Calcutta, Feb. 2: Keventer has signed a joint venture agreement with Carso Group of France to set up an advanced food testing laboratory at Barasat in North 24 Parganas.

Work on the project has already begun, Mayank Jalan, managing director of Keventer Agro, said, adding that the facility would be ready by April.

The seven-acre site is located within the integrated food processing centre developed by Keventer in the northern fringes of Calcutta.

Around Rs 25 crore has been invested in the project. Carso is one of the renowned global companies in food testing laboratories.

Keventer is a major player in the east in food processing and manufactures fruit-based products for Parle and Apeejay. It also has a strong presence in dairy (milk and ice cream) through Metro Dairy, a joint venture with the Bengal government.

Development of the laboratory is part of a Rs 400-crore investment plan Keventer has taken up nationally.

Keventer is setting up a processing plant for mushrooms and sesame seeds at Sanand in Gujarat for Rs 150 crore.

It is joining hands with Kishore Biyani’s Future Group to build a Rs 105-crore fruit pulping and value-added fruit products unit in Karnataka.