GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) - the developer and operator of Hyderabad’s international airport - has announced plans to build a world-class centre for perishable cargo (CPC) at the burgeoning hub, according to the Business Standard.

The planned CPC at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad, Hyderabad, will be designed to handle 13,000 tonnes per annum of perishable cargo in the first phase of development (up to 2011), the publication said.

The capacity will be increased to 25,000 tonnes per annum in the second phase (2013-14).

“It will boost the movement of perishables and help the horticulture sector in the state become more competitive,” GHIAL Chief Commercial Officer Viswanath Attaluri is quoted as saying.

GHIAL and India’s agricultural export authority, Apeda, will split the projected Rs400m cost of phase-1 of the project, the Business Standard said.

GHIAL will invest a further Rs100m (10 crore) in phase-II.

GHIAL expects some 5,000 tonnes of Andhra Pradesh-grown fruit and vegetables will be exported per year from RGIA in the near future, nearly half the state's total annual production, the publication said.

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