The Gujarat Industry Development Corporation (GIDC) Pharma Park, a pharma cluster project initiated by the Gujarat State Board of Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) is expected to be launched in next five months, it is learnt.

The GIDC Pharma Park, promoted by IDMA state board to support the small scale pharmaceutical companies in the domestic market, will be coming up in an area of 1,600,00 square yard area at Changodar, Ahmedabad with a total of 35 plots, informed the association. The park will facilitate space for 33 pharma units apart from an administrative office and a common effluent treatment (CET) plant.

"We have initiated the works on preparing infrastructure and will start allotting plots to the companies within next two months. Our expectation is to inaugurate the park with a set of pharma units by the end of August," said R S Joshi, executive secretary, IDMA Gujarat State Board. GIDC Pharma Park will be the first of its kind pharma cluster programme set up in the country through an industry body, he added.

The IDMA state board has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government in the much known investor summit, Vibrant Gujarat 2009, in January for setting up the park. The investment for building the primary infrastructure is estimated as Rs 4 crore, including the separation of plots, setting up of administrative office and CET plant, informed Joshi.

The Pharma Park will have allocated space for packaging and logistics facilities along with accommodation for formulation and bulk drug manufacturers. The Pharma Park is expected to support the small scale industry to address the highly quality conscious export market with a standard manufacturing facility and will encourage them to grow in contract manufacturing business.

The state is contributing almost 45 per cent of the total national pharmaceutical production. With the support of the government and the regulatory bodies, the pharma industry in the state can increase its contribution to more than 50 per cent, comments Joshi. The cluster project will support the small scale industry to catch up the overall growth of the state pharma industry.