Centre okays second SEZ in Haryana

TARAROI: The Union commerce ministry has okayed, in principle, a special economic zone to be set up in Haryana''s basmati bowl, comprising Karnal, Kaithal and Kurukshetra districts, to be administered by the Haryana state cooperative supply and marketing federation.
If cleared, chief minister O P Chautala told ET, “this would be the second SEZ in Haryana, the first being Phase-II of Chaudhary Devi Lal IMT, Manesar, for automobiles and auto components industry.
The Manesar SEZ (located between Phase-I IMT and Garhi Harsaru railway station) would be developed and managed by Haryana state industrial development corporation (HSIDC), either on its own or in collaboration with Reddy’s Continental Warehousing Corporation, Garhi Harsaru.
Only last year, Hafed had earned the status of canalising agency for export of scented basmati rice procured and processed in the basmati bowl. On this basis, the then MD of Hafed Krishan Mohan had been pursuing the state to get SEZ.
More so, when considered to be inferior to Haryana’s basmati, Punjab has been allotted SEZ of rice.
Hafed chairman Suraj Mal took Chautala to Hafed''s warehouses at Kandla port and Roshanara Road, Delhi, convinced commerce ministry officials that Hafed has spend very little to upgrade its warehousing-related infrastructure to handle export consignments of basmati procured from its own and private shellers, in demand in Africa, Southern Arabia, the US and the UK.
During his recent meeting with Mr Chautala at Chandigarh, Mozambique’s high commissioner Carlos Agnostingho expressed his government''s desire to sign an MoU with Hafed to buy, among other farm products, scented basmati as well.
The envoy told the Hafed chief that a similar MoU had already been inked with Punjab. The MoU with Haryana would, however, be a bit different in the sense that Mozambique intends to hire farm scientists of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana agricultural university (CCSHAU) to train Mozambique youth in the how''s and what''s of the latest bio-agricultural techniques to improve the productivity and quality of cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables.
The high commissioner also extended his government''s invitation to Chautala to include Mozambique in his week-long foreign visit.