Lobby trying to drive industries away, says P. Rajeeve

A strong lobby is at work to drive industries away from Kerala, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve said in the Assembly on Thursday. He also informed the House that the government is in talks with the Fed

A strong lobby is at work to drive industries away from Kerala, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve said in the Assembly on Thursday. He also informed the House that the government is in talks with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to set up an FMCG Park in Palakkad district. Replying to questions in the Assembly, Mr. Rajeeve said two discussions were held with FICCI representatives on the proposal to attract FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods) companies to the State, Mr. Rajeeve said. The proposal involves establishing the park in 500 acres in Palakkad, he said. ''Now much of the manufacturing is done outside Kerala, especially in the north-east states. But the tax holiday given in the north-east states under a central policy will end soon. We have pointed out to the companies that the transportation costs would be a lot less if the units were in Kerala. Eighty per cent of the FMCG market is controlled by 20 companies,'' he said.