proposal for setting up a kisan SEZ at Kavali in Nellore district in an area of 2776 acres.

The IFFCO which acquired the land in 1997 for setting up a fertiliser plant could not get round to since then. Now it has abandoned its fertiliser plant proposal and wants to set up an SEZ.

When IFFCO sent the proposal to the State Government to forward it to the BoA, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy evinced interest in it. He wanted the IFFCO to utilise the facility to train local farmers in value addition to products.

According to officials in the Industries Department, the IFFCO would be spending about Rs.500 crore on infrastructure.

The total investment that would come into the SEZ would be of the order of Rs.2,500 crore providing direct and indirect employment to about 10,000 people.

The IFFCO gave a commitment to the State Government that to begin with, it would adopt an ITI in Nellore to train the farmers. After the notification is issued, it will start construction of technical training centre, recruit necessary faculty and develop courseware in about five to six months.

As National Highway passes through the land acquired for the SEZ, the IFFCO plans to use the two blocks of land - one for construction of training centre and the other for those interested in setting up units in agro processing, packaging and warehousing facilities among others.

Apart from IFFCO SEZ, the BoA approved a pharma SEZ to be set up by Dr Reddy Laboratories in Medak district (250 acres), multiservice SEZ in Anantapur (1039 acres) to be setup by Mumbaibased Rasoi Properties and accorded approval in principle for building materials SEZ to be set up by Southern Construction and Infrastructure Devolvement Corporation and ILFS in Bitragunta in Nellore district in an area of 118 acres.

Source: NewIndPress.com