Ministry of Food Processing, Govt of India, on Tuesday sanctioned proposal for Food Testing Laboratories (FTL) to be set up in Manipur and Assam.
In Manipur, the laboratory will be set up at Park Nilakuthi in Imphal East. The proposal was made by the Manipur Food Industries Corporation Ltd. The project cost is about Rs 9.33 crore and the Ministry provided grants-in-aid of Rs 7.60 crore.
Another Food Testing Laboratory got sanctioned in Assam for the Up-gradation of FTL at Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Cinnamara, Jorhat. This project costs around Rs 6.10 and Grant in aid of Rs. 3.39 crore by the Ministry.
Food testing facilities are limited in number in Northeast India. This makes it difficult for checking and certification of both raw materials and processed products. With the increase in the number of food and food processing facilities , the need of testing centers has also increased manifold.
Important functions of these facilities include the testing of water for dissolved impurities. They are also equipped to test the presence of harmful chemicals and pesticides in raw fruits and vegetables or their products. This will help the various food businesses of the region.
(Feature image source: slideshare)
