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| The processing unit at Panjabari. Telegraph picture |
Feb. 22: The Northeast’s first meat-processing unit here is all set to supply processed pork, apart from mutton and chicken, to residents from April this year.
The Pinecone Premium Meats unit was set up at Panjabari last March by the NEC Food Processing Pvt Ltd to diversify into the untapped business of food processing in the state.
The company signed an agreement with Assam Live Stock and Poultry Corporation Limited, an enterprise of the state government, for public-private partnership operation of their unused slaughtering and processing house for pigs, sheep and goats at Panjabari. The unit has a capacity of slaughtering 1,500 sheep or goat per shift of eight hours and 100 pigs per shift of eight hours.
It has also developed a unit to slaughter and process meat of 150 pigs per shift of eight hours to supply pork. The unit started supplying meat in March last year and its first year’s turnover is expected to cross Rs 1 crore.
“Now we are only supplying chicken and mutton. From April, we will start supplying pork under a separate chain of retail outlet — The Pork House,” said Bhusan Majumdar, general manager of NEC Food Processing Pvt Ltd.
At present, the Pinecone Premium Meats supply processed mutton and chicken through their chain of retail outlets — The Meat House.
The processing unit has 10 outlets at Kumarpara, Beltola, Bamunimaidam, Zoo Road, Six Mile, Hatigaon, Noonmati, Khanapara, Juripar and Chenikuthi.
It has also taken stalls on rent from GMC in five of their markets at Uzan Bazar, Ulubari, Kacharighat, Dispur Supermarket and Ganeshguri to open their outlets by April to make their presence felt at most important areas in the city. The unit has also tied up with at least 15 restaurants in the city to supply meat.
The unit has put up a stall at the five-day Mega Agri-Horticultural Show-2013 that is going on at Veterinary Science playground in Khanapara.
“The show has helped us to popularise our products. Every day our sales at the fair ground is around Rs 10,000,” said Majumdar.
“As of now, almost all our customers are from Guwahati. From April, we will focus on the districts in Upper Assam,” Majumdar said.
Mutton shammi kabab, chicken shammi kabab, chicken seekh kabab, mutton seekh kabab, mutton salami, chicken salami masala, mutton sausages, chicken sausages and chicken herb sausages are some of the products of the unit.
Majumdar said to make the city residents aware of hygienic meat they would launch an awareness drive soon.
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