Plans to expand storage facilities across state to help fruit growers
The government today constituted a committee to fix rates of cold storage facility for apple and other fruits.
The government is also planning set up controlled atmosphere storage facilities at Sopore, Parimpora, Jablipora, Kulgam, in Kashmir, and Narwal in Jammu.
The committee, which has Director, Horticulture, and Director, Horticulture Produce and Marketing as its members, is mandated to hold threadbare discussions and make suggestions for better storage of fruit, besides suggesting rate for storage of apple and other fruits in controlled atmosphere stores.
The decision to constitute the committee was taken at a meeting between the officials of the Horticulture Department and representatives of cold atmospheric units and Fruit Growers and Traders Association of the Valley under the chairmanship of Minister for Horticulture Abdul Rehman Veeri in Srinagar on Monday, an official statement said.The other members of the committee include representatives of the Fruit Growers and Traders Association and cold storage unit holders.
“The committee will discuss threadbare issues for better storage of the fruit and make suggestions for fixation of rate,” the statement said.Minister for Horticulture, meanwhile, said the government was exploring the possibility of establishing a chain of cold atmospheric stores for the fruit industry across the state.Veeri said there was need to expand the cold storage network and the government was focusing on this critical aspect of post harvest management of fruits, especially apple.
“We will like to see more and more cold storage projects sanctioned by the Central government to address the shortfall of such stores,” the minister said, adding that out of the 43 such projects submitted to the Centre, only nine had been sanctioned so far, which only cater to 51,700 metric ton of fruit.Veeri said the government wants create cold storage facilities for over 2,57,796 metric ton of fruit.He said the government was planning to set up cold storage facilities at Sopore, Parimpora, Jablipora, Kulgam in Kashmir and Narwal in Jammu for preservation of fruits.
The minister said in this regard a proposal for sanction of the funds was under active consideration of the government.The minister also said a mass awareness drive would be launched about the benefits of using post-harvest storage facilities among growers and emphasis would be made on developing grading and packing units in fruit mandis.
