The Gujarat State Board (GSB) of Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) has successfully launched its Pharmaceutical Park designed as a cluster project to house a set of small scale pharmaceutical manufacturers in the state, by handing over the land to all the 32 companies, in February. With this, the GSB has become the first industry body to complete a pharma cluster initiative in the country.

The 32 small scale pharma companies, which entered into an agreement with the state government of Gujarat through the association in the biennial investment summit Vibrant Gujarat in 2009, is currently setting up the infrastructural facilities in the total 1.50 lakh square yard GIDC Pharma Park situated at Chagodar, near Ahmedabad, said the GSB sources.

"The GSB has set up the common facilities with an investment of around Rs 5 crore, for which the companies which have claimed the plots contributed the fund. We have handed over the land and it is up to these companies to develop their own facilities. The association will continue to be the governing body," said R S Joshi, executive secretary, IDMA Gujarat State Board.

The primary infrastructure set up by the association in the plot includes separate plots for each units, an administrative office for the whole park and Common Effluent Treatment Plant for the usage of every units in the park. The GIDC Pharma Park will be the first of its kind pharma cluster programme set up in the country through an industry body.

The Park designed with allocated space for packaging and logistics facilities in addition to the accommodation for formulation and bulk drug manufacturers. The project 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 which has been contributing almost 45 per cent of the total national pharmaceutical production in the recent past, has also performed well in the exports market, said Joshi. The industry association is projecting a vision to lead the nation in production of quality medicines both for domestic and exports market with the support of the state government and the regulatory authority. The cluster project will support the small scale industry to catch up the overall growth of the state pharma industry, said Joshi.