Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation has decided to set up a vodka manufacturing plant in collaboration with a Russian-based liquor company in Kannauj district. Kannauj is the parliamentary constituency of Dimple Yadav, wife of UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Official sources informed that the vodka plant, worth nearly Rs 800 crore, will be set up on 120 acres of land which will be provided by the UPSIDC.
The proposed Vodka plant will give direct employment to about 1,000 people, besides giving a readymade market to the potato farmers of the region. A UPSIDC official said on Thursday that the Russian Vodka company is keen on setting up a vodka manufacturing plant, adding: “The modalities are being worked out and the deal will be sealed very soon.”
The Delhi-based Newara Enterprises has a tie-up with a Russia-based liquor company and has been asked to submit a detailed project report.
The plant is meant to act as a prospective buyer of potatoes produced in Kannauj which is one of the leading potato-producing districts in the state. Potato farmers have been suffering due to potato glut that does not give them adequate returns and forces them to undersell the crop. The state Agriculture Production Commissioner had held a seminar in 2012, inviting several liquor companies. Experts had pointed out then that the potatoes produced in Kannauj were suitable for manufacturing vodka and the government continued to pursue the project but nothing materialised until recently when a firm evinced interest in the projects. Incidentally, Kannauj has already been selected for two mega food parks besides several other industrial units.
