COWE plans food, biotech parks in AP

Hyderabad: The Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE) plans to set up a Food Park at Kucharam and a Biotech Park at Karkapatla on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

“COWE has been allotted 30 acres each for the Food Park and Biotech Park. We expect to get the physical possession of land very soon, after which it will be allotted to women entrepreneurs who evince interest,” Ms Suman Kumar, President, COWE, said.

So far, COWE has been allotted 90 acres in three industrial estates. The other 30 acres is for the development of an Automotive Industrial Estate in Toopran, also located just outside the city. Ms Kumar said that the groundbreaking ceremony for the automotive estate will be held on Wednesday.

“The park will be developed by the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation and some of the units expected to come up include fabrication, automobile components, battery regeneration, manufacturing of automobile painting system, heat treatments, plastic components, packaging and printing and a couple of others,” she added.

The automotive industrial estate is expected to attract around 20 companies and investments to the tune of Rs 25 crore.

“We expect the units to get into commercial production in the next one year and also in view of the demand from women, entrepreneurs have sought an additional eight acres adjacent to the existing areas,” Ms Kumar said.

For the Biotech Park, the confederation expects women entrepreneurs to have capital tie-ups with foreign collaborators as it is a capital intensive sector. It is also looking at approaching various venture capitalists to come forward to support the projects.

“COWE has tied up with Andhra Pradesh Industrial and Technology Consultancy Organisation Ltd, CII-Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to develop industrial clusters in food processing,” she said.