Rs 600-Crore Haringhata Food Park to Kickstart Reliance’s Bengal Investment

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani might land in West Bengal later this month to announce a ₹600 crore investment in a food park at Haringhata in Nadia district.

The proposed food park marks the consumer-products arm of Reliance Industries Ltd’s maiden investment in the state since the assumption of the BJP government, with Reliance Consumer Products Limited (RCPL) set to implement it.

Initially, the facility is expected to manufacture Campa Cola, the beverage brand that RIL has been expanding across the Indian market.

Disclosing this at the state secretariat here, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that the bhoomi pujan for the project would be held on October 28, signalling that the company would start work after the Durga Puja festivities.

The move coincides with a fresh push to attract industrial investment in Bengal as the state prepares to unveil a new industrial policy after Durga Puja. The aim is to reinforce West Bengal’s industrial credentials, attract major corporate houses and expand employment opportunities.

The Haringhata project could give fresh impetus to food processing and consumer-goods manufacturing, although the scale of job creation and the project’s implementation schedule are yet to be disclosed.

Haldia Petrochem’s ₹6,000 crore Investment

The Reliance announcement is accompanied by another major industrial development at Haldia, where Adhikari will inaugurate Haldia Petrochemicals Limited’s phenol and acetone plant on October 14 immediately before the Pujas. The project involves an investment of ₹6,000 crore.

According to the Chief Minister, the expansion will open up additional employment opportunities and strengthen the state’s position in the petrochemical sector.

The Haldia facility is expected to achieve two significant industrial milestones for India. It will house the country’s first on-purpose propylene production facility based on olefin conversion technology, alongside what has been described as India’s largest single-site phenol production facility.

The latter is expected to meet a substantial share of domestic demand for phenol and acetone, two important industrial chemicals used across manufacturing sectors.

The project could therefore contribute not only to West Bengal’s industrial output but also to reducing dependence on imported supplies, depending on production capacity and market demand.

Together, the Haringhata and Haldia projects underline the potential of consumer-product manufacturing and petrochemicals to anchor the state’s next phase of industrial expansion.

As for the new industrial policy scheduled to be announced after Durga Puja, a draft has already been prepared under the supervision of a ministerial group.

A committee headed by Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal has recommended the inclusion of additional provisions. According to the Chief Minister, the revised draft incorporating these suggestions is expected to reach him within two to three days.

The state Cabinet is scheduled to consider and release the new policy at its meeting on October 27, a day before the Reliance project’s foundation ceremony.

The challenge now is to convert investment announcements into operational projects, sustainable jobs and a wider industrial revival.

For Bengal, the real measure of success will lie not merely in the size of the proposed investments, but in their ability to strengthen manufacturing, attract further capital and restore the state’s standing as a competitive destination for industry.